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Dirtworks Disaster
OK, so - the 'eventful' Dirtworks this year?
As I say on MB, "First 50 looking good, around 70Ks beginning to falter, last 20Ks - pure hell! Didn't eat/drink enough to keep the early pace going. Doh!"
As I often joke, I should write a book about what not to do on an MTB. On this occasion the planning was probably OK, but poorly executed I suffered for it.
MB profile is here:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2662125
If you look at the HR graph on MB (which itself is dodgy as think the monitor needs a battery change) it's pretty much like last year, only worse (nice and high to begin but then falls off through lack of energy). Which is odd, 'cos I had a plan to avoid this. Breakie was 2 bananas, 2 slices bread piled high with jam, 2 muesli bars, 2 bottles water and planned to eat 1 PowerBar, 1 Gu per hour, plus drink 1 bottle strong Gatorade mixed with 1 scoop Enduro per water station plus top up with water from the backpack.
Trouble is I was going too fast. By 50Kms (around 3 hours - probably on for a 6h30m finish - which on this course is well beyond me) I'd probably eaten only half the food I'd planned, by the bottom of Shepherds gully even worse and beginning to feel pretty bad. By this time I should have known things were going wrong, it was getting hard to stomach anything. Top of the hill at the 72Km water station I filled up, ate some of their fruit and struggled off.
I met a guy on the ridge and we rode together for a while. I didn't have my GPS on the bars so didn't know what time/distance we'd done, but he told me he started at the same time and that six hours just passed. At this point I figured we'd done most of the hard ridge climbs and there was less than 20Ks to go, most of that flat and downhill. Not the 6h30m pace that looked on earlier, but I figured that although I was hurting, we'd be home in an hour or so and a good time would be set - how wrong could you be?
Things on the ridge began to get ugly shortly after - which is a shame, 'cos it's a nice track and all completely rideable (in fact, I think aside from the first hill, on form all of this years course was). The stomach was beginning to complain about the Gatorade/Enduro mix so supped mainly on water from here. Every hill was beginning to look like a monster and began to walk a few (cramp hadn't set in, but the legs were letting me know if I pushed on the hills they would fight back with this).
At one point I was sat in a shady spot top a small incline completely buggered. I was panting and felt completely exhausted (funny that). Few riders came by and showed concern - offered food and water - this wasn't the problem, getting it in was, but thanks to their encouragement I forced down some Gu and battled on. That's the beauty of an event like this, there's always people around to help out in a pinch.
After what seemed like forever on the ridge I slowly tootled down Jacks Gully. I was feeling pretty light headed by now - despite trying to drink more and more as this became apparent - and last thing that was needed was a high speed off down here. Hands and arms were even feeling bad now, at one point I was having trouble shifting up with my left thumb and even pulling the brakes. Strange to say, but the gate at the bottom was very welcome as I knew it was just a battle on the flat to grind home. I quipped at the photog at the second creek, "I hope you're not looking for heroics" (I've seen the pros wheelie through here). "No, I'm looking for exhaustion", he replied. Cool - now that I can do!
Got in at 7h54m on my clock. Very disappointing from the 50Km split. Even last year was 7h40-ish Actually, I should smile here 'cos last year was 8h20 (the 7h40 is moving time).
For those who weren't around after the race... I was beyond stuffed. Was trying to drink and eat something but it was hard. I was dry reaching at the presentation (luckily people were looking the other way). We got some re-hydration stuff from a medic but I couldn't keep that down (or any other fluid or food for that matter). Big thanks to all the guys who were around at this time. I was in a pretty bad way and we ended up in Gosford Hospital (the medic at DW said we should go to Emergency if I brought the hydration stuff up) who put me on various drips for 3 hours (some saline, some potassium stuff).
The doc. said that doing this ride coming off a week of flu wasn't probably the smartest thing in the world and added to it. I know others were in the same flu boat, hope they are all OK.
Anyhow, I'm fine now (the morning after). The legs, etc. didn't get pushed all they could through the energy problem so no real issue there.
Also want to say once again, huge thanks to the guys for looking after me, and even packing my gear up - you lot are legends!
So, like I said last year, "Never Again!"
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Not sure what time you were up, but that looks like a big breakfast to have just an hour or two before a race. Unless you can get the food in 4 hours before you may have been better off with a smaller breakfast, which would have made it easier to eat and drink early on.
Glad you're OK. "ooks like one to file under "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger"
how the medical care works at these races?
Could we have found you a Dr. and a drip at the race site if we had reacted earlier to your symptoms Rob?
I am just wondering how I could have dealt better with this situation for next time.
Or was all the medical staff already gone and packed up or do they make you go to hospital anyway for insurance or...?
Does anybody have any experience?
Cheers
Carolin
Regarding injuries and needing help, I heard some guy had to be taken away with an ambulance somewhere along the course. Also I saw one guy with a broken collar-bone, not sure if it was the same guy. One of the fireman marshals gave me a note with the location of the injured guy and a help request, and told me to take it to the next marshal, he said it was urgent and told me not to have an accident myself... Anyway, next marshal wasn't for about 20km... I am suprised they didn't have a better form of communication... I guess cb radios do not work in that terrain, but perhaps they should get satellite phones which work anywhere on earth, they are expensive, but perhaps they could be hired for the weekend. There seem to be several companies that hire satelite phones. I think I will suggest this to the organizers of Dirtworks.
Wow, that thing about the notes is scary. Even if they can't get a sat phone (and yes, expensive but as you say, they could hire a couple) then positioning marshals so a radio chain can be maintained can't be that hard I'm sure.
The first (and I think second?) year a rudimentary first aid kit (triangle + crepe bandage, pain killers, etc.) was one of the mandatory items but not this time. The items they listed were small and light and the stuff has been in my backpack ever since.
Pain killers esp. strike me as a good idea if you have to wait for hours to be helped. Off the shelf pain killers normally have 1-2 tables dosage. I wonder what the effect of chucking down 3-4 Ibuprofen or Paracetamol based ones would be after a big off, and if one is dehydrated? Would this make things worse for when the ambos arrive with something better?
You must remember that the orgainisers of this event come from an adventure racing background so long distances between check points would not be unusual. The first paragraph of the disclaimer mentions remoteness from medical help etc. But if you feel there wasn't enough check points or communications on the course you should let Maxadventure know. They've been slowly making changes over the years the event over the years that reflect it is a Mtb race rather than a leg of an adventure race (A rain coat & lights was also on the mandatory equipment list for year 1). To me the level of marshals seemed similar to other events I've done.
Even though no longer compulsory it's a good idea to carry a small FA kit (and have some idea what do do with it). The likely hood of coming across an injury, particularly down the back of the pack, is reasonably high. I'd always add an emergency space blanket to the usual required list. Pain killers are probably optional, I'd avoid them in the event of a big crash and this is certainly what most FA course will teach since their effects can make later diagonosis harder also you may not know the person and any allergies etc that they may have.
...in St John ambulance we use 5W CB handheld radios, and in the CBD they struggle when we cover events like the Anzac Day parades and those things aren't cheap either. I've got no idea what the terrain at Dirtworks is like, but I can't imagine they can be more than several km apart for it to work, or whether a full radio chain can be made because of terrain problems. But imagine just the cost of the batteries you would need!
I agree about the pain killers, unless the pain is unbearable. If anything, it can help to make the casualty feel better even if they are still experiencing the same amount of pain
NSW ambulances carry morphine (?) and penthrane - comes in a small bottle/capsule, and drops of it gets dripped into a handheld tube that you breath through to inhale the good stuff. Does wonders when you're in absolute pain.
When I go riding I take a belt version of my SJ FAK. Its got:
- 2*20ml saline
- roller bandages, 7cm and 10cm
- spray on bandage and band aids
- safety pins
- anti septic wipes
- sheets of opsite
- non adhesive dressing
- gauze
- latex gloves
All inside a small belt pouch! Can't be too careful.