Runners

JULY 2018 RUNNER’S WORLD 37on a course thatconsisted of roughlysix 6.5km out-and-backs along the SwanRiver. I finished,showered quickly inthe hotel, snacked ona McDonald’s Fillet-O-Fish, and got to theairport with plenty oftime to spare.3. AsiaWhen we arrived atthe hotel, I was toogroggy to trust I’dset an alarm, so Iasked the front deskto wake me up at3am. Two races in,and I was alreadywearing down.Luckily, the handfulof Singapore racerswere so friendly, andthat helped. After therace, I made ramennoodles. It washeaven.4. AfricaA young Thai womanhelped me navigatethe city’s traffic alongthe Nile River. I alsohad Rob Priest, anAmerican workingin Cairo, runningwith me. He pacedme here in 2017 andjoined Triple 8 Questthis year. He too isof Asian descent.While others orderedsandwiches, Rob andI enjoyed a bowl ofrice. The nice momentwas cut short,however, as our vannever showed up.We hopped in taxis,and barely madeour flight.5. EuropeLack of sleepcontinued to plagueme. But I kept``````thinking, four down,four to go. I woke at5am, ate a rice cake,and drank beetrootjuice. The course was2.5km loops, andI thought, OMG, 18loops. But it was sopleasant; each loopwent by quickly. Atthe end, Rob gaveme soup.6. North AmericaWe had pizza at thehotel, and I barelyfinished a slice. Iwent to bed and gotup early, but stillwasn’t hungry. Ohwell. The coursewas flat and thetemperature a balmy5°C. Before boardingour next flight, Robsurprised me withhomemade ramen.His Asian mom raisedhim right! It was the``````best meal I’d hadsince leaving home.7. South AmericaI double-checked mybag for fruit beforeleaving New York –last year, I missed myconnection because ofan apple – and we flew10 hours to Santiago,then on to PuntasArenas. On the course,the winds blew at40km/h, but I manageda respectable time.We were told to put onour gear for Antarcticabefore flying out.8. AntarcticaSleet, hail, and65km/h wind gusts``````SMITH IN ZEALANDIAON THE FIRST DAY OFHER JOURNEY.3SINGAPORE6:044CAIRO,EGYPT5:592PERTH,AUSTRALIA6:211A U C K L A N D ,NEW ZEALAND5:47``````greeted us. Thecourse was roughlysix 6.5km loops.During the third loop,I felt pain in my back.I walked a bit – andlimped, at times,but I finished! I wastold not to camp in a``````tent with my injury,so after medicaltreatment, I wastaken to the livingquarters of Russianscientists for theevening. The nextday, I rejoined thegroup for lunch.