Using shorter races to predict your times in marathons is possible if you also take into account your training and previous times. One of my favourite to predict your marathon time is doubling your latest half time and adding 10 minutes, less if you have more experience. E.g. a half time of  one hour 30 minutes would equate to a 3 hour 10 minute full marathon, for a relative beginner,  with a good 10-12 week training block under his or her belt. If they were an experienced runner, and had history of achieving close to these times , you could probably drop 3-5 minutes and aim for three hours and five minutes.

These are many websites with ‘race predictors’ that can even translate 10k or even 5k times into predicted marathon finish times but of course the less distance in the predictor race , the less accuracy in the prediction. I’ve mentioned this before but my mate Mikey K. reckoned he could predict his marathon time from a 1k sprint. Being an Engineer it probably involved pi or, knowing Mike,  the other ‘pie’; he is infamous for his beer and snacks after running as he continually grappling with his weight and VO2 max score. (If you follow Mike Kowel on Strava you’ll understand ! http://www.strava.com You are on Strava aren’t you ?)

https://www.mcmillanrunning.com/#calculator-input

https://www.runningahead.com/tools/calculators/race

http://www.pace-calculator.com/race-pace-predictor.php

Of course anything past a marathon and there really isn’t anything available as it turns into a mental battle with oneself and also hydration and nutrition start to play a more important part. As we all know an ultra is basically an eating and drinking competition,  with running between aid stations. First person to get to the finish wins. There’s no real predictors as such for these distances because there are so many variables. Who can predict blisters, hydration or nutrition issues, fatigue, navigational bloopers, drop bears; the list really is endless. Truth be told it’s amazing anyone every finishes an ultra at all. This brings me along very nicely to the next topic of this post , the Wild Goose event to be held this weekend.

In WA at the moment we are blessed with so many great events and I had initially entered this event but realised after the Light Horse 12 Hour race I was in fact human after all and not bullet proof. With a heavy heart I pulled my entry and it was definitely the right thing to do as I struggle around the Perth CBD recovering from the Rottnest Marathon.  A pity because all I have heard is good things about this three day event offering distances from 18k right up to 106k with the Ducks Nuts option of all three offerings on each of the three days. This one is on my hit list for next year maybe assuming I can drop down to the half distance for Rottnest because two weeks is not enough timer for me to recover from the full.

If you live in WA, or even Australia , it’s worth spending some time on the WA Ultra Series web page ( http://ultraserieswa.com.au ) The events are just awesome, the brain child of Shaun Kaesler,   who has just about single-handedly  created this vibrant smorgasbord  of running events that cater for all abilities. He is also behind the Delirious West 200 miler (and change)  point to point ultra in WA ( http://deliriouswest200miler.com.au ) and also its sister event over South, the Irrational South.  ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/www.irrationalsouth200miler.com.au/ ) I must admit to getting very excited about running the Delirious in February next year, it will certainly be EPIC ! Just got to keep Jon under control and hold him back, at least for the first 100 kilometres ?

Running on trails is a whole different ball game to the normal grind of day to day pounding the pavement. You can throw away the watch and just run for the pure joy of running, not target pace because the gradient normally dictates pace and trail running is more about time on feet and distance. Add in beautiful scenery and you wonder why you ever run in the concrete jungle,  that is our every day bread and butter. I’ll certainly get my ‘trail fix‘ next February on the Delirious !

As well as the Ultra Series WA there is the Perth Trail Series. ( http://www.perthtrailseries.com.au ) Their motto is ‘uncivilse yourself’ which I think is awesome , compared to Shaun and the Ultra Series WA which is all about doing ‘Epic Sh*t’, another great mantra to live your life by. Anyhow I have never done a PTS event but this is mainly due to a crowded racing calendar with the West Australian Marathon Club but maybe it’s time I gave some of these races my attention. The feedback has always been very positive, well organised with great trails to test yourself on. Gareth often sneaks off on a Sunday and runs these races, without ever telling us of course, and he always seem to enjoy himself placing near the pointy end most times. I must try and pin him down one day and ask his opinion on the series.  From the website:

Perth Trail Series delivers over 20 Trail Events in WA each year, putting over 6000 people on the trail. Woohoo! We’re an all ladies team, and we’re stoked to organise amazing event experiences right here in WA! Our events are held in some of WA’s most stunning locations and we’re proud of our world class events, and stunning locations.

We LOVE our trail community, the environment, and the event experience, which is why we’re leading the way in delivering low (sooooo close to NO impact) events …including the vibe at the end! Where there’s truckloads of high fives, PTS punch, music and/or some form of entertainment! And really cool people to chat with.

The Faces Behind the Trail Magic!

Of course the best trail race, in my humble opinion, is the one that’s been running the longest , and in WA it’s Dave Kennedy’s 6 Inch Ultra ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com ) If you live in Perth you need to run this 46km trail ultra positioned on the last Sunday before Christmas. The perfect pre-Christmas present to oneself. Dave even throws in free beer at the end, ho, ho .ho !! It’s a point to point race from North Dandelup to Dwellingup on the Munda biddi trail. A beautiful part of the world with some challenging elevation and beautiful views.  One tip would be to avoid the pub food the night before the big event,. This is by no means a slant on the tukka but more the portion size , which is probably built for Americans, and big ones at that. Before last years event the boys all tucked into to some massive meals,  while I nibbled on some pre-prepared pasta. Bart’s had so much he took some back to the campsite and tried to finish it, unsuccessfully, the next day. Let’s just say none of the boys had good days on the trail the day after those bad boy portions! Post race they would be perfect, combined with a few beers and we have plans to stay behind for an extra day this year and ‘go to town‘ , literally. !

From the website…

Six Inch Trail Marathon is inspired by the famous Six Foot Track Marathon in the Blue Mountains near Sydney.Returning from New Zealand in January 2005 I bemoaned the lack of trail races in Western Australia. I wanted to move to the land of the long white cloud but family and circumstances warranted at least another year in WA. One evening I headed out to run a gravel road signposted “Goldmine Hill”. What followed was a soaking wet 15K with the highlight being running into the Munda Biddi Mountain Bike trail. The Munda Biddi was built to keep cyclists off the 964K Bibbulmun walking track. The first 335K section from Mundaring in the Perth hills to Collie was completed in 2004. I had seen some road crossing signs during the construction and was keen to one day experience the track either by bike or foot. Finding the track so close to my house in Mandurah had me pondering a race in the near future. On my return from New Zealand I had been discussing a possible trail race on a local runner’s message board. I bought the map and found that this town to town section was about 44K. Six Foot which I had dreamed of running for years sprang to mind. “We could have our own version”. I had ridden between the 2 towns, North Dandalup and Dwellingup, and the road was super hilly. I was a little disappointed by the lack of hills when I ran the trail but some less masochistic runners didn’t agree with me. The result is a 46K trail race starting at the foot of Goldmine Hill 1K from North Dandalup and finishing in Dwellingup. This run is designed to be tough but most marathoners can expect to finish within an hour or 2 of their best marathon time. Dave Kennedy

Dave Kennedy also two other great races , the WTF and the Lark Hill. (Thanks Dave Tams) http://wtfultra.com.

Welcome to the home of the Runningworks WTF 50 & 100 Miler, the first  & original 100 mile trail race in Western Australia.

Held annually on the last weekend in September (WA’s Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday weekend), the 50mi and 100mi events both start at 6am on Saturday.

2019 will see a change to the start location and course, with the new start/finish location at Nanga Bush Camp, around 10 minutes south of Dwellingup.  The 100 mile and 50 mile runners will depart together at 6am, and share the trail for the first 50 miles.

Why WTF? Other than being an attention-grabbing name, WTF is an acronym for “Waterous Trail on Foot”. The Waterous Trail, located south of Dwellingup, was to host the course for the inaugural event in 2013. Unfortunately, as the race-date neared, authorities advised of a prescribed burn in the area planned around the time of the event. This resulted in a switch to a course run between Jarrahdale and Dwellingup.  In 2019,  we decided it was time for a change, and thought about using the Waterous Trail loop, but decided there was a too much road, and not enough climb & descent, so a new course was created.

When: Saturday, September 28, 2019 at 6am.

How long in existence: Inaugural race was 28 September 2013

Welcome to the home of the Runningworks Lark Hill Dusk to Dawn 50 & 100km Ultra

Held annually on the W.A. Labour Day weekend in March, the 50km and 100km events start at dusk (7pm) on Saturday, with a childrens event (45min) at 6pm.  For both events, entrants will be given an official cut-off so long as they start their last lap by no later than 8am on Sunday morning (13h).

Where: Adjacent to the Lark Hill Sportsplex (east of the Lark Hill playing fields), Port Kennedy, WA

Course information:

• 25km (8 laps), 50km (17 laps) and 100km (34 laps) GPS measured trail races on a ~3k limestone loop course.
• The course consists of mostly compact-limestone, with ~200m of soft sand on each loop. There are some minor undulations, with a short climb into the start/finish point.
• Click here to see the course. The race director will lead the first lap, so there’s no change of getting lost.
• The children’s event will be help be over an ~800m loop for 45 minutes.

Next Race: 2-3 March 2019.

No. of finishers: 2018 – 58 ; 2017 – 61 ; 2016 – 52 ; 2015 – 71; 2014 – 47; 2013 – 39; 2012 – 35;

How long in existence: Inaugural race was 3 March 2012

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