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Funnily enough on the bus this year I sat to next to a young runner , Cameron, who I would run with for most of the event, go figure, I digress. The start really is 40+ runners in the dark forest waiting for midnight to start. Shaun Kaesler was running this year, the owner of Ultra Series WA (and SA) ( https://ultraserieswa.com.au/ ) and he got us all in a big circle , turned off all our headlamps and gave us a rousing speech to get us in the right frame of mind for the challenge ahead. I’ll give Shaun his due he really is the pied piper of ultra running in WA, he can inspire the uninspired and make the impossible seem possible, and he does on a regular basis. I hope this pre-start huddle becomes a tradition , which is what normally happens with Shaun, and many runners will be able to feel the togetherness we all felt that night. Looking up at the stars was humbling and to share this with so many like minded people, special, very special.
To make this event even more challenging I had finished the Delirious West 200 miler ( https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) only 4 weeks previous so the legs would not be fully recovered. To counter this I decided to use poles from the start and really just enjoy the experience, with time a secondary consideration, this was my final redemption run.
Due to a rookie error I actually started the event 2-3 minutes after everybody else, I had forgot to acquire a GPS on my Coros so had to wait a few minutes before I could start running, if it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen ! Anyhow me and the tail runner eventually started and I moved through the field before bumping into Sergio, Andy and Cam and we formed a group which would stay together for most of the day, bar Sergio who stopped for a sleep and then flew past us about 50k later. Darlene joined us for a few hours before she stopped for some water while we continued on to the first aid station, Sullivan Rocks, at around the 42k mark. This sums up the Feral, the first aid station is marathon distance into the race, after a midnight start, brutal, like the terrain.
Andy, Cam and I spent most of Saturday morning and day together, the three of us rolling through the aid stations and with Andy’s amazing sense of direction never worrying about getting lost, that man really is talented. It makes such a difference running with company and the banter make the miles disappear. For the most part Andy set a perfect pace but if he dropped off I would sneak to the front to keep him honest. Cam was always happy to continue sandwiched between us with a infectious smile. It was Cam’s first 100 miler and he absolutely aced it , that young man has a great ultra running career ahead of him . Andy goes ok as well, just like a finely tuned white diesel van who also doubled as a great source of snickers. The three of us had a great time.
Due to the remoteness of the event there are minimal aid stations for the fist half of the race. Sullivan Rocks is the first at 41.5k then Brookton Highway at 73.5k. After that they are a tad more frequent, Mount Dale carpark ,86.2k, Beraking Campsite, 97.3k, Allen Road bridge 113.4k before returning to the start before the DNF loop at 126.6k. On the DNF loop you have an aid station at the Camel farm you pass through twice (135k and 154.7k) before the last outlying aid station at Kalamunda (144.8k). There are a smattering of drink stops scattered in there as well. This made the event challenging, unlike a 200 miler which feels like an adventure , with better food, the 100 miler feels like a race.
The major selling point of the Feral Pig 100 miler is the scenery and the remoteness of the event. As I said earlier there are few aid stations until well over half way and you start at midnight, a baptism of fire really. By the time you stagger into the first aid station at Sullivan rocks your normally pretty well goosed , before starting back up the granite hill to complete the rest of the event, about another 120km. As with all ultras you go though good and bad times and getting to Brookton Highway is a massive confidence booster. The food here is normally (actually always!) very , very good as Shannon Dale and his tribe provide it. This year was no different, my staple ultra diet of pancakes and bacon was more than enough to raise the spirts and I explored out of this aid station. Well maybe exploded is an over statement, stumbled more like. My quads had started to play up but the food helped and I was able to get into some sort of groove a few kilometres later, cocooned in the Feral train being ably led by Andy.
We caught up with Shaun Kaesler, pre-Brookton Highway, and we all came in together. Pre-aid station we had got into a group of 6-7 runners and the banter flowed while the kilometres melted away before us. The running conditions were just about perfect for November in WA, by this I mean it wasn’t stinking hot which is the norm for that time of year. 2021 will be known for being ‘the cold year‘, albeit it was still probably 22-25 degrees celsius. Shaun went past us later in the day like a scolded cat but I was confident I’d see him again giving his training program is minimal at best, mainly due to the nature of his day job !
Funnily enough what broke up the Feral train was a glib remark from Andy about the possibility of a buckle if you finished quicker then 26 hours. This was just past Allen Road and we had an hour or two of daylight left. As soon as a buckle was mentioned my race changed, all of a sudden finishing was no longer the number one objective, it became something I had no idea even existed a few minutes earlier. Doing some mental math I reckoned I had a chance of a buckle if I put my foot down. We were on part of the bib track I knew very well and was confident I could back to the start quickly. I couldn’t persuade the rest of the Feral train to join me so I set off alone. As I said I have ran from the Perth Discovery Centre to Allen Road and back on numerous times training for the Delirious West 200 miler earlier in the year ( https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) so was more than happy to tackle it alone, with night falling.
I actually made it back to the start at 8pm and refueled on noodles quickly, ordered at the Allen Road aid station, before setting off into the dark to tackle the DNF (or Death Loop). At this stage I was confident I had more than enough time to make my buckle but I underestimated what was to come and trust me I knew it would be difficult , just not as difficult as it turned out to be.
Fueled on noodles I had my second wind and left the Perth Discovery Centre cock-a-hoop , looking forward to my buckle which at this stage was in the bag as far as I was concerned. I have 6 hours to run just over 30k, how easy would that be. I knew the loop would be hard but 6 hours and I was feeling pretty good, what could go wrong. The night got even better when I caught up with Shaun and his beautiful Wife, and pacer , Sarah five or so kilometres later. Unfortunately for Shaun the chickens had come home to roost and he was paying the piper , big time. He was moving forward but he was in for a long night and he knew it, that’s the Feral though , one minute you think you have tamed the beast and then it comes back to bite you. After I left him and Sarah and continued into the night I wondered what lay ahead for me.
What eventually killed my buckle quest was the next aid station, the Camel Farm. I had arrived feeling quite good having left Shaun in my wake and asked the vollies the distance to the turn around at Kalamunda. In my mind it was a 7-8k stretch but I was informed 9.8k, this destroyed me as I had underestimated the distance for the DNF loop. In my mind is was nearer 32k rather than the 38k it actually was, although the extra 6k doesn’t seem a lot typing this post , at the time it was devastating. My buckle virtually disappeared at that moment and all I could see were chickens coming home to roost and a silly little bloke playing a pipe. As well as the extra 6k it was the terrain ahead of me that would finally break my buckle quest.
The run from the Camel Farm aid station to Kalamunda included two really hard climbs that are virtually unrunable. Add in 24 hours of running before even starting these two climbs and you have the recipe for disaster. The only thing that probably stops runners actually DNF’ing on this loop is you are so close to the finish you just get your head down, adopt the fetal position and take your punishment in the pain box. The climbs were brutal and I use that word a lot for this race but there is no better description. I was alone now and after staggering into the Kalamunda aid station didn’t have much left in the tank for the return to the start. My good friend Shannon Dale was there, him of the pancakes and bacon at Brookton Highway, and he served up some seriously good potatoes which hit the mark, and a cup of sweet tea, my go to drink of choice towards the end of an ultra.
Fed and watered I was unceremoniously kicked out the aid station and I stumbled into the night on the return journey , back to the two climbs but now in reverse. On the way back I bumped into Shaun and Sarah and he hadn’t improved, infact if you could picture death warmed up this would have been Shaun, it wasn’t his best look but he still finished, with minimal training but serious mental strength. Good on ‘ya Shaun. Next I bumped into Andy who was just ahead of Cam (and pacers) , the Feral train, with both runners getting it done and they would finish together.
A highlight of this section of the course was my headlamp dying suddenly, with no moon when it’s dark it’s really dark. I thumbled for my iphone to give me some light so I could change headlamps. Note: always have a backup headlamp, always ! I was helped by another runner and then off I went again, alone into the night. At this point I was approaching my second night of no sleep so was starting to hallucinate. This is an added benefit of ultra running, get to your second night of no sleep and there is a good chance you’ll get to see all sorts of weird stuff, makes the event worthwhile ! I find the second night of an ultra is where the hallucinations begin, (assuming you don’t sleep) and thus far they have always been quite cool, I suppose it would depend on your mindset ?
Into the Camel Farm aid station for another cup of tea and some fruit before the final stage to the start , which would now also be the finish. There were numerous runners coming the other way and I didn’t envy their task ahead but all of them finished. I did bump into Chemie Banger (Jamie), who was running the 100k, but he was happy for me to carry on at my pace.
From the Perth Discovery Centre you cross over the Mundaring Dam , or around it if the dam was shut , which funnily enough at 2am it was ! This meant a lot of stairs which hurt both ways trust me. The dam is a lonely place at 2am with only Kangaroos for company setting off the security lights. I actually got lost running into the Discovery Centre, second guessing the Bib track signs and convincing myself they were wrong, of course they weren’t. Frustrating doesn’t sum up that feeling after nearly 100 miles of knowing you’re a few kilometers from the finish but which direction..? After some back tracking and checking on the GPS software, (thankyou https://www.gaiagps.com/ ) I eventually stumbled into the finish to a rapturous reception from both people still up at just past 3am in the morning. (Note to self, even finish a lot quicker or a lot slower next time, at least in daylight)!
A big shout out to some of the runners who hadn’t even left the Discovery Centre when I finished. These runners were going to run through a second night and finish in daylight. To get to the start line after nearly 30 hours of running and then facing the DNF (Death loop) is absolutely top drawer in the mental toughness stakes. I was sitting opposite John Cooke as he prepared to go out into the dark and take on his demons after DNF’ing the previous year, what an incredible effort. John, like myself, subscribe to Rob Donkersloot and his Mind Focused Running program. I can’t recommend this program enough and his results speak for themselve. ( https://mindfocusedrunning.com/ ) In ultra’s the back of the pack runner is the real hero , in my book !
So I finished in just over 27 hours, it was then straight to the warm showers, into a pair of warm pajamas’ and an onesie sleeping bag and to the front seat of my car, took me about ten seconds to fall into a deep sleep.
Finally don’t forget 20% of humantecar products this month only, perfect Christmas present for the runner in your life.
I am a big fan of this product and have reached out to the distributor and got a 20% discount code until the end of the year. If you go to the Australian website (below) you can get 20% off the spray and recovery bandages, use the code runbkrun21
or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/
Right back to Delirious , after Conspicuous beach myself and Adam really put a wiggle on and caught so many runners, albeit mainly women to start with and mostly injured women. In the end we managed to catch a few injured men including Felix who I mention in one of the videos, again only because he injured himself. I felt good and left Adam towards the end of the day as he was having issues with his calf/ankle, I can’t remember now. I was chasing Paul ‘Hopi’ Hopwood, not realising the man is a living legend and way outside my talent pool ! Anyhow the day was just ace, that is the only term I can use. Scenery, ace, how I was feeling, ace and crew, ace. What a day. I did get lost just before Monkey Rocks aid station and Paul and I together managed to find our way to the aid station together where I decided to wait for Adam, who had called ahead and asked that I wait for him. Also Gazza had cooked a steak with eggs, be a shame to rush it ? I took advantage of the situation with a 30 minute Nano-nap, that also felt ace.
From Monkey Rock to Denmark is not a nice section of the race, in fact it was probably the worst. Monkey Rocks is steep, very steep and just about unrun-able. (is that a word?). It was also wet and Adam and I both stacked it on the wet granite boulders. We both landed heavily on our ribs and this would come back and bite one of us badly the next day. After negotiating Monkey Rocks, and I mean negotiating, there is stories of runners , even with pacers, who have ran up to the top of Monkey Rocks , got disorientated and ran back to the start. Running it in the dark I can believe this is very possible, it all looks so similar. There is also stories of runners who have got completely lost and ran their Wife, on a different continent, in an attempt to get rescued. After you eventually get over the rocks you then stumble into Denmark and run through the backstreets to the sleep station. Uninspiring running at 1am in the drizzle trust me. When we got to the sleep station at Denmark I got on the pajamas, noise cancelling headphones , facemask and instantly drifted off into a deep sleep for nearly three hours, bliss.
We set the alarm for 4:30am so we could get a 5am lift to the final start point on day four of this adventure. In the good old days it use to be a boat across the inlet but HSE have put an end to this and now its a 20 minute car ride. No worries , a quick shower, change of clothes and I was ready for the final day. Myself and Adam felt great for the first 3-4km and then Adam’s race came to an abrupt end, well the running part anyhow. Unbeknownst to him he had fractured his ribs the previous night traversing Monkey Rocks and what he initially thought was a bad stitch was his fractured rib letting him know it would be a long day on the trail and all running was to cease immediately. Of course I did was all good friends do when their fellow runners show weakness, I accelerated away and never looked back. Adam would eventually finish 6-7 hours behind me but only due to his injury and he was still smiling , from the first step to the last, or maybe more of a grimace than a smile at the end, what a bloody legend !
The last day is a couple of long stretches between aid stations and then a couple of short legs and you’re done. Once you get to the second aid station of the day you’re as good as done. I got a couple of runners early and then just kept moving forward. I was alone but the end was in sight so just kept putting one foot infront of the other. I was feeling ok early on and as the day went on and I could see I had a chance of finishing before sunset I started to feel better , and the pace increased.
I even managed to catch Paul ‘Hopi’ Hopwood at the last aid station, less than 10k from the finish, and we both ran through it in full racing mode, after nearly 330km’s of running ! I raced Paul for about 2k before my head gasket blew completely and he left me to finish one place ahead of me in 8th overall. Looking back it was madness to try and race Paul and the better option would have been a gentle jog to the finish together but , hey, it’s a race and both of us are stubborn old runners with a rich history of racing, it’s in our blood ! Fair play, he kicked my backside royally albeit in my defense I knew not of his legendary history and status and if I had would have accepted his offer of a easy jog to the finish with both hands. I blame Rob Donkersloot for revving me up.
….
Of course there was beer at the end of the event. Great pub with great company and I managed three pints of Guinness and a shooter to celebrate Darlene and Shannon new grandchild, number 104 I think?, but by about 10pm it was time to me to exit stage right and sleep, and boy did I sleep good ! So to sum up the Delirious West 2021 was just ace, great race, great company, great support and I can’t wait to do it all again in February 2022, and beyond. It really is a race that defines you and lets you see what you can achieve, albeit with a great support crew and live marin. ? I say race but its more than that really, a three to four day adventure where you can strip yourself bare and rebuild yourself into what you want, albeit for the journey. It’s up to you how you take that forward in life but it does change you for the better and that is all we can do.
I need to thank so many people , the list is just too bloody large but my crew were just biblical, Gazza and Alex will always have a place in my heart, team BK ! Adam for putting up with me for well over 200 kilometres and would have been there at the end bar a fractured rib , my hero. Rob Donkersloot for training my mind , the one missing piece of this ultra runners arsenal. All the volunteers at the aid stations and anybody who gave up their time to help at this event, you are the true heroes of the piece, so , so very grateful. All the positive people you meet on the run, Bart’s, Marty, Wil, Frank, Wayne, Amanda, Shannon, Nats, Alan, Sue, Michael H., Nathan, the Race Directors and paramedics. Fellow runners , all of you ! The Northcliffe Hotel staff and owners and of course the chef’s who produced the waffle breakfast to end all breakfasts ! Anybody who knows me and anybody who has read this far, thankyou. Shaun Kaesler, the maker of dreams, never has that statement been more true. Eve for taking on the challenge at such short notice and acing this race, unbelievable. Finally to my long suffering Wife and kids who let me loose on these adventures, there are no words to express my gratitude and love.
Until next year…
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I am a big fan of this product and have reached out to the distributor and got a 20% discount code until the end of the year. If you go to the Australian website (below) you can get 20% off the spray and recovery bandages, use the code runbkrun21
Some information from the supplier :-
If you need more detailed information go to the main website https://humantecar.com/en/ which goes into more detail but it has some pretty powerful advocates as mentioned above.
I have used the spray and the bandages on many occasions and genuinely felt better for it. The first time I tried the bandages was after I ran for 47 hours at Birdy’s Frontyard Ultra. As you can imagine I was a tad sore the next day so a perfect chance to try the bandages and they didn’t disappoint. No 1 Wife wasn’t that excited about the smell but I reckon it was sweet, hey come on these things were invented in Italy, if I can smell like an Italian Stallion that’s cool with me.
All joking aside these products do exactly what they say they do and that’s help runners keep running so in my book its money well spent. Please note I have received nothing for this promotion bar the good feeling of knowing I may have helped a few more runners take advantage of these great products, and save a few dollars as well.
From the Australian Website:-
The human story behind Human Tecar® in Australia
02 March 2020
A lot of people ask about the story behind Human Tecar’s arrival in Australia.
Well, this is our story…
It was mid-2018 and we were off to see my wife’s family in Italy. As with any family trip, there was a lot to plan. For us, there was also a lot to consider.
You see, my wife sees a physio once (sometimes twice) a week to keep things in check—manual therapies, dry needling, pilates. Unfortunately, it’s been this way for most of her adult life. Her body is a volatile combo of fibromyalgia, chronic neck/back issues, migraines, and auto-immune disease.
So as part of our planning, I had my wife’s physio notes translated into Italian before we left (just in case).
When the holiday became reality, it had its usual challenges: long flights, delayed flights, uncomfortable hotel beds, and loads of luggage.
After about twelve days, it all caught up with my wife. She was now confined to our hotel room—curtains closed to keep out the light; her back and neck seized; and migraines taking hold.
The hotel gave us the address for a local physio. The clinic was about twenty minutes drive away and if my wife’s situation wasn’t bad enough, me driving in Italy was only making things worse.
When we arrived, we shared our pre-prepared physio notes. And thanks to Google Translate, we were able to engage in some basic two-way conversation.
The physio kept referring to ‘Human Tecar’. We’d never heard of it. But by this time—and in this situation—we didn’t have much choice.
I left my wife to finish the treatment and I waited in reception with our son. When my wife walked out, she had tears in her eyes.
My first thought: the treatment hadn’t worked.
My second thought: what do we do now with two weeks left in Italy?Fortunately, those overwhelming emotions were good ones. The tears dried and I could see the life back in her eyes.
My wife hugged the physio goodbye. I souvenired a business card from the front desk. And we went back to being tourists again.
The treatment remained stable. We finished the next two weeks of our family trip and arrived back in Australia keen to pursue this ‘new’ technology.
Upon returning home to Perth, we enthusiastically shared the experience with my wife’s physio. He’d never heard of it.
I reverted (as you do) to Google. The search results suggested Australia had ever heard of it either.
Still intrigued, I contacted my wife’s cousin back in Rome who (coincidentally) coaches track and field. He answered my query with the kind of tone that suggests I really didn’t do enough research…
“John, everyone knows Human Tecar.”Well, as we now know, not everyone does.So I went straight to the source: reaching out to Human Tecar’s head office in Italy. I started the conversation around Human Tecar’s presence (or current absence) in the Australian market.
“Why are we yet to see Human Tecar in Australia?”
In a nutshell, compared to big global medtech companies, you could say Human Tecar is a ‘boutique’ company. After 25 years, it is still run by its passionate founder, Mario Scerri. Mr Scerri and his team of specialists maintain a very personal relationship with the athletes and medical professionals they work with—and they take the same approach with their distributors.
Historically, much of their focus has been direct with elite sporting organisations and athletes—Ferrari Racing, Atletico Madrid, Nike, Adidas, INSEP, etc, etc. The frontline of professional sport has always been the ultimate proving ground for Human Tecar; fine-tuned environments where recovery and (p)rehab can make or break careers.
And back to my point about Australia…
Well honestly, we were simply a country that hadn’t yet been considered. Compared to the USA, China and the rest of western Europe, our market is relatively small. To complicate things, our regulatory body is one of the strictest in the world.
Despite its market challenges, the team at Italy’s head office spoke highly about the Australian physio industry. And the prospect of actually seeing Human Tecar Down Under was something that Mario Scerri himself was quite excited about.
So what began as a conversation around Human Tecar for my wife, soon became a conversation around Human Tecar for Australia.
As the company shared more behind-the-scenes information, we began to learn more and more about Human Tecar’s case studies with athletes.
And when they talk about athletes, it’s not about sponsorships or ambassador roles. It’s about some of the most remarkable success stories in modern sport, including Usain Bolt’s career-defining hamstring injury (and recovery) in the lead up to Rio.
So what began as a random holiday experience in a small Italian village quickly developed into a greater appreciation for Human Tecar and its capabilities in physiotherapy, rehabilitation, S&C and high performance.
Getting a greater understanding of the ‘bigger picture’ led to the launch of our company, Athleticus.
By early 2019, our budding Australian company would go on to establish the first partnership with Human Tecar in the Southern Hemisphere.
In April 2019, we launched Human Tecar in Australia, with Human Tecar’s Sports & Strength Recovery Specialist, Cristian Martinelli, flying in from Italy.
Representing Athleticus at the launch was our lead physio and trainer, Mattia Fredella (ex-CONI in Rome and trained by Human Tecar’s academy in Italy).
Joining our team in Brisbane were Nathan Carloss (Integrated Physio Centre) and Thomas Harvey (Recovery Science) – both of whom were trained on Human Tecar’s suite of technology by Mr. Martinelli.
Speaking that evening was our guest, Nigel Smith from Brisbane Sports & Spinal Physiotherapy. Nigel presented an insight into his recent PhD thesis that researched the prevalence of hamstring injuries in elite football players.
Socceroo, Brett Holman, also took the mic to share his own personal story overcoming injuries in elite sport. His time playing in Holland exposed him to Human Tecar where the technology was an integral part of the club’s rehab, recovery, and strength & conditioning programmes.
Although it is still very early days for us here in Australia, our team has already followed in the footsteps of Human Tecar on the world stage, proving the effectiveness of the technology with some of Australia’s most respected athletes. There have also been recent opportunities where the Athleticus team has worked alongside visiting physio and medical teams from the world’s best international athletes.
And now, with each new day, the story goes on…
If you want to find out more about the Human Tecar story in Australia, shoot me an email via petkovic@athleticus.com.au or feel free to give me a call on 0418 742 551.
•
Written by John Petkovic
Founder of Athleticus
or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/
This year was a different story, I had had a great days running and my support crew had prepared a hearty dinner , change of shoes, clothes and had me up and about ready to face the next leg, which we knew would be dark and very wet ! Me and Adam set off into the darkness excited about what lay ahead albeit with a touch of trepidation knowing it would be a difficult 20k to my nemesis, Mandalay Beach. The two videos below show how wet it was !
Funnily enough Adam and I enjoyed this part of the course. Ok, it was incredibly wet but it was all part of the adventure that is Delirious, just walking 20k through ankle deep water in the middle of the night, where else would you rather be. Eventually we got to Mandalay and decided it was time for a break, it was late and we’d been on the go since 7am that morning. I’m not sure what time we left Mandalay but I know the next stage to Mount Clare was a slog, lots of sand, wind and hard climbs but again it was just ace because it was so hard and like nothing we had ran before. The wind made it more rugged, brutal but also it focused the mind. There was no one else around of course, just Adam and I and our head torches moving forward into the night with the waves crashing around us.
As Adam remarked I was now in uncharted territory after not making it out of Mandalay the previous year. It was a slog to Mount Clare and the climb to the aid station was more like an ascent rather than a run, the hill was steep and long and we both needed more time to recoup at the next aid station. Both of us fell into our reclining chairs, grabbed some food and then closed out eyes while being wrapped up in warm blankets by our crew. We both had about 15-20 minutes of quiet time before moving onto Warpole where we knew there was a sleep station and although it would mean sleeping in the day we had to take some time out.
We got to Warpole around 10am and decided we’d have a two hour sleep, there was beds, showers , toilets and we took advantage of all of these. I had a great two hours sleep and even got a massage from Myree before setting off to the next aid station, Giant Tingle Tree. It was wet and steep, that about sums it up. Beautiful scenery mind but testing conditions. Totally different to what had come before, which is what makes this event so special, each day has something different, terrain wise, to tackle.
That’s enough for this post… one more to go..
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I was totally prepared for Delirious 2020 in February after a stella training program but COVID put an end to the event and it was rescheduled to October. This presented a serious of challenges not least the weather. We had the wettest Winter and Spring for many years and a lot of the Bibbulum track was under water. ( https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/ ) The course was changed slightly to avoid the worst of the water features and this resulted in a ten kilometre shorter course. With hindsight the ‘wet year’ , as it will be known, was just about perfect running conditions even with the extra water features and I wonder if any course records set in 2021 will ever be beaten?
Right to the event itself. I went for the same travel plans as last year which meant arriving in Northcliffe on Monday afternoon, driving down through a storm with Bart’s and his beautiful Wife Jo. This year I had upgraded to a motel suite rather than a single room above the bar . The benefit of this was I got two good nights sleep albeit the pub was closed both days in the evening as it was October and things tend to slow down in a country pub this time of year. Last year the event was ran in February where , trust me, the pub goes off! Funnily enough Adam was booked into room 2 and Bart’s was in room 3, both above the bar, but this year the pub was quiet albeit Bart’s complained the one car that probably drove past the pub in the evening woke him up, much to our amusement.
Monday is spent with the event ‘die hards‘, either volunteers , tribe and trail staff ( https://www.tribeandtrail.com.au/ ) or race directors, it is a very relaxed start to the week, where as Tuesday things tend to heat up quickly with check in and of course the race that stops Nothcliffe, (although you’d probably not notice?) the Bogan run before the race briefing in the evening. It is also good to just soak up the atmosphere of Northcliffe and spend some time with Duncan, Helen and the staff at the hotel, just hanging out really. A massive plus is the food available at the Hotel, it is great quality and just what you need before a four day 200 miler. Also the waffles are to die for but this year unfortunately only available on the Wednesday morning of the race, this was very disappointing. I made my feelings known but was obviously ignored. Hopefully in February the hotel will be out of its Winter slumber and there will be a full compliment of chef’s producing culinary masterpieces , daily. As I have said many times ultra running is very food centered, where as marathon running is all about avoiding food ?
Of course the main race , for some, is the traditional Bogan run on the Tuesday afternoon. This is for crew and supporters and entails drinking a fair amount of Fosters beer, a little bit of trail runnings and a lot of laughing. I’ll do a special post on this in the weeks to come as it deserves it’s own write up. I’ll leave a few teaser images below..
First video at 6K in and the boys are loving it, funnily enough. There is an aid station at the start after the 5k out and back, (10k total) which had been added to make up for course changes due to the extra water features . Full of beans we made this first 10k easily, and then spent about twenty minutes at the aid station so Bart’s could prepare himself for the next part of the adventure. This meant we were probably just about last coming out of that aid station. Bart’s insisted slow and steady was to way to tame the Delirious beast and I couldn’t argue with him after going out like a rocket the previous year and failing very quickly !
The first day is pretty much devoid of aid stations accessible by crew and also long distances between stations so its best to err on the side of caution but I did get the feeling we were probably ‘erring too much‘ as we moved backwards through the field. At one point I had the impression we would run out of runners to move backwards to ! After the 10k out and back the next aid station is Chesapeake West at 33k from the start (no crew) , then Dog Road, where support can join us, at 53k before Pingerup Road at 67k, (no crew), and then Broke Inlet at 88k , Mandalay Beach 105k, Mount Clare, 125k and the first sleep station at Walpole 134k; all with crew.
30k in and we encounter our first water crossing just before the Chesapeake West aid station. There was no way around so in we went. It was amusing to watch Bart’s suffer as he had been ‘giving it large’ a few hours earlier about how he had dry feet , a rookie error ! We had been joined by Veronika and Darleen by this stage although Veronika dropped us like a bad rash soon after and we made it our mission to chase her down over the next few days. It took us till Friday to actually catch her and that was only due to a bad back on her part which eventually forced her to DNF but only after a heroic attempt to finish. That woman epitomizes what it is to run these events, so very mentally tough but this time let down by an injury that made it impossible to stay upright. Veronika, like Danae, will be back in February I’m sure and I look forward to chasing her again.
42k in and we’re still having fun, still chasing Veronika and being run down by Harmony and Darlene. A course record is probably off the cards mainly down to the water logged terrain but also lack of talent and desire, probably the latter truth be told. We were just three mates having fun together and all thought of time was forgotten. This sums up the whole adventure really, just like minded people having fun for four days, with a bit of running thrown in to justify the experience.
Below is a clip showing us at around the 48k mark preparing to meet the crew at the Dog Road aid station, around 5k later. This would be the first time time the spectators would see the BK crew, a thing of natural beauty. Gazza and Alex would become legends over the next four days, going above and beyond what a normal crew would aspire to , turning up the dial to 11. As soon as I sat in my Wanderer reclining chair my socks and shoes were whipped off and my feet placed in a soothing foot bath before being massaged. Next I was presented with a hot chicken curry and various hydration options before a change of clothes and all drink and food replenished in my backpack. After seeing me off Gazza then took on Will who had issues with his feet and treated him to a foot bath and massage, this man was in a ‘crewing frenzy‘, if anybody sat down and needed help he was there, with bells on !
Once we left Dog Road we had another long wait until we saw our crew again at Broke Inlet Road, about 35k away albeit there was an aid station in-between at Pingerup Road in 14k. The way to run these events is to concentrate on the distances between the aid stations and treat each one as a mini-goal, you break down the 200 miles into one aid station at a time, it’s a simple concept. The video below shows up at 55k, just after the Dog Road aid station. Still in great spirits albeit running into a head wind. This part of the course is great for running and we had about 30k of decent road running ahead of us. We cruised into the next aid station at Pingerup Road , 67k, still feeling good and preparing ourselves for the sunset .
72k in , after the Pingerup Road aid station and just before sunset.. this would be the last time you’ll see Bart’s unfortunately. He had started to drop back at this stage but still reached a distance PB at 80k where we stopped for a photo to celebrate this milestone. We arrived at Broke Inlet before Bart’s and as he arrived he announced he was going for a sleep. Adam and I were feeling good so decided to take on the wet 20k stage ahead to Mandalay Beach. Gazza and Alex had looked after me but it was a dark aid station and things can definitely go downhill fast in the dark. We dropped the ball a bit with Bart’s as after we left he started to succumb to the cold and dark and decided to pull the pin. He had ran further than he had ever run before and I was proud of his effort, he’ll learn from this and I am 100% confident he’ll return in 2023 and destroy Delirious and I’ll be there with him !
Right that’s enough for today, my dogs need walking and there’s a long way to go.. more to follow..
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So me, Rob, Adam and Mark all got together and formed ‘Broken Birdy’s‘ as we had all ran Birdys Backyard Ultra two weeks prior and trust me people we were broken ! ( https://birdysbackyardultra.com.au/ )
As the image below shows we were all smiles pre-start and this seems to be the case at all events lately. Lots of banter and laughst before the eventual onset of pain, that is ultra running really in between eating and drinking of course. We even managed to get a gold baton which we took as a sign of sure fire success, unfortunately not to be .
As this was a new event we set ourselves our normal lofty goal which we would fail to achieve, as is our way. This time it was a sub 7 hour 100k time. This seemed reasonable enough until we ran the 2.5k loop and realised it was a tad more testing than we first thought ! Actually it was a beast of a loop with a start designed to make you and the ground become firm friends, undulating and unforgiving surfaces , a hill or two and the constant threat of ‘stacking it’. Also you had to run the loop 10 times with a 30 minute or so break inbetween each loop for your legs to seize up. I’m not selling this am I ! In the end it was as hard as I just made it out to be… funny that.
I chose to go first and lead out the team and my goal was a sub 10 minute loop, 4min/k pace average. I had not actually ran the loop and decided to try out my Nike Vaporflys to see if these would help, as I mentioned in the previous few paragraphs this was a flawed plan and I was soon to realise why. Vaporfly’s are not built for trails or tight corners, this loop was both of those things. This was to be my only loop in fly’s ! Truth be told I was lucky to survive unscathed and on one corner had to virtually stop running before I could turn around, not a good look . I still managed to finish in the top five teams and gave the guys a chance to cement this position , which we did throughout the day.
The best part of this trail relay is without doubt the relaxing , or recuperating, between loops. We had all purchased our reclining chairs from BCF (https://www.bcf.com.au/ ) and were the envy of the rest of the field. As you can see from the image below we had an ideal viewing point and took to this task with great gusto. There’s also a great atmosphere around the place as everybody cheers on their respective teams as well as mingling with other opposition runners, its a bit of a party atmosphere really.
Most of the day we were sitting just outside the top three team in the all male category. I say just outside, probably by about an hour in the end. The top three teams seem to be very young, very fit and very fast, we were neither of these of course. We managed to finally overtake the team ahead of us in fourth towards the end of the event, I think we just wore them down. Luckily they were sitting right opposite us allowing us to keep them under close surveillance during the day. Personally I knew who I was racing each loop and we became quite adept at finding each other , albeit he normally caught me each loop but as the race went on the lads got me to a position where I had enough of a head start to maintain my position. We’ve laid down the gauntlet to this team in January for the road version of this event, note to self , do some speed work !
Final image of the lads in the best reclining chairs waiting for Rob. He wasn’t actually that slow and probably was the most consistent runner of the day, albeit not consistently fast. Mark started quick and then injury slowed him down, Adam started quick and did very well , bar the last few laps while I started quick , slowed in the middle and finished well enough… all be it nowhere near my pre-race predicted times. It was a wake up call but in our defence we had all ran Birdy’s two weeks prior and the legs were nowhere need ready for this. A top 5 finish was a very respectable outcome.
So to the winners (or top 5 finishers) go the spoils, or in this case beer Jeff managed to sneak into the event. The boys certainly cheers up when the beer arrives but that’s the point of these events isn’t it, to allow yourself to drink beet at the end. ? I settled for deep fried chicken and chips treat with lashings of salt, listening to my body of course. Trust me after the 8 hour event it tasted as good as it sounds !
Medals from Shaun Kaesler and a photo with the two best MC’s in Perth and that was that, job done, the Great Trail Relay ticked off and what an event. The best part is there is a road version in January in my back yard at Perry Lakes in Perth, so excited.
Couldn’t leave without a photo of the Broken Birdy’s relay team , resplendent with their medals and beers (I’d eaten my deep friend chicken by then!) sitting on their BCF recliners, a perfect shot to end a perfect day. Rob, Myself, Adam and Mark, top 5 finish and already talking of going sub 7 hours at the road version next year, wanna’ race ? See you at Perry Lakes in January.
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The team arrived Thursday and being a boys weekend away we were straight onto the nearest pub which, after consulting google, we found to be in Darken, a mere 25 kilometers away and they served pizza, perfect! If you ever find yourself driving through Darken I recommend you keep driving, I’ll leave it at that. The boys taking on Birdy’s this year consisted of Rob, Adam, Bart’s , Mark and Dav, all in the photos below bar Bart’s who had to leave work later and went straight to the camp grounds.
We awoke Friday to perfect conditions, no wind, not too cold and with the promise of warmer conditions to come. It was going to be a great weekend. Last year started perfect but got very windy on Saturday (Jon so nearly lost his tent!, so funny!) and was incredibly cold on Friday night. This weekend would be better, weather wise but unfortunately not under foot as we were about to find out. Due to flooding the course had to be changed from last year and this would come back and bite us later in the day and over the event. Shaun had to take out a good one kilometre of quality running trail and replaced it with a swamp that got worse every lap, fun to run but the terrain took it out of your legs an also ate away at your rest time, lap on lap. More on this later.
So the lads awoke and started taking selfies, what else is there to do before a last man standing event ? That’s the thing with these events because it really is more social than mental at the start, everybody is full of the joys of spring, no real pressure. This does change as the race wears on but for the moment enjoy the start and the first few laps, they are all about just enjoying running around laps with like minded runners having a blast. As you can see from the images below there ain’t no suffering going down or the nervous energy you feel before a marathon or normal ultra, just lots of happy smiling runners. We even stopped for a selfie on the first lap, where else can you do that when racing , priceless. Ultimately of course we had to start to put in the hard yards given the harder course, making rest time limited.
So what was the goal going into Birdy’s ? At Herdy’s I’d managed 47 laps but that was in March when I was fitter than a butchers dog due to a three month window of serious Delirious training. ( https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) Due to the cancellation of the 200 miler I used all my fitness racing Herdy’s. Since then I had ran a 24 hour race ( 5 weeks after Herdy’s) and a 100km trail race (2 weeks the 24 hour race) after which had emptied the batteries. Too many races and not enough recovery or training had left me depleted, so to speak. I knew I wasn’t fit enough for another top 2 finish at Birdy’s but was hoping to beat my 24 hours I ran last year. (Truth be told I could have gone on last year but no1 Wife insisted I came home Saturday for baby sitting duties with my kids!) All the boys had their own goals and for the most part they achieved them or there about. (all bar Bart’s but we’ll leave that to another day.)
As with all backyard ultras the first few laps are ridiculously easy , you can find yourself finishing in 35 minutes and then sitting around for 25 minutes before returning to the start line. Birdy’s though was harder this year. Due to flooding a good part of the old course was about a foot underwater, this meant a course change which involved taking out a good one kilometre of good runable trail and replacing it with swamp trails. There was also a 500m section of wet meadow and mud and I mean wet meadow and mud ! This of course got worse with 200 runners trampling through it on the hour, every hour. Luckily I had packed four changes of trail shoes and 8-10 pair of socks, which I would need.
Another obstacle was the bridge which had grown from the previous year as the gap had become larger due to the flooding issues. We were told by Shaun only three people at a time , we all obviously ignored this or changed the scope to ‘three people at a time on any one part of the bridge’, which meant a free for all.!!!
Images below show the bridge in all’s it glory as well as some of the running terrain which truth be told look better than it actually was. My mate Ben , the lead runner in the image top right below, loved the mud and considers himself a ‘trail pig‘ , I’m a ‘concrete show pony’ and tip toed around like a girl. (I’m not sure I can say that these days but you get the picture, sorry girls !)
Back to the race. The first 8 laps from 10am to dusk at 6pm were just plain fun albeit we all noticed the time resting was significantly less than the previous year due to the course change and the swamp ! Once the head torches went on the real race begins, surviving the night and the temperatures that come with it. I’ve always said the hardest part of any last man standing event is getting through the night and ultimately the 2am to dawn period, this is where your body is screaming for sleep and turns up fatigue to try and persuade you to stop. This year it was even harder as it seemed you would sit down and then instantly hear the song for the 5 minute warning, no time to catch your thoughts or get enough food and drink inside you. Over the course of the evening this became a real mental challenge as well as a physical one with the freezing conditions. All the boys left me before dawn but each of them had achieved their goal or close enough to justify the adventure. Well done lads.
Ultimately if you can get through the night as soon as dawn hits you’re good for another 4-6 hours minimum. As you can see from the images above it’s still cold but the temperature soon started to warm up after we ran 24 laps and hit the 100 miles. Top right in the image above is the 100 mile runners, a few more than last year but given the extra starters not as many as we thought. I’m putting this down to the harder course and thus less time to prepare for the next lap, and it was cold !
So why are backyard ultra’s so much fun, easy really it’s about restarting the race on the hour every hour so you are continually meeting your friends and running with them , rather than just a quick meet and greet on the start line and then many hours later a high five at the end. An added bonus is you aren’t pushing yourself in the red zone continually so you also have some fuel in the tank which makes the whole process more enjoyable. How many runners smile, swap jokes, take selfies and banter while competing ? Very few, normally you are continually watching the clock and in the zone so to speak, no time for high jinks or selfies. A backyard ultra , to start with , is just the best time to spend with your mates. It really is that simple. Of course when you start to hit the big numbers later in the event and your friends start to drop off it becomes more of a personal journey but the only person you then compete with is yourself. Unless you win you will DNF but it is you who decides when that will be, no one else. The race itself is thus two fold, initially a long fun run with your mates before the real journey begins and you find your limits, if you so choose. I do go on about these events but with over twenty years competing in events of all distances nothing comes close to these, I just wish they were around my whole career !
Another concept Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell has is the Race For the Ages which also appeals. In this race you have as many hours to run as your age and you work backwards from the finish. So for me Id have 54 hours to run and thus would start 54 hours before the end, a 40 year old runner would start 14 hours after me again finishing 40 hours later. This handicap system makes the race interesting for all and is normally won by fit 60+ year old runners because not how quicker a 40 year old may be the extra 20 hours is too much to overcome. (Here’s a good post about a 74 year old winner in the states https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a28926593/a-race-for-the-ages-bob-becker/ )
Right, back to the race. The night running was difficult and cold with the head torches not helping on the uneven ground and swamp areas where you had to work hard to keep your footing and avoid diving headfirst into the surrounding water. This compounded the problem with rest between laps as your lap times blew out because if you maintained your daylight pace you’d ‘come a ‘cropper’. The 11 hours of darkness, combined with the various milestone during the evening, made the drop our rate accelerate and by daylight we were down to less than 20 runners from the starting 200. I encouraged as many runners a possible with promises of a different race when the sun pokes its head about the horizon but the darkness tests your resolve and after 3am your body is screaming for sleep and rest. Maybe sitting down in the early morning is counter productive because it is so easy to stay sitting when you hear the call to the start. The cold didn’t help of course and made the initial kilometre a challenge albeit with my thermal , running jacket and full length skins I soon warmed up and the second half of the loop was never a problem.
Hitting 24 hours is a big deal at a backyard ultra event, it’s 100 miles , a miler as we call them. Last year I saved my best laps for the laps 20 to 24 as my goal was 24 hours before returning home to babysit my many daughters. My lap times were low thirty minutes and I felt fresh as a daisy as I finished lap 24 second behind Michael Hooker. This year it was a different story and lap 24 was a slog as I stumbled in near the back of the field close to 50 minutes. The image below shows me and Justin finishing together , in perfect simentary, last year and finishing alone this year at the back of the pack, albeit still smiling. As I have mentioned previously I’m putting this down to the harder course sapping my legs and also a fitness base that has never fully recovered from some serious beatings taken earlier in the year. Whatever the reason it was a relief to hit 24 hours knowing I was on course for a course PB at a minimum, lap on lap.
I struggled on from lap 24 and managed to run four more laps before pulling the pin at the start of lap 29 with my mate Charles. We were both just scarping in by this time and although we didn’t time out this was inevitable and with Delirious West in 7 weeks I decided it was time to save the legs for the bigger picture. Truth be told my quads were destroyed, too much tip toeing around the swamp eventually this came back to bite me. Maybe a better nutrition or hydration strategy would have helped, actually any strategy would have helped. Towards the end of the race I certainly wasn’t eating and drinking enough between laps , in the end this will come back and kick you in the balls. (so to speak) .
So what is the take away from Birdies Backyard Ultra ? Overall I’d say I’d give myself a B+. I managed to run further than last year but it was much, much harder. I’m putting this down to the harder course and less recovery time, together with the quads destroying swamp and wet sections of the course. Throughout the event I struggled with fitness and towards the end really worked very hard to finish pre-50 minutes or worse. Could I have ran further ? That’s a tough question that every runner will always ask themselves after running a last man standing event. Most runners probably think they could have and unless you were carried over the line you probably could have, or collapsed over the line similar to Phil in 2019, he left it all and more besides on the course. It is always easy sitting at your computer, weeks later, writing a post to believe you could have gone so much further but really the decision is made on the day and you need to live with that decision. I’m happy enough with a top 10 finish and 28 laps, I came away with so many fond memories and had a good time on the boys weekend away, the actual race was secondary. Looking forward I have learned more valuable lessons will I will take to Herdy’s Front yard Ultra ( https://herdysfrontyard.com.au/ ) next year where I search for that elusive one lap I need, albeit I need to run 47 laps to get to that lap!
Finally a massive congratulations to Phil Gore and Michael Hooker who ran 51/50 laps and set a new Australian Record in the process. These guys had 12 hours on the rest of the field and were only beaten when Plantar Fasciitis got the better of Michael and he had to pull the pin. Until then we were predicting a massive result. Both these boys will compete on the World Stage in the next couple of years , remember their names, legends in the waiting. (as well as Team Gore of course!)
..and one more thankyou to the race director(s), volunteers and everybody who did their bit to make this event so special. The Ultra Series WA is one special bunch of runners, every one of them a true champion. ( https://ultraserieswa.com.au/ ) and I couldn’t finish with out a huge thankyou to my main man Gazza, the most upbeat, attentive crew a runner could ever need, perfect in most ways bar making tea, he really, really sucks at making tea !! Love you big fella. ! ..and one final shout out to the boys and all my friends who made the weekend so very, very special. These weekends are all about remembering what’s it’s like to be 18 years old again, without the drinking but with as much laughing and high jinks, actually probably more laughing and high jinks !! We’re like 18 year old kids with money, dangerous ! I am counting the days until Birdy’s 2022….. we may even give the Darken tavern another chance. (I hope they don’t read this ?)
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The Choo Choo run has been going for around 10 years, a Simon Coates idea, but its been more of an underground run until last year when Irwin Swinny put out the word and the runners came, in droves. This year was no different and what a turn out. When we arrived at North Dandelup train station it looked like a car park at a mall in Christmas, cars everywhere. I have no idea what the locals thought, I reckon we doubled the population of Dandelup that morning ! (Funnily enough I have no idea why the station is called North Dandelup, trust me there’s no South, West or East Dandalup, it really is a one horse town and probably a pit pony at that !)
The image above is not the passenger train returning to Perth but an commercial train, probably mining, with about 100 carriages, estimated ! It was starting to get light before the last carriage passed us. In Australia we do big trains ! Great selfie by Mark to capture the image by the way.
This year we aired on side of caution and decided we were all nowhere near our fitness levels of last year so left just past 7am , giving us just over 3 hours for the 33k trail run. In our defence it had been raining for like weeks and the trail was going to be soft underfoot. No record breaking times this year and this seemed to be the case for all runners, it wasn’t a case of racing a train more like running between two train stations comfortably. This will need to be addressed next year with fines for arriving too early at Serpentine, maybe arriving 10 minutes or more before the train will attract some form of forfeit !
We were the last to leave and had a good group consisting of myself, Mark, Cedric, Tom, Mitch and ultra Jon. (I say ultra Jon as this is the bigger, and happier, version of marathon Jon, who is lighter and always grumpy!) The group set off at a good pace and this was to continue for the whole journey.
The start of the journey is a 6-7k uphill climb as you move from the bottom of the scarp to the top. This is mainly on road and being in the country you will be taking your live in your hands as country drivers make Lewis Hamilton look pedestrian. I suspect most of them are returning home from a ‘quiet night‘ , which probably involves drinking their own body weight in spirits ! You need to be very wary and always have an exit plan which would normally be a quick dive into the nearest field ! I was feeling brave so took a photo as the sun rose over the scarp, as always the photo never does the scene justice.
We continued on at a good pace until we had the compulsory photo at around 26k, you’ll see the same shot in all my posts on the Choo Choo runs, we are stickler’s for tradition. (or just boring as my many Daughters would say?) Funny story at this point, in the first few years of the Choo Choo Simon Coates use to leave water here but one year we turned up and it had been stolen ! What are the odds, on a Sunday morning, someone driving by and spotting bottles of water hidden in the undergrowth and then taking them ? ! Only in the country…
After the compulsory water stop (if there is any water?) it’s probably the best running part of the route before the drop off the scarp which is worth the attendance fee alone. If you have anything left in the legs that drop into Serpentine is a thing of natural beauty. By the time I arrived at the top of the hill I was goosed so stumbled down at just over 4min/k pace, the guys had left me in their wake and were recording low 3min/k’s , at the end of a three hour run ! This more than makes up for the morning climb up the scarp three hours earlier risking life and limb with the Sunday Formula One drivers !
After a slightly hair raising run from the bottom of the scarp to Serpentine via the local main road it was time to regroup for the compulsory Serpentine General Store photo before ambling to the train station. As you can see a lot of very happy runners, refueled on chocolate milk, crisps and just about anything with carbs or sugar. Albeit we had to leave some space for the post tukka get together at North Dandalup Station, it’s tradition.
Next to the train station where we had another traditional photo before boarding the 10:21 train to North Dandalup, late as always by about 10 minutes. Next year I may factor in this 10 minute buffer and really make a big effort at leaving very, very late, albeit I’ll probably drop a car at the station in case I miss the train as there is no way I’m missing the post run food smorgasbord.! It’s basically the previous shot but at a train station rather than outside a deli.
Finally the best photo of the day by a country mile, Transperth had reserved one of the two carriages for out 9-10 minute journey from Serpentine to North Dandalup, how good was that !!! Gold , you couldn’t make that up !! It was the coolest 10 or so minutes of the whole day, imagine that you’re own train carriage with your friend , priceless ! I reckon next year we could be in trouble as I’m not sure they’ll put on another carriage for us runners but you never know unless you join up and see for yourselves. Keep an eye out on facebook and an ear to the ground and be part of the coolest free trail run globally…Choo Choo 2022 ! All aboard….
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July 25th 2021 is the date when runner and train go one on one in a test of nerve. How late can you leave North Dandalup train station to arrive at Serpentine train station and catch the one train back to the start at 10: 21am, on the Perth to Bunbury Australind train? . To get to Serpentine there is the small matter of just under 36k of serious trails on the Munda Biddi track, or 32k if you take the short cut due to some trail work? (The latest departure time of 7:22am last year took the shorter trail option.) There’ll be a GPX loaded onto the facebook page nearer the time but its basically the Mundi Biddi trail but remember to get off at Scrivener Road to come down the scarp and not just keep running to Jarrahdale, funnier things have happened !
So if you’re interested book your ticket online https://transwa.wa.gov.au/tickets-times/train-timetables although you can buy tickets on the day , but please note you cannot buy tickets on the day before, remember this is the Bunbury line , the Internet is still to be invented in Bunners’ . You’ll need a ticket from Serpentine to North Dandalup on the only train going between these two stations at 10:21am, from Serpentine, Sunday 25th July.
Then it’s all about turning up at North Dandalup train station and leaving at whatever time you feel comfortable to be at Serpentine before 10:21. It is to be noted the local deli at Serpentine sells some seriously good food so I’d factor in a few minutes there before the train arrives… As with all previous years if everybody could bring along a plate so we can all spend some time recounting stories of woe and triumph at North Dandalup before the long drive home.
The Facebook page for 2021 is now live :-
https://www.facebook.com/events/4286590841391596/?active_tab=discussion feel free to add posts, comments or brag about what time you’re leaving, remember for this format it’s he , or she, who leaves last , and makes the train , that is the official Runner vs Train Champion 2021 (There is rumour of a trophy..somesay, this will be confirmed on the Facebook page nearer the time)
To get you in the mood here are the last few years posts on the event, worth a read.. there have been some classic stories, so much laughter and a few runners missing the train and coming back to the ‘walk of shame‘ while we all tuck into the post race tukka back at the start.
So I’ll see you on the 25th at North Dandalup train station around 7:30am or later….. ?
Choo Choo 2020 :- https://www.runbkrun.com/2020/07/13/choo-choo-2020-this-time-the-train-managed-to-beat-a-few-runners/
Ch00 Choo 2018 :- https://www.runbkrun.com/2018/09/29/man-versus-train-again/
Choo Choo 2017 :- https://www.runbkrun.com/2017/09/15/choo-choo-run-2017-man-against-train/
Choo Choo 2016 :- https://www.runbkrun.com/2016/11/15/the-choo-choo-run-an-exercise-in-living-on-the-edge/
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So this legendary race was due for a reboot and Shaun Kaesler and the USWA team ( https://ultraserieswa.com.au/ ) were up for the task, and the Kep V2 was born. ( https://kepultrav2.com.au/ ) Due to the amount of volunteers needed for this event, down to the numerous road crossings, the new format was a 100k or 75k out and back course, rather than the original point to point.
I’d entered the race on a whim , why do I keep doing this ?, after recovering well from the Lighthorse 24 hour ultra two weeks earlier. Of course entering is the easy part, finishing is the harder task ! My training had been going well with the next A-race the Irrational South in June, ( https://irrationalsouth200miler.com.au/ ) the Kep was to be my last long run , with the added bonus of a medal, what could go wrong?
Training went well enough for the Kep but a few days out I started to second guess myself , really trying to understand why I’d entered a 100k race three weeks before the Irrational South 200 miler. I was even doubting myself on the way up the start at the Mundaring Hotel but decided I’d run the first half and then grab my poles and casually cruise the second half, good pole practice for Irrational. Leaving it late I got to the start with about 30 seconds to go, totally unprepared truth be told , and off we went.
The start was a ‘soft start‘ as Shaun called it due to noise restrictions, the locals like their lay in apparently and 50-60 noisy ultra runners was deemed far too much for a Saturday morning. It was a case of 1-2-3 go, quietly ! There were drop bags available but I decided to take a backpack and carry my nutrition , which was about 8-10 gu’s, with aid stations available for hydration fill ups and lollys.
The Kep is basically 15k down hill, then about 37k uphill before turning around and returning to the start. This means after the half way you have a relaxing 37k back down the way you came before a 15k climb to the finish. I knew I’d need to save something for the final 15k rise and was hoping my poles would make it easier. The plan was to enjoy the first 15k, get into a good rhythm , struggle through the 37k to halfway and then cruise home with poles, simple really. This way I broke the race down into four smaller races, something I recommend any ultra runner does, lots of mini-goals rather than the one finish goal which can be a long way off at the start of an ultra.
The race started well and I got into a small bunch of runner including Dru, running in sandals !, and the mastermind behind the Ultra Series WA , and a true bloody legend, Shaun Kaesler. Shaun had run the Lighthorse 24 hour, like me , a few weeks earlier and had enjoyed his first event for sometime (as he is normally either the RD or organising stuff) so much he entered the 75k Kep. Given his busy life training had taken a back seat of late but he is a tough mother and , like me, had decided on a whim to take on the Kep. He was running well and the kilometres drifted away, even had a cameo appearance from Bart’s on his Saturday long run.
Getting to the first aid station was a breeze, remember as I mentioned earlier it is basically all downhill, and then we started the climb to the halfway point at 52k. Not much to report here really, Shaun and Dru turned at 22k as their course was slightly different to mine and Bart’s left me a few kilometers later. I was probably running 6th , albeit the 100k field was only 10 strong. It really was a training run and I was just concentrating on getting to halfway in a reasonable shape and picking up my poles for the 37k downhill section. Jen Millum, the sole female 100k runner, and Dylan Bentley were ahead of me and I used them as markers to keep me honest and set my pace to the halfway point. I even got a rush of enthusiasm as I neared the halfway point and managed to sneak past them both, knowing we’d regroup at the next aid station. There is elevation but no large climbs as such, just a gradual grind uphill on a good running service.
The halfway point at this new version of the Kep V2 is a nice place to be, you know you have a mainly downhill 37k ahead of you and probably enough to get your over the last 15k ‘hump’ to the finish, add in poles and I was ready to explode to the finish ! I left Jen and Dylan in my dust and even caught and passed Mike Head to move into 4th place and a possible podium. Tony Smith was way ahead so a win was out of the question, he eventually finished sub 9 hours, setting a time that I reckon will be very hard to beat. Two of his athletes, Graham Dixon and Michael Snart, eventually finished second and third both running low 10′ hours. Coming down the hill Mike caught me at around 22k to go and although I saw him at the last aid statin at the bottom of the last 15k climb I would not catch him. Eventually finishing 5th in a time of 10:39 for the 105k course.
So what did I take from the Kep V2 ? It was another hard race, mentally tough, long time in the saddle and some good elevation. Good points was just starting and finishing as a few minutes before the start I was wavering, also the poles were a God send and I now feel more comfortable using them for an extended period of time. They will definitely be coming out late on the first day of Delirious in October. ( https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) It was also good to run a 100k so soon as the Lighthorse Ultra and Herdy’s, again running on tired legs will be a good skill to have running 3-4 day events later in the year. Not so good points was I could tell the legs were hammered and ultimately I would pay a heavy price for this race.
Once I finished there was the obligatory photo with the bling and a kilometre walk back to the car before returning the Mundaring Hotel for a bloody good sausage and mash meal, great conversation with fellow runners and some verbal sparing with the Vegan runners on the benefit of steak and chips. Shaun has done a great job organising anther great event to add to the USWA (Ultra Series WA) catalogue and there’s even talk of a 50k next year after Shaun won the event, albeit he didn’t broadcast it actually existed and had an entry of one, himself ! ( https://ultraserieswa.com.au/ ) I’m sure Rob approves of this new format and the legend of the Kep is definitely now alive and kicking and it will once again be the measuring stick of the Ultra scene in WA moving forward.