Paviter Singh
leads a string
of runners — he
would finish in
20 hours.
more than 17 minutes quicker than
her 2012 effort of 11:18:49. Her only
disappointment was that she hadn’t
become the first woman to break the
11-hour barrier. Beth wasn’t wearing
a watch, but knew during the race
that she was on track to do a fast
time. “I was trying really hard to
break 11 hours,” she said.
How do you have to
train to win a punishing
100km trail race through
mountainous terrain? MF
asked Brendan Davies
and Beth Cardelli, the
winners of this year’s The
North Face 100, just that.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW GREEN
S
68 | MF | AUGUST
taged over a brutally
spectacular course
in the middle of the
World Heritage-listed
Blue Mountains west
of Sydney, The North
Face 100 represents
the pinnacle of trail running
events in Australia. It’s a punishing
race that can make, and break,
champions — race favourite and
2012 winner, South African Ryan
Sandes, was forced to pull out at
36km, while homegrown hero
Brendan Davies, who lives and
trains in the Blue Mountains,
celebrated a breakthrough victory
in a race record 9 hours 16 minutes
and 12 seconds, trimming two
minutes off the previous record
set by the great Spanish racer,
Kilian Jornet, in 2011.
Brendan, 36, fell to his knees when
he crossed the finish line at Leura,
emotional that he’d won such a big
race in his own backyard. “I train
on this course, so it means a lot to
me, being a local,” he said. “It’s the
biggest win of my career.”
Only 12 men beat women’s winner
Beth Cardelli, 33, from Berowra in
Sydney, to the line. It was her third
victory in the race, bettering her
race record with a new fastest time
of 11 hours 1 minute and 8 seconds,
MF: What were your expectations
of yourself this year and how did
the race unfold for you?
Brendan: I wanted to put in a solid
performance and beat my previous
best time for this event (10:02). I also
wanted to feel at the end as though
I’d conquered the entire course — in
previous years I’ve felt defeated by
it. The race unfolded unexpectedly,
really. At the 5km mark, as we
entered the first technical singletrack part of the race, I pulled away
from the pack and from there ran
at the front for the entire race. As it
went on, I felt stronger and in control
and my lead eventually grew to
26 minutes, which was enough to
break the course record.
Beth: This year’s competition looked
strong, but regardless of what the
other girls were capable of doing,
I wanted to focus on myself and
achieve my own goals. My ultimate
goal was to run under 11 hours,
regardless of what position that
placed me in. Because the race is so
long, it’s no good focusing on this
goal early on in the race, as you can
burn yourself out trying to chase
it. It wasn't until the last third of the
race, when I was running with some
top guys, that we started talking and
focusing on that goal. I'm still really
happy with my 11:01:08. There’s
always next year to try again.
l Who did you anticipate would
be the strongest challengers for
podium places?
Brendan: Three others stood out:
the reigning champion Ryan Sandes;
New Zealand ultra guru Vajin
Armstrong; and Andrew Tuckey,
mensfitnessmagazine.com.au | MF | 69
l What did you find the most
difficult part of the 2013 race?
Brendan: Usually I’d say the intense
9km climb at the 80km mark, but
this year I trained specifically for
this section and nailed it. The stair
sections are always challenging, as
they force you to break your rhythm
and every step up a new stair hurts.
Beth: I find standing on the start line
the most difficult part of any race.
After a week of tapering, I often
wonder if I’ve done enough training,
or even if I can still run at all. It also
seems to be the coldest morning
ever at TNF100 starts and I feel
l What do you most look forward to
sitting down to after a 100km race?
Brendan: I’ve usually lost a couple
of kilograms and a fair bit of salt, so
a high-protein, salty meal such as a
big steak and bowl of chips is hard to
beat. I usually indulge in a couple of
beers too, especially if I've had a win.
Beth: Hot chips with tomato sauce.
It ticks all the boxes: hot and filling.
South African
race favourite
Ryan Sandes
had to pull out
at 36km.
“The intense 9km climb at 80km
is usually the most difficult, but
this year I trained specifically for
that section and nailed it.”
like I'm going to be sluggish while
running. The only reprieve is that
when the gun goes off I get to put
these thoughts to rest.
l Any weird or hairy moments
on the course this year?
Brendan: None, thankfully! In other
races I've been lost and fallen off
rock ledges, but this year went
rather smoothly.
Beth: I ran most of the last leg with
Grant Guise (an awesome Kiwi
runner who had run a 100-miler
three weeks before) and we
discussed different ways to cross
the finish line. We settled on doing
a leapfrog. When we got there, Grant
crouched down and I sort of fell over
him — after 100km of running, my
legs had lost their spring. It wasn't
the most gracious way to finish, but
we can both laugh about it, which
makes it all good.
Brendan Davies
scorches to a
new race record
of 9:16.12.
70 | MF | JUNE
I rarely use these in the race, though.
I carry water in a bladder in my pack;
my fuel for the run; some emergency
food; electrolyte/salt tablets; and an
elevation chart with the checkpoints
marked so I know when and how big
the climbs/descents are and how far
it is to go to a checkpoint.
Beth: I try to carry as little as
possible. I can often be found making
use of taps in people’s front yards.
Beth Cardelli’s
win was her
third straight.
l What do you eat and drink to
ensure you’re properly fuelled?
Brendan: In the week leading up to
the event I gradually increase my
intake of complex carbohydrates
(carb loading). This includes lots of
quinoa, wholemeal pasta, brown
rice and starchy vegetables. For
breakfast on race morning, about
three hours before the start, I’ll
have a bowl of oats with honey.
During the race, my main fuel
supply is Hammer Perpetuem,
a carbohydrate/protein mix I sip
continually. I also went through
10 or so gels, and some bananas.
Beth: My nutrition plan is somewhat
unconventional. I stick with real
food as my staple, then use sport
foods as a substitute. Between
checkpoints I’ll eat rice crackers,
salt-and-vinegar chips and some red
frogs. I’ll also drink cordial to start,
then move onto electrolytes as the
race progresses. At checkpoints
I’ll grab a handful of fruit or lollies.
Chicken wraps from my support
crew are a treat too.
l Who do you look up to in the
world of ultra-running?
Brendan: The man whose course
record I broke, the great Spanish trail
runner Kilian Jornet. He’s dominated
mountain and trail running for
the last four or so years and wins
everything from 5km vertical
challenges to 100-mile [160km]
ultras. He epitomises the essence of
what makes a great sportsman: he
displays excellence, humility and
has a deep-rooted respect for nature.
Beth: Because I’m kind of short,
I look up to most people. I take my
inspiration from other people’s
performances, blogs and the
occasional book. However, the
person that inspires me the most in
races is the person in front of me.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LYNDON MARCEAU; MARK WATSON; daniel lewis
who was the first Aussie in 2012
[finishing third, one place ahead
of Brendan]. Unfortunately, Ryan
pulled out with stomach issues
36km in. Vajin and Andrew ended
up running PBs and finished second
and third respectively.
Beth: I had seen the names of strong
international girls on the start list:
Americans Kami Semick and Amy
Sproston, and Claire Price [UK].
Fortunately for me, they didn't turn
up, but the local talent is something
I have a better idea about. Julie
Quinn [from Canberra] is a two-time
winner with two previous course
records [in 2013 Quinn would
finish fourth in 11:50.48]; Shona
Stephenson [from Sydney] is a
strong runner with a never-say-die
attitude [Stephenson finished third
in 11:45.38]. The biggest wildcard was
Tasmanian gun Hanny Allston,
a highly credentialled orienteerer.
I’d watched her smash the race
record in the Cradle Mountain Run
[82km, in Tasmania in February]
by more than an hour, so I knew
she’d be strong [Allston was a DNF
in the North Face this year].
l What do you look for in an
off-road running shoe?
Brendan: I’m from the minimalist
side of the running-shoe divide
and prefer my shoes light, with
an aggressive tread but minimal
support. It’s why I wear the Inov-8
range of trail shoes (also a popular
choice in CrossFit circles). Having
finely tuned proprioception — the
body’s ability to orient itself in space
and adjust posture and position
according to the terrain — is a crucial
skill in trail running. It all starts from
the contact point at the feet and
Inov-8s provide me with the vital
feedback I need from the trails.
Beth: I started trail running using
road shoes. I switched to trail shoes
in an attempt to mix it up a little. Trail
shoes tend to have more grip, which
is really noticeable on loose surfaces.
I race in the Salomon XT S-LAB 5.
l What do you carry with you?
Brendan: The mandatory gear for
long ultras is usually thermal pants
and top, gloves, beanie, rain jacket,
headlamps, first aid and maps.
THE NORTH
FACE 100
DISCIPLINE:
Trail running
WHERE: Blue
Mountains, NSW
DISTANCE:
100km (50km
event also offered)
COMPETITORS:
1022 (508 in
50km event)
WINNER’S TIME:
9 hours 16 minutes
(50km winning
time: 4:15)
AVERAGE TIME:
16 hours, 43
minutes (50km
average time: 7:56)
SAUSAGES
COOKED AT
EVENT SAUSAGE
SIZZLE: 2500
2014 EVENT:
May 17, 2014
MORE INFO:
thenorthface100.
com.au
l What’s a training session that
most advances your abilities?
Brendan: Although ultra running
is primarily an aerobic sport,
trail running, due to the constant
elevation changes up and down
hills, brings in many anaerobic
elements, so it’s important to train
both systems. The long endurance
run (40-60km) is a staple of an ultra
runner, although a good interval
session such as 15 x 3 minutes hard
with 1-minute recoveries (I dub this
“the hour of power”) puts you in a
whole new world in terms of building
lactic threshold [the point during
all-out exercise at which lactic acid
builds up in the blood stream faster
than the body can remove it].
Beth: Any run you do is better than
the one you don't. My training
regimen is very unstructured. I do
a lot of short runs at a casual pace,
then at weekends, I do a long run
— every second weekend leading
up to TNF I headed to the Blue
Mountains to put in up to 50km on
sections of the course. I also mix up
my training with interval training.
l Do you put in time in the gym?
Brendan: Yes! I spend a lot of time
in an altitude chamber in Valley
Fitness Gym in St Marys [in Sydney’s
west], either on the treadmill or
cross-training on the elliptical or
bike. Runners do a lot of work on
their core too, as it’s here where
balance and agility originates. In
terms of weights, runners tend to use
light weights, but do lots of reps. We
want to be strong, but without the
burden of carrying around heavy
muscles. It’s a fine line sometimes.
Beth: There are plenty of ultra
runners who use the gym, but
I resort to it only when I’m unable
to run due to injury. I find the spin/
RPM classes on the bike the best.
I once trained for a 100-mile trail
race solely in the gym without ever
using the treadmill.
l Give us three tips for someone
training for their first North Face.
Brendan: 1. Use the 10 percent rule
— don't increase your long run and
your weekly mileage by more than
10 percent each week. This will help
prevent injury. 2. Be race-specific:
TNF100 is a hilly, technical trail run,
so do most of your training on trails
that replicate the race, if possible.
3. Do some training at night. Only
the top 10 or so runners will finish
during the day. Get used to wearing
a headlamp and night conditions.
Beth: 1. Join a running club or find
someone with similar goals. It’s
always beneficial to have people to
help motivate you and to bounce
ideas off. 2. Time on your feet is
more important than distance.
When covering variable terrain
(technical trail, hills, stairs etc), it’s
more important to focus on time
than distance. 3. Experiment with
your nutrition prior to the race.
What works for someone else may
not work for you. Likewise, what
works for you at, say, 30km won’t
necessarily work for you at 80km.
Top guns:
Brendan with
second-placed
Vajin Armstrong
(left) and Andrew
Tuckey, third.
mensfitnessmagazine.com.au | MF | 71