Littlehales lived spirit of Christmas during Hawkesbury Hell

There wasn’t any Christmas tinsel, mistletoe, plum pudding or even a Santa Claus in sight, but when Dylan Littlehales tackled the gruelling 111km Hawkesbury Classic two months ago, he displayed the same spirit that’s celebrated at Christmas – thinking about others, embracing selflessness, identifying what’s important in life, and individuals striving to become a better version of themselves.

Just weeks after being crowned the world champion in the KL3 200m Para canoe sprint event, Littlehales was on the starting line for the 46^th running of the ultramarathon race from Windsor to Mooney Mooney, and he admitted to being accompanied in his kayak by a sense of trepidation.

After all, Littlehales – who finished fourth at the Tokyo Paralympics and plans to be on the dais at Paris next year – had never paddled further than 30km in one hit, and the length of the course was almost four times that – and 555 times greater than his specialty event, the 200m.

However, the two-time Paralympian wanted to help other women to try and avoid the same battle his mother, Nicole, endured after she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer at the beginning of the year.

However, Littlehales says his family was blessed when – after a tough chemotherapy regimen – Nicole was able to do the ritual ringing of the bell to signal the end of her treatment just three short weeks before he took to the Hawkesbury.

“We’re a very lucky family in that Mum got to ring the bell at the end of her treatment – a lot of our friends haven’t been able to do that, so it is a very different alternative for them,” said Littlehales, who required countless operations as a child because he was born without some crucial ligaments and bones in his right leg.

“To be able to raise that money – to do our small part to help cure that and help try to save more lives was something special. [The Hawkesbury Challenge] was definitely the toughest voluntary thing I’ve done, but it was worth it.

Littlehales said that not long after his mother’s diagnosis, he and his brother, Shane, hatched a plan where they would take on the Hawkesbury together to raise all-important funds. But he said their father’s decision undoubtedly saved Shane from being tortured.

“It all came about in February, about say six months before the event,” said Littlehales.

“Me, my brother, and his girlfriend were thinking of different ways we could do physical challenges to raise money for the Cancer Council. I found the Hawkesbury Classic online, and it was taking place eight weeks after we returned from World Championships.

“I thought it could be right at the end of an aerobic block and fit perfectly with my preparation for Paris. The original plan was my brother and me to do that. After talking to Dad, we realised [Shane] has never paddled a day in his life. His hands would tear up and all of his muscles would shut down before he reached the finish.

“We decided that he could instead do stuff with his soccer club. . . pink strip days the like . . . and I’d do the Hawkesbury Classic. It became very real when I made the announcement via social media just after the world championships that I was doing it. There was no backing out at that point.”

Littlehales recalled how he was pushed through long and monotonous sessions by the embarrassment he’d feel if, as an elite paddler, he pulled out of a charity event. Although, the psychology student said he could not have imagined what his body – or mind – would be subjected to.

“So, to race 111 kilometres is, well, a very daunting thing to start . . . to actually sit on the line when you’ve never paddled over a quarter of that distance,” he said.

“I headed off with four other blokes and we were just rotating wash leads [to allow one another to ride in the slipstream] so as to give each other a bit of a rest while holding speed.

“I made the first 30 kilometres – which is further than I’d ever paddled – and I felt great. I literally just scoffed down a meal of some noodles [during the first break] and I jumped back in the boat to try to catch up to them again so I could get some more wash.”

However, Littlehales had started a leg of the journey that would test him.

“I did about 10 kilometres of paddling completely on my own around sunset,” he recalled. “I was just listening to audio books, but that 40 to 50 kilometre mark, I think, is the hardest part of the race. That’s when the body is really starting to hurt.

“You’re going against the tide, so that means you slow down to about three, four kilometres an hour. You’re also completely on your own out there, and you’re not even halfway.

“The next major stop was at 60 kilometres where I could get out, have some food, and see my support crew. But that was still another 20 kilometres away. It means you have to keep mentally strong and keep moving through there.

“You don’t let the boat stop moving, because if you stop moving, your muscles will start shutting down . . .you’ll get cold . . .  and then you won’t have a great chance of finishing that last 50, 60 kilometres.

“So, I just kept moving, and then by the time I got to Wiseman’s Ferry – which is the 60 kilometre  mark and the last major checkpoint – I was getting really cold and very tired. It was starting to get very tough out there.”

Littlehales had his break, which he discovered was the beginning of an even greater degree of misery.

“I spent half an hour at [at the checkpoint] and when I set off, I forgot I didn’t have any gloves on,” he said. “I was thinking at Wiseman’s, ‘OK, I might put some gloves on, [but was in two minds] because gloves reduce my ‘feel’ for the paddle, which makes it a little bit more likely that you’re going to misplace it or something, but it also stops your hands from being torn up.’

“After that first kilometre or two my hands were completely blistered and could barely hold the paddle. Then, about 300 metres ahead of me, I saw a K2 and I thought if I could catch them, I’d get some wash again and that’ll make the last 40 kilometres much smoother.

“When I caught up to them, I managed to pick up the pace for a little and they also gave me some welcome company. As we spoke, I was thinking I’d hold them for about 20 kilometres  . . . then, when I got to the 20 kilometres I thought ‘I’m okay, I’ll go another five ‘ks’ with them, and then it was another five, and then when we got to the final 10 kilometres, I started counting them down.

‘I’d think to myself ‘OK, one more . . .  alright, I can peel off another kilometre . . . and then another. But it was a challenge.

“At that stage I couldn’t move my legs anymore because they’d completely shut down after nine and a half hours in the boat. I tried to open my left hand after about an hour of straight paddling, and it started spasming!

“I couldn’t hold my paddle because all of my fingers started opening and closing. I managed to just shut them, and then eventually it stopped. After that I decided ‘OK, we’re not opening that hand again!’

“Then when we came around the corner with three kilometres to go, I saw the Brooklyn Bridge. I thought to myself I might actually hold the guys in the K2 until the finish line. It was an incredible feeling.”

Before the race Littlehales expected it would take him anywhere between 12-16 hours to complete the course. He did it in under 10. Adding  lustre to his effort was for someone who’d never raced such a massive distance before, Littlehales claimed 13^th place overall – a phenomenal performance.

“I thought [before the race] the best I’d do was eight or nine kilometres an hour, but I sat at 10,” said Littlehales. “For me the Hawkesbury Classic just showed what the body is capable of.

“I’m really fascinated by the mindset of people who do ultra endurance events – I’ve read biographies and listened to audio books by them to get an insight into how they push their bodies that far – it doesn’t only help you in an athletic pursuit, it helps in knowing how to reach your full potential in day to day life. It is something I want to explore more.”

Littlehales earned every cent of the $3000 he raised for the Cancer Council, but he said seeing his mother at the end of the race is a memory he’ll always cherish.

“Mum saw the state I was in,” he said. “I was struggling to walk out of the boat – and it took a little bit to loosen the legs up and then a couple of good days of rest after that.

“But I’m proud that Mum was very pleased by what my brother and myself have done in playing our part to raise money for the Cancer Council Australia . . . a cause that is now very important to us.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS