My goal was to walk 10 km in 1.5 hours but I thought my time might realistically go up to 1:40:00. MapMyWalk informed me that I actually walked 10.5 km in ... exactly 1:30:00! I'm not sure whether the extra distance was a result of my over-earnest zigzagging along the course (why go around bends when you can go through them?) or GPS not being accurate when you're moving so slowly, but I am pretty pleased with this unofficial result. :-)
I've not usually excited to see someone holding out a banana and a bottle of water but can assure you that this is a very welcome offering when you've been on the move for a while. I didn't hang around at Kilbirnie Park afterwards, instead opting to jump on an early bus back to town while there were no queues. I discovered that my final 1 km walk back to the office from the bus stop at Courtenay Place was almost harder than the 10 km I'd done before it, now that I'd had a few minutes of sitting down on the bus! (Confession time: I was so hungry when I got back to the office that I also sneaked a stale muesli bar out of my emergency kit and ate it on the spot. Oh well! Back on the wagon again this afternoon.)
Wellington is renown for miraculously putting on a good day for Round the Bays. I had serious doubts as I listened to the strong winds during the night and still hadn't decided whether to walk in a windbreaker even 15 minutes before the race began. Then, things calmed down as the race begun and we enjoyed an overcast morning with a welcome northerly at our backs. Whew!
Thinking about it, I've decided that I prefer the 10 km event to the main 6.5 walk or run. There were fewer baby buggies and scooters presenting obstacles to avoid and there is a better general understanding about the pecking order (black bib = half-marathon so let them pass first), so it was easier to get through the crowds. Once again, this is a fantastic event to be part of and I'm already thinking about entering again next year.
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