Comments on: 2009 Kepler Challenge Photographs

By: A real gem of a day! | Paul Petch

A real gem of a day! | Paul Petch — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:27:56 +0000

[...] was wearing felt fantastic. This type of approach to trails now seems like second nature since the Kepler and works so so well for my style of trail running these days. This wee trail had everything from [...]

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:30:09 +0000

Hi Anna, thanks :) I was super happy for most of the run and in particular the mountain section where the odd “woo-hoo!” crept out as I was gliding through and over the rocks. Past the 37KM mark I was not as chirpy- but still smiling :D

Talking of chirpy….I always make the point of thanking folk at the feed stations at events- no matter how broken I am- as I believe that it brings good trail karma :) It seems that what they say about Ultra runners having rituals is true. Hehe.

By: Anna

Anna — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:10:05 +0000

Well done on the running – the happy pictures say it all. I love the look of that plugin too – it really handles the pictures really well. thanks for letting us all know what you are using!
Anna´s last blog ..Growing Annual Bonsai

By: Clynton Taylor

Clynton Taylor — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:49:08 +0000

Oh, cool. Thanks for posting about your plugins! NZ is a wonderful place – I’ve only been to the North Island. My mum was born in Auckland and I was born in Sydney, so get back every once in awhile. Would LOVE to make it to the South Island for some tremendous adventure. I spent a year near the Alps in France in early 90s and completely fell in love with mountains (I always had been, but that was the first time living near them). Thanks again, Clynton
Clynton Taylor´s last blog ..Cause I Gotta Have Faith…

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:00:12 +0000

Hi Clynton. It was breathtaking up in the mountains for sure- I feel happier up there than any other place :) New Zealand is blessed with some awesome landscapes and I’ve only scratched the surface.

Good to hear that you are on the mend and it’s great to follow your story via the blog. Talking of which- I’ve subscribed to and look forward to your thoughts and trail stories :)

The plugin is for WordPress and is called the “jQuery Lightbox” by Viper007Bond (http://www.viper007bond.com/wordpress-plugins/jquery-lightbox-for-native-galleries/) It’s nice and simple to get operational and I agree- it works really well to frame images. I posted up a list of some other cool plugins that I use here (http://www.paulpetch.com/2009/11/30/generating-wordpress-traffic-with-plugins/) if you are interested.

Take it easy and I look forward to your future comments :)

By: Four days to the 2009 Kepler Challenge | Paul Petch

Four days to the 2009 Kepler Challenge | Paul Petch — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:08:42 +0000

[...] might be similar…November 10, 2009 — My first ultra marathon distance of 49KMDecember 7, 2009 — 2009 Kepler Challenge PhotographsOctober 18, 2009 — Port Hills Crater Rim 30KM trail runSeptember 28, 2009 — Nearly 50% of my [...]

By: Clynton Taylor

Clynton Taylor — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:19:56 +0000

Wow. Stunning scenery! Great job on the photos but more importantly, setting the goal and hitting it. You inspire me. I was in bed barely able to walk without pain 6 months ago and had back surgery 4 months ago. Now, I too, have set a goal. I’d like to run the Ohlone 50k in the SF Bay Area in May. I just did my first race ever, a 10k, so I guess I’m 20% of the way there :)

Thanks for sharing. Great to meet you on twitter and my blog. Look forward to hear more as you get the time and energy to write about it.

BTW, are you using a wordpress plugin for the photography? Really like the way it displays in large thumbnails (not an oxymoron, is it?) and then showcases individual photos.

Best,

Clynton
Running Quest
It’s the journey, and the destination.
http://www.runningquest.net
Clynton Taylor´s last blog ..Cause I Gotta Have Faith…

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:46:09 +0000

Lol. Thanks mate :) I’m super proud to have pulled this off mate- and the past 6 months have truly been a life changing experience. As for the toes- OMG! The epic bruising and toenail “looseness” happened at about 20KM so that’s 40KM with bruised and battered toes. The friction running down stuff was that extreme that I thought my feet were actually burning! Both socks were literally hanging off my feet at the end- and had totally worn through. lol.

Apparently, black n’ bruised and missing toenails are the “secret handshake” of Ultra Runners………now where are those damn pliers? :)

By: Jarod

Jarod — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:35:26 +0000

Those photos are all well and good, but I want to see what’s left of your toes :D

Seriously though, congratulations. 60kms by foot in one sitting (if you’ll excuse the pun) is nothing short of a breathtaking achievement.