A couple of kilometres later came the second and longest hill: slightly under two kilometres, without a single break (not that I knew this at the time). With my head down and pace reduced, my stride length decreased while my heart rate increased. I settled into my rhythm, not daring to look up. The thought of not being able to see the top of the mountain was discouraging, so I combated that by staring at the ground in front of my feet. Every few seconds I thought I must be there, it must be over, but it never was. I wanted to stop and walk like most of the others near me. My legs were burning, my lungs were burning. I felt like I had been on this hill for hours. I reminded myself again and again of my goal of not walking. I was strong, I was capable, I could do this. Yes it hurt, but it would all be over and forgotten about soon. Knowing I had given up would not be forgotten so quickly.

At last relief came, in the form of another successful train track crossing and a short downhill section. It took a while for my legs to register that they weren't ascending anymore, as I tried to increase my speed again. The blood eventually flowed back into my weary muscles, allowing me to fly down the road. Silently I was cursing all the hills in existence, determined to never run this race or any other hilly race again. At the same time I was elated that I had persevered and overcome this obstacle, both physically and mentally.

The third hill played out in much the same way. I struggled, I hated it, I wanted to quit, but after conquering the first two I knew I could defeat this one too. I reached the summit, ran over the final railway crossing without being stopped, and set my sights on the finish line. Out of nowhere came a huge boost of energy, propelling me down the last hill. During this descent I spotted Danny up ahead. I sprinted to catch him, having a quick chat when I finally did. I felt I still had more to give, so I left Danny with some encouraging words and soldiered on.

Well over an hour after I started I crossed the finishing mat, exhausted. I felt I had left everything out on the course. I had achieved my goal of running every single step, although looking back it may have been more sensible to try to powerwalk at times to conserve my energy. Danny arrived not long after me, looking just as spent. We had no idea what was in store for us at the beginning of the day, but we had faced every challenge head on and triumphantly come out the other side.

The first train had arrived seven minutes before me, but I had beaten the second train by the same margin. I was thrilled! The emotions of overcoming the hills, of pushing myself beyond my limits and still finishing strong overwhelmed me. It was the toughest race, the toughest run, the toughest challenge I had ever put my body through, and I hadn't given up. I understood just how critical it was to come into each race with a positive, determined mindset, and that this was as important, if not more so, as physical fitness.