New Zealand

Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, it marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales, and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip.

 

First impression?  LOVE Australia 🇦🇺

Similar to the US, think they’re also crazy East Coast centric.  What we know:  Sydney, Melbourne, mass-destruction wildfires, kangaroos, crocs.  Western Australia? Nada.  Prepared for melting Down Under heat & desert.  Oh it’s warm… but Perth, WA’s capital city – truly stunning.  Manicured parks, multiple bridges, WA’s Swan River & the friendliest of people.  Hidden gem.  Continent’s best beaches too!  So yeah – of all the crazy quick Triple 8 touchdowns, Australia I’ll return.  Well worth the long cross-continent flight time.

Late nite touchdown (9 hours in the air).  Crowne Promenade check-in, early a.m. Start.

5 o’clock hotel lobby.  Short walk to Burswood Park.  Day 2.  Registration, bib pickup – & 2 hours of comfortable morning temps.  Told today would be the prettiest of our 8 continent locations.  Check.  Absolutely!  6 laps.  Bike path course with eye-candy scenery.  Australia!

Tunes loaded.  Focused/plugged in.  Bang out the first half while it’s still pleasant.  Push the next two laps, walk the last [one] if I gotta.  26.2 miles run, walk, crawl but finish.  One day, this day.  Live the moment.

First mile sore, 2nd mile slow.  Change of tunes: old-school Abba.  Oh yeah – run rhythm clicking.  Day One stiffness gone; on the path/in the zone.  Swan statue.  Pedestrian bridge cross.  Short section of nada – look right, focus on the River.  Aid Station.  Water sip, volunteer thanks…  & keep moving!  UP UP the BIG bridge incline (our only real Hill).  Breathe, pace pick up.  River loop back to the Start.  Move, move, move.

3 laps done.  Refueled.  Feelin’ good – don’t overthink it, just logging miles.

THOR! ⚡ Bestest company for 3 loops.  Mika from Finland.  Strong runner, great conversationalist.  Crazy amount of Wiki knowledge (‘though think some of his tales were ‘Mika facts’  LOL>).  Comfortable pace, time went by quick.  Dropped me Bridge Walk, lap 5.

FIVE warm miles left.  Gal volunteer ran alongside most of my last loop.  Trail angels are everywhere 😊

Faster FINISH than yesterday, best of the Quest.  Right on target with my strategy.  But last… again.  Never been slowest & the oldest.  Make peace, move on.  Today I ran 26 miles in Perth, Australia – with some of the most amazing travel partners.  HUGE GRIN.

2 marathons down, next 2 – no plan.  Y’all know I fade in HEAT.  Kept thinkin’ I’d figure out summer marathoning.

Live the moment.  One day, this day.  Don’t look ahead.

Day 3, the EQUATOR.  Continent: Asia.  Touchdown: Singapore.

 

4th Annual Australia Day Marathon & 1/2 Marathon

Perth, Australia  January 22, 2020

 

Keenan Haga  Louisville, CO  U.S.A.  Marathon  4:53:24

 

 

Australia Day Marathon

 

 

Lap after lap after lap.

Certainly saw plenty o’ scenic Auckland Domain my 3 days in New Zealand.  LOL>

What I’ll remember most Day 1 – smile of an elderly volunteer who enthusiastically greeted every time we started UP War Memorial.  6 times she’d laugh & cheer & shout in dialect.  Bestest, most upbeat individual of my journey.  Looked forward to seeing her as much as the Grandstand banner 😊

Hotel lobby 5:30am.  Triple 8ers all piled into a rented van.  Registration & bib pickup.  Day One.  Excited, nervous.  Ready to run.  Head cold almost gone.  Hadn’t long run since the Mobile Marathon.

7am Start.  Gonna heat up fast – Zealandia summer.  Overcast today, not the shine.  super HUMID.  Kinda wish we’d been allowed the early Start with majority of today’s Auckland YMCA marathoners.

Moisture hung HEAVY.  Clouds & head wind ‘round War Memorial created run relief, easiest of all my NZ days but only 2 laps (9 miles) in, just wasn’t feelin’ it… on Day 1.  How am I gonna do 8 days of this?  mini-PANIC attack.  Panting, lungs sucking water.  Air forced, out quickly.  Mind racing.

Walked/talked the hill UP past Domain Gates.  Slowed my pace, searched for tunes.  Gotta regain control.  You’ve done this a hundred times… literally.  One step in front the other.

Cheering us up the Museum incline, there she was again – I’ve got this.  No Grandstand stop, pushed thru lap 4.  High-fives & waves to fellow runners & street marshals.  Short break in lap 5 to look-about the Bay – at the beauty of this Pacific Island city – far far away from Colorado HOME.

Victory Lap, heat STRUGGLED.  More walk, than jog.  Water/electrolytes every aid stop.  Grandstand in the distance – never looked so good.  Domain done.  HUGE THANKS to Auckland’s YMCA Marathon Club, their high 5’s much appreciated this first day.

Last of ‘the Six’.  Hotel ride, shower, unpack/repack.  Gotta go, gotta go.  Plane to catch.

Goodbye beautiful tropic New Zealand – next Continent: Australia! 🦘🇦🇺

 

2020 8th Continent Marathon

Tuesday, January 21, 2020 06:31 (GMT+13) – Final results

Location:  Auckland, New Zealand

 

Place     Bib       Racer name        Finish time

19        2342    Keenan Haga         5:01:14.6         +1:41:56.6

 

 

8th Continent Marathon

 

 

Triple 8 PASTA 🍝

SLEEP… does a body good.

Series of 2-3 hour naps (9 hours total) but got the job done.

Bip back in my step.  Today’s the day – day we become ‘the SIX’.  And tomorrow… our Triple 8 adventure begins.  8 marathons, 8 continents, 8 days.  YES!

Brendan, Mika, myself.  Nicole, Mike, Que.  Three attempting 13.1 miles; three of us 26.2 our goal distance.  EVERY day, 8 days.  Run, shower, eat, sleep.  Airport check-in.  New hotel.  Repeat.  C-R-A-Z-Y.  Roller coaster ride almost here, but first… Lovers Walk.

Pre-dawn, pre-breakfast, weather to savour.  Pre-high summer sun.  Lots of tropic.

Giant ferns, palms & GREEN.  It’s January!  Southern Hemisphere SUMMER 🌞

Short loop ‘round Auckland Domain.  BIG hill canopied by everything New Zealand.  So much green… so much HUMIDITY.  Freshman 15 sweat fest.  LOL>

ASB Tennis Arena.  Auckland Bowling Club.  Nothing but SMILE.

Triple 8 activities, afternoon & evening.  NZ Race Director meet-n-greet.  Pasta dinner with ‘the Six’ @ Archie’s .  All for real in 10 hours.  Who’s sleeping now?

Tick, tick, tick.  Close your eyes, K-Star.  Triple 8 Quest tomorrow!

 

 

Lovers Walk, Auckland