November 2021
These posts have taken far longer than expected. Since finishing Delirious I have ran the Feral Pig 100 miler and came second at the inaugural Hysterical Carnage backyard Ultra. It’s been a busy few months and I’ve enjoyed each event immensely.
Right back to Delirious , after Conspicuous beach myself and Adam really put a wiggle on and caught so many runners, albeit mainly women to start with and mostly injured women. In the end we managed to catch a few injured men including Felix who I mention in one of the videos, again only because he injured himself. I felt good and left Adam towards the end of the day as he was having issues with his calf/ankle, I can’t remember now. I was chasing Paul ‘Hopi’ Hopwood, not realising the man is a living legend and way outside my talent pool ! Anyhow the day was just ace, that is the only term I can use. Scenery, ace, how I was feeling, ace and crew, ace. What a day. I did get lost just before Monkey Rocks aid station and Paul and I together managed to find our way to the aid station together where I decided to wait for Adam, who had called ahead and asked that I wait for him. Also Gazza had cooked a steak with eggs, be a shame to rush it ? I took advantage of the situation with a 30 minute Nano-nap, that also felt ace.
From Monkey Rock to Denmark is not a nice section of the race, in fact it was probably the worst. Monkey Rocks is steep, very steep and just about unrun-able. (is that a word?). It was also wet and Adam and I both stacked it on the wet granite boulders. We both landed heavily on our ribs and this would come back and bite one of us badly the next day. After negotiating Monkey Rocks, and I mean negotiating, there is stories of runners , even with pacers, who have ran up to the top of Monkey Rocks , got disorientated and ran back to the start. Running it in the dark I can believe this is very possible, it all looks so similar. There is also stories of runners who have got completely lost and ran their Wife, on a different continent, in an attempt to get rescued. After you eventually get over the rocks you then stumble into Denmark and run through the backstreets to the sleep station. Uninspiring running at 1am in the drizzle trust me. When we got to the sleep station at Denmark I got on the pajamas, noise cancelling headphones , facemask and instantly drifted off into a deep sleep for nearly three hours, bliss.
We set the alarm for 4:30am so we could get a 5am lift to the final start point on day four of this adventure. In the good old days it use to be a boat across the inlet but HSE have put an end to this and now its a 20 minute car ride. No worries , a quick shower, change of clothes and I was ready for the final day. Myself and Adam felt great for the first 3-4km and then Adam’s race came to an abrupt end, well the running part anyhow. Unbeknownst to him he had fractured his ribs the previous night traversing Monkey Rocks and what he initially thought was a bad stitch was his fractured rib letting him know it would be a long day on the trail and all running was to cease immediately. Of course I did was all good friends do when their fellow runners show weakness, I accelerated away and never looked back. Adam would eventually finish 6-7 hours behind me but only due to his injury and he was still smiling , from the first step to the last, or maybe more of a grimace than a smile at the end, what a bloody legend !
The last day is a couple of long stretches between aid stations and then a couple of short legs and you’re done. Once you get to the second aid station of the day you’re as good as done. I got a couple of runners early and then just kept moving forward. I was alone but the end was in sight so just kept putting one foot infront of the other. I was feeling ok early on and as the day went on and I could see I had a chance of finishing before sunset I started to feel better , and the pace increased.
I even managed to catch Paul ‘Hopi’ Hopwood at the last aid station, less than 10k from the finish, and we both ran through it in full racing mode, after nearly 330km’s of running ! I raced Paul for about 2k before my head gasket blew completely and he left me to finish one place ahead of me in 8th overall. Looking back it was madness to try and race Paul and the better option would have been a gentle jog to the finish together but , hey, it’s a race and both of us are stubborn old runners with a rich history of racing, it’s in our blood ! Fair play, he kicked my backside royally albeit in my defense I knew not of his legendary history and status and if I had would have accepted his offer of a easy jog to the finish with both hands. I blame Rob Donkersloot for revving me up.
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Of course there was beer at the end of the event. Great pub with great company and I managed three pints of Guinness and a shooter to celebrate Darlene and Shannon new grandchild, number 104 I think?, but by about 10pm it was time to me to exit stage right and sleep, and boy did I sleep good ! So to sum up the Delirious West 2021 was just ace, great race, great company, great support and I can’t wait to do it all again in February 2022, and beyond. It really is a race that defines you and lets you see what you can achieve, albeit with a great support crew and live marin. ? I say race but its more than that really, a three to four day adventure where you can strip yourself bare and rebuild yourself into what you want, albeit for the journey. It’s up to you how you take that forward in life but it does change you for the better and that is all we can do.
I need to thank so many people , the list is just too bloody large but my crew were just biblical, Gazza and Alex will always have a place in my heart, team BK ! Adam for putting up with me for well over 200 kilometres and would have been there at the end bar a fractured rib , my hero. Rob Donkersloot for training my mind , the one missing piece of this ultra runners arsenal. All the volunteers at the aid stations and anybody who gave up their time to help at this event, you are the true heroes of the piece, so , so very grateful. All the positive people you meet on the run, Bart’s, Marty, Wil, Frank, Wayne, Amanda, Shannon, Nats, Alan, Sue, Michael H., Nathan, the Race Directors and paramedics. Fellow runners , all of you ! The Northcliffe Hotel staff and owners and of course the chef’s who produced the waffle breakfast to end all breakfasts ! Anybody who knows me and anybody who has read this far, thankyou. Shaun Kaesler, the maker of dreams, never has that statement been more true. Eve for taking on the challenge at such short notice and acing this race, unbelievable. Finally to my long suffering Wife and kids who let me loose on these adventures, there are no words to express my gratitude and love.
Until next year…
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I am a big fan of this product and have reached out to the distributor and got a 20% discount code until the end of the year. If you go to the Australian website (below) you can get 20% off the spray and recovery bandages, use the code runbkrun21
Some information from the supplier :-
If you need more detailed information go to the main website https://humantecar.com/en/ which goes into more detail but it has some pretty powerful advocates as mentioned above.
I have used the spray and the bandages on many occasions and genuinely felt better for it. The first time I tried the bandages was after I ran for 47 hours at Birdy’s Frontyard Ultra. As you can imagine I was a tad sore the next day so a perfect chance to try the bandages and they didn’t disappoint. No 1 Wife wasn’t that excited about the smell but I reckon it was sweet, hey come on these things were invented in Italy, if I can smell like an Italian Stallion that’s cool with me.
All joking aside these products do exactly what they say they do and that’s help runners keep running so in my book its money well spent. Please note I have received nothing for this promotion bar the good feeling of knowing I may have helped a few more runners take advantage of these great products, and save a few dollars as well.
From the Australian Website:-
The human story behind Human Tecar® in Australia
02 March 2020
A lot of people ask about the story behind Human Tecar’s arrival in Australia.
Well, this is our story…
It was mid-2018 and we were off to see my wife’s family in Italy. As with any family trip, there was a lot to plan. For us, there was also a lot to consider.
You see, my wife sees a physio once (sometimes twice) a week to keep things in check—manual therapies, dry needling, pilates. Unfortunately, it’s been this way for most of her adult life. Her body is a volatile combo of fibromyalgia, chronic neck/back issues, migraines, and auto-immune disease.
So as part of our planning, I had my wife’s physio notes translated into Italian before we left (just in case).
When the holiday became reality, it had its usual challenges: long flights, delayed flights, uncomfortable hotel beds, and loads of luggage.
After about twelve days, it all caught up with my wife. She was now confined to our hotel room—curtains closed to keep out the light; her back and neck seized; and migraines taking hold.
The hotel gave us the address for a local physio. The clinic was about twenty minutes drive away and if my wife’s situation wasn’t bad enough, me driving in Italy was only making things worse.
When we arrived, we shared our pre-prepared physio notes. And thanks to Google Translate, we were able to engage in some basic two-way conversation.
The physio kept referring to ‘Human Tecar’. We’d never heard of it. But by this time—and in this situation—we didn’t have much choice.
I left my wife to finish the treatment and I waited in reception with our son. When my wife walked out, she had tears in her eyes.
My first thought: the treatment hadn’t worked.
My second thought: what do we do now with two weeks left in Italy?Fortunately, those overwhelming emotions were good ones. The tears dried and I could see the life back in her eyes.
My wife hugged the physio goodbye. I souvenired a business card from the front desk. And we went back to being tourists again.
The treatment remained stable. We finished the next two weeks of our family trip and arrived back in Australia keen to pursue this ‘new’ technology.
Upon returning home to Perth, we enthusiastically shared the experience with my wife’s physio. He’d never heard of it.
I reverted (as you do) to Google. The search results suggested Australia had ever heard of it either.
Still intrigued, I contacted my wife’s cousin back in Rome who (coincidentally) coaches track and field. He answered my query with the kind of tone that suggests I really didn’t do enough research…
“John, everyone knows Human Tecar.”Well, as we now know, not everyone does.So I went straight to the source: reaching out to Human Tecar’s head office in Italy. I started the conversation around Human Tecar’s presence (or current absence) in the Australian market.
“Why are we yet to see Human Tecar in Australia?”
In a nutshell, compared to big global medtech companies, you could say Human Tecar is a ‘boutique’ company. After 25 years, it is still run by its passionate founder, Mario Scerri. Mr Scerri and his team of specialists maintain a very personal relationship with the athletes and medical professionals they work with—and they take the same approach with their distributors.
Historically, much of their focus has been direct with elite sporting organisations and athletes—Ferrari Racing, Atletico Madrid, Nike, Adidas, INSEP, etc, etc. The frontline of professional sport has always been the ultimate proving ground for Human Tecar; fine-tuned environments where recovery and (p)rehab can make or break careers.
And back to my point about Australia…
Well honestly, we were simply a country that hadn’t yet been considered. Compared to the USA, China and the rest of western Europe, our market is relatively small. To complicate things, our regulatory body is one of the strictest in the world.
Despite its market challenges, the team at Italy’s head office spoke highly about the Australian physio industry. And the prospect of actually seeing Human Tecar Down Under was something that Mario Scerri himself was quite excited about.
So what began as a conversation around Human Tecar for my wife, soon became a conversation around Human Tecar for Australia.
As the company shared more behind-the-scenes information, we began to learn more and more about Human Tecar’s case studies with athletes.
And when they talk about athletes, it’s not about sponsorships or ambassador roles. It’s about some of the most remarkable success stories in modern sport, including Usain Bolt’s career-defining hamstring injury (and recovery) in the lead up to Rio.
So what began as a random holiday experience in a small Italian village quickly developed into a greater appreciation for Human Tecar and its capabilities in physiotherapy, rehabilitation, S&C and high performance.
Getting a greater understanding of the ‘bigger picture’ led to the launch of our company, Athleticus.
By early 2019, our budding Australian company would go on to establish the first partnership with Human Tecar in the Southern Hemisphere.
In April 2019, we launched Human Tecar in Australia, with Human Tecar’s Sports & Strength Recovery Specialist, Cristian Martinelli, flying in from Italy.
Representing Athleticus at the launch was our lead physio and trainer, Mattia Fredella (ex-CONI in Rome and trained by Human Tecar’s academy in Italy).
Joining our team in Brisbane were Nathan Carloss (Integrated Physio Centre) and Thomas Harvey (Recovery Science) – both of whom were trained on Human Tecar’s suite of technology by Mr. Martinelli.
Speaking that evening was our guest, Nigel Smith from Brisbane Sports & Spinal Physiotherapy. Nigel presented an insight into his recent PhD thesis that researched the prevalence of hamstring injuries in elite football players.
Socceroo, Brett Holman, also took the mic to share his own personal story overcoming injuries in elite sport. His time playing in Holland exposed him to Human Tecar where the technology was an integral part of the club’s rehab, recovery, and strength & conditioning programmes.
Although it is still very early days for us here in Australia, our team has already followed in the footsteps of Human Tecar on the world stage, proving the effectiveness of the technology with some of Australia’s most respected athletes. There have also been recent opportunities where the Athleticus team has worked alongside visiting physio and medical teams from the world’s best international athletes.
And now, with each new day, the story goes on…
If you want to find out more about the Human Tecar story in Australia, shoot me an email via petkovic@athleticus.com.au or feel free to give me a call on 0418 742 551.
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Written by John Petkovic
Founder of Athleticus
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Right I left you with myself and Adam at Broke Inlet Road, around 88k in. Last year I was broken by this point, excuse the pun, with the quads just about to seize up completely. It was dark and I was hungry, unprepared and unsupported, it was never going to end well and a few hours later I pulled the pin.
This year was a different story, I had had a great days running and my support crew had prepared a hearty dinner , change of shoes, clothes and had me up and about ready to face the next leg, which we knew would be dark and very wet ! Me and Adam set off into the darkness excited about what lay ahead albeit with a touch of trepidation knowing it would be a difficult 20k to my nemesis, Mandalay Beach. The two videos below show how wet it was !
Funnily enough Adam and I enjoyed this part of the course. Ok, it was incredibly wet but it was all part of the adventure that is Delirious, just walking 20k through ankle deep water in the middle of the night, where else would you rather be. Eventually we got to Mandalay and decided it was time for a break, it was late and we’d been on the go since 7am that morning. I’m not sure what time we left Mandalay but I know the next stage to Mount Clare was a slog, lots of sand, wind and hard climbs but again it was just ace because it was so hard and like nothing we had ran before. The wind made it more rugged, brutal but also it focused the mind. There was no one else around of course, just Adam and I and our head torches moving forward into the night with the waves crashing around us.
As Adam remarked I was now in uncharted territory after not making it out of Mandalay the previous year. It was a slog to Mount Clare and the climb to the aid station was more like an ascent rather than a run, the hill was steep and long and we both needed more time to recoup at the next aid station. Both of us fell into our reclining chairs, grabbed some food and then closed out eyes while being wrapped up in warm blankets by our crew. We both had about 15-20 minutes of quiet time before moving onto Warpole where we knew there was a sleep station and although it would mean sleeping in the day we had to take some time out.
We got to Warpole around 10am and decided we’d have a two hour sleep, there was beds, showers , toilets and we took advantage of all of these. I had a great two hours sleep and even got a massage from Myree before setting off to the next aid station, Giant Tingle Tree. It was wet and steep, that about sums it up. Beautiful scenery mind but testing conditions. Totally different to what had come before, which is what makes this event so special, each day has something different, terrain wise, to tackle.
That’s enough for this post… one more to go..
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