(From front) John Ellis, Jeff Campbell, Masa Shirotake and Ryan Whelan stick to Ellis’ pacing plan. Photo: Handout
Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/3159772/oxfam-trailwalker-winners-overcome-cracked-ribs Trail Running
Oxfam Trailwalker winners overcome cracked ribs, treadmill training in quarantine and a switch to a virtual race in build up to 100km victory
- Gone Running-Joint Dynamics win Oxfam Trailwalker for the third time, despite one member cracking ribs and training in quarantine in the build up to the race
- The team won in 2018, and the unofficial race in 2019, making this their third consecutive victory
(From Left) Jeff Campbell, John Ellis, Masa Shirotake and Ryan Whelan on their way to winning the Oxfam Trailwalker 2021, the virtual race. Photo: Handout
Jeff Campbell did not let three cracked ribs sustained in a fall stop him, as he and his Gone Running-Joint Dynamics (GRJD) teammates won this year’s men’s division of the Oxfam Trailwalker.
Acknowledging there had been “some discomfort”, Campbell pointed out that a 100km run always involved a measure of pain.
Alongside John Ellis, Ryan Whelan and Masa Shirotake, Campbell finished in 11 hours and 45 minutes, as GRJD defended the title they won at the most recent official OTW in 2018, and again unofficially the following year.
The race was cancelled in 2019 because of the anti-government protests sweeping the city, but a number of teams ran anyway. The emergence of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 led to it being cancelled that year, making this GRJD’s third consecutive win.
The race starts in Sai Kung and ends near Tai Tong, going over some of Hong Kong’s steepest mountains.
“I had to ease back into it, using some doctor prescribed pain killers. It was really touch and go as to whether they’d be healed enough in time to race properly on race day,” Campbell said.
“I was able, in the 10 days, to have the right mix to have some running to have the confidence that I could complete something like this, and rest.”
“I put it along with the other tasks at hand – what’s the strategy to manage the pain? I told the team I’d be a bit slower on descents as they are a bit more rib rattling,” he said.
“The longer we got into the race, the ribs got warmer and the pain became more manageable.”
Dealing with broken ribs was enough on its own, but Campbell had other obstacles to overcome. He visited his home in Toronto in October, where he only had flat surfaces for training, and then spent three weeks in quarantine on his return, where he trained on a treadmill twice a day.
“It wasn’t ideal but it was a good way of killing the time,” he said.
Just days before the race was expected to take place, the license was revoked by the government and the event was made virtual. After the team overcame the disappointment, it gave a bit more time to train properly and peak their fitness together.
Uncertainties, changes, injuries and quarantine would be enough to fell most people before the race starts. Campbell does not consider himself especially mentally strong, but the beauty of the trailwalker is having teammates to support you.
“In terms of mental strength, I feel a real boost in events like OTW, as you have teammates you are relying on and they rely on you,” Campbell said.
“There is a lot of trust, and there is a lot of time sacrificed by all the support runners and crew too. There is so much invested in the day. And the clock starts, and that’s the time you have to keep to those promises you’ve made to each other.”
Ellis echoed Campbell, saying the team was the all important aspect of the day, but joked he was secretly happy Campbell had been injured so he would not be the slowest.
“Having that communication and having that mutual respect is so important. You don’t worry about asking your teammates to go slower. It’s not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of being a good team player,” Ellis said.
He was concerned about Campbell and they had a frank conversation about whether he should be replaced before the race started. The pair were both part of the 2018 victory.
“I know he can hurt,” Ellis said. “And we’ve done it before. We have a really good relationship, and we’re honest. I asked him if he could do it, did he feel confident he can get through 100km. He was confident, and we have a lot of faith in him, so that was enough. What a guy, he just sucked it up.”
Ellis is famous for his exact and conservative pacing plans. The team arrived at the first few checkpoints exactly on time, not a minute sooner or later than anticipated.
As the second half came round, the team began to speed up. First, they wanted to beat team Uglow, who had posted a 12:28 time already, which was enough to seal the mixed team record. As they got closer to the end, they aimed to go under 12 hours. Then, as they neared the finish, they were aiming to beat the GRJD 2018 team time of 11:53.
“We knew exactly what we were doing, we knew the time to beat. We had to trust the process, and we knew we’d be in a good place by halfway and had to build pace from there,” Whelan said.
“Hitting the time targets on the minute in the first half, we knew that was only going to go one way and that was faster,” he said.
Whelan comes from a team sport background and still competes in outrigging teams.
“It was fantastic to have trail running and the team element in one race,” he said. “When you are running a race there is a fair chance of a blow up, but times that by four? You really have to watch your pace and make sure the pace is right for all of you. To finish with mates, it’s all the more special.”
Shirotake moved to Hong Kong from Japan in April. He googled the fastest trail runner in Hong Kong and found Campbell. He wanted a fast running mate and became part of GRJD.
Still, the Oxfam Trailwalker was his first 100km race, and his first team race.
“I didn’t want to be the slowest one,” he said. “If someone had a problem on the legs, then the whole team had a disaster. I didn’t want to be the man, the only one.
“Before the start, I was very nervous. But we chatted the whole race. We had a lot of support. I forgot the time. I forgot the tiredness. I really enjoyed it.”