A week after the 24 park runs in 24 hours I threw my hat back into the competitive ring for the True Blue 100k ultra. This was formally known as the Australia Day Ultra and I had finished the 50km race once, and the 100km version three times. This race was never on my radar after completing the back to back racing weekends last year and swearing never to do something so stupid again. In my defense I held my resolve until Thursday evening before the race before texting Ron, the Race Director, and getting a cash entry; to be paid at the start line the following evening. What’s that about old dogs and new tricks ? Or is it old dogs doing the same stupid tricks all the time ?
Another reason for my race entry was to test my new once a day training program with Pilates and the gym thrown in instead of my second run. I had also been taking Creatine, HMB and Leucine and was curious to see if these would make a marked difference to my race. Best way to test out my new approach was to enter a 100k race a week after a 24 hour event surely ?
As I mentioned earlier in the post this race wasn’t on my calendar until late Thursday evening, post a good recovery run from Yelo. The recovery week so far had been two trips to the gym, one easy run and a progressive, of sorts, run with Aaron Pyke at Yelo. This run had given me some confidence and add to that the FOMO (fear of missing out) and by Thursday evening I was on the laptop looking at previous posts on the event and watching my first ever 100k ultra video shot by Rob Donkersloot on Youtube. (
)
The video by Rob documented my first attempt at this event back in 2017 where I ran just over eight hours for a second place finish and I retired instantly. Of course I was back the following year to run a sub eight hour finish, 7:47, and planned to return the next year but caught a bad dose of man-flu the week before. This led to a five year absence where life and COVID got in the way. Last year I ran a 9:34 albeit it was a week after the 24 Park runs and I suffered, silly not to do it again right ?
I had no strategy this year bar finishing, I knew I was probably under done training wise and the legs would not have recovered from the previous weeks beating. My good friends Simon Bennet and Adam Scott were also running and I decided to stay with them for the first lap before dropping off, putting on the shokz and cruising to a finish. As it was the boys went out far too hot and I left them at the fist turnaround to go and powder my nose, actually an excuse to leave them and take stock.
The course is a 12.5k out and back loop, eight times, totally flat , with an aid station at each end and in the middle. This is good for continually passing people albeit at the start you are soon alone with your to thoughts, which I quite like. Throughout the event other distances come and go , for example the 50k runners start at 3am, the 25k runners start at 6am and the 12.5k runners start later than that? Either way it gets busier from 3am until around 9am , the next morning, where it is back to the 100k runners.
As you can see from the Strava image below showing my pace continually drop until halfway and the sunrise that would eventually save me. As I said earlier I had gone out way to quick with Si and Adam and started to pay the price. I was running alone at this point and starting to think about pulling the pin at 50k, four laps. In an ultra you go through bad patches as I had many, many times over the last few years. Last year was a similar story, starting on tired legs, coming close to pulling the pin at 50k and then finishing strong. Could I do it two years in a row?
The low point in my race was just before sunrise at the middle aid station. I was done and sat down waiting for the sunrise, this was the only chance. As I have always said when the sun comes up the running terrain changes completely. All of a sudden there’s a spark of ‘maybe I can finish this’ , life is instantly so much better. It worked last year, could it work again now ? Only way to find out was to get up and run. Simple really, just keep moving forward. Surprising I started to pick up the pace and ran through the 50k point back out onto lap five. This was a big mental test, it would have been so easy to pull the pin at 50k, still a very reasonable effort after the 24 park runs the previous week. Moving onto lap five felt , with the sun in my face, felt so much better than the previous lap in the dark. The early hours were cooler and after a few ibuprofens and another nodoz I felt so much better. (don’t judge me.) All of a sudden I felt like I could finish and that was all I needed to move through laps five and six, picking up the pace kilometre by kilometre.
In the end it was a similar story to last year, a good negative split and a 9:45 finish ( slightly slower than 2024) , good for a fifth place finish. Out in 4:59 and back in 4:45. I’m putting this down to a few things, firstly the midnight start which is not my favorite time to start a running race. The Feral Pig 100 miler is a similar start time and I always suffer on that race too, albeit the gradient and temperature are also factors for that event. The late , or is it early start, means to get to the witching hours (around 2am until sunrise) totally spent and sun rise is a big mental boost, enough to get you a few laps at this event which puts you two laps to the finish. This is enough to kick start the legs as mentally the sun is out, you’re over halfway and all of a sudden the finish line is in sight.
The eight lap format is also a big factor as you break the race down into eight smaller segments. Getting to halfway , in the dark , is the challenge. Sleep depraved the finish feels such a long way away (funny that?) but when the sun awakes and you get over the halfway the final four laps seem to finish quicker. Laps two through five define this race, especially the dark laps. If you can get out on lap six with the sun on your face you will finish.
So what did I learn from the True Blue Ultra 2025. Yet again I learned the lows in an Ultra event are real but if you just keep moving forward things will get better, add in a sunrise , hydration and nutrition , and things will improve. This year, like last year, I was dead and buried at the halfway stage with a DNF looming on the horizon , instead a sunrise got me over the line, literally. Was it easy ? Hell no, it was bloody hard and it’s getting harder but that’s the point . It will continue to get harder until eventually I will stop and accept a DNF or at least stop dong back to back events , whichever comes first. I turn fifty eight in three weeks and the one person you can’t outrun is Father Time. I’m hoping the new training, less running but more strength training, will get me a few more events before I start to look at cutting back the racing calendar. Of course I’ve been saying this for a few years now and retire constantly but something keeps me coming back for more. Is is the high of the finish or the mental low, and pushing through, that keeps me returning to the scene of the crime ? I honestly couldn’t tell you , I need both to finish an event and that’s running, albeit compounded with ultra running of course.
So what’s next ? In less than eight weeks its Herdy’s Frontyard Ultra, ( https://herdysfrontyard.com.au/ ) the event I ran 47 hours back in 2012 which at the time was an Australian record for an assist, to the great Phil Gore. ( Watch the YouTube video here :-
) Since then Phil has gone on to run over 100 hours and break world records where as I have struggled to reach that number again. It has been a goal of mine ever since to get to 48 hours, 200 miles, can I do it this year ? I won’t have the Delirious West 200 miler beforehand this year as it’s moved to April, so I should be on fresh legs (if there is such a thing for a runner my age?) I have a crew of three to four other runners also aiming for the same goal so it could be on, if not I’ll have fun trying , until it’s not of course. After Herdy’s it’s the big dance, Delirious West 200 miler for the sixth time. ( https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) This is my favorite race, a week of beautiful trails surrounded by like minded people and Warwick Crapper, perfect. This year is going to be massive with a big field taking on the Delirious beast.
Finally shout out to my good mate Rob Collins who scored a top three finish in the 25km race, Rob ran a great race and although he’s been troubled by injury of late he held on for a solid podium. He’s already talking up a faster attempt next year, hopefully we can reproduce this image for 2026. Financially also a good move as Rob and I can share the cost for shouting coffee at Yelo on Thursday, a tradition for us Yelo runners.
or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/
or facebook RUNBKRUNOZ
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/)
or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/
or facebook RUNBKRUNOZ