After a restless night imagining scenarios and problems it was a great relief for 9:30am to arrive, all the timers, witnesses and supplies to be in place, and to start riding my unicycle around the running track at my university.
I rode fairly fast and was trying to keep up a good average pace to get a solid start on Ken Looi's World Record of 378km for 24 hours. After a first leg of 167km without dismount I was well into the rhythm required and started taking more regular breaks every few hours or so.
By midnight on the first day I had completed 290km, and was well within target for a new record. The atmosphere with my friends and supporters keeping me going through the dark hours was very special.
9/30/2007
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The second day started at midnight, and I kept on going, with more frequent breaks until reaching the previous record at about 5am. After that I had a good half-hour rest and more food before heading back out to improve on the record. Up until now I used 90mm cranks, but from here on I used 102mm ones. I was getting tired and wanted a bit more control for my weakening legs!
Daylight dawned at 7am, and then only the home stretch. With the encouragement of many unicyclists and those who'd come along I was pushing hard to make the most of the time and energy I had left. The last hour really hurt, but it was worth it as 9.30am did not arrive again until I'd topped the next 'round number' of 450km /280 miles.
It was a fantastic experience and made possible by so much support from many, many friends - thanks!