Round Rarotonga Road Race - 1983

The third time we made the trip to Rarotonga the place was beginning to feel like a home away from home. In fact I remember even on the second trip I had that feeling you get on returning home after a long trip overseas. It felt good to be back.

This year we had moved our accommodation from the Rarotongan Resort to the Edgewater, much less salubrious but a lot friendlier with large rooms that slept more than just two. We were joined on this trip by a contingent from Scottish which included Dave Hatield, Chris Harp and Tony Lane. Howard Gregory from Masterton was also there.

Unfortunately during the week before the race most of us managed to pick up a gastrointestinal bug which meant frequent trips to the toilet. The question we all asked ourselves was "will I be able to last until the finish?"

The Kapiti team for the 1983 race. Rob DeBique, Paddy Gresham, Clarence Marter, me and Bryn Kempthorne.

The leading bunch quickly sorted itself out, consisting of Dave, Chris, Howard and me. I was pretty confident, having raced all these guys a lot, but you can never discount any of them. Howard was much more experienced at the longer distances than I was and Dave was very good no matter what the distance. I'm not sure whether the gastro bug had got them worse than me but I found I had slipped away from them by the time we got to the long straight by the Edgewater at about 20km. But the race was not over.

At the race briefing we had been told that to leave the road was to risk disqualification and as the protestations from my insides increased as the kilometres (actually in those days we would've said miles) went by, it became imperative that I leave the road.

Up the rise by the airport with the race referee in attendance on the motorbike.

Unfortunately at around the time it became necessary the race referee was riding his motorbike alongside me so I had to decide whether I would risk disqualification or hold on as best I could. I decided on the latter and "as best I could" ended up being not that good. So it was at the next drink station that the water didn't go into my mouth but down the back of my shorts. For this I was awarded the referees prize as he'd witnessed it first hand.

"Holding on" to the finish.

Fortunately the others must've been suffering at least as much as I was and I ran home the winner in 1:46:49. Dave was second in 1:48:16 and Howard finished in such distress third place (1:51:39) that he had to be taken to the hospital. At the hospital he was given intravenous saline, but not intravenously, to drink. He was discharged fairly quickly with a couple of more bottles of "drip" which we helped him drink during the afternoon.

Chris (1:53:08), Clarence (1:54:15), Roger Weatherly (1:54:40) and Rob (1:56:03) filled out the next few places and, with Bryn Kempthorne the Kapiti team regained the title we'd lost to Tauranga in 1982.

You may have noticed that I don't look my usual hairy self in these photos. That's because we had a vice-versa party shortly before leaving on the trip and I took the depilation to the extreme. So with that and a bit of practice in high heels it was all worth it. I got the prize of best looking girl.