When deciding to do the Singapore Marathon there was a big question mark over it for a few weeks. I had just finished my first marathon at Auckland, but something told me I still had more to give. With all I’d learned at that race, plus a few more weeks of training, I was confident Read more
It was late August when I signed up for the race. Nine weeks out. Part of me didn’t really believe I could do it. But, part of me did. That was the only part that mattered. There’s a long backstory to why I signed up for this race. I was battling a skin condition Read more
I’m skipping the hotel breakfast. I already know what it’s going to be. Eggs, bacon, fruit, sausages. And fish of course. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Sounds delightful actually. It’s just, we’ve only got one day in Honiara, and I’d Read more
Life is good at Fatboys. It took us a little while to get out here, in our little boat, zooming across the ocean. But wow, it was worth the trip. This charming resort on an island of its own, surrounded by calm and crystal waters. When heading to Fatboys the first question is, why Read more
It’s our first full day in The Solomons. We’re in Munda, having breakfast at the Agnes Gateway Hotel, just around the corner from our guesthouse. Sarah is having eggs, Samantha is having sausages. I’m the only one having fish. Because apparently, that’s the thing to do Read more
I’m not sure which one of us woke up first. Probably Grizzly. It had become tradition for me to lie in bed in the mornings, waiting for the sun to rise high enough to cook my tent until I couldn’t handle it anymore. Then I’d get up and rummage through my cooler bin, deciding Read more
He was sitting with his back to me, so I started with the outlines of his shoulders, then the back of his head, his shabby greying hair, then finally down his torso to his butt. It wasn’t often I had a naked guy sitting in front of me, but here it felt like just another weekday. Read more
The crowd was already huge when I arrived. I’d thought I was early. Thousands of people sat in a huge ring, surrounding the Temple of Ixam. It was scheduled to burn just after sunset. ‘Burning’ was talked about often in Tankwa- on the Binnekring during the day you’d Read more
The light woke me up. I was wrapped in three layers of clothes, expecting the desert night to be arctic, but I’d slept through the night comfortably. I hid inside my sleeping bag, staring at the peak of my tent. The grey was slightly brighter on the east side, illuminated by the Read more
When the bus dropped us at Welcome Road, none of us were really sure what to do or where to go. There was no booth, no person, not even a sign. Around us was nothing but desert. That was the irony of Welcome Road – it was hardly welcoming. I looked around. In one direction was the Read more
