Six weeks before she was due to tackle her first ever 100km Ultra Trail run, Campbelltown grandmother Carolyn Knights and her family suffered a terrible tragedy.
Little Hector, one of her grandchildren, was born premature and lost the fight to live after a few hours.
Instead of giving up, Knights placed a picture of brave little Hector on her backpack and made him her inspiration in tackling one of Australia’s toughest endurance races.
The Ultra-Trail Australia 100 on the Blue Mountains attracts runners from around the country and the world.
When the 2017 version got under way on May 20, among the participants was Campbelltown Joggers Club member Carolyn Knights.
Inspired by her brave little grandson Hector, Carolyn Knights pushed herself to overcome pain and cramps to complete the gruelling 100 kilometre run between Katoomba and Wentworth Falls.
But she did much more than that – Carolyn Knights finished first in her age group, the over 60s, an awesome performance by any measure.
The race started at 6.57am on the Saturday for the grandmother from Campbelltown and she crossed the finish line 100 tough kilometres later at 4.05am on Sunday to bag first place in her age group with a time of 21.80 hours.
The course has around 4,400 metres of climbing and descending but it was no match for the little Campbelltown champion who only had two very quick stops along the way – one of them for 30 seconds to put shoes on.
But how did she manage such an incredible feat to etch her name in the history books of endurance running?
How did a grandmother from Campbelltown put on such an awesome performance at her first go in what is Australia’s most challenging 100 kilometre trail running event – indeed one of the toughest in the world?
Why don’t we let Carolyn Knights herself describe her incredible run through the Blue Mountains with a picture of little Hector on her backpack as her inspiration. Below are excerpts of her diary of the run and which was published in the newsletter of Campbelltown Joggers Club afterwards:
“I would have to say this was the best event I have ever entered,’’ wrote Carolyn Knights.
“From the organisation, volunteers, crew, support runners at the start and finish, my running buddies and above all my coach Sonia McDermott.
“All dressed and ready to go Saturday morning.
“What a crowd to see me off. Campbelltown Joggers Club runners hugging and cheering.
“Off we go up the road towards Narrowneck.
“We went up a crazy mud hill.
“Climbing Nellies Glen, what a relentless challenge this was.
“Now heading off the Fairmont resot for 65k CP.
“Here come the stairs, stairs and stairs.
“Refill of fluid and off to CP5 to get 78km on the clock.
“This is where the dreaded cramps nearly dropped me to the ground twice.
“With 12km still to go there were still a huge amount of stairs left to do.
“Night racing is amazing.
“To sum up: fantastic. I never doubted my ability to get the run done.
“Even the cramps I endured just proved that I was working hard but needed to take stock of what I was up to.
“My training program provided by Sonia was spot on both in keeping this little old body training strong and providing me with enough to make it to the finish line.’’
Thank you, Carolyn Knights – the rest of us over 60s who struggle to power walk for five kilometres salute you – you’re an absolute inspiration.
