Time to give the 555 route another crack (read more about the origin of this route, and my first attempt at running it, check out this blog entry!
I first attempted it over the Christmas/NY break in 2019/20, but succumbed to the heat. At the time, some locals in one town suggested that April might be a better time to try it - cooler conditions and all that.
So, without too much preparation, I made plans to run this during the school holidays in April of 2024. I was fortunate to recruit some helpers for the first few days and would meet Joanne & the kids in Katanning at the end of the 4th day, where they would accompany me to the end.
Day One - Friday 29/3/24
78.39km in 11:47
Joanne brought me to the city for an early start at Yagan Square, getting underway at 5.58am. I ran alone for the first 27km before meeting Rachel in Parkerville who accompanied me to the end of the day (finishing about 2.5km before Clackline). Rachel then very kindly drove me all the way home for a good night’s rest!
###Day Two - Saturday 30/3/24 71.34km in 11:01
Jo dropped me at Rob D’s house early in the morning, and we made our way to the point where I’d finished the night before.
After passing through Clackline, I took Rob’s suggestion to slightly modify the route and instead taking some farm roads, cutting a corner off the Spencer Brook road section. Although a couple of kms were saved, it was fairly undulating but filled with great views.
We passed through York, and then wrapped up the day in Beverley, staying at a small tavern.
Day Three - Sunday 31/3/24
70.88km in 11:16
Another early start! Rob handed me off to Kelli & SJ mid-morning, who remained with me through the day. Had a great surprise during the day with Shannon & Darlene popping up out of the blue, and we shared some chips, a cold drink and a few laughs in Pingelly. Wrapped up the day in Popanyinning, before being driven down to Narrogin where three three of us stayed in a small chalet at the local caravan park.
I was feeling really fatigued by this point. My quads, calfs and adductors were really feeling it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a great night’s sleep.
Day Four - Monday 1/4/24
47.3km in 7:17
Kelli & SJ drove me back to yesterday’s finishing location, and I got the day underway. Mid morning, Randy took over support-duties.
We stopped in Narrogin for an early lunch, and spent a good while chatting and catching up on life events.
Then, a further 10km down the road, my achilles decided enough was enough, and I was unable to run any further. The heavy vehicle traffic had become crazy by this point (triple road trains every five minutes), and there was very little road shoulder. So, each time a road train approached, I was moving off the road and experiencing a lot of camber, which I think really triggered the achilles issue (along with the overall fatigue and poor sleep from the night before).
I had to hobble around 4km to meet up again w/ Randy. I called it for the day, and Randy drove me to Katanning where I met up with Jo and the kids (we had rented a huge house there for a few days, which was to act as their base).
The following day it became clear that getting underway again wasn’t an option, so I called it all off.
Overall, 267km completed over four days, made it to around the half-way point. It was a fabulous experience, and I spent the next week relaxing and holidaying with Jo and the kids which turned out to be a great decision.