Waite settled into the back of the pack when the race began, getting into a slow trot with participant Stefan Gierczycki, but then found herself alone on her way to Murray Bridge before partnering up with runner Glen Brooks and having a good old chat before trudging on while Brooks had a break.
On that first day, race director Shaun Kaesler joined her and fellow runner Nicola Walters for about a kilometre.
“I think he likes to try and run with everyone at least once during the race,” she said.
It was a mixture of running solo and partnering up with South Australian pacers, who really welcomed Waite into the fold. She recapped some of the moments where she found herself alone in the wilderness, before detailing how much of a motivator it was to have people running alongside her for the journey.
“I was running alone again after seeing Shaun and Nicola, and suddenly it was blowing a gale on my way to Aid 3 at Harrogate Road; I was ahead of schedule and glad to see my stepdad Ted and Juliet there, my crew, for the first time since the start,” she said.
“After heading out again, the day getting darker, colder and windier, I was getting so tired but dared not slow down too much so that I could stay warm. I used my music to keep me going and thankfully all the reflective trail markers were easy to spot in the dark with my head torch.
“Much of the 200 miler was like that when I didn’t have a pacer with me, it can get very lonely out there with nothing but the sounds of the bush around you for miles upon miles; I’m not sure there’s a real way to prepare yourself for that when it’s your first time; I’ve done a 200 miler before, Delirious W.E.S.T, but it still gets lonely out there.
“Many times I was finding myself fatigued, sore in all sorts of spots around my body, cold to my bones, and missing the company of another person.”
It was gruelling, it was tough. It was one of the best things she’d ever challenged herself to do.
Across the days Waite was faced with wrong turns, cold nights, nausea, and sore body parts but also raised spirits when spotting crew and pacers, delicious aid station delicacies and helpful volunteers, as well as beautiful trails and nature reserves.
“Having pacers and a crew who know what you need and want is an important factor to being successful with these sorts of distances,” Waite explained.
“Having a pacer who knows when to keep talking to keep you awake, and how to talk to you during those times, is so vital; then there are pacers who know when to stay quiet and just motivate you by staying with you.
“One pacer of mine, Samantha, had recce’d the course a week before so I knew I could switch off ‘nav mode’ a little bit. She was a local runner, and was excited to ‘buddy run’ me.
“It wasn’t the first time I’d heard this term and love how the South Australians have their own running lexicon. Samantha suggested a dirt nap on our way to Aid 11; I wasn’t feeling that fatigued but my back and feet were aching so I did as I was told – 15 minutes later, we were off and running again, however I had gotten cold so it was a learning curve that 10 minutes is mostly optimal.”
Three kilometres from the finish, Waite was in intense pain with her left foot and ankle, as well as her back slowly getting worse. She was forced into a shuffle/walk combination once joined by Juliet, and aimed to get to the finish line before 11.30pm – only half an hour behind her predicted time.
“Down some narrow paths, and I could see the finish gantry,” she recalled.
“I pushed really hard and ran in to finish 88 hours 31 minutes 25 seconds; I may have dropped an F bomb, fallen into a big Shaun hug (he’s famous for them) and then burst into tears.
“It was such a relief to finally finish something that had been on the cards for so long, and I was a big pile of goo.”
Waite finished Irrational S.O.U.T.H in 12th Place (5th Female out of 7) out of 16 finishers and 18 starters (the DNFs were due to bronchitis and ankle tendon injury).
“I couldn’t have done this without my coach Glen Smetherham from Consistent Running, who has been guiding me in this journey of long distance running and helping me get to this achievement. Also my family, who doubled as my crew, and of course the South Australian running community with all the volunteers and pacers who supported all of us,” she said.
“Irrational S.O.U.T.H is an amazing event and I’m so glad I got to do the inaugural event.
“So many altruistic volunteers and supporters for only 18 runners; this 200 miler is great if you want to set yourself a 200 mile PB as there are long sections that are runnable and the hills and terrain are very manageable through pretty farmlands and interesting reserves as well as the trail being quite easy to navigate and is well marked.
“South Australian hospitality is simply extraordinary – Australia’s best kept secret is the South Aussies themselves. So warm and welcoming.”
Pictured: Harmony Waite at the 2021 Irrational S.O.U.T.H. Photographs – Supplied/Facebook.
