And we're off!

Off we go. Out of yin yang square and turn right. Along the main high way. Have they forgotten to close it? Why are the trucks flying past us, belching smoke and diesel? Past the lone camel, and the half dead horses. Should we take one now, just in case? The locals are out: "nee how, nee how!"

Under the beautiful archway, and we realise we're at the foot of THAT hill. Up and up we go. Oh my goodness! What have we done! And we know what we're headed for - the aches in our muscles are a recent reminder of inspection day!

But before we know it, we're at the wall. Deep breaths, try not to choke on the smog, engage low gear, and off we go. We're on top before we know it: "Hey! I'm on top of the world!" We're having fun! Our tutu's are tottering along! It's still surreal! We're in China - on the Great Wall - wearing red tutu's - running in the race of our lives!

Up and down, down and up. Trying to gather speed on the flat bits. Laughing at the sensation of going backwards. Bottlenecks on the dangerous bits - a good excuse to stop and get the heart rates down. We're making new friends: 14 year old Mackenzie from Canada - how can you be doing this at 14? Grumpy old men, pushing past - annoyed at our chattering breaking their pace! Rude Danish runners - telling us that their time is important! Ha ha! Where are they going to go? There's a traffic jam! This is rush hour on the Great Wall, and it's either wait your turn or fall off the wall!

Heart rate is stable, and we're off again. Up and down, down and up! Loving it. Knowing we will miss it when it's over. And then it is. We're at the goat track, and the legs are fine - not shaking like they were on inspection day. Down the stairs to yin yang square. We're still together. Turn left at the square - we have to run around on the walls - mind those drains! "Hoe Poepal Hoe" we chant! Past the prayer rooms - why are the monks not summoning us to prayer today? We need all the prayers we can get? We've lapped it, and down the stairs, and through the square. The announcer says: "here come the tutu triplets!" On the main highway again!

Now we also have to contend with the street vendors - there's a butcher shop, and a fishery. They're out on the road, in the boiling sun! The faster runners are passing us: "nice tutu's", greeting old friends, it's getting hotter! Past the archway and onto the dirt track to the village. At 13km we find our deposited goodies: my coke has been lying in the sun! But it's sugar, and it's great. Stop long enough for a drink without choking. And we're off.

Through the village. People outside their homes. "nee how, welcome to our China". Young ones practising their English. Old people with wrinkled smiles. Chickens. Dogs who don't like tutu's. Toothless grins and chuckles of disbelief. This is why we came! Red lanterns swinging in the breeze. Turn left. Turn right. Follow the chalk arrows. Mind the bicycles. Out of the village. Through an orchard. Up a dry waterfall. Dodging the rocks on the river bed. A lady bearing two big cans of water dangling from a long stick across her shoulders. Patiently waiting for us to struggle up that hill. And there's Mackenzie, struggling with a cramp in her neck. Makes me ache for my girls at home. She's only 14! Rub her neck.

We're on top of the village. I feel like I'm on a Sound of Music set - makes me sing: "Climb every mountain...........". Looking back. The other tutu's hot on my heals. Hear my name. It's Darryl, from New Zealand. He's doing the full marathon, so is actually about 8km's ahead of me. We run together for awhile. He pulls ahead. Kyle and Jenny ahead. I sing their names. They've upgraded from the 10km to the half and are looking good.

But now we're tired. The legs are feeling like jelly. The sun is beating down. Making new rules as we go: we can only walk in the shade, and there's not much of it. Past the meat and the fish again. Smelling worse than it did earlier. We can hear the announcements in yin yang square. Nearly there. How much further? Do we have to run around it again? Can't remember. In we go. The tutu triplets together. And we're on the red carpet. We're over the mat. Our running chips beep. We've done it!