So at the end of post 1 Charles and I arrived back in Mandelay from Broke Road around 80km into our journey and decided to have a three hour sleep break.  There was a couple of reasons for this , first Charles had stacked it twice on the last section and both times fell heavily on his left shoulder. I have dispensed some ibroprofen to help with the pain but we both decided a good three hour rest would be a better alternative. Also the next section, Mandelay to Mount Clare,  was a particular difficult section and best tackled on fresh legs , and in daylight. Mark set up the swag and I drifted off into a resltess sleep, not the deep one I had hoped for but enough that I felt refreshed when I awoke three hours later. It was also cool to lay in the swag when we had a sprinkle of rain and I enjoyed the view of the stars from the comfort of my swag. Sleeping in a swag really is a wonderful experience and I always look forward to my ‘swag time‘  albeit this is the only time I ever use the swag ? The Matthews family are certainly not campers.

Mandelay -> Mount Clare I woke before the alarm, by about two minutes, had my morning weetbix and tea, changed my clothes and off we scuttled into the dark albeit with a sunrise fast approaching.  Charles had certainly perked up from the previous evening and the rest had helped his shoulder issue. He was particularly keen to talk to the the Yelo crew at 7am, as it traditional  on this run.  He had never been able to do this as he was either volunteering or had been out of range of phone coverage in previous years. Luckily we found ourselves on top of a hill at 7am and he got to call the guys drinking coffee at Yelo in Perth, this call always cheers me up and it was no different this year although looking at them drinking quality coffee while I stumbled around in the bush can sometimes be testing.

Heading out of Mandelay back onto the boardwalk I was disappointed it was still dark. On a couple of occasions I have headed out into a sunrise and the view is spectacular, if you check out my posts in 2021 and 2022 I reckon you’ll get the idea.  Sometimes being faster is not always a good idea as your views change with the time of day , or night. This has a knock on effect of coming into Peaceful Bay at night which can be a bit sketchy across the last beach sections, also any beach running is so much better in daylight.

On the bright side we only had a few hours of darkness to run through and running is so much easier when the sun rises and your batteries recharge.  We passed the ‘insta’ bench but its not half as good at night, although Charles insisted on a photo.

For the most part now Charles and I were alone and could see no head torches ahead or behind us. After an hour or so though we did spy a light on the horizon and we chased it down to catch Laura Firth, a good friend of both of us and a runner aiming to finish Delirious for the first time after a DNF. Laura has her own medical issue to deal with and is an inspiration to all who know her. She runs the Bravehearts seven marathons in seven days for charity every year. ( https://bravehearts.org.au/support-us/777-marathon/ )  If you could spare some coin for this great cause I would really appreciate it , as would Laura.  She wasn’t feeling great when we bumped into her but after a selfie and a chat I hope we helped her on her way, she finished on Sunday , great work Laura.

After we left Laura and bumped into Sarah Kaesler,  nursing a bad knee,  the sun awoke and all seemed better with the day. Charles was in a particularly good mood and skipped along the trails while I was still in my second day ‘funk‘ where I question my life decisions. Eventually , post Yelo call, I had to let Charles go and it was obvious I was holding him up. He promised to wait for me at Mount Clare as he bounded away but I wondered how long that wait would be as I was struggling. To be fair the first fifty kilometers and the early part of the second day I always seem to struggle and I knew if I kept moving forward , eating and drinking, I’d eventually come right, just a matter of when not if.

I made the suspension bridge at the bottom of the Mount Clare climb at 8:17am, one of the benefits of taking photos is the iphone gives to time and place details, and started the steep ascent to the aid station. This was brutal , even on semi-reasonable legs, and I stumbled into the aid station ready for a ‘power nap’ and some good aid station tukka.

Mount Clare to Walpole Although the next aid station was less than ten kilometres away I was unable to continue and needed some food and rest, the climb has taken a lot out of me. I settled into my chair and had a power nap while listening to Charles get ready to leave. Eventually I started to stir and when I opened my eyes was faced with a burrito and a hot cup of tea, love being crewed, As you can see from the image below Charles was ready to go as I tucked into my tukka with a scowl on my face. I let Charles go ahead as I finished my food and begrudgingly  got ready for the next section into Walpole.

Once I got going I seemed to find some energy , must have been the burrito, and I made good time to Walpole, passing Suki Singh India’s hardest ultra marathon runner,  apparently, and a great guy. He would set a good PB for the event, top work Suki.  I made Walpole and after a quick pit stop headed off back the start of the event , Giant Tingle, another quick ten kilometre hop albeit this time mainly  uphill, the theme for the rest of the day. Charles was suffering with food issues and throwing up so had decided to stay at Walpole for a tad longer. I’d see him again at Tree Tops but he would need rest so wouldn’t see him again until the finish which was a shame as we were having a great time together.  It’s hard to run together for long periods of time as one of you normally feels good while the other can be deep in the pain cave, you would need to adjust your pace accordingly and over time this can start to have an adverse affect on your race. For a 200 miler you need to run your own race and if company is running the same all well and good but it’s dangerous to adjust your pace for other runners.

Walpole to Giant Tingle Giant Tingle was next , post Walpole, a quick hop albeit mainly uphill. This is a glorious section of single trails running through dense forest,  covered with seriously big trees.  I was making good time and even caught four runners at the aid station all devouring the best egg, bacon and hashbrown wraps swimming in salt. These were seriously good and I set off for the next leg with a ‘pep in my step‘ and a smile on my face albeit I knew this next section was long and steep, in the wrong direction, i.e. up  Tree tops was the halfway point and post Tree Tops is the best part of the course, in my opinion. Plenty of time spent on deserted beaches and also some good trail without the steep rises.

Giant Tingle to Tree Tops.  This is a long section and I was racing a sunset, determined to reach the aid station in the light of day and beat the 100 miler runners who were starting at 7pm. I wasn’t running much at this stage but making good headway ‘power hiking‘ and enjoying the scenery, as much as you can. I bumped into James Sawyer and Ben Nielson, who were in a similar state to me, so we joined up and suffered together,  all retiring from this silly event. The final few kilometres always take the longest and at every turn we were disappointed to see more tails and not an aid station, eventually though we made the top and sanctuary .

Mark set my chair up in the car park but a nap was difficult as the 100 milers , who started from Tree tops , were all milling  around and you could sense the anticipation. I’m sure I had some food but for  the life I me I can’t remember what it was ? There were a few runners resting at Tree Tops including Chris Gerdei, under the watchful eye of his beautiful Wife Jenny, Dougie Bartlett, again with his Wife watching on, James and Ben and their crew and Charles arrived as I was just about to leave.  I could persuade none to leave with me so I headed on the compulsory Tree Top walk alone and just beat the sunset before setting off to Conspicuous Cliffs with a forty minute head start on the 100 milers.

Tree Tops -> Conspicuous Cliffs   I always enjoy this section from Tree Tops to Conspicuous Cliffs as its a good downhill , runnable, trail after an initial rise to the highest point of the event.  I was feeling good at this point,  after a good feed of whatever I had? , and some sugar treats and made good time only passed by the first two 100 milers as I closed in on the aid station.  I enjoy running at night alone, don’t judge me, as the conditions were absolutely perfect, a still evening with cool conditions. The plan was to make Conspicuous Cliffs and then refuel quickly, with Mark’s famous steak and onions, before a good sleep at Peaceful Bay and a  shower.

 

Conspicuous Cliffs to Peaceful Bay  Again I set off into the dark on the beach alone. I enjoy this section bar the final few kilometres into Peaceful Bay on soft sand and some technical beach sections, great in the day light but not so good alone at night.  I managed to catch a couple of runners and used them as beacons to guide me to Peaceful Bay. There’s not much more to say truth be told for this section, I can’t think of any highlights and didn’t take any photos or video, just head down to the next aid station and a good sleep. I was pretty fatigued by this point in my defence.

The highlight of this section was the shower (although not a great shower?) and the best three hour deep sleep I have had for many years , tucked up in my sleeping bag and cocooned in my swag, just bliss.  Mark woke me as agreed , around 4am, and I begrudgingly got changed , had some Weetbix, sweet tea and was off into the dark towards the jet ski and river crossing ,after some beach running.

Peaceful Bay -> Monkey Rocks.  There is around six kilometres of sand running before you see the jet ski camp lit up on the horizon. I had my Hosi biscuit ( a project leaving present of my friends image on a biscuit) to use as payment for the crossing and it was eagerly accepted by the ferryman and his apprentice. I was allowed on the jet ski and we were off to the other side, as the video below shows.

Right, that’s enough for post 2, I’m on the other side of the river crossing , friday morning early ,  just before sunrise, heading towards Monkey Rocks, feeling great after the best three hour sleep for many years , a great steak sandwich and an awesome Jet Ski ride, life was good.

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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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