Sitting in pain at Hong Kong airport unable to use my right hand to type this..things were not so smooth in Guam, I was feeling so good when I’d arrived from Saipan.
Asmy trusted Coach always said ‘when you feel great watch out for the banana skin around the corner’ Well it wasn’t a banana skin but a failure in my shifter that came off on pre ride out on the Guam course. I took a bad fall , my right arm outstretched to break the 30mph catapult. Upon inspection the gear had sheared off its mount and was hanging from the wire. It had stuck into my front wheel and stopped me in my tracks.
The following two days before the race I did the ’RICE’ thing, I was lucky enough to have had a US Naval medic with me on the ride and he was brilliant, gave me some strong anti inflams.
Day of the race and all was getting better , tho I couldnt swim with that arm properly I could suffer the pain on the day as it was am mere 1k in the warm clear sea of Guam. I wasn’t sure if the shoulder was badly damged or not and the Doc seemed to think it was. I thought I could get through the race unscathed, BUT in the bike leg I hit a drop off as I went off course slightly. it was pretty technical as you could not find a line in the rutted red clay. It was starting to rain which made the track somewhat sticky. I went over again right on the same spot and this time I was in agony I heard a pop sound and thought I broke my arm. I was down for some time until some guys behind asked if was ok I was in pain and just couldn’t answer I thought if I could just keep going Sometimes one can overcome the worst pain by just gritting the teeth. Adrenaline helps too I guess.
Anyway I found another spot this time coming off on my side but each time I fell the arm just locked and I had no power left which could have meant a recipe for a bigger disaster.
I knew that the most technical part was almost done. Lifting the bike over an obstacle was a no go and I stumbled yet again
I appeared in transition 7 mins down on the leader who was my mate Mieko. I knew the run was going to be tricky with one arm but i was not giving up now.
I could run the road parts no problem but when it came to the jungle and waterfalls, again I was wary.
I got thro that fanastic course that I loved even in the pain I was in.
Got to the end of the race and was releaved and happy with second place. Although I still dont know what the outcome will be as the next few days I thought I must have broken my shoulder I couldn’t sleep or lift the arm without a sharp pain and doses of drugs and ice.
When I had finished the race a film crew wanted an interview and we started to talk I felt something on my face and wafted it off looked down it was a GIANT spider never seen such a huge body and it looked like it had mechanical legs -I hate spiders!
That was it for me I had to get back and sleep, no food , just sleep. That night it was the awards that was fun and somehow managed to dance the night away only to end up being escorted by a group of Japanese to a bar they loved, we stopped outside the “tower of london’ English pub couldn’t believe it! All the bars to go to and they chose that one . Full of American GI’s smoking and playing darts- too crazy .daz-finishing-guam-in-pain-broken-shoulder
Happy to be getting home now but not looking forward to the diagnosis’s and the cold…
