Ultra Marathons
Day three and it was another glorious day in sunny Cornwall. Padstow to Bude would turn out to be very , very special. It 59km kilometres of incredible running over scenery that defied logic at times, it was just too perfect. I felt like I was seeing a picture postcard around every corner, each one outdoing the previous.
Managed to get some video of the ferry crossing and Dave ‘Dangerous’ Dougla getting reprimanded for standing on the seats. I wish I’d taken more video, next time !
The highlight of day three was running through Port Isaac, an iconic village made famous by the TV series Doc Marten. It did not disappoint. I’ve added three images below but could have added hundreds more, the place is a picture postcard on steroids’ and the conditions were absolutely perfect. When the weather is this good there is no where else you’d rather be, nowhere.
The only downside is the water looks so inviting but if you venture in there there is a good chance you’ll lose the family jewels for many hours , post dip, it ain’t warm.
How incredible is that view, it was hard to move on , leaving such a paradise and a true Cornish iconic village. Thankyou Port Isaac, you delivered in spades.
We were warned on day one that North Cornwall was one of the hardest sections and although we were blessed with perfect conditions it didn’t disguise the terrain which was testing. If you weren’t going down steep slopes you were ascending similar gradients. Luckily there were no time pressures and it was up to each runner how quick they’d run the stage. Stopping for a photo was also an excuse for a well earned rest or a break for some hydration and nutrition.
The beauty of the Cornish coast is the splattering of small village stores hidden in the coves supplying the best refreshments, like unplanned aid stations filled to the gunnels with delicious offering. I was parched and this ice cream , together with some lucozade energy drink, recharged my batteries big time. I skipped off up the next hill with renewed vigor before bumping into some tourists who offered to take a photo, the day just kept on giving.
Experiencing the runners high after a great Cornish ice cream and also happy for a rest after the hill I had just clambered up. Notice my foot wear in this photo. I had gone for the Altra Vanish Tempo’s , which were brand new at the start of this stage, this was a mistake as I was taking my life in my hands on some of the steep climbs, especially going down. My logic was the path was very runnable and there was road sections ahead, with hindsight I should have packed my Altra Olympus runners and swapped at one of the aid stations. My lovely white tempo’s were christened early in the stage when I jumped into a cowpat (a flat round deposit of cow dung) while coming off a sty.
I have added an image of an example of said cowpat, sort of landmines for ultra runners . Needless to say my lovely white Altra Tempos would never be that colour again.
It was a blessing to leave the coast to the back roads where we offered some protection from the sun. You were always on the look out for water and this watering hole was extra special as it had goldfish, I assume they had been deposited there and just survived ?
Maybe they’re dangerous and thus need the cage to protect the general public from being mauled to death, a Cornish version of a Great White shark perhaps ?
As well as backroads there was a few trails to keep you on your toes and these were heavily shaded which was a respite from the unforgiving sun.
Eventually the days running had to end and I was disappointed when I reached the finish for day three, albeit I was looking forward to a sit down and some tukka. Imagine how excited I was to receive an authentic Cornish party , bloody stoked. I devoured the beast quickly and then stripped off and had a relaxing (and invigorating ) swim in the ocean. Laying in the ocean I reflecting on the best day yet and wondered how much longer the event could keep producing the goods.
After the Cornish pasty it was back on one of the buses and we were whisked away to our overnight accommodation. We’d be here for three nights and I was grouped with five other runners in a three bedroom chalet, with sea view of course and close to a great pub which would feed and water us. As you can see from the image below it was burger , onion rings and chips, real ultra food.
Finally a perfect sunset before retiring for the evening and preparing for day four, Bude to Bideford, a 41km day, virtually a rest day. I could hardly sleep I was so excited.
fisiocrem ( https://www.fisiocrem.com.au/ ) is just bloody brilliant and does exactly what it says it does , it just gets the major muscle groups moving again. I use this extensively towards the end of the race when my quads are hammered. It really makes a difference and allows me to move back through the gears towards the end of an event when most runners are stumbling home.
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
We spent the first evening back at the Lands End YHA which meant a thirty mile return journey. There was little conversation on the minivan on the way back, we were all toasted from a hard days trail running and contemplating a similar fate the next day. Apparently the North Cornwall sections of the event are among the hardest trails and also you have to run seven days straight before your first rest day. All these factors were playing on everybodies minds as we sat in silence on the journey back to the start.
Once back at the YHA it was time for a well earned hot shower and some great dinner before I went straight to bed and sweated out the head cold that had been bothering me all day. I was out like a light and awoke the next day invigorated, unfortunately for my three running room buddies I had also snored all night , allegedly. So back on the bus we went to drive the thirty or so miles back to Portreath and restart the adventure at yesterdays finish line. It was surreal to be back at Portreath and without any fanfare we were off again. A good friend of mine, from my youth, Zelah Lewis joined me for the first ten or so kilometres and her company made the time disappear as we caught up with probably forty years of news. We were so focused on reminiscing I missed the first aid station which meant as we parted company I was out of food and drink, rookie error.
Luckily as Zelah turned for the return trail to Portreath I was caught by four runners who restocked me with Rat Race bars (my go to food on the run) We stayed together for most of the day and the highlight was ice creams from a pub later in the morning as the temperatures heated up.
Managed to find aid station 2 albeit I was travelling in a group of five so I just followed everyday else. Enjoyed sitting down and grabbing some great tukka, from memory a wrap of some sort, not important at this stage in the day , you just want food and as much as possible. On a side note the Rate Race bars are awesome and I would mainly use these throughout the day. The Cornishman pub was just next to aid station two and had to get the image below, just perfect. I use that term a lot in these posts.
Conditions for day one were perfect but day two was even more perfect, if that is even a thing ? Cornwall really was tugging at the heart strings by showing herself at her very best, it really does not get any better ? These were new trails to me as when I left Cornwall nearly thirty years ago I was a hard drinking surf chasing machine and running was only a thing you did if you were late for last orders at the local pub. ! The views on day two were incredible, just incredible. When the weather is this good Cornwall is probably the best place to be on the planet, in my opinion. I was blessed.
Along the coast trail you are constantly coming across beach crossings that last a lifetime and every one is picture perfect, breaking up the undulation of the coastal trails. These beach crossing are a welcome relief and give you time to relax and smell the roses, so to speak. You breath in the views .
Linking the beaches, coastal trails and small Cornish villages are the incredible back lanes over grown with lush greenery, and stinging nettles ! You needed to be on your guard as you moved through these lanes though because Cornish drivers can all take on Lewis Hamilton in their Volkswagen campers and consider a runner a potential kill rather than an obstacle to be avoided. A few times I made a life saving dive into the hedge and on a number of occasions was met with a wall of stinging nettles, which as the name suggests, it an unpleasant experience.
Its hard to describe the day without continuing the perfect, awesome, incredible theme I have been using so far on this journey thus far. Cornwall was just putting on such a show and the images will live long in my memory. On so many occasions I wanted to strip down to my shorts and dive into the Cornish ocean which was so inviting, albeit I knew it looked a lot warmer than it actually is , so resisted. I was also worried about the possible chaffing issues I would be facing running for hours covered in salt water. My T8 running wear is good but salt water and clothing, mixed with exercise, are not good bed fellows. ! On that note a big shout out to T8 clothing who supplied me with all my running apparel. https://t8.run/ I cannot recommend this brand enough, clothing so good you feel you’re running naked. I remember the first few times I tried their shorts I kept checking to see I was still wearing them, they are that good. Chaffing is a thing of the past, no need to cover the family jewels in Vaseline. (albeit I use to enjoy that ?)
I felt strong as the day progressed and came into Padstow full of beans knowing day two was finished, a chalk and cheese experience compared to the day one slog. There were so many highlights it was just another perfect day, there’s that word again. I feel like I’m missing out describing so many experiences from day two but with time my memory becomes jumbled , a benefit of my advancing years. I should have kept a journal like Steve , maybe next year ?
My little group of runners had split up by the time I reached Padstow and I was relieved to finally sit down after a long day at the office. Funnily enough I was a matter of metres from the finish but couldn’t see it and standing looking at my phone, confused, was saved by James, the Race Director, tapping me on the shoulder and pointing me the one or two metres to the finish line. At the end of an ultra you really are a zombie ! It was great to sit down and admire the harbour views before being whisked away to our accommodation for the evening.
So day two done and dusted, a massive improvement on day one with the head cold banished. Finished well up the field, albeit it’s not a race, but good to finish strong and enjoy the day compared to the slog on day one. Now it was back in the minivan to the whisked away to the new accommodation for some R&R, a good feed before repeating the whole process on day three, I really was living the dream.
fisiocrem ( https://www.fisiocrem.com.au/ ) is just bloody brilliant and does exactly what it says it does , it just gets the major muscle groups moving again. I use this extensively towards the end of the race when my quads are hammered. It really makes a difference and allows me to move back through the gears towards the end of an event when most runners are stumbling home.
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
Run Britannia is the brain child of Rat Race events and was trailed last year by eight test pilots. 2023 was the inaugural running of the event with a cap of forty runners for the 35 day, 1,000 mile, running smorgasbord. On the day there were 27 starters , myself included. This was going to be the adventure of a lifetime, and then some. https://www.ratrace.com/run-britannia
Simple concept, start at Lands End in Cornwall and run the length of the United Kingdom ending up at John O’Groats 35 days later, over 1,000 miles, (1,634km) averaging between 50-60 km a day with four break days. Sounds reasonable. Rat Race events put on all the accommodation, transport, food and drink for the whole event; all you do is wake up each day and run an ultra, simple.
We all gathered at the Lands End Youth Hostel for our first night together and the first of many race briefings from the RD James. It was incredible to finally be in England and at the start of what promised to be life changing. All the runners introduced themselves and what an eclectic bunch we turned out to be. From Plasters and Decorators to Company Directors, athletes to runners who had not even run an ultra, the whole spectrum of the running society was on show. The thing was no one cared , everybody was as equally nervous and excited together and to a runner it was all about finishing but finishing together. Hence the name I suppose, Run Britannia, rather than Race Britannia; it really was a run with like minded people.
Funnily enough I spent my youth in Cornwall, England, so knew Lands End very well, growing up surfing the first two beaches we would run over on our journey. The memories came flooding back as I clambered over boulders on the coastal path between Sennen Cove and Gwenver. It must be over twenty five years since I run amok on these beaches but it felt like yesterday.
So here’s the start, excuse the commentary from my old friend Paul Magnet’ Hutson…
Running through Sennen and Gwenver was surreal, I had spent the best part of ten years surfing these beaches in a misspent youth and as we were out early the cove was deserted bar a few on lookers bemused seeing so many runners. It was an incredible experience and I soaked it all in. The images can never do it justice, so special.
I found myself alone running across Gwenver until a good friend from a different lifetime came down to cheer me on. Seeing Chris, who had been camping with his sons, gave me such a boost. Old friends from decades ago reconnecting instantly. It’s hard to describe the feeling running across Gwenver , probably close to thirty years since the last time I really run amok there. It has a special place in my heart and I deliberately keep it locked away , probably explains why I never return, too dangerous, it claws at you and you can feel the urge to return building in your stomach. On this day I got my head down and moved on knowing I had a long day ahead of me and best not dwell on what could have been, more time for that later in the journey.
The coastal path is challenging but the views make up for the hard running surface and boulder clambering. Cornwall really is God’s County and is was putting on a show for day one. The early morning cloud cover was soon banished and it was pure sunshine to the finish. I was probably the only runner who kept his jacket on and this was a godsend later in the day, running across Gwithian Beach, when the wind got up. I was freezing and without my jacket it would have been hard to carry on while my fellow runners all basked in the Cornish weather, they’re a funny bunch Poms.
For some reason it looks like this is the only video footage I took on day one. I was suffering with a head cold but I’m sure I took more ? Obviously not which is such a pity as it was a biblical day. I always set off with good intentions but on day one I failed. This was taken at aid station two, just coming out of St. Ives.
After St. Ives we had to hot foot it to Hayle estuary and catch the tide, miss it and we were faced with an extra six or so kilometres. Most elected to run to the end of the estuary where it was the shallow; my group decided to go as the crow flies and just wade through up to our arm pits , holding our packs above our heads, SAS style. Because of this I didn’t get any photos or video, I was more worried about not dropping my iphone into the drink.
After we dried ourselves we checked the GPS tracking page and saw the front runners were finishing while we had more than twenty kilometres to go. Incredible pace which was unsustainable of course long term but first day, perfect conditions, you could forgive their enthusiasm. I was more interested in just finishing and recovering, time on feet run and trying to soak up the views. Cornwall really was delivering in spades on day one.
Post river crossing the wind got up and although it looks warm in the photo I was freezing, of course this was down to my head cold but I was so lucky I had my running jacket, without it I would have been in real strife. Once we got off the beach we were protected from the wind and things warmed up a tad. After Gwithian beach it was a case of head down to Perranporth where the bus was waiting to take us back to the start for a good nights rest, and man did I need it !
By the time I got to Portreath I was well and truly done, I had nothing more to give and just needed to eat and sleep. We headed back to the Lands End YHA and after a good meal I was straight to bed and out instantly. That night I sweated out my cold and unfortunately snored all night, according to my room mates. This was down to the head cold, I’m assuming, as there was no more complaints for the remainder of the event. Either way the next day I was feeling so much better and ready for day two.
fisiocrem ( https://www.fisiocrem.com.au/ ) is just bloody brilliant and does exactly what it says it does , it just gets the major muscle groups moving again. I use this extensively towards the end of the race when my quads are hammered. It really makes a difference and allows me to move back through the gears towards the end of an event when most runners are stumbling home.
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
I have raced the Lighthorse Ultra the last four years , it has a special place in my heart after my first ever DNF in 2019 (albeit I’m not sure that’s true as its a timed event , so just crossing the start line you get a finishers distance ? Anyhow it felt like a DNF to me after 33k and three hours ?) I was totally unprepared for the format, my first time at a timed race, and the midnight start, and blew up in spectacular fashion. https://www.runbkrun.com/2019/06/01/what-you-learn-from-a-dnf/
redeemed myself in 2020 running a third place https://www.runbkrun.com/2020/09/19/24-hour-redemption-ultra/
In the midst of COVID I placed third again in 2021. https://www.runbkrun.com/2021/05/08/lighthorse-24-ultra-lest-we-forget/
In 2022 I won the event : https://www.runbkrun.com/2022/04/30/lighthorse-ultra-24-hours-2022/ (Phil Gore ran the 12 hour)
Coming into the event this year I had Run Britannia ( https://www.ratrace.com/run-britannia ) in the back of my mind, so was going to use this as a last confidence builder before a three to four week taper concentrating on getting to the start line in June fresh rather than over trained. That being said I had Rob Donkersloot pacing me and he is a hard task master, as well as a very good crew. I knew Rob would keep me and my chair separate from each other for most of the event and I need this otherwise I have been know to slink away for an hour or two , tucked up in my chair in a nice warm sleeping bag. Rob helped me break 200 kilometres in 2022 when I had came close the two previous years but sacrificed the distance for ‘chair time’. Rob is a coach who concentrates on meditation and the mind as well as general coaching. I highly recommend his services.. ( https://mindfocusedrunning.com/ )
This event is heaped in remembrance to those who have served and who are serving. There is an Anzac last post before the event which focuses the mind on the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in the many conflicts over time. This run is about honouring them and when you’re deep in the pain cave thinking about these brave souls gives comfort and encourages you to carry on, knowing what you are feeling is nothing compared to what they felt and what they gave so we can run this, and all, events in the wonderful, lucky, country we live in.
Post last post it was time to line up for Lighthorse Ultra number five, and my fourth 24 hour run. Conditions were perfect and I was surrounded by friends at the start, looking ahead I could see the run down to the bridge before the small rise (which gets bigger every lap funnily enough) , déjà vu I suppose. I reminded myself how I have retired from this event every year but always seem to find myself at the start line the following year. Runners aren’t the brightest people in the world, I’ve said that a few times.
I had trained well, post Herdys, in early March and had put together a good block of four weeks, I was ‘peaking’ at the right time and went into the event confident of a good total. Although this was merely the last long run before Run Britannia in June I also wanted to use it as a confidence booster initially and second to see how’d I’d recover. I was paying special attention to any niggles and also the condition of my feet and toes during and post event. After several zoom calls with the Rat Race crew who run the Run Britannia event it seems injuries were the major reason for DNF’s from the test pilots, the daily distance was deemed achievable.
Saturday afternoon went smoothly enough, I felt better than last year and was running in the low 5min/km range, even throwing in a few sub 5min/km’s albeit when this happened I made a conscious effort to slow, I was running for 24 hours. Just before the sunset I was probably top five and ahead of last years distance, maybe a PB was on the cards, the conditions really were perfect and a lot better than 2022. I put this to the back of my mind and reached for my Audible app on the iphone and started a new book, this would keep me going through the night when social interactions drop. I had a new Anthony Horowitz book, Moonflower Murders, all 18 hours of it, a perfect length for a 24 hour race. As it was it kept me interested all evening but once the sun rose I needed the kick from a few hours of Taylor Swift. (Don’t judge me!) and my Lighthouse Spotify playlist, mostly songs from the seventies and early eighties, my golden years.
We change direction every three hours and I would use this as a reminder to change my tops, and then every six hours a complete costume change. I would also target a small rest at these turnarounds to either eat or grab a few minutes in the chair to apply fisiocrem ( https://www.fisiocrem.com.au/ ) or some massage gun quality time. Rob was there to make sure I didn’t pontificate too long of course.
With the 3pm start the sunset comes quick and before you know it you are away in your own little world cocooned in your little light sphere ahead of you from your head torch. This would be true for most runners but not for me as I was wearing my new Silva Exceed 4XT, ( https://www.tribeandtrail.com.au/running-gear/silva-headlamp-range-400-600-2000-lumens/ ) The only downside to the Exceed 4XT is the battery is so big I had to wear a small backpack to accommodate it, it’s too heavy to wear in your shorts or on your head. The up side is 10 hours of full 2,000 lumens light, basically turning night into day. I lost count of the number of comments about the brightness of my headtorch, it is a game changer and although expensive I believe worth every cent as you rarely trip over due to bad lighting, a bug bear of mine while night running.
Audible kept me entertained and as the numbers thinned out post midnight I was happily lapping in good times and feeling relaxed. The temperature was perfect, not cold enough to be uncomfortable but not warm enough to over heat you. I kept on shorts the whole night and only added a jacket in the early hours , just before sunset.
Nutrition wise I never really have a plan and just eat what I have or what’s available. I had my go to food, tinned rice pudding and weetbix, but no main meal as such. I managed to steal a piece of vegetarian (?) pizza from Rob around midnight and this kept me going , paired with the odd gu when I remembered. I was also using Bix Endurance Fuel which has 200 calories. ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/ ) This is currently in ‘testing mode’ as the normal Bix tablets are more about replacing electrolytes, and they do that very well, and also recovery. I was hydrated as I would fil a 500ml bottle virtually every lap, well Rob would fill the bottle for me. The one aid station in the event village was also my go-to for orange and pineapple slices, flat coke and ‘BK Showers‘ when the temperature rose late afternoon Sundays. If there’s one thing I can improve for this event it’s nutrition, I’m too use to 200 miler aid stations and crew who magically summon up gourmet meals on demand.
Rob informed me I was ahead of last years time in the early morning but my old friend fatigue had come calling and my lap times started to increase, with more time spent around the gazebo doing ‘stuff’, whatever that may have been, albeit not enough time to attract Rob’s attention as he snoozed. It’s a thin line when you stop with Rob crewing, you need a good excuse otherwise you are met with a disproving glare as you stumble around the gazebo. I was comfortably in second place apparently with Michael Hooker way ahead. At this stage I was confident I could hold a podium position knowing, with experience, I’d be close to 200 kilometers if I kept moving forward, this took away a bit of pressure as this was my primary goal for the event. I was being chased by two ‘young guns’ , Simon Poli and Tom Radonic. Both these guys were capable of running 200km so I knew I’d need to run the full 24 hour to keep my position, great, always good to add more pressure when running for 24 hours.
Sunrise came along pretty quickly , surprisingly, I’d changed to music after losing interest in the audible book and was pumped with some great tunes. As soon as the sun rises your lap times improve, it’s a mix of the sun and also you can start to see the finish especially when the six and three hour runners join in at 6am. All of a sudden the path is awash with runners and the energy of the event is turned up a notch or two. The event village is then a hub of activity as you have supporters from all four formats (24, 12, 6 and 3 hour options) cheering you on, it makes a big difference. It is also inspiring seeing so many runners taking on their demons for the cause and doing their bit to remember the Anzacs.
Sunday late afternoon and I was starting to fade, my lap times increased and I found more and more excuses to pontificate in the gazebo. I had been lapped a few times by Tom but was sure I had enough in the tank to hold him off, well pretty sure. I knew Simon had planned to get to around 170km and then anything post that was a bonus, he wouldn’t be getting 200km so my podium place was safe. With this in mind I allowed myself to drop the pace but whenever I did Tom would scurry past at a great rate of knots, looking far too fresh for my liking.
As well as breaking the 200 km for the event I also had the goal of a PB, which sat at 207km from last year. Early on I was well on target but I was slipping and this goal was becoming more and more of a challenge each passing hour. At the last turn around , leaving three hours, I knew it would be close, very close. I soldered on, never walking on the course , and encouraging all the die hard runners left stumbling forward towards the finish time. In the last three hours of a 24 hour race you are all deep in the pain cave, testing yourself and asking serious questions and that’s the point.
I reached the 200 km mark and got the obligatory photo with Rob and a few press ups, it’s now a tradition apparently. I wonder if I’ll get there next year ? I can’t believe I’m even thinking about next year so soon after this year ? Runners, we’re a funny bunch. Rob encourages me to carry on but I knew then I was probably not getting to get a PB and truth be told I was ok with that. The event was a big success, I had managed to hold on to second place, just, as Tom had got to 200km and decided to pull the pin. I did manage another two laps and got to lap 82, the same lap as last year, but couldn’t quite get the distance I needed for a PB, short by about 400 metres. I think the bench selfie really did cost me a pb ?
So another great event by Ultra Series WA ( https://ultraserieswa.com.au/ ) and special thanks to the Race Directors, Scott, Harmony and Karin, and the amazing volunteers, what a great job by all. All that was left to do was to receive my trophy with Tom and Michael, a humbling experience with these two guys , both destined for so much more in their running careers as I move towards the end of mine, albeit kicking and screaming !It was special watching Michael go about his business hitting his massive target with more blue sky ahead and also maybe a ‘coming of age’ for Tom who , like Michael, has a great career ahead of him. On the flip side I’m loving my running at the moment and this event ticked all the boxes pre Run Britannia. I got the distance I was after, post 200km, but more importantly enjoyed the process and came away niggle free. I’ve ran a few times since the event and the legs feel great, the knee ‘niggle’ is gone , after 7 months, and my hamstrings are ‘working’, winning.
So in four weeks today I’ll be lining up at the start of my biggest adventure yet, the 1,000 mile Run Britannia ( https://www.ratrace.com/run-britannia ) event in the UK. Thirty one days of running over a thirty five day event, averaging around 50km a day. Am I ready ? Who really knows for an event this big, all you can do is get as cardio fit without the risk of injury, I feel its better to run up fresh as you’ll certainly gain fitness over the duration of the event.
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 Honk 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
My first backyard ultra was Birdy’s backyard in August 2020 where I made the fatal mistake of setting a target, which I reached, and then stopping feeling fresh as a daisy. ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2020/08/16/most-fun-you-will-ever-have-in-running-gear/ and the 2021 version https://www.runbkrun.com/2021/08/30/birdys-backyard-ultra-wow-just-wow/ ) The following year in March 2021 I took on the sister event, Herdy’s frontyard ultra , and surpassed myself , and everybody else , by staggering to an Australian record , at the time, assist for 47 laps helping Phil Gore to his first (of many) two hundred mile, 48 hour effort.
The video of this is available on YouTube if you’re interested, it’s done very well. https://youtu.be/-7xPfpxquOA
For the 2021 event I was as fit as a butchers dog (I’ve never understood that analogy ; surely a butchers dog would be fat not fit? ) because I had been training for Delirious West 200 miler ( https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) and it had got cancelled at the very last minute to a mini-COVID outbreak. Looking at the video I certainly gave it my all albeit it would have been nice to get one more lap but at the time I had no idea what day of the week it was.
Since then I have ran another six backyard ultras all over 24 hours including another assist to Phil Gore in November 2021 at the inaugural Hysterical Carnage backyard ultra in South Australia and a win at the inaugural No Time to Die Front yard Ultra, in Adelaide last year. This format , although brutal, seems to suit me and allows me to be competitive. Unfortunately I have not been able to replicate my Herdy’s run of 2021 and get that final lap I need for 48 hours. I maybe should have pushed on at the inaugural Hysterical Carnage event where I tapped out at 38 hours but had my daughter with me and had promised her we’d drive to Adelaide the next morning. This made it very easy to let Phil take another win and for me to sneak off to bed. When you are one on one with Phil Gore you know eventually you have to yield, remember ‘a backyard ultra is a race where everybody runs laps until Phil Gore wins.’
I was confident of a better result in 2022 Herdy’s but the legs just hadn’t recovered from the Delirious West 200 miler five weeks earlier. This time I timed out on lap 34 feeling very average, this was compounded by picking up COVID two days later so I can assume I either had it before the race started or certainly picked it up during the event. This didn’t put me off the backyard ultra format and I ran three more in 2022 for the Ultraseries Grand Slam, Herdy’s, Birdy’s , No Time to Die and Hysterical Carnage. Myself , Jen and Renton finished this but Shaun got bored with the concept so there were no prizes forth coming and the Grand Slam was put into the too hard basket. Pity, I feel it could have been quite a thing over time, similar to the Triple Crown Down under for the 200 milers.
With a World Record field of 300 entrants predicted I got down to the event early on Friday morning to mark my territory with my Gazebo , a rug and Wanderer reclining chair ( a must for a backyard ultra) Rob Collins, my support crew for the event, came along and we were stoked to get prime real estate near the start albeit the grass could have been shorter ? I save some space for Veronika and Chan who would be sharing my gazebo, remember caring is sharing.
As you can see from the image below before long we had a veritable tent city on our hands, it was a pretty special to see how the event had grown and the buzz abut the place was electric. It was even cooler at night with a lot of tents lit up like Christmas trees, it was definitely a mental boost seeing the light at the end of a dark loop around the lake.
Rob was my crew for the event and for a backyard ultra crew is essential because you soon fall apart and all you want to do it lay back in your reclining chair and try and get as much rest as possible between laps. This can then lead to forgetting the basics, hydration and nutrition, forgot to eat and drink and before long your race is over. Rob would be there to remind me to keep my fluids and food intake on point and also help with the demands of keeping a tired ultra runner moving when all you want to do is stop and sneak off to bed. As well as a support crew he also needs to be a motivator and read my mood, he should know when to push and when to back off; when to be firm, when to cuddle. Basically a jack of all trades. It’s a thankless task as the runner gets more tired and grumpy and starts to think about quitting, also as the races progresses ,and lap times grow, the time at the aid station shortens meaning any tasks need to be finished quicker. This is when the crew take over and the runner switches to auto pilot.
I know Phil Gore and his crew have spreadsheets detailing every lap and what activities they need to complete, as well as food and drink details. Phil also has the lap times he should run and that can then dictate his walk/run strategy. He also sleeps for 15-20 minutes in the evening loops and this means putting in quicker laps and probably less food intake at the aid station; his crew need to know this in advance. Slower laps will require the crew to be ready later but have a shorter window of opportunity to accomplish the tasks on the spreadsheet. He also puts a score of how is feeling each lap , a number from 1 to 10 and he uses this to interrogate his performance for the next event. If the score is high (or low?) for a number of laps he can look at the activities and food/drink intake for that period and try to see why this happened ? It may help for the next event.
Personally I spend about $100 at Coles the day of the event on food I never end up eating. It’s so easy to buy food but when you have been running for hours your ability to eat food is compromised and nutrition issues have ruined many an ultra runners dreams. I have always been quite lucky with with food intake but would suffer at Herdy’s this year. It’s no fun when you know you need to eat but can’t , it’s then a downward spiral to DNF. I know that Phil tries to eat normal food rather than rely on supplements like GU’s or energy sachets. For me at Herdy’s I was probably saved by Weetbix and fruit cups.
I ambled back down to the event about 2:30pm, to prepare for the 4pm start. I like the late afternoon start as you get through the first night quickly and the second day can always find a way to get to 24 hours, which is the bare minimum target for me. The place was buzzing with so many newbies walking around wide eyed and wider smiles, everybody was so excited about this event. The event village was huge, double the previous years and then some. As I mentioned earlier it was a World Record field and it showed, Shaun had even put on perfect conditions, winning. The final cherry on the cake , it was St. Patrick’s day so everybody all of a sudden had Irish heritage and there were even a few cans of Guinness floating around. Now I am partial to the odd Guinness but normally after a 200 miler and never before an event, ‘Marky’ Mark Lommers on the other hand loves his alcohol and racing; or crewing. It’s an acquired taste apparently.
So just before four pm Shaun Kaesler, the owner of the Ultra Series group and founder of this event gave us the race briefing. Shaun is perhaps the most passionate man I know and his passion is helping other people achieve their dreams, he lives for the finish lines hugs and after receiving a few over the years they are worth investing in, the perfect compliment to the runners high is to share it. As you can see from the drone footage of the event he had a captive audience and people love his passion for the sport, it is obvious to all who know him and for all to see as the event moves on, the runners may tire but Shaun’s enthusiasm is contagious right up to the final lap, always ending up with a hug from Phil Gore. It’s tradition.
I would assume Marco took this from the step ladder he used to get some start photos. Check out his work at https://www.noeko.film
Right off to the start lap, I managed to get to the front as I’d was worried what 300 runners looked like from the middle or back of the pack. Last year Shaun invited some drummers along so we could perform a sort of Viking clap at the start, so as is now a tradition they returned. We were pressed for time but managed to get a few claps in before we set off dead on four pm. Perfect conditions ensued and we all bolted from the start line more akin to a 5k start than a backyard ultra. There were some fast times on that first lap, I think I finished well under forty minutes and top five, not ideal but you might as well enjoy lap one. You’re then faced with twenty minutes to kill chewing the fat with your fellow competitors until you all start again, and again, and again.. you get the idea.
Again a bit shout out to Marco for the image below. He has the knack of being in the right place at the right time and takes beautiful photos, probably explains why he is a professional. This must have been lap one I reckon when I was just about leading the field, a burst of youthful exuberance. I did make an effort to slow down for the later laps but if you can’t stretch the legs on lap one when can you ?
With the four pm start we had three laps of daylight running before it was time to add a head torch and run in the cocoon of your torch light. With nearly three hundred runners it was pretty cool looking back and seeing the snake of light follow you along the path. Not cool enough to stop and take a photo mind, a rookie error on my part and I haven’t seen any images on the social media pages yet unfortunately. I did get an image of night running in the swamp, the best I could do, I’m certainly no Marco.
I always find the laps between five and fifteen the hardest, you’re not into your routine yet and the distance and time seems to drag while you become fatigued quickly and start to second guess yourself. Once I get over fifteen laps I can start to see my first goal of any backyard ultra, 24 hours/laps or 100 miles. With Herdy’s this means getting through the night first early which I prefer to the earlier start of most backyard ultras. One you see sunrise you’re good for another three to four hours just because the sun is up, this then puts you within five hours of the 100 mile club, simple really. This year was no different and I struggled in the early morning but knew I just had to keep moving forward and get to sunrise. I had a book on audible that didn’t quite grab me so it was back to old faithful, Taylor Swift, to serenade me in those dark morning loops. As always she didn’t let me down and before I knew it the sun had risen and I was reinvigorated, twenty four hours here we come.
Unfortunately my gazebo buddies didn’t fare so well. Veronika got to lap 14 before pulling out while Chan made it lap 13 but didn’t get to the start of the next lap, instead he headed to the toilet, priorities. As you can see they took advantage of the early morning rays and promptly fell asleep but don’t worry I woke then on the hour , every hour ! Veronika has the Marathon Des Sables in April so this was always a training run and Chan had never ran further than a half marathon so set a massive distance and time PB. The backyard ultra format allows you to achieve things you thought impossible and then dream about it afterwards.
As well as being a world record entry I’m pretty sure we had a world record number of runners get to 24 hours. This equates to 100 miles and it a goal for many starters. The distance seems easy enough , given the time, but it’s the format which makes it harder, there is no second chance if you fancy a long break or need a call at nature at an inopportune moment. We had 45 runners make 24 hours. This was my ninth backyard ultra and the ninth time I had made the 24 hour mark, consistent if nothing else ?
Saturday morning and afternoon passed quickly, I was enjoying the heat and cruising along albeit at the back of the pack. Rob was looking after me and as the sun started to dip we got a few laps of awesome light through the trail section of the course. Myself and Adrian (see below) are enjoying the afternoon sun here I’d say on Lap 25 as he failed to make the start for lap 26, missing the corral by a few minutes with Jessica Smith suffering the same fate albeit Jess missed the start by a matter of metres. This format can be cruel and although there are few rules they are enforced.
Do you know the best bit about running any ultra, stopping ! What other hobby has the same main objective, to stop as soon as possible, albeit you have to run a long way to be able to stop so when you do enjoy it ! I also say the best thing about running is the stopping and then ‘experiencing the runners high’ and I don’t mean by finding drugs on the beach; the runners high does exist and the longer you run the higher the high, so to speak. Let’s face it finishing a 5k doesn’t normally change your life, you’re not driven to tears of absolute joy , more often than not its a quick trip to the nearest coffee shop and then on with the daily routine of life. Finishing a backyard ultra you’ve normally run further than you ever thought you would and probably dug deeper into the pain cave and you really should have. Remember the old adage, you want to change your life, run a marathon. You want to talk to God run an ultra, you want God to answer , run a backyard . ! I made that last bit up but it rings true. A backyard ultra lets you have a conversation with God, it is that good. This is why in the image below myself and my co-pilot from Delirious Julie Gibson are so happy, only a runner knows the feeling.
So managed 28 laps in the end, coming in around the 58 minute mark on lap 28 and deciding enough was enough. 15th equal I think, there or there about and great to finish with Julie Gibson after our Delirious adventure earlier in the year; and the 6 inch ultra last December Big shout out to the products that keep me going, namely fisiocrem , humantecar, fractel caps, shokz headphones, T8 shorts, bix hydration , Tribe and Trial and the Running Centre. They all performed brilliantly, as they do every adventure I take them on.
fisiocrem ( https://www.fisiocrem.com.au/ ) is just bloody brilliant and does exactly what it says it does , it just gets the major muscle groups moving again. I use this extensively towards the end of the race when my quads are hammered. It really makes a difference and allows me to move back through the gears towards the end of an event when most runners are stumbling home.
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 Honk 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/
Hysterical Carnage 2022 was to be the last piece of the jigsaw in the Ultra Series backyard ultra Grand Slam, running all four of the backyard Ultras in a calendar year. Myself , Jen and Renton were the only three runners who would complete this magnificent task. The image below is the Grand Slam runners and the Race Director, well one of them, Michelle in fancy dress. (Well I am assuming it’s fancy dress ?) The three of us have had many adventures together over the four events and travelled to Adelaide twice ( No time to Die ( https://nttdfrontyard.com.au/ ) and Hysterical Carnage ( https://hystericalcarnage.com.au/ ) as well as Lake Towerinning in regional WA (for Birdy’s Backyard ultra https://birdysbackyardultra.com.au/ ) and inner city Perth for Herdys frontyard ultra ( https://herdysfrontyard.com.au/ ) A special mention to Margie Hadley who had run three of the four as well as the World team backyard Ultra in November (and set a new Women’s Australian record ) and also Nico Watkins who had also ran three of the four but fell at the last hurdle.
I also had another objective for this event after running the Feral Pig 100 miler the previous weekend, I was after back to back milers, a feat I had never achieved or even attempted. To do this I needed to complete 24 laps.
The conditions in sunny Loxton were as the name suggests, sunny. It was going to be a hot one but after Feral the previous week I wasn’t that worried, living and training in the heat of Western Australian summers had acclimatised me to the heat and it was no longer a worry. I have said many times I consider the climate of Western Australia to be just about perfect all year around for running. We haven’t a Winter to speak off , Spring and Autumn are great temperatures and you can avoid the heat in Summer by running early if you so desire or just slower in the heat of the day if that’s your thing.
Shaun Kaesler and his pregnant Wife Sarah were also running and the five of us posed for the cameras before the start of the event, all smiles before the first lap. Sarah had targeted three or maybe four laps while Shaun was keen to smash his 10 lap PB and see how deep he could go. Shaun’s father, Frank, was also running and is as big a character as his son, surprisingly.
The course had changed since last year which was a pity as it was one of my favourite courses. A large hill you had to walk and then a few kilometres of level running before a road section into a nice trail and then a swamp section before some more level road running to finish. It made for fast laps which meant more time to recover, on the hour every hour. We also had great conditions last year and I managed an assist to Phil Gore, for the second time that year. More than happy with my 37 laps coming two weeks after the Feral miler.
This year, as the image below of last years race village shows, we had water issues. The Murray River had burst its banks and Shaun had to come up with a new course. He did this by adding a big hill and a loop section around the Pioneer Village. On the plus side we actually got to run through the Pioneer Village this year , rather than around it last year. This was pretty cool , especially late at night when you had the place to yourself bar one disgruntled security guard. I’m not sure it made up for the extra elevation but I can’t complain, I still enjoyed the course as the last hill was a good reason to walk for a few hundred metres.
Another bonus was the Loxton Council had been busy and put in stairs to help the runners climb the first hill. Last year the path got more and more challenging as the event went on with new ruts forming each lap. This year no such problem although I’m sure, as last year, the hill grew during the event, it certainly got harder. We started the event in the caravan park and ran to a improvised trail before the stairs and this trail was undulating and technical, made for some near misses as we tired.
The 10am start was upon us and we were off into the heat of a spring day in Loxton. As the images below show it was a beautiful day initially but we all knew the heat was coming and it didn’t let us down. I ran a few laps with Shaun Kaesler who was enjoying his last event of the year for the Ultra Series, I think it was number 18 ? ( https://ultraseries.com.au/ ) This has been a great year for Shaun but I feel he has found his limits and I hope he had put things in place to make 2023 easier on him and his loyal staff. It has certainly been a case of famine and feast after the COVID years and I see a bright future for the Ultra Series moving forward. I highly recommend you get on board and participate in one of the many events offered, there are some seriously good ones. Check out the website for more details.
As I mentioned before Loxton in South Australia, where the event is run, is Shaun’s home town and his family even have their own street. It was only a hundred metres off the course so we couldn’t resist sneaking a photo though please note we exited and reentered the course at the same point. I love the photo, me trying to see my iphone over the top of my sunnies and Shaun just being Shaun, sometimes an image can capture the moment perfectly.
Right back to racing. I always divide any backyard ultra course into three separate sections, this is a big tip so make sure you digest it. For Hysterical the first part is from the start (obviously) to the top of the hill after the first road section. This encompasses the first hill , the next kilometre or so through the paddock and then the trail section before the road. This was the hardest section as the paddock was sapping on the legs and there was some gradient gain. From the top of the road to the end off the Pioneer Village was section two. Mostly all down hill or level this was easy running although the gradient was steep enough to test the legs later in the event. The final section was from the exit of the Pioneer Village back to the start which included some level running before the road hill you ran down on the way out and a steep final descent back to the event village.
By breaking down the course into three sections you hit targets quicker and can also gauge where you are , time wise, if you are struggling to make the loop within the hour cut off. You also know when to put in more effort and when you can cruise. For me the first section was the hardest and when I got to the top of the road hill I could cruise to the end of the Pioneer Village before putting in some more effort to finish. By doing this the lap passes quicker.
This event was always going to hurt coming so soon after Feral and it didn’t disappoint. I always struggle for the fist 15 or so laps at any backyard ultra but if I can get past 100km then the 24 hour lap becomes a target and I can normally find a second wind to get there. This proved to be the case at Hysterical. I enjoyed the heat of the day but was also relieved when it was time to don head torches and the temperature dropped. Night running is where you can lose yourself on the course and everybody retreats to their small circle of light ahead of them. This is where a good audible book comes in very handy, I was lucky enough to find Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir at Birdys and this makes such a difference. You actually can’t wait for the next chapter and time, and laps, disappears. I also used audible at Unreasonable earlier in the year and the Matthew McConaughey biography Green Light kept me entertained for hours. For Hysterical I had Kevin Hart talking me though his life in ‘I can’t make this up’, another great book and it makes such a difference.
The sunset came quickly on Friday which was a good sign. I was finishing each lap around 45 minutes which is where I wanted to be, towards the front of the field. It gave me time to get everything charged, nutrition and hydration and also a few minutes with the shoes off relaxing in my chair. I was sharing a marquee with Renton and Jen who were both relaxed early on, both experienced enough to pace themselves, remember in this event its’ the runner who finishes last that eventually wins. Time between laps is as important as the running time. Get it right and you’ll be fresh for the lap , fueled and watered, get it wrong and fatigue will start to creep in and as Lazerus says ‘running a backyard ultra is easy until it isn’t‘.
Highlights of the evening was definitely running through the Pioneer Village alone or with a disgruntled security guard. It was very cool having the place to yourself and the bonus of public toilets was the cherry on the cake. The evening laps seem to disappear quickly and the temperature was never an issue, warm enough that you didn’t freeze when you stopped but cool enough you didn’t over heat running. I wore a singlet for the first day and night which was perfect, maybe adding a towel as a blanket when I sat in my reclining chair while I drank my tea, with three sugars of course.
Once the sun came up every runner was reinvigorated, the sunrise has that effect on people and you can just about guarantee another 4-5 laps just on the adrenalin rush of making it through the night. The morning was cooler than the previous day as we had some cloud cover and the impending storm was brewing on the horizon. It was predicted to rain on Saturday and boy did it rain later in the day. The storm that was predicted also arrived , with avengence but that’s later in the story.
Love this view, below, from the top of the stairs looking back to the start line. The Murray River looking resplendent , it really did put on a show for us over the few days we were there. The locals were saying this was a once in a decade like conditions so next year it’ll probably be dry and dusty , which is the norm apparently. On the Saturday we had a months rain in a few hours and for a lucky few we were able to appreciate it on the course. Luckily my Kathmandu Gore-Tex jacket did its job and even though I was nearly drowning while standing up I was never uncomfortable.
As you can see from the image below the sky started to turn early morning , around 9am I think I noticed something afoot. You could see trouble ahead. They had predicted a good storm and you could feel it coming. I have other things on my mind though. Once I hit sunrise I knew I was a shoe in for the 24 hour mark I coveted. I began to enjoy the loops and with the aid of fisiocrem and some Panadol my legs were behaving. I know I say this constantly but fisiocrem really does make a huge difference on multi-day events, just puts the spring back into tired muscles. No idea what they put in the product but it works.
Seven runners left for the 100 mile lap, not sure where Kevin Muller was ?, anyhow mission accomplished and even better all the three Grand Slam runners made 24 hours, how good is that? Backyard Ultra number four for the year and Renton, Jen and I can still finish high up the field, it looks like experience really does make a difference for this format but I always knew that. A massive congratulations to Renton on a PB and he looked so good , until he wasn’t which happened quickly, lap 25 and he DNF’d. Not a problem he was stoked to finally make the 100 mile club on a backyard ultra. I’m sure if Nico Watkins had made it to the start he’d have also made the 100 mile distance but alas no, he is still on the outer and has to wait outside , probably in the rain, while we bask in the glory of the 100 mile club.
As is now tradition I finished lap 24 and adopted the ‘dead runner’ pose , as I call it. Again as usual everybody takes a photo rather than check I’m ok, they could at least pause my Coros.? The photo below is a classic from Michelle and it sums up the day, bleak and lonely with worse to come, the weather gods were about to play their hand and it was a good one.
The final laps and thing began to hurt. It seemed my strong anti-inflammatories were starting to give in to the pain from the now visibly swelling ankle. This was an injury I had picked up from the Feral Pig ultra caused by tightening the ankle timing bracelet too tight, rookie error. I had not ran , or even attempted to run, in-between the two events but knew that eventually the ankle would probably say enough is enough. Around lap 26 I mentioned this to the Race Director at the time, Michelle, expecting sympathy, and she responded by pulling up my sock over the offending swelling and sending me back out onto lap 27, priceless.
I nearly forgot to mention lap 26 when the heavens opened up and I mean opened up. It had be brewing all morning and when it came it was a serious down pour. I’ve been on this planet for over 55 years but I can’t honestly remember a downpour as bad, or good if you’re a farmer which at the time I wasn’t ! The course changed completely and I went from running in a dust bowl to running in a river with a strength to nearly take your feet from under you. It was crazy but also pretty cool as as I said earlier I was prepared for the deluge and enjoyed the experience of running in extreme conditions, albeit for half a lap. I managed to get back to the start , dry off and then Michelle kicked me out again, one more lap.
Lap 27 and all was dry again, so quickly, where did all that rain go ? Must be really porous ground in Loxton ? I struggled from the start and was left alone with my thoughts by the other 5 runners. Wayne Chapman was on course clapping us as we passed and he could see I was suffering. Wayne was brilliant the whole time. He managed 5 laps himself then spent the rest of the day and night supporting us, popping up at every corner it seemed at the time. His support did make a difference. I managed to get in around 55 minutes and the five minute warning song was already playing as I slumped into my chair. By this time the foot had gone very troublesome, to annoying and was moving towards very painful with possible long term injury. I had achieved all my goals and was obviously the weakest of the remaining five runners as I was being dropped early each lap.
Undeterred I thought I’d go for one more lap and call it if I made it to the finish. Again I was dropped by the top of the hill but this time I was walking early with little chance of even a stumble. I eventually made the left turn before the road with Wayne patiently waiting for me. This time though there was no words of encouragement good enough to send me on my way. I took up his offer of a lift back to the start after making a quick detour to say my goodbye’s to the remining runners on the course.
Wayne drove me right up to the start line, through the event village, and I popped out of his front seat and ran that bell for all I was worth. DNF lap 28, bloody awesome result. This left five runners on the course but the weather had yet to play its trump card, a thunder and lightning storm for the ages. This was enough to stop the event at lap 30, the right call, and that was it. The last five runners’ DNF’d with Mother Nature the winner, such is life.
So that’s it, four backyard ultras for the Grand Slam, 130 laps, (Herdys 34 /6th /Birdys 36 /5th NTTD 33 /LOS / Hysterical 27/6th ) just over 870km of fun, fun, fun, at least I think it was. ? That’s eight backyard ultras and I hope to compete in many more, it’s an event like no other and when you know, you know. If you haven’t tried one , do you won’t regret it, you’ll go further than you ever thought you could and at some point you’ll enjoy it, remember as Lazarus Lake says ‘ it’s easy until it’s not’…..
I have so many people to thank for this event. My Grand Slam buddies Renton and Jen, we had so many laughs over the events, so many. Shaun Kaesler and his army of volunteers including the three race directors , Michelle, Georges and Kirk. These guys put in a monster shift and coped with all Mother Nature could throw at them. All my fellow competitors who always encouraged me and everybody around them, it really is a brotherhood (or sisterhood?) of suffering but this bonds us. Wayne Chapman for just being there , on every corner, encouraging us all. Tamas for being Tamas.Everybody who made me a cup of tea and there were a few of you. Georges or Michelle’s Mum ?, for the best omelette ever and also the best Anzac biscuits. My Wife for crewing and doing a damn good job, Charlotte and Jasmin, two of my three daughters, for tuning up occasionally and not complaining too much and finally Michelle for the medical advice, I never knew you can fix most running injuries’ just by hiding them.
Finally as always I give a shout out to three of my favourite products… fisiocrem ( https://www.fisiocrem.com.au/ ) is just bloody brilliant and does exactly what it says it does , it just gets the major muscle groups moving again. I use this extensively towards the end of the race when my quads are hammered. It really makes a difference and allows me to move back through the gears towards the end of an event when most runners are stumbling home.
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’ !
or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/
and facebook https://www.facebook.com/runbkrunoz
Next year I have entered the inaugural running of the Run Brittania Ultra, yep , I’m going to run the length of the United Kingdom from Lands End to John O’Groats. To say I’m excited is the ultimate under statement, I feel like a small child on Xmas Eve, only 100 times better. This race, over 35 days, yep, 35 days, one more time, 35 days, is going to be so, so cool.
From the events website:
This is a major physical and logistical undertaking, the entire distance is still fairly seldom attempted on foot in one sitting – and rightly therefore constitutes an enormous lifetime achievement for any runner or walker.
We’ve put together a truly stunning 1000 mile, 70, 000 ft elevation adventure that spans the entire length of this great nation, but not as you have ever seen it. Our route has been put together with painstaking precision, encompassing a real ‘runners line,’ largely avoiding busy roads and packing in huge chunks of off-road terrain. It is a swashbuckling tour-de-force through 4000 years of British History and landmarks, taking you on a journey through the very soul of this storied Isle. We have also managed to weave together several of the UK’s most famous and enjoyable long-distance paths, including major sections on the South West Coast Path, Wye Valley Way, Offa’s Dyke, Clyde Walkway, the Great Glen Way and all 95 glorious miles of the West Highland Way.
The entire distance is still fairly seldom attempted on foot in one sitting – and rightly therefore constitutes an enormous lifetime achievement for any runner or walker.
According to the website it has a difficulty of 5 , which I assume is the most, hell if it was a 1-10 scale I reckon it’d be a Spinal Tap 11. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOO5S4vxi0o ) Did I mention the 35 days , albeit I think four of those days are for rest , recovery and massage ? That’s an average of 50km a day or just over a marathon , doesn’t sounds a lot but I’m sure towards the end, when you’re running through the Scottish Highlands, fatigue may play its hand. For some reason Rat Race ( https://ratrace.com/ ) decided to go from Lands End to John O’Groats meaning you take on the hardest part, i.e. Scotland!, at the end. I’m sure it’s all uphill as well ! Maybe they should think about doing a Comrades and reversing the direction each year, though having to find the 8,000 pounds entry fee annually could be a hard conversation to have with your family. Actually I hope my Wife doesn’t read this post , she tends to ignore them, so I can blame our lack of family holidays on the ‘nasty Russians causing inflation and crashing the stock market’, not me entering one of the most expensive foot races on the planet.
To get a feel for this smorgasbord of hurt check out the itinerary below. Doesn’t seem that bad when it’s written down in front of you and it all looks very nice with the beautiful British sunshine and tail wind caressing you home. I have a feeling there may be dark, dark times when you question your own existence on this planet and I would expect nothing less. Of the 40 starters I would expect more than half to drop by the wayside just because of the various and numerous things that could derail you, injury, hydration or nutrition issues, alcohol poisonings, mugging, kidnapping , death , the list of possibilities is endless. On the bright side because it’s a stage race I’m assuming we’ll be avoiding too much night running and given the time of year the daylight hours will be at their maximum; it’s actually ran over the summer solstice which is good. Maybe a slight detour to Stonehenge to do a few laps around the attraction when the druids are doing their thing, do they still sacrifice virgins on the longest day or is that a myth ?
They’re broken down the event into five 200 milers, give or take, with a day rest before each one, simple really. I’ve ran three 200 milers so far in my illustrious (?) career and always felt pretty good at the end of each one but as for going again after a days rest, four times, not so sure. I don’t suppose anybody is really including the organisers. There will be forty runners who are determined to find out come June next year. Over the event I’m hoping to make some lifelong friends as you tend to do on these type of events, they tend to bring people closer together, united in hurt. It’s hard enough for most people to contemplate anything past a marathon and a 200 miler is always met with the ‘they’ve invented cars now, you know that right’. With Run Brittania they’ll probably resort to ‘they’ve invented planes now, you know that right’ , bless ’em.
Truth be told it’s a good point, a 1,000 miles is a bloody long way anyway you look at it, with most of the course being trail with some serious elevation thrown in for the hell of it. There will be some seriously great scenery especially at the start as run along the cliffs in Cornwall, as well as the Scottish Highlands towards the end of the journey. I’m sure Wales will offer up something special as well.
Another big reason for entering this event was it starts in my old stomping ground. I grew up in Penzance and only left after finishing University in my middle twenties. I was then drawn to Aberdeen for work before emigrating to Australia in 2001. I am very excited about the first day running from Lands End past what I consider to be the two best beaches in the country, Sennen and Gwenver. It was here I spent my youth surfing the Atlantic swells that hit the coast after marching over the pond from the States. Great waves, great memories and a misspent youth. I hope to retire to this part of the world when no 3 daughter finishes her education in 3-4 years, dust of the surfboard and start watching ‘Big Wednesday’ again on a weekly basis. I use to love my surfing as a youngster and only gave it up due to the sub-zero temperatures of Aberdeen and the crowds of Perth. I will return but I have a few more running goals to achieve before I give away competitive racing, with this event being the first of many.
Running shoes, I will be using Altra’s of course, ( https://www.altrarunning.com/ ) unless Hoka ( https://www.hoka.com/en/us/ ) offer me a sponsorship deal, I normally use the Altra Olympus range and I have brought many version 4’s and am looking forward to the new edition that has just dropped. I have also brought two pairs of Mont Blanc as they were on sale at Running Warehouse, too good an opportunity to miss.
But before Run Brittania I have a smorgasbord of racing to complete starting with the inaugural No Time to Die Frontyard Ultra in Adelaide, the third backyard Ultra in the four event series, in three weeks. ( https://nttdfrontyard.com.au/race-information/ ) The series culminates with the Hysterical Carnage Backyard Ultra in early November. ( https://hystericalcarnage.com.au/ ) Between the two events I intend to run the Melbourne Marathon for a fifth time, hoping to continue my sub 3 marathon streak currently sitting on 29 in a row, as well as the Feral Pig 100 miler a few days before the Hysterical Carnage. As you can probably make out for me it’s all about racing, it’s why I do what I do. I love the training and daily running but I need the goal to aim for, and that means a bib on my chest, don’t judge me.
I suppose that’s why I’m so excited about Run Britannia, it’s 35 days of racing , back to back, for a competitive runner like me it’s a dream come true albeit there is the opportunity for the dream to turn into a nightmare very quickly but that’s the beauty of the event, the unknown. The organisers are all about getting as many runners as possible to the finish line , it’s not a race as such and just finishing will be ever runners goal but you can bet there’ll be a spreadsheet somewhere with daily totals which will add up to a cumulative time, you would have to surely ? More importantly how will I get the run to show as one long run over 35 days on Strava ? I think I’ll go down the route of saving one day at a time and then stitching them altogether for the mother of long runs ! That in itself will be worth the entrance fee.
I will certainly be using these three products for the event… fisiocrem ( https://www.fisiocrem.com.au/ ) is just bloody brilliant and does exactly what it says it does , it just gets the major muscle groups moving again. I use this extensively towards the end of the race when my quads are hammered. It really makes a difference and allows me to move back through the gears towards the end of an event when most runners are stumbling home.
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’ !
or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/
and facebook https://www.facebook.com/runbkrunoz
I have ran Birdy’s Backyard twice before and both times I had reasons to finish early. The first year, 2020, I was under struct instructions to be home early afternoon the day after the start, so I had a 24 hour limit. This was a pity as I struggled through the night but for the last few laps felt fresh as a daisy and my last few laps were by far my quickest. I often wonder if this was my central governor ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_governor ) realising I was limited to 24 laps and reduced the feeling of fatigue as it knew I was close to finishing. No need to protect the body when the end is in sight ? Race report attached ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2020/08/16/most-fun-you-will-ever-have-in-running-gear/ )
In 2021 I had the Delirious West 200 miler ( https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) a few weeks after Birdy’s and decided that this was my A race for the year , demoting Birdy’s. I decided that I would go further than my previous attempt but not too far as to risk injury or long term damage pre-Delirious. Added to this there was a course change due to the amount of rainfall we experienced pre-event. Parts of the course were flooded and these were replaced , unfortunately the new course was far harder due to the mud and soft going underfoot. It meant we were probably four to five minutes slower per lap which over time added up. Very quickly fatigue played a part as you were just returning to your seat before you were up again and off on another lap. The mud eventually sucked the life out of you. In the end I managed 28 laps but was pretty goosed towards the end.. ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2021/08/30/birdys-backyard-ultra-wow-just-wow/ ) It was a smart decision as I ran a great race at Delirious finishing in just over 83 hours but more importantly having a great time ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2021/10/31/redemption-worth-waiting-for-day-1/ )
So 2022 I was in two minds, I had just ran the Unreasonable East 200 miler ( https://unreasonableeast200miler.com.au/ ) and had other events coming up that would need my full attention. Because of this I downgraded Birdy’s to a B-category race and set my goal to 36 laps. This would give me 150 mile club membership for all three of the current Ultra Series backyard ultras. (I have a pb of 47 laps for Herdy’s Frontyard Ultra and 37 laps for Hysterical Carnage) Of course if I thought I could go deeper I would but I wasn’t prepared to break myself to do it.
The week before Birdy’s we had had a very wet and windy spell that seemed to go on forever so we were very lucky to wake up to perfect conditions Friday morning as the image above shows. The Lake looked magical and there wasn’t a breath of wind, it wasn’t even that cold. This has been the same the two previous years , at the start anyway, and it is such a great way to start the event. With a 10am start time everybody is just so relaxed and the food van was there to serve quality bacon and egg toasties and great coffee, life was good.
This year the boys were all training for the Melbourne Marathon so had a decided that the Perth half was a more marathon training type event and so stayed in Perth. I drove down alone but had Rob to help me as he was also working with Phil Gore. Veronika was game for a very long run so also joined me. The Penrith three were back together, we had all gone to Unreasonable earlier in the year staying in Penrith, hence the nickname. Rob Donkersloot, from Mind Focused Running, ( https://mindfocusedrunning.com/ ) is a great crew, so relaxed and with so much experience, he is the voice of reason in the chaos that is a BK Ultra. He was also working with Phil and the two of them will certainly push the boundaries of what is possible in these events for years to come.
Right 10am, lap 1 and we are off. I took the GoPro out for a spin for the first lap, the one and only time. As you can see from the image below there is a lot of smiling going on. This continues for the fist few laps as the course was pretty dry and quick and finishing 6.7km in an hour is relatively easy. This gives you lots of time for socialising between laps and this is one of the draws of the event, every lap you are basically in the lead , standing with the event favorites albeit briefly normally. It takes on a carnival like atmosphere and everybody retreats to their marquess to go about their pre-start routines, on the hour , every hour. Of course some are a lot more organised than others with Phil Gore, spoiler alert the eventual winner, being probably the most organised. Phil and his team has taken this format to another level with a detailed spreadsheet stating what is expected of him for each lap. That will show him when to change, what to eat and when to sleep. He just goes through the spreadsheet one line at a time until there is nobody else left and then he runs one more lap to win, it really is that simple. He has now won the last five events he has entered only losing the fist one as an assist while setting an Australian record. We are very excited to see how he fares against the rest of the world October next year at the World Championships in the States.
The good thing about a 10am start is you get seven laps in the light and with the ambient temperature we were treated to perfect running conditions, Shaun Kaesler even managed to get in 10 laps before he was required to help with RD duties. ( Felix , the race director, and his bother Simon had both came down with COVID a few days before the event so Shaun stepped into the breech, again!) It was good to run a few laps with him. There were surprisingly few DNF’s early as I think people just pushed themselves further than they thought and also were just having to much fun.
Although there were few DNF’s early there was one DQ on lap 1. Unfortunately for Frank the first lap was live streamed on the Facebook and Lazarus Lake was watching, the Godfather and inventor of the format. Frank had forgotten his water bottle so stepped back into the corral to collect it after leaving with the runners, this is against the rules , no outside assistance and no returning to the corral or start line after leaving. Frank made a big song and dance about returning for his water bottle and this was picked up by Lazarus who got in touch with the race directors and insisted he was disqualified. As you can imagine Frank was less than impressed but eventually saw the funny side and ran over 10 laps anti clockwise , out with the event, receiving high fives and words of encouragement from the runners. He is still maintaining he could have won it which, given his vintage, he is over 70, is hard to believe. ?
The Birdy’s course can be broken down into three smaller sections. I use this technique on all backyard ultras. For Birdy’s the first 2km or so is very runnable, mainly on crushed limestone, past the caravan graveyard to the bridge. The next section through the meadows is the hardest of the three and requires more concentration with a couple of creek crossing involving a small leap, which is perfect for pulling hammys or twisting ankles. Once you get through this section there is the swamp section which is my favourite because there are two sections where you have to walk and also the terrain is just great fun to run on, you know you are also close to sitting down and a rest. Breaking the loop down helps as you can achieve three goals a lap rather than one, small steps, big gains. Later into the event these smaller goals make completing the laps so much easier compared to waiting for the finish each time, it can be the difference between making a lap or not.
The image above is me probably early Friday afternoon, not a cold enough yet for gloves or a beanie and still smiling as I come out of the swamp and head towards my chair for some hydration and nutrition. Get the eating and drinking strategy right and you will go far in this event, get it wrong and the fuel tank empties quickly and you come to a grinding halt. I see it so many times , runners cruising along one second and then a DNF, all down to stomach issues. Luckily I have always been blessed with a iron stomach and can usually find something to eat, even when I don’t feel like it. Weetbix is a good go-to food when all else fails, add sugar and it can get you through the next lap easily. I usually carry a 500ml soft water bottle filled with either plain water, bix, poweraide or maurten that I sip on while I run. I also make sure I have main meals when my body expects it, i.e. a good breakfast, lunch and dinner. As you’re not running that quickly you can eat more than you normally would, pre-run, and if you have to walk sections of the lap to help with the digestion so be it.
Myself and Phil had our own t-shirts created by the guys at OC Clothing ( https://occlothingco.com.au/ ) and Chris also got in on the act with his own design. Chris is a very talented artist but maybe not so talented at T-shirt design, or at least colours. It’s an acquired taste I suppose. The three of us certainly stood out ? Add in the red shorts and we are making a statement, not sure what we’re saying but we’re making a statement. Funnily enough I lost my BK shirt at this event last year ?
The event starts at 10am and with perfect conditions there wasn’t much of an attrition rate early on with most of the runners making the first sunset, which was stunning as the images above and below show. I have said this a few times already on this post but we really were blessed with perfect conditions. Again the following week , post Birdy’s, the heavens opened and half the course was underwater so it would have been a return to the slower, mud dominant course, I’m not sure how Shaun does it but he seems to have made a pact with the devil ? As the sun set the whole course lit up and my photos do not do it justice of course, damn you iphone 11. Of course the price you pay for this wonderous lap is then eleven hours of darkness as day gives way to night.
Running through the night has its advantages and disadvantages, the main disadvantage is the cold, it really does get very cold very quickly. Not so much when you’re running but when you sit down each lap you certainly feel the cold as your body, covered in sweat, cools very quickly. Double blankets help but eventually you have to leave your cocoon and make your way to the start, for one more lap. I always find the first couple of kilometres can be testing but after that I was never worried about the temperature, truth be told it wasn’t as cold as the first year and this was probably down to the cloud cover. Another challenge can be running over the middle section of the course from the bridge , through the meadow to the swamp. This becomes more technical in the dark and also add in fatigue and you have the recipe for a good fall. This year I avoided a fall but there were a couple of near misses on the second night. This also adds to your lap time as you need to tread more carefully and are also tired and thus you have less time resting, fatigue then builds and voila , you’re out.
Another reason we lose a lot of runners through the night is we hit certain milestones that encourage runners to quit. The first one is 100km at 15 hours, which is early morning, around 2am. This is the start of the witching or DNF hours as I call them , between 2am and 5am. These three hours you are at your weakest because your body expects sleep. Add in a milestone and all of a sudden it’s ok to ring the bell. If only these runners lasted a few more hours they would run through the dawn and the sun boosts every runners resolve and I reckon you’re good for another 5-6 hours minimum. That then puts you around the 21 hour mark with the 100 mile goal in view. This is how you go deep in a backyard ultra, milestone after milestone , after milestone. Similar to what I described with breaking down the lap into three separate sections, to go deep in a backyard ultra you give yourself a reachable goal, reach it , reset and then repeat, simple really.
Come the evening the team at UltraSeries WA really excelled and put on the bright lights, literally. It was a magical time with a Xmas like feel as the image below shows. The first night was also notable for the hundreds of head torches crawling their way around the course, I just wish I took a photo to show you the effect, it really was very cool. The second night is the complete opposite with a handful of head torches and you find yourself alone with your thoughts deep into the lap, which is fine as I always have my shokz headphones turned on ( https://shokz.com/ ) and either Taylor Swift or a best of the seventies compilation serenading me forward. Note I did try and listen to David Goggins but he is an acquired taste and in the end I gave up and put Taylor Swift back on, a lot more palatable.
Most backyard ultras are the same for me . I enjoy the first ten or so laps when you can comfortable cruise into your chair with fifteen minutes plus to spare. I struggle between ten and high teens when it becomes harder and normally you’re running though the night. Once I get out of the teens I can comfortably make my way to 24 hours and after that running in the daylight is easier up to sunset. It’s the second night where I can struggle, funny that, and I have made the middle thirties three times now without breaking through to the forty hours plus. I need to work on this as if I can get to the second morning I know I can get to 48 laps and this is my holy grail of backyard targets.
I have ran six backyard ultras now and managed 24 hours minimum each time, I will keep this tradition going as long as possible. Each backyard ultra more runners are joining me in this club and soon 24 hours will become the goal for so many more, the 3 hour time for marathon runners equivalent.
Spending time with the legend that is Phil Gore, a backyard ultra in Australia is a format when all runners continue for as long as they can and then Phil runs one more lap and wins. He set a new Australian record at Birdy’s finishing 55 laps which only stood for less than two weeks before Ryan Crawford ran 59 laps at Clint Eastwood backyard ultra. Phil and Ryan will meet at the Satellite Championships in October so am expecting the 60 lap ceiling to be destroyed. Phil is probably the nicest runner you will ever meet, so humble but so talented, a powerful combination.
At lap 36 I knew this would be my last lap. It was 9pm and I’d finish at 10pm , 36 hours after I started but more importantly I’d get into the 36 hour club for my third backyard ultra event. As I mentioned at the start of this post this was not an A race and 36 hours was always the end goal. Could I have made it through the night ? Not sure, I knew there was a storm coming , and it did big time, and laying in the back of my Prado , after I had DNF’d while the storm raged, was the right decision. A course PB to add to my 24 and 28 hours previous attempts and it bodes well for next year when maybe I can finally get to 48 hours at this event ?
I had ran with Carl Douglas on this lap and he was sufferings with a calf issue and also decided to pull the pin after lap 36, thus we were both 4th male equal or 5th overall. Both of us had ran a course PB and both of us have our eyes on bigger goals in the near future, Carl is chasing a Big’s backyard Ultra World Championship entry ( https://www.bigsbackyardultra.com/ ) while I still covert 48 laps , just not sure when?
Pretty proud of this image, beats the Friday night version by a country mile I reckon. Can’t wait to get my iphone 14 , when it comes out , and my photographs should get even better. Taken from the bridge looking onto the sunset. When the sunsets and rises you could literally spend the whole lap taking photos, so beautiful.
So that’s Birdy’s 2022, mission accomplished, I think ? . 36 laps is a course PB by eight hours and although I could have probably ground out a few more I wouldn’t have made it through the night and sometimes you need to pick your battles. 2022 has been a very busy year so far , after a very busy 2021, so I need to sacrifice some races. As I have stated before I am happy to run more races but not give them my all, compared to targeting a smaller number of events. I live for the racing and to this end am happy just being out there with a bib on my chest rather than chasing goals, albeit if a course PB or time does come into view I’ll do all I can to snare it, it is racing after all and I’m still a competitive little bugger !
Right next event is five weeks away, another frontyard ultra in Adelaide, ‘No time to Die’ ( https://nttdfrontyard.com.au/ ). This should be a flat and fast course and depending on weather conditions could be one to go long on ? A lot will depend how I pull up after Birdys but with the humantecar compression bandages I was running three days after the event. (see details below). These compression bandages are magic and I used them after Unreasonable East 200 miler and was running the day after the event, at a good pace., I’m a big fan. If you have an ultra coming up or are currently doing long training runs you need the bandages and spray, great product. ( https://athleticus.com.au/ )
As always I would like to highlight products that helped me through the race and should be in your armory for backyard ultras… fisiocrem ( https://www.fisiocrem.com.au/ ) is just bloody brilliant and does exactly what it says it does , it just gets the major muscle groups moving again. I use this extensively towards the end of the race when my quads are hammered. It really makes a difference and allows me to move back through the gears towards the end of an event when most runners are stumbling home.
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’ !
or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/
and facebook https://www.facebook.com/runbkrunoz
The last 200 miler in the Triple Crown Down Under was perhaps the most testing. A 200 miler in the Blue Mountains had never been attempted before and Shaun Kaesler, owner of the Ultra Series WA and SA ( https://ultraserieswa.com.au/ ) had to jump through more hoops than a circus clown to get this bad boy of the ground. There were course changes right up to registration due to park closures and I lost count the number of times I uploaded the GPX file onto my watch and Gaia. In the end though we all converged on Glenbrook for registration and race briefing on Monday 20th June. The 200 mile race was due to start Tuesday at 11am (120 hours cut off) , with the 100 mile version starting Friday afternoon (44 hours cut off) . I had spoken to Rob Donkersloot, ( https://mindfocusedrunning.com/ ) my crew for the event, about a possible finishing time and he reckoned 80 hours would be a good effort. Personally I was hoping to finish before the 100 milers started late Friday afternoon. This really was not the main objective though, due to the unknown nature of the event I was more concentrating on enjoying the journey and finishing with a smile on my face. No pressure, just enjoy the whole experience. Of course once we got going and after a few days into the race you start to give yourself targets, makes things interesting and it is a race after all.
The 11AM kick off on Tuesday allowed myself, Rob and Veronika to sneak off to our favourite cafe in Penrith where we were based, just outside Glenbrook. The High Street Depot was an oasis of quality food and coffee in sunny Penrith and I reckon we went there at least 6 times, and I had pancakes maybe five times.
This is why I run Ultra marathons and specifically 200 milers, quality pancakes consumed with no guilt what so ever ! High Street Depot, Penrith, if you are ever in Penrith go , the food is incredible. ( https://www.yelp.com/biz/high-st-depot-penrith )
I was very lucky to get Rob to crew for me as he has a wealth of experience and has crewed for podium finishers at locations as diverse as the Death Valley ( https://www.badwater.com/event/badwater-135/ ) and the Coast to Kosciuszko ( https://coasttokosci.com/ ) to name a few big events, while also finishing some massive ultra’s himself. His calming influence is the perfect partner to my ‘excitable‘ personality. He also makes a mean cup of tea, with three sugars of course, which is paramount to success when I run ultra marathons. After helping me to , surprising, victories in the 24hour Lighthorse Ultra and Kep V2 100km I was in good hands.
Shaun had come up with an unique idea where all runners are professionally photographed (by the Eventurers https://www.facebook.com/groups/2503403049690798/user/100064028886011 ) before the start of the event and then straight after finishing thus capturing them at their highest (pre-event) and lowest (post-event). A great idea and it certainly worked in my case. The pre-start below show me excited but also apprehensive about what is about to befall me , the post event just shows me absolutely goosed. If you have chance go to the facebook page and check out some of the shots, they are awesome. (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2503403049690798 )
Right to the race. There was over 40 competitors for the 200 miler and we all lined up nervously for the starting photograph. Lots of laughter belied a nervous energy boiling just below the service. As this was the inaugural running of the event no one was 100% sure of what they were about to face, WA runners more so as all we had to train on were ‘hills’ at best, no mountains. The elevation was going to be a challenge as well as the temperature. Amongst the WA runners were five runners aiming for the triple crown, completing all three 200 milers in the same calendar year. Rob, Sarah, Raquel and Aimee would all complete the three peat while Nicola succumbed to the cold near the halfway point, coming from Broome this was always a risk. She’ll be back I’m sure and slay the beast that is the Unreasonable East and I look forward to watching her do it !
Right to the race. There were over forty runners in the 200 miler and nearly 100 in the 100 miler, massive numbers for the inaugural running of this event and I’m sure these numbers will more than double next year and beyond. The image below is the 200 milers all nervously smiling for the cameras, in most cases, or is that more of a grimace contemplating the journey ahead. ? It is a nervous time the start of any ultra event because you do what you can to take out all the various problems or issues that can derail you but you know if it’s not going to be your day the event will find a way to torpedo you. You get in the best physical and mental state you can and hope the hydration, nutrition, conditions and any other variables fall your way. No one is ever guaranteed a finish in an ultra, nobody.
Unlike other 200 milers when your crew is normally at every aid station in the Unreasonable I would only see Rob sporadically throughout the event. The first time I would see him on day one would be at Wentworth Falls, nearly 100km into the event. Drop bags were available at each aid station but I was confident I could get to Rob with the food and drink from the aid stations and a number of bars and Gu’s I would carry in my backpack. I would then see Rob again at Katoomba where he allowed me a 90 minute sleep break, he estimated I’d reach Katoomba around 5am with his Ultra pace prediction spreadsheet and it was bang on, actually it was bang on all event and myself and Sarah would often ask Rob what time we would be at certain aid stations and invariably he was right.
Before jumping ahead of myself at Katoomba there’s important pieces of the jigsaw that need explaining. I had decided to run with Veronika for the first day as she was normally quicker than me at the start of these events, Adam and I always start these races very relaxed and often find ourselves near the back of the pack on the morning of day two. For me the hardest part of any 200 miler is the first day and night, if you can get to the morning of day two you are in with a very good shout of finishing. This is then exponential for the next day or two as you near the finish, you just get into a routine of constant running and your mind and body react accordingly. Personally I finish on day four like a train as I believe the mind realises you are close to the end and releases more energy rather than trying to protect itself by convincing the body it is fatigued.
With this plan in mind Veronika and I set off down the hill from Glenbrook , over the weir and into the first 14k loop clockwise before rejoining the trail to The Oaks. On the return we would run the loop in the opposite direction and this would have tested runners towards the back of the pack hitting this part of the trail in the dark. It all sounds easy at race briefing but add in over 100 hours of running, extreme fatigue and darkness and you have no idea what’s up or down , forget which way the bloody clock goes ? There’s a story there but I’ll save it for later in the piece.
The photographers for the event , The Eventurers ( https://theeventurerstravelphotographers.com.au/ ) were/are amazing and they are responsible for the photos of me running , how good are they , very good. ! They even got me looking semi-reasonable off the ground in the image below, outstanding work. Please note this was probably 10k into the event and the last time I would ever be able to leap so high, trust me.
Another image of Veronika and I as we move through to The Oaks aid station. Funnily enough we went past a naked hiker just after this photo, apparently it was naked hiking day , still wasn’t expecting to see naked hikers. Albeit I also encountered a naked hiker in the Delirious West 200 miler in February this year, albeit it was a lot warmer. That’s two in two events, maybe I cursed or blessed ? Veronika seem quite enameled and actually started a conversation with the young fella, I just kept on moving , head down.
Image below is two very happy runners at the first aid station, The Oaks. 24km into the race, gorging themselves on great pancakes and Anzac biscuits. The aid stations really stepped up to the mark and the selection and quality of the food was just gourmet like. These events are so special in that all the volunteers will do whatever it takes to help you achieve your goal. it really is a team effort and when you succeed they also bask in your glory and rightly so. Especially on 200 milers the shifts some of the volunteers do are biblical, sometimes they are out on the course longer than most of the competitors and this goes double for the race directors. These guys start weeks before the event and finish days afterwards, you need to be able to handle days and days with very little sleep and still be able to function, seriously hard core. ! Sometime I feel we runners have the easy part to play, all we do is stumble from one aid station to the next where we are treated like royalty and waited on hand and foot.
The only downside to starting at 11am is it gets dark very quickly, add in it was the winter solstice and you have more darkness than daylight, great timing Shaun ? This meant we hit the second aid station, Woodford, at dusk (46km into the race) and hurriedly put on our head torches before continuing into the night and making our way to Knotts Hill, 14km later at 60km. We would then do a 13km out and back loop getting back into Knotts Hill around the 86km mark before making our way to Wentworth Falls and the first sighting of our crew at 99km. As we left Woodford we were joined by Sarah Niven, a WA runner who was one of the five runners gunning for the triple crown. Sarah had spent some time in New South Wales before the event and ran with the Blue Mountain Runners so knew the course. This was great news as I had not ran the course and had little or no idea of where I was going without constantly checking the Gaia app on my iphone. I latched onto Sarah and ran with her until Friday morning with less than 30km to the finish when I left her as I was worried , in my sleep depraved state, I wouldn’t be able to finish.
Finding Sarah was gold, not only was she running the race of her life she was also so positive and this positivity rubbed of on all around her, mainly me ! We were perfectly suited pace wise and the conversations flowed in between me indulging in my audible app on my iphone listening to Matthew McConaughey talk about his life or Taylor Swift on my spotifiy. Sarah is a nurse who chooses her placements depending on their location and the running and biking offered in that location, she then explores the area in her van and generally lives the life most runners dream about, thus she has some great stories. The miles just disappeared unfortunately this wasn’t the only thing that disappeared. Veronika was struggling to keep up with Sarah and I on the out and back from Knotts Hill and as she came in as we were leaving. This would be the last we would see Veronika bar crossing later in the race, remember it’s an out and back It’s a pity Veronika couldn’t have hung on for longer but in these type or races you have to run at your pace and it’s difficult to continually run with the same person, in my defense I left her with another couple of runners under strict instructions to look after her. Veronika would finish late on Saturday evening after a massive effort as she was unsupported which is another level of mental toughness. Rob stated before the race that he thought this was just about impossible unsupported, she proved him wrong but she certainly suffered for the privledge. She is still battling third degree frost bite even now two weeks after the event, as I said so tough.
Knotts Hill cooked some seriously good ham and cheese toasties, now I don’t think I have ever eaten a ham and cheese toastie, not being a big cheese fan but in an ultra, after nearly 12 hours of running, you eat what is on offer and I know a ham and cheese toastie is full of the calories and carbs that I needed. It was bloody gorgeous and we left requesting the same when we would return three or so hours later. This certainly helped us run the out and back quicker than we normally would have, remember an ultra is all about the food in the end, actually it’s all about the food in the beginning, middle and end ! Funnily enough the ham and cheese toastie tasted even better three hours or so later and we put this down to the cheese aging well in this period, or us just being more and more hungry. Probably a bit of both.
As this was an out and back we bumped into most of the field, initially the front runners and then the back of the pack, as we turned and returned to the aid station, and another round of ham and cheese toasties. Everybody looked great and we stopped for a few photos and many high fives with our fellow competitors. The first night there is a carnival atmosphere before the fatigue of further nights turns it into survival, primarily, albeit with quality tukka.
As the image below shows the temperature dropped in the evening and this was expected. As part of the compulsory gear you had to carry a thermal vest and pants, as well as a good quality waterproof jacket. In the image below I’m wearing my thermal top and a running top, as well as my reflective top (also compulsory gear), also my favourite beanie which unfortunately went missing. with my new gloves at Katoomba (my kids hated my beanie so they’re stoked it’s gone?, I reckon they bribed Rob to mislay it?) It was cold when you sat at aid stations but when you were moving this was enough, we really did have perfect conditions, no wind to speak off the whole time and sunshine all day bar a sprinkling of rain on day one that was a minor inconvenience at worst. The week after Unreasonable there was mass flooding in the Sydney area and the event would have been cancelled.
After Knotts Hill Sarah and I put on a spurt and caught a few runners coming into Wentworth Falls. It was less than 13km to this aid station and after gaps of 24km, 22km, 14km and 26km , this was a small leg. The night was clear, still and perfect for running with a good surface , we gorged ourselves and made Wentworth in good time. The only downside was we passed the Falls at night and unfortunately we did the same coming back so it was the one of the only parts of the course I never saw in the light . The same can be said of the halfway point , Black Range and the three river crossings. We left Cox’s River at dusk and made Black Range in the early evening, a three hour sleep in the car, and we left Black Range in the early hours of Thursday morning , arriving at Cox’s River just before sunrise.
Seeing Rob at Wentworth Falls was just ace. We had a laugh with the volunteers and I got to sit down and eat some great tukka while updating Rob on the day so far and what lay ahead. We had just caught another of Rob’s runners John Mcateer who had hobbled into the aid station with a bad knee. I asked if he would like to join Sarah and I but he decided to rest up and treat the knee. John then ran to Katoomba and onto the Medlow Gap before pulling the pin, the knee was shot and when you are not even halfway you can’t just ‘walk it off’. To even get to Medlow Gap was a massive achievement and he left everything on the course, today was not his day, it was the right decision.
We rocked into Katoomba just before sunrise on Wednesday morning and was prepared for ninety minutes sleep in the 6 bed sleep station that would be there to greet us. I reckon I was top 10 at the time and hoped that there would be space for me at the sleep station, if there wasn’t I would have to continue Foggy Knob over 25km away, not ideal. As it was I needn’t had worried as the sleep station wasn’t set up and I say sleep station in the broadest sense of the word, it actually turned out to be a three room tent. Luckily for me Rob has influence, I told you he was good , and he knew someone staying at the caravan park so I was allowed to rest my weary head in a nice bed albeit I didn’t really sleep, go figure. Rob woke me ninety minutes later and the sun had risen but it was still freezing. As the image below shows we got ourselves rugged up and of we trotted heading towards Medlow Gap, obviously after the obligatory pancakes from the amazing volunteers included the Godmother of the Ultra Series Melanee Maisey.
Day two started in spectacular fashion as we moved down the Furbar steps and along to Scenic World and the cable car before continuing to the Golden Stairs to climb out of the valley before heading to narrow neck, and some abseiling before finishing at Medlow Gap. This 18km had just about everything, views to die for, stairs that try to kill you and it seemed like thousands of them, great trail running around narrow neck, some abseiling just before Medlow Gap, awesome climbs, fire trails and did I mention the views. A stunning leg which Sarah and I ran at the perfect time of day, early morning moving into lunch. I would have hated to run this in the dark and miss all the aforementioned ‘good things.’ I’ve attached four images below showing some of the scenery but the photos can never do the place justice.
Wednesday morning was so good, the crisp morning combined with stunning scenery made the distance fly by. There were testing segments of course often involving a serious amount of stairs even going up or going down, or serious climbs but it is the Blue Mountains. We moved to narrow neck and our first date with the rock climbers who would help us traverse a rock ladder, well I say ladder in the broadest sense of the word more like random pieces of metal sticking out of a vertical rock wall. When you take on a Shaun Kaseler 200 miler it becomes more like a triathlon than a foot race. At the Delirious West 200 miler there is a river crossing in a kayak, here you abseil, so much fun. Again we hot this part of the course just before lunch on a crisp morning with no wind, other runners took on this beast in the dark with howling winds maybe not so much fun? Veronika actually found herself wandering about aimlessly on the way back and had to be ‘rescued‘ by the rock climbers albeit I’m never sure if this was actually part of her master plan.
After the abseiling there was some really cool single trail running as you came off narrow neck and descended into Medlow Gap where we were met with probably the best aid station on the course due to the main chef being a professional cook. He was so good he was gifted a free entry to the race next year which I think is a good thing albeit they will be missed as this aid station was just ace. Please note all aid stations were ace and the food was of such a high standard throughout but the breakfast wrap (on the way out) and French Toast (on the way back) here were next level and all cooked over an open fire. We were promised French Toast on the way back and this was kept us going in some dark times as we moved to Black Range that evening , knowing we’d be back at Medlow Gap the next day eating French Toast. As I have said many times a 200 miler is more about the food than running.
Foggy Knob aid station is just 7.5km from Medlow Gap which was a reasonable distance and also one of the rare sightings of my crew as Medlow Gap was a no crew aid station, surprise that. A 7.5km leg is a breeze after all the longer legs and before we knew it we were at Foggy Knob enjoying some quality time with Rob. The next aid station was also no crew so I would not see Rob till early evening at Black Range, the turning point. We were predicting a late arrival but Rob was confident we would be many hours earlier, as always he was right. I’m not sure how his magic excel spreadsheet works but everyone needs to get a copy, it knows us better than we know ourselves ! Because it was only 7.5km from Medlow Gap I must admit to not checking out the food offered at this aid station, actually both ways because I had filled my belly at the previous aid stations both times. Rookie error, next year will make more of an effort.
Conditions continued to be prefect, as they were the whole time and we headed off to Cox’s River and our date with the swinging bridge. There was a serious climb out of the aid station and then a long undulating road section before moving to Cox’s River on the UTA course and then heading up, and it was up, to Black Range where we would sleep for three hours. Highlight of this section was the burrito at Cox’s River just before sunset, outstanding. Funny typing this post I can remember the food at each aid station but the terrain and running seems to be harder to recall. I just remember a lot of uphill and stairs, so many stairs. As you can see from the graphic below the climb to the highest point is from Cox’s River to Black Range and boy it is a climb. Its a 19km leg and it it all uphill and serious elevation as well. I remember being at the bottom of one climb knowing it was over seven kilometers and working out in my head it would be ell over an hour and half of climbing to get to the top, and it was dark at this point. Luckily I had Taylor Swift on spotify to accompany me to the top and this helped albeit I had probably played her songs many times during the day, they still help time disappear, unfortunately not so much distance that’s down to me and my poles.
Photographs never show gradient, the image below looks like a nice gradient , trust me it wasn’t. The leg to Black Range was so steep and so long. Luckily it got dark and that helped, I think ? There was also three river crossings which were unavoidable so wet shoes and socks added to the fun. Highlights of this leg was seeing all the front runners coming back from Black Range ahead of us, flying down the hill as we stumbled up it. We arrived at Black Range in the early evening, as predicted by Rob, and had a quick hot chocolate before completing the 6k out and back loop and settling down in the car for a three hour sleep with Rob. I made sure I was fully rugged up in the car as it was freezing outside. Thermal top and leggings , running shirt, pajamas, jacket, beanie, I looked like the abominable snow man ! It certainly helped as I was warm enough and got some sleep, maybe a few hours, in between Rob’s snoring.
This little sign in the floor means so much to 220 milers in this event. It means you have reached the highest point on the course and now every step you take is heading back to the finish, not away from it. Mentally it is a huge boost and I was invigorated as I moved past it and back the way I came. Little things like this are massive when it comes to finishing these type of events. Once I passed this point I was never not going to finish, I would be running more downhill than up on the way back and also on terrain I had already ran , so I was less worried about getting lost. I had a good sleep planned and was excited about running down from Black Range , compared to running up to Black Range. I also had a breakfast burrito at Cox’s River planned as well as French Toast at Medlow Gap for lunch, there I go again food, food, food. This is becoming more of a post for Master Chef than a running blog.
We left Black Ridge in the early hours of Thursday morning with a goal to reach Cox’s River just before sunrise and indulge in another burrito before pushing on the Foggy Knob and Medlow Gap. I have mentioned this many times but an ultra is more than a foot race it’s an eating and drinking competition, with running between aid stations. For a 200 miler the nutrition and hydration become more important as if you get the it wrong you stop, simple as that. Without fuel things tend to grind to a halt pretty quick. Luckily I have an iron stomach and can eat just about anything but I know so many ultra runners who have come undone due to nutrition or hydration issues, get your strategy sorted before you get to the start line, ultra running 101.
After our breakfast burrito at Cox’s River we arrived at the swinging bridge just before sunrise as the image below shows. We were still on head torches but as soon as we crossed the bridge the sun woke and it turned into another beautiful day in the Blue Mountains.
Thursday morning sunrise was spectacular and I have used that term so many times in this post but the race just kept on giving, day after day. The locals couldn’t believe how lucky we’d been with the weather and I wonder if we can be so lucky two years in a row, we’ll find out in 2023 I suppose. We were back on the UTA track heading back to Foggy Knob and a rare meeting with Rob. The run into Foggy Knob was hard and the quads and hammy’s were starting to complain. I need some time on the massage gun as well as some fisiocrem just to release the muscles for the day and night ahead. I agreed with Sarah to take some time at the aid station to work on my legs, while refueling of course, albeit we both knew we had French Toast less than 8km away at Medlow Gap to look forward to.
The massage gun and fisiocrem did the business and we were soon back on the trial heading the short distance to Medlow Gap and our favourite aid station, with French Toast on order for lunch. My legs were so much better and I’m not sure if it was the massaging and cream or just the anticipation of the food ahead if us.
So here is the infamous French toast with bacon and bananas drowned in maple syrup, you really have to experience this albeit you may have to wait until 2024 as the creator of this masterpiece is running Unreasonable next year. As with all photos in this post they never do justice to the captured images, this French Toast will go with me to the grave ! After this there was a monster climb to narrow neck, some great single track trail running before abseiling up a large rock face. Luckily as I mentioned earlier I have an iron stomach and as soon as the meal is finished I can run, maybe I should have been a cyclist ?
My Dad was a big fan of Physics and would often come up with the comment ‘It’s all physics Son’, this is also true when it comes to abseiling, what goes down must come back up, sort of like gravity I suppose. I’m not sure if going up was easier than coming down, I enjoyed both and each had their own challenges. This was definitely something I enjoyed and albeit I had the benefit of sunlight on both occasions and no cross winds, other people weren’t so lucky I hear.
A selfie after ascending the rock face of truth as I call it. We were both relieved and looking forward to the rest of the day ahead and enjoying the glorious surroundings, again. Thursday was such a great day as you are over halfway and your body and mind just get use to the all day running, it becomes the norm as such. I’ve said it many times and still believe a 200 miler gets easier not harder the further into the event you travel, culminating in a sudden burst of energy when the finishing line is in sight and by insight I mean in that day.
I was now so confident of finishing I put a post on the Facebook page asking for Glenbrook to get the Guinness ready as me and Sarah were as good as home, probably a tad premature, we were still well over 80km from the finish which equated to another day of running. Unfortunately unbeknown to me it is very difficult to get Guinness in Glenbrook and this is the one tradition I missed out on, my two pints of Guinness after finishing. At the after party Shaun did put on trays of Tequila so I did manage a few shots instead of my Guinness and a mojito. That will be it for me until probably next February after Delirious, I’m not a big drinker.
After Medlow, and fueled on French Toast , we set a serious pace to reach Katoomba by late afternoon. Back down the Golden Stairs and then up Furbur steps , which seemed to have got a lot longer on the way up. Rob was waiting for me at Katoomba and we agreed a ninety minute power nap before powering on through the night to try and finish Friday. At Katoomba they had set up the sleeping station, well two room tent, and I settled down for some shut eye. Unfortunately no one told the family next door that this was a sleeping station and in a tent it felt like they were sitting on the edge of my bed. The temperature was dropping as daylight gave way to darkness yet again and I gave up on trying to sleep instead I stumbled off to the shower block where they had heaters which would allow me to do some massaging and also get changed in relative comfort. This would come back and bite me in a big way later in the early hours of Friday morning as sleep depravation was now becoming a problem. Usually I have a good three hours a night but so far I probably only had three hours total, for three days, this was unsustainable. Eventually I would have to pay the piper of course, to quote Boris Johnson ‘them’s the breaks’.
So after my ‘sleep’ break (or attempted sleep break) at Katoomba we left for Wentworth falls, again in darkness as the sun has just disappeared on Thursday evening. Fifteen kilometres to the falls aid station and then seventeen kilometres to Woodford, the second last aid station. Rob met Sarah and I at Wentworth falls as that would be the last I saw him until early Friday morning at the last aid station, The Oaks. We also met up with Adam Darwin who we have been leap frogging for hundreds of kilometres. Adam left the aid station a few minutes before us but we caught him quickly as he was suffering with foot blisters the size of footballs. He was obviously in pain but was still moving forward with a pacer.
Remember I mentioned earlier I would have to eventually pay the piper for my lack of sleep during the event well between Wentworth falls and Woodford I paid , big time. The trail from Wentworth falls to Woodford is generally up hill and for the last few kilometres to the aid station very up hill. It was during the last few kilometres I lost my grasp of reality and the forest just turned into a hallucination, everywhere I looked things weren’t as they should be. I have hallucinated many times, mainly in backyard ultras, but nothing compared to what I was experiencing , the whole forest just came alive with all sorts of stuff. It was actually quite cool as I’ve always enjoyed the games the mind plays when it is totally sleep deprived and you are totally fatigued.
Luckily the aid station was only a few kilometres away and both Sarah and I needed sleep. There was two stretcher beds with blankets at Woodford and we both grabbed a bed with blankets and got some shut eye. We asked the volunteers to wake us in 30 minutes and as we awoke Adam turned up with his pacer. It was freezing cold of course and we settled into seats as Adam got his blisters looked at by the course paramedic, the volunteers provided some great toasties and tea but it was time to leave and move towards the last aid station which we would hope to arrive at just before sunrise.
This was now into early Friday morning and I was still sleep depraved. I would try and walk three or four steps with my eyes closed before opening them and then repeating the process. Unfortunately there was 22 kilometres between Woodford and The Oaks and we were both absolutely knackered. We were averaging 10 minute kilometres and doing the numbers we would not get to The Oaks before sunrise, things were starting to look grim. Eventually Sarah called it was time for a dirt nap, we were both dead on our feet.
Sarah had a pretty cool trail sleeping blanket so gave me her space blanket which I sued with mine and wrapped myself up like a burrito. These space blankets are surprisingly warm and I was pretty toasty in the dirt. Sarah set her alarm for 10 minutes and we both dosed. The alarm went off far too early and we both raised ourselves as the sun rose, it was pretty cool truth be told. Welcome to Friday morning with the image below greeting us.
Once we awoke from our dirt nap I knew I needed to get to the next aid station quickly and get some Rob time before the push for the finish. I was worried that sleep depravation would get the better of me so close to the finish. My good friend Darlene Dale was pulled out of the Delirious a few years ago within 20 kilometres of the finish and I was desperate not to go through that. Thus I had to say my goodbyes to Sarah which pained me as she had been such good company but I just needed to step on and finish as quickly as possible.
I jettisoned all the extra clothing I had on to get me through the night , go down to shorts and a running shirt and hit the afterburners. This took Rob by surprise because as I arrived at The Oaks there was no sign of him and he admitted he had me arriving later than I did. IFinally beat his spreadsheet !) In his defence he was only a few minutes away and when he arrived I changed clothes and shoes for the last time and set off on the last leg for the finish line.
For the last loop I put on the Hokka Mach 5’s, a brand new white pair and they felt great. The Altra Olympus 4’s I had worn for the whole race are great shoes but better suited to single trail, they don’t have the cushioning that this race needs and when I come back next year it will be in a pair of Hokka Mach 5’s.
The last leg is a straight line initially and then a loop in the opposite direction to last time we ran the loop, four days ago. (anti-clockwise this time.) I knew we had to do this loop but wasn’t sure where the loop started , luckily while I was wondering which way to go a car pulled over and pointed me in the right direction. I was still feeling good but the loop seemed to go on for ever and to add to my woes my iphone decided to die and my cable didn’t seem to be working with my back batteries, joy ! I was blind albeit I knew where I was on the course and which way to go but was starting to second guess myself as I seemed to be running for such a long time. Again I was thankful this was early morning in sunshine, I couldn’t imagine going though this in the dark and second guessing yourself, I was certainly missing Sarah now. Eventually I hit the weir and knew all I had to do know was climb the hill to the finish, what could go wrong now.
Well it seems quite a lot. ! As I run the climb I came to a turn off and saw some pink bunting, did we take this off shoot from Glenbrook four days ago, I couldn’t remember. This was when I needed my iphone and Gaia, unfortunately my iphone was dead and I couldn’t work out how to text Rob on the Garmin tracker. I was totally done so decided just to sit down and wait for some direction from the general public. Luckily I didn’t have to wait long before Jac Cresp’s Husband and Son stopped and asked if I needed help. It seems the son recognised me after meeting me earlier in the race at the Katoomba showers. They pointed me in the right direction and I was off again on the final rise to the finish line.
As I was taking so long Shaun had sent a chaperone to point me to the finish and I was happy for the help, I made a big effort to look reasonable for the finish and put on a spurt, for the camera of course, I was done !
Done and dusted, 73 hours and 8 minutes official time but it was so much more. The elevation made it incredibly hard but the company, incredible conditions and scenery made up for that. At the end I promised never to run it again but two weeks later I can’t wait for entries to open and that sums up 200 milers, they become addictive. Next time we can’t get conditions as good so it’ll be a challenge for sure but I’ll be better prepared albeit the Race Director has found another 4,000metres of elevation and is keen to add this to the 10,000metres we already climb, joy ! I’m smiling as I type these words remembering some of the experiences I shared on the trail. Bad experiences, there weren’t any as such, there was challenging times of course and times it was a struggle just moving forward but that’s the point, the race makes you look deep within yourself and allows you to ask yourself questions which are , in normal life, you can’t answer. This is the reason you run a 200 miler, to find out who you really are. ?
As I mentioned earlier there would be an after shot straight after finishing and I love this image, trying to contemplate what has just happened and the relief to have finished. This image sums up what a 200 miler takes out of you, everything, there is nothing left to give and that’s how I roll. I love it.
So what do you get for finishing a 200 miler in the Blue Mountains bar memories , well a half finished jigsaw of course with the promise of the missing pieces if you run another 200 miles in the Blue Mountains. How good is that ? You’d have to return surely, wouldn’t you?
Finally some products that helped me through the race and should be in your drop bags or backpack for all 200 milers… fisiocrem ( https://www.fisiocrem.com.au/ ) is just bloody brilliant and does exactly what it says it does , it just gets the major muscle groups moving again. I use this extensively towards the end of the race when my quads are hammered. It really makes a difference and allows me to move back through the gears towards the end of an event when most runners are stumbling home.
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’ !
or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/
and facebook https://www.facebook.com/runbkrunoz
The Transcend Ultra is the ultra that bites. Put on by local ultra running legend Shane Johnstone , the owner of Valetudo health( https://www.valetudohealth.com.au/coaching-services/ ) and winner of the Delirious West 200 miler 2021 ( https://www.deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) He also held the Fastest Known Time for the Bibbulum Track point to point until recently, and that’s a 1,000km track. There are many more accolades including placings at high profile European Ultras including the UTMB, he knows his stuff !
The Transcend Ultra is a 65km ultra that runs through the Avon valley on land that in mostly private, so inaccessible for the rest of the year. Thanks to Shane it is available only for the race and boy is it worth running it if you can. The terrain is brutal and in its inaugural year last year there was the added bonus of monsoon conditions before and during the event. Me and the lads went for a recon the week before on one of the legs and it was muddy as hell, we nearly lost Barts at a water crossing, albeit Barts does not like water or crossings so put them together and you have a highly amusing story !
The race is on the 26th June and there are team or solo options , depending how brave you feel. If you are unsure of completing the full distance the team option is a perfect starter before you take on the main course in 2023, because you will go back for second helpings.
Useful links :- Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/152480999794102 ; webpage :- https://transcendtrails.com/
Unfortunately I missed it last year as I was scheduled to run the Irrational South and this year it’s too close to the Unreasonable East ( https://unreasonableeast200miler.com.au/ ) but I will be making a big effort to get to the start line for 2023. A word of warning though the terrain is unforgiving and there are some serious climbs scattered throughput the course. What I like about this event is its uniqueness in that there is the opportunity to be running in some seriously wet conditions , which in Western Australia is rare. This event will test you so I would recommend getting in some recon runs as close to the course as you can pre-event. If you need any more information check out the webpage or Facebook page detailed earlier in the post or pop down to Valetudo health in Floreat.
or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/