The image below is one of my all time favorites capturing me running through halfway in the Six Ince Trail Ultra Marathon. It’s at this point , if you’re fast enough and running around the sub four hour pace, you run past the half marathon starters. It just came up in my Facebook feed from seven years ago and that year I ran a three hours forty-nine minutes, good enough for ninth place. Unfortunately that was one of the three years I got lost and I took Zac Jeps the wrong way with the finish line so close. We had ran with Nera Jareb for the first 37 kilometres , to the top of the Escalator hill, where we left her and stepped up the gears. Nera finished in 3:42, for first female, and I’m very confident I could have gone quicker maybe even putting fourth and fifth under pressure. No worries, now it’s a good story and I’ve not been lost since.

Last week I ran the event for the 15th time consecutively.  (Only missing 2019 when it was cancelled due to extreme weather temperatures and a fire risk)  I reversed the downward trend of finishing times with a run for the ages , again finishing in ninth place albeit this time with a four hour five minutes finishing time. Although the time may have slowed the love for the event and the burning ambition to do well is still there, fifteen years from the first event. Typing this I have that same grin on my face I had in the image below in 2017 and even the images of the first time we ran the event in 2008.

I remember the first six inch race I ran in 2009, we had no GPX file of the course and my running mate, Brett Coombes, printed off a map of the Munda Biddi ( https://mundabiddi.org.au/ ) trail and laminated it. It didn’t help, we missed a left turn due to a large tiger snake sunning itself on the corner , startled, we ran right past it and that was it, our race was run.  Funnily enough at the time I swore off trail running and ultra running and decided to concentrate on the marathon and shorter distances, road racing, which I did for the next ten or so years but always returning to this event at the end of the year, I was hooked

In 2009 there was one aid station at halfway albeit the location has not changed over the years but Dave has added another one at the top of the Escalator Hill and also one around the 43km mark, and the volunteers even refill your water bottles for you.  As you can below it’s was a self service offering back in the day.

I have watched the event grow from a fat ass (free entry and self supported)  in the early days to a well oiled machine these days with coaches taking the runners to the start , multiple distances and catering at the finish.  It’s come a long way from two steaks in the ground and some webbing for a fishing corral .  Even before I first grew a beard in 2012 which has never left my chin since, I look like a young child.  Believe me at the time Brett and I were over trail running and both looking forward to Comrades in 2010, but that’s another story.

2024 was a stellar year , nine ultra marathons and two marathons while saving the best till last. Running a top ten at the 6 inch was probably one of my best runs in my career, so far, and I am still smiling like a Cheshire cat.  If you have time feel free to read the post on the event for background . ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/12/17/sometimes-it-all-comes-together-with-unexpected-results-6-inch-ultra-2024/ ) You’ll understand why it was special

So to the point of this post, finally. How do I keep the fire burning, the drive to continually put myself in the pain box and normally find a way out, be that three or four days into a 200 miler or at the end of a marathon facing the infamous ‘wall’. Why run every day, or even twice a day in all conditions while juggling life, work and other commitments that come with being an adult these days (I say ‘adult’ in the broadest sense of the word of course ?) It’s for runs like last weekend, runs that you thought beyond you, chasing down runners you didn’t think you could chase down and slicing through the pack ahead of you like a hot knife through butter.  The second half of the 6 inch ultra was just incredible, picking up the pace and running down so many competitors was intoxicating, with experience this has happened on only a handful of occasions and when it does you need to push on, dig deep and just enjoy the ride, it doesn’t come often.

I would say my finish this year would be up there in the top three of all my fifteen finishes and even getting to the pace of my PB finish in 2012 (3:38) ; that was twelve years ago. That’s how special that race was. Of course it was still bloody hard work but all the planets aligned , and when that happens it makes all the sacrifices worthwhile. It also stokes the fire and all of a sudden a sub three in July at Bibra Lake is on the cards, a Delirious West PB in April or even another Lighthorse Ultra podium (number 6?) , your goals are readjusted.

So what changed ? Post Sandman 50k I had only ran once a day but also joined the local gym and spent 40-50 minutes a day on a Pilates reformer following instructions on a screen. I have also been taking creatine for about a month religiously. It is well know that older runners should cut back on distance and concentrate more on strength training , maybe with a few additives helping the process. As well as creatine I’ll be looking at HMB and Leucine next and will add these to my daily supplement smorgasbord.  I have been feeling stronger with the Pilates and not as ‘wiped out’ by running less, maybe all those scientific papers were right, as you age doing less is better than doing more.? Who knew.

I’ll report on progress next year when I add the HMB and Leucine to my list of ‘BK little helpers‘ but am expecting more performance enhancing results albeit I assuming these are all racing legal?

Another way to keep the fire burning is to surround yourself with like minded people, people who get ‘you‘ but also people who feel the same way,  as passionately as you do,  about running.  Every Thursday I get to spend time with the Yelo crew, 5:30am, and the running is secondary to the banter, coffee and just having a good time with like minded people normally laughing a lot. Yelo time is special and all runners need to find a Yelo in their life. Runners are a pack animals and should seek other like minded runners to make that Sunday long run not feel quite so long. Conversation makes miles disappear , even quicker that Taylor Swift serenading me on my shokz headphones. ( https://shokz.com.au/ ) You haven’t got time to worry about the distance markers when you’re engaged in some quality political or scientific conversations with fellow know-it-all’s albeit these days most arguments can be ended (or started) by google.  (normally over the coffee post run) Every group must have a Dr. Jon Pendse (his Doctorate was from Google apparently) who understands (and encourages)  all conspiracy theories and is convinced 99% of them are true.  (Arguing with Jon can make a Sunday long run either disappear or drag on forever, it’s a fine balancing act. )

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Big shout out to fisiocrem , this product is just incredible for tired and aching legs. I use it daily and have noticed a vast improvement in recovery.

Bix hydration is just ace, a product brought to life by Vlad Ixel a professional ultra runner who knows a thing or two about hydration. ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/ )  The best thing about Bix is it tastes good with many different flavours and you never get sick of drinking it, this is a big plus as Maurten and Tailwind (both great products)  can be difficult to digest later in the event.  From the website :-

As an Australian elite multiple trail running champion, with wins in over 40 ultra-marathon races across Asia, recovery from training and races has always been my top priority. 

In searching for a solid recovery and hydration supplement, I recognized that critical vitamins and minerals – both in diversity and quantity – were missing from almost all supplements on the market. I had the feeling that in an effort to maximize their bottom-lines, companies in the hydration space, failed to deliver a product that could meaningfully assist athlete performance. 

In order to address this, I began the development of a hydration product. After two and a half years of development alongside a leading German sports scientist, BIX Recovery, an advanced, high-quality recovery drink was born. 

BIX boosts 12 active ingredients scientifically balanced to replace lost electrolytes and assist in immune function. It’s designed with quality vitamins and minerals, in quantities that work! 

BIX is a recovery solution for everyone, that will get you to the top of your game!

What can I say about HumanTecar,  ( https://athleticus.com.au/ ) it looks great, smells great and is awesome for recovery or even pre-run/workout. Read about the science behind it first and then try the products. The compression bandages are just magical after a long event. Put these on and the next day you are recovered, I have used them on a number of occasions and they never fail to astound me albeit the family poke fun at me as I look like a ‘mummy and smell funny’ !

Fractel ( https://fractel.com.au/ ) have your performance headgear covered. I love the colours and the functionality of these hats, I guarantee there is one model you’ll fall in love with.

Shokz headphones, let you keep in touch with the world around while losing yourself in quality tunes or podcasts. ( https://shokz.com.au/ )

T8 running apparel is the best you can get, second to none. Designed for the ultra humid Hong Kong conditions the owners live in.  It is light and does away with any chaffing worries. T8 is the name given to the highest typhoon warning in Honk Kong,  storms and typhoons with gusts exceeding 180kph, which explains the branding. ( https://t8.run/)

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