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RUNNING W
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011
2
: December
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Season 2. N
Welcome to Series 2!
Welcome to all of our
members to the second
season of Running Wild.
After our first season, we
are excited to bring more
races to the Blue Mountains for you to enjoy.
RUNNING WILD RACE DATES
Short Course:
Sunday 25/09/2011 - Mt Portal. 16km
Sunday 30/10/2011 - Wentworth Falls.
16km.
Saturday 19/11/2011 - Kedumba Half Marathon. 21km. (Hoka One One)
Sunday 11/12/2011 - Terrace Falls. 13km
Saturday 14/01/2012 - Narrowneck Night
Run. 20km.
Sunday 26/02/2012 - Woodford Dam. 19km
Long Course
Sunday 27/11/2011 Glenbrook Trail Marathon *(Northside Runners)
Thursday 26/01/2012 - Knapsack Lap Race.
3hr/6hr.
Sunday 22/04/2012 - Mt Solitary Ultra.
45km.
26/02/2012 - Woodford Dam. 19km.
* Denotes 6ft qualifier
All races are open to members and visitors.
Our races:
The Short Course Series (6
races). This series is the
Running Wild point score
series, where members
will win points according
to their position at the finish of each race and these
scores are aggregated
over the series.
The Long Course Series (3
races). A series of 3 longer
races, set over some of the
best trails the Blue Mountains has to offer.
If you haven't made it
along to any of our first
races, come along and see
for yourself how good it is
to run trails and don‘t forget to collect your Running Wild shirt! They are
awesome, although we
do say so ourselves, but
we are sure you‘ll agree !
Inside this issue:
Race 1: Mt Portal. Race
Report
2
New Committee in 2011
2
RW at Fitzroy Falls
4
Commonwealth Ultra Trail
Championships
6
Glasshouse 100 Mile 2011
9
Race 2: Wentworth Falls.
Race Reports
12
Race 3: Kedumba. Race
Reports
15
King Island Ultra
17
Other Running Wild News
19
About Running Wild
20
PAGE 2
RUNNING
WILD
R AC E 1 : M t p o rta l
Season 2 of Running Wild offered lots of promise after
an encouraging and successful first year. During the
off season we built a solid membership base of 198
leading up to race 1, that surpassed our season one
total of 142. With this in mind and the promise of a
great club shirt, attendance estimates were running
high for our season opener at Mt Portal. Committee
member Ben Berriman had added in two new single
trail loops that added to the variety of the course—
whilst the course is 'only' 16.5km, there is plenty of
bang for your buck with over 500m of vertical
climb! With everything in place, the only thing that
we could not control did not come to the party...... the
weather. It was a crowd killer with solid rain falling in
Sydney on Saturday night scaring off all but the most
hardy souls.
Not to be deterred the committee were there bright
and early at 5:30am for course set up. Runners trickled
in to registration and members were greeted with
their new shirts. Plenty of good reports about the
quality and styling. Well done Mel and Ian with the
design.
Enough of the formalities, it was a trail race and 107
lined up for the start of the season. A few big names
were missing, most notably Brendan Davies and Mick
Donges at the Commonwealth Ultra Mtn Running
Champs. A few new faces there including Geoff
Stalker up from Kembla Joggers with a gaggle of
young Kembla runners.
From the vantage of the aid car, runners were making
heavy work of the climb out from the Causeway to
Ironbarks Trail. Committee member Ewan Horsburgh
was up at the pointy end keeping the leaders honest
and plenty of runners new to the area were quite sure
what they got themselves into. The Ironbarks turnoff
broke the climbing and the runners took off into Euroka Clearing. A loop down to the Nepean River, up
the billy goat climb and a trek around Portal Waterhole brought runners out to the manned aid station. From this vantage point, young unknown runner, Jak Bukovinsky, was setting a cracking pace leading the field. Ben Artup emerged in close pursuit, but
was 'off the bit' chasing the leader. By this time the
rain had set in and runners were coming through with
plenty of mud on the legs and smiles on their
faces. With the big climb to Mt. Portal coming up, runners refuelled on fruit and cordial and set their sights
on the lookout. By the time they got there our trusty
turn point marshal, Keith Hong was nearly frozen
through, but managed to keep a close watch on all
runners coming through.
After the turn, the runners clapped on the pace down
Mt. Portal. The leader, Jak had gapped the field and
was moving nicely. Leading the ladies home was
Heather Sinclair closely followed by Heidi Jones. Many
a comment was made by returning runners about the
unexpected bonus of the views from the lookout. Onto the single trail and Jak had a victory in his
sight until he took an unfortunate wrong turn back at
the roadway. Local knowledge paid dividends and
Ben Artup slipped through for a race win with a time
of 1:10:53. Ben was followed in by fellow Blue Mountains locals Ewan Horsburgh and Paul Robertson. In
the women's Heather Sinclair claimed a win in 1:20:17
from Heidi Jones and Melanie Foster.
A total of 107 runners participated on the day. Compared to our first race at the same venue, attendance
was doubled. Plenty of members from season one
returned, as well as lots of new members all keen to
experience a RW event.
RW received lots of positive comments on the course
and the overall day. The committee is sure this will be
a taste of things to come and attendances at the remainder of the mountain series will go from strength
to strength.
New committee members in 2011
For RW season 2, you have probably already seen some new faces on the committee
helping out at the first races of the season. Our new committee members are introduced on our new website, but just in case you haven't seen it, here they are:
New committee member: ian sargent
My name is Ian Sargent but most people know me as ―Sarge‖. I have been running for
ten years after a lifetime of playing other sports. I am glad that I am on the Running Wild
committee this year as I really believe in nurturing a trail running culture in the Blue
Mountains and want it to prosper. I have met some lovely people whilst running in the
Blue Mountain‘s bush and some of them have become close friends. Some of them I can
even beat in a race !! I hope everyone that runs with Running Wild this year enjoys the
beauty of our surrounds and improves their PBs along the way.
SEASON 2: NEWSLETTER 1
PAGE 3
New committee member: helen pretty
I run trails. Lots of them. I‘m not
fast, but I love the peace, tranquillity and the scenery out there, in
fact, I usually run with a camera to
capture those magic moments on
the trails. I‘ve been running for
over 15 years and run both short
and long distances, although the
marathon and 50 km are my favourite. I‘m a keen runner of all
Blue Mountains trail runs, including the Six Foot Track Marathon,
Woodford to Glenbrook, Mt Wilson to Bilpin and the Wild Endur-
ance, but have been known to run
road races too, like the Gold Coast
Marathon and Sydney Marathon.
I‘d like to run some overseas marathons, like London or Tokyo, to
experience something new. As I
said though, I‘m not fast – you will
find me in the back half of a race,
but hey, I enjoy it and that works
for me. I am really happy to be part
of the RW committee – I love volunteering at events and crewing.
It‘s an amazing experience giving
something back to the sport you
love and
helping
others
achieve
their
goals.
New committee member: ewan horsburgh
I am a
recent
Blue
Mountains resident and
the timing was
perfect to
get to
know the trails featured in the first
series of Running Wild I love running everything from 10km road
races to 100km+ trail ultras, with
NF100, GNW100 and 6foot being
just a few favourites. Living here is
great for training as I am able to
run some brilliant upper mountain
trails virtually from my own backyard. There is a great running
community in the mountains and I
am regularly running the trails
with the Leura Icebergs. The Friday
coffee run has been very popular
especially after those cold winter
mornings. I‘m really excited to
become a part of the Running
Wild Committee for Season 2
New committee member: Garth Mcinerney
I started running a couple of years
ago after someone dared me to
run a half marathon. I enjoyed it
immensely and have been running
regularly ever since. Got into trail
running not long after and enjoyed the general no-fuss attitudes
of the people both competing and
putting on the races. Love getting
out in the bush for a run early in
the morning. There's no better
way to start a weekend!
New committee member: luke doyle
Luke is new to the trail running
scene, his early athletic pursuits
were in the field of Triathlon. It
took the better part of 10 years
and trying all of the distances in
the sport for him to figure out that
he couldn‘t swim or bike. Not that
he could run much better but he
enjoys running and when you can
put running on trials instead of
running next to lycra clad testosterone filled competitors, could
you really ask for more!?!? Luke is
very keen to help the Running
Wild team and test his metal ‗out
there‘ as long as he doesn‘t have
to see snakes!!!
PAGE 4
RUNNING
WILD
New committee member: Joanne brischetto
My name is Jo and I am a trail running
addict!
Having played team sports my whole
life, I only discovered my love of running after having my second child. I
started out doing triathlons, which I
enjoy, but would enjoy more so if
there was no swimming involved.
After completing several half marathons, I ran my first marathon in 2010,
and my second was the Running Wild
Glenbrook Marathon. Placing 3rd in
this race gave me a guaranteed entry
to the 6 foot track marathon. In training for 6 foot I fell in love with trail
running and became part of a wonderful community. The 6 foot marathon cemented my new addiction, but
left me a bit worse for wear, and I have
spent the last 6 months recovering
from a stress fracture. I am thrilled to
be slowly getting back into running
again now and am really enjoying
being part of the Running Wild committee. Remember…Life‘s too short to
run on the road!
New committee member: Melanie parry
I relocated to the Blue Mountains from
Brisbane in 2005, I was a keen runner
in BrisVegas but have never really regained my mojo after the move. I am a
big fan of most sports and in particular
the NBA Basketball.
Most love organizing events and love
catering. Love the Blue Mountains
although the long winter gets me
longing for Qld at times...
ru n n i n g w i l d at F i t z roy fa l l s
This race has developed over the years
from a niche race to one that is becoming a ‗must do‘ for trail runners.
The race is staged as a fundraiser for
the local bushfire brigades and gets
plenty of support from the rural firies
on the aid stations. Every year the
management of the event has improved on previous years. The course
is challenging, without being overly
difficult, so is an ideal first race for anyone who wants to have a go at trail
running and/or marathons. But most
importantly, the hamburgers at the
finish are the best!!!
This year 155 runners lined up for the
12th running of the Fitzroy Falls Fire
Trail Marathon. Also on the day were
5km and 10km events. In the main
race a lot of talk centred around the
men‘s field. There was plenty of depth
with Andrew Tuckey, Mick Donges,
Brendan Davies, Tim Cochrane and
Alex Matthews all amongst the challengers. All have been in good form
during winter and had serious claims
on a win. With the depth in the leaders, there was talk the race record of
2:41 may fall.
After a chat from the starter, Max
Powditch, runners were heading off
into the fire trails. Within about 300
metres it was evident that conditions
were going to be a bit wet and slippery this time around. Generally the
course is over wide fire trail that is normally dry and hard packed. Sure there
are a few water crossings, but you
could generally make the crossings
and keep your feet dry. No such luck
this year. There was plenty of mud
and quite a few crossings that left no
choice but to plough through the
knee deep water. Well no choice for
most, except for the runner that kindly
piggy backed his mate across the
stream.
Typical of this race, there was a hectic
pace at the start. Runners streamed
down the chute, and all jockeyed for
position. This led to fairly fast splits
early as the runners sort themselves
out. Speaking to Tim Cochrane post
race, he mentioned that he was 8th
early, but kept a constant pace knowing that a few runners would come
back to him.
Both Andrew Tuckey and Mick Donges set the pace early. Early favourite
Alex Matthews took a fall on the
course that seemed to affect his overall
position in the field. Brendan Davies
was holding an early prominent position, but mid race Tim Cochrane had
worked his way through the field and
was challenging for third. In the men‘s
field Andrew Tuckey crossed the line
in 2:47:05, followed by Mick Donges in
2:48:10 and third was Tim Cochrane in
2:54:11 In the women's field Louise
Sharp won in 3:26:30, followed by
Shona Stephenson in 3:37:53 and
Sarah Carpenter in 3:39:18. Running
Wild members covered three of the six
podium positions with Andrew and
Mick in the men's and Shona in the
women‘s field.
All up 42 Running Wild members took
part in the race. Plenty of good results
posted including both Andrew, Mick,
Brendan Davies 2:55:23, Ewan Horsburgh 3:09:16, Martin Pengilly 3:11:59,
Stephen Johnson 3:19:30 and Chris
Yates 3:26. In the women‘s Shona
posted a great time and some other
results included Gill Fowler 3:56:43,
Elouise Peach 4:30:03, Donna Heldon
4:33:46 and Jocie Evison 4:43:50.
What was most pleasing from the
committee perspective, was the prominence of Running Wild member shirts
and adventure tops. They were easily
recognisable on the course and provided a good conversation piece during the run. This also helps in promoting our organisation to other trail runners. Most importantly all members
that wore the Running Wild clothing
received double points in the terrific
trail series. We encourage all members
to get along to our mountain races,
pick up their shirts and wear them at
any upcoming trail races.
SEASON 2: NEWSLETTER 1
PAGE 5
F i t z roy fa l l s — ru n n i n g w i l d r e s u lt s
Fitzroy Falls fire trail marathon was well represented by Running Wild members. Here are the results of the day
with the attached point score. The first column denotes your position in relation to RW members running, the second column denotes your position in the overall Fitzroy Falls marathon results.
Congratulations to all Running Wild members—great to see so many of you attending another great trail run.
RW Pos
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
FF Overall
Pos
Runner First Name
2
Mick
4
Brendan
8
Ewan
10
Martin
15
Stephen
19
Chris
23
Jason
29
Shona
34
Keith
35
Tom
42
Kieron
45
Paul
46
Rod
50
Mark
51
Gill
55
Grant
64
Will
68
Brad
69
Ben
71
Anthony
74
Eden
75
Stephen
85
Peter
87
Peter
91
David
96
Elouise
98
Michael
100
Donna
101
Mark
107
Jocie
108
Geoff
110
Steven
114
Denis
118
Ray
121
Carol
122
Damien
124
Lyndal
125
Craig
132
Jane
149
Marie Claire
153
Bert
Overall
Surname Gender RW Shirt Points Points
Donges
M
41
41
N
Davies
M
40
40
N
Horsburgh
M
39
39
?
Pengilly
M
38
38
?
Johnson
M
37
37
M
36
72
Yates
Y
Wheeler
M
35
35
Stephenson
34
34
F
Hong
M
33
33
Reeve
M
32
32
M
31
31
Blackmore
Wooton
M
30
30
Cutler
M
29
58
Y
Dakin
M
28
56
Y
Fowler
27
27
F
Butterfield
M
26
26
Cox
M
25
25
Smithers
M
24
48
Y
Sloman
M
23
23
N
Coulter
M
22
44
Y
Fanelli
F
21
21
Bowers
M
20
40
Y
Nutall
M
19
19
Hibberd
M
18
18
N
Stirk
M
17
17
Peach
F
16
16
McGrath
M
15
15
Heldon
14
14
F
Kraljevic
13
13
M
Evison
12
24
F
Y
Evison
M
11
11
N
Gray
M
10
20
Y
Sharrock
M
9
9
Goddard
M
8
16
Y
7
7
Adams
F
N
M
6
6
Stewart
Y
5
5
Maloney
F
Cartner
M
4
4
Trumper
3
3
F
N
Kurt
2
2
F
M
1
1
Sloan
N
PAGE 6
RUNNING
WILD
Commonwealth Ultra Trail Championships 2011
A Captain‘s Perspective.
By Brendan Davies
With the boom of trail running worldwide, the organisers of the 2 nd Commonwealth Mountain and Ultra Distance
Championships (CMUDC), wisely chose to include an ultra trail race into this biannual event‘s program. This replaced the 100km road run which proved to be the least popular event on the program at the previous CMUDC in
Keswick. Factoring in the 100km World Champs were less than a month before, and it would have been an easy
decision for the organisers to make.
Having arrived at the race headquarters in stunning Llandudno, Wales (a much less stunning name to pronounce!), the team gathered at the group hotel to settle in and meet each other, some for the first time. Staying at
the same hotel as the 24 hour team was a benefit to the trail team. We got to know our fellow teammates and
build team spirit. As the 24 hour event was first on the program, we were able to watch a considerable portion of
our guys and girls go around in their event. If any of the trail team were lacking in inspiration, they would have
gone away with a bucket load to take into our own race after watching the guts and determination of these incredible runners!
From my perspective, I couldn‘t be happier with the swap to a trail event. I‘ve really been focussing on trail running this year which culminated in some very good results at 6 Foot Track and The North Face 100, which was
thankfully enough to be selected. Having represented Australia at the last CMUCD , I was given the honour of being named Team Captain of the trail team. Completing the men‘s team was the ‗junior‘ Mick Donges and the ‗all
wise one‘ Jonathan Worswick. Making up the ladies team were Verity Breen, Kirstin Bull, Katie Seibold-Crosby and
Cindy Hasthorpe. What this meant was that as a nation, we would be competitive not only individually, but also in
both team‘s categories where the top three times from each nation go towards a team award.
Three days prior to the event, the team convened and, borrowing Rob Boyce‘s
car, drove to the Newborough Forest on the Isle of Anglesey which was to be
the venue of the 53.75km ultra trail race. Organisers had gone to a lot of effort
to make the course both scenic for runners and friendly for spectators, and they
did not disappoint. It was both beautiful and challenging, and although devoid
of any major climbs, the course threw up a lot of challenges in terms of the terrain and weather conditions. The route was basically a 10.5km loop which we
were to do five times during the race. The terrain was a mixture of smooth tracks
through lovely pine forest, soft sand beach running and grassy single track. Initial
thoughts after the ‗reccie‘ were that this was one of the least technical ‗trail‘ runs
we had seen and that it would suit the faster marathoners in the field rather
than the hardened trail runner used to big climbs and tricky terrain. Certainly it
was very different to what we were all used to being called a ‗trail‘ event in Australia!
With Jame Kuegler from NZ on the
course 'reccie'
I was more than happy with the course. I was sure my road running background
would put me in good stead during the race, while others, such as Jonathan,
was cursing his luck. Jonathan is, of course, one of the better ‗technical‘ trail runners on the trail running scene, as his results on the toughest courses over his
extensive career prove. The girls were in good spirits too, with Verity offering
thanks to the heavens for the ‗flat‘ course more than once!
Prerace, as is usually a ritual for me, I glanced through the list of competitors. Some very big names were in the
field. There was Vajin Armstrong from New Zealand who won last year‘s Kepler Challenge and Huw Lobb from
England, a 2:15 marathoner who famously won the annual Man versus Horse race in Wales for the first time in its
25-year history and was second at last year‘s Jungfrau Marathon. Also in the field were Richard Gardiner, the
Welsh Marathon Champion with a 2:18 marathon to his name and the Canadian Jason Loutitt, who this year was
second at the World Trail Running Championship in Ireland. Throw in the English, Scots and the usual mix of unknown Kenyans, Zambians, Gambians and South Africans and this was truly an elite international field.
Race morning soon dawned and we arrived on Anglesey to be met by overcast and cool conditions. It was almost
perfect conditions; the only worrying factor was a strong on-shore breeze (more like a gale!) that was blowing. It
would ensure tough running on the beach section (approx 1.5km each lap) and the out and back section to the
little island where, at least on the ‗out‘ it would be coming right into our face. We were thankful however, that it
would not affect us through the protected forest sections which made up the majority of the course. We all
agreed that there would be very fast and very slow sections throughout the race and prerace advice to the team
SEASON 2: NEWSLETTER 1
PAGE 7
was to ‗run smartly‘ to the conditions and terrain of the course
and not to be sucked into racing the opposition too early.
As soon as the gun went off, the Africans took off like it was a
10km road tempo. They also managed to pull along a few others, notably Loutitt and Lobb and the main pack, made up of the
Africans, went through the first lap in 35 minutes! I settled into a
much more circumspect pace, settling into the second chasing
group. Most of us in this group agreed that the race was going
to be a battle of attrition and 54km was going to prove the undoing of more than one competitor!
And how right we were. By the end of the second lap I began to
pass the Zambians and South African runners who were paying
Myself, Jonathan Worswick and Mick Donges pre-race.
the price of the early suicidal pace. A Kenyan runner was still
maintaining the lead, followed by Lobb, Gardiner and Loutitt. The out and back section of the island allowed the
chasers to keep track of the competitors in front. Not far behind me and on my tail was Mick, Vajin from NZ and
two Welsh runners Lane and namesake Andrew Davies, who were pacing themselves perfectly.
The beach and island section were undoubtedly the toughest sections of, on
what you would otherwise call, an undulating cross country course. Faced
with strong headwinds, soft sand, seaweed, crushed shell and rocky outcrops; it took a considerable amount of nous to negotiate this section. I did
notice a lot of the front runners take the most direct line across the beach
across the soft sand. My tactic was to run a further distance to the outgoing
tidal mark on the harder sand and run along this stretch. Although longer, it
proved to be much less taxing and allowed me to maintain my rhythm. I believe this section contributed to the demise of a lot of the early pacemakers.
Soon after I passed a fading Loutitt and found myself in 6th place at the 30km
mark. I still felt very strong, although not as strong as Welshmen Davies and
Lane who passed me soon after. Despite being passed, the little lift I undertook as I ran with them enabled me to put a comfortable space between myself and the chasing pack made up of Donges, Armstrong and the Scot Andrew Fellas. I soon found myself running on clear trail and I used this time to
reassess my form and my strategy for the rest of the near 20kms. On the 2nd
last lap I was surprised to see the Kenyan, Tum, lying face down on the trail
clutching his hamstring. Although very unfortunate for him, it put me in the
top 5 and not without a chance of snaring a medal. I really put my head
It was fast through the forest sections down and suddenly all the memories from watching the 24h race flooded
back. I was getting tremendous support from the impartial spectators
(perhaps having a very Welsh surname helped!), from Rob Boyce who had set himself up at the halfway drink station and the Aussie crew at the start/finish line made up of David Kennedy and Justin Scholz.
The big effort on the 4th lap was rewarded with the Welshman Lane coming back into view on some of the longer
open stretches on the course and I was determined to pull him in on the last lap. Matt Bixley, the elite NZ 24h runner offered me great support along the beach section and, while beginning to believe a medal was perhaps just
going to be out of reach, I was determined to finish as quick as possible to ensure a strong team position.
Throughout the race I was constantly doing ‗rough‘ team calculations based on competitors positions in relation
to the Aussie guys and I knew with Mick being just on my tail and Jonathan putting in a great effort mid-pack, we
would be up there for a medal.
At the last drink station, I was greeted with the trusty bottle of water and a ―You‘re in 4 th!‖ message from Rob
Boyce. I was shocked and I was later to find out the Englishman Lobb had ‗blown up‘ at 48km and the new leader
was now Gardiner from Wales, with the other Welshmen making up the top three. Suddenly a medal was within
reach and seeing Lane only 150m ahead I began to call on the very last of my reserves for one last big effort. I was
gradually catching Lane, and was planning my strategy for the pass until he turned and saw me on a straight
piece of trail and that was all the impetus he needed to put in a big surge. With only a few kms to go, I had no
choice but to go with his surge and hope that he faded late, but despite my intentions, the body was not as willing and cramping in the calves pretty much turned my thoughts of 3rd now into holding down 4th. This can be the
price you pay for putting in a big effort and the finish line could not come quick enough! Entering the final stretch
PAGE 8
RUNNING
WILD
Commonwealth ultra trail championships (cont)
I was spurred on by the really respectful Welsh crowd and my Aussie crew and I
threw my arms in the air as I crossed the finish line in a time of 3:38:57. I was
very happy with that race, I don‘t think I could have raced any smarter, or
quicker, and as such it is a very satisfying result. The winner was Gardiner in
3:29:55 with the Welshmen Davies second in 3:34:34 and Lane third in 3:38:09.
Only a minute later, Mick Donges, looking very fresh crossed the finish line in 5 th
spot to be welcomed with a sweaty hug from myself, probably the last thing he
wanted! It is a tremendous result in his debut international race. Watch out for
big things from this guy in the years to come, he is truly a superstar of the sport
in the making. Following Mick‘s finish, I was told by an official that I had been
randomly selected for a doping test. I won‘t go into that story, it is another story
worthy of a report on its own, but in a nutshell what it did mean was that I disappointingly missed the rest of my Aussie
teammates finish.
When I eventually was freed from my
‗commitments‘, I learned that our own
The tough beach section
Kirstin Bull had run a fabulous race to finish on the podium in third place. I did not see Kirstin on the course, but obviously and from all reports from the crew, she ran a particularly smart race,
pacing herself beautifully throughout the entire distance. Watch out for
Kirstin too in the years to come in the ultra scene. Katie finished in a wonderful 8th spot, Verity in 10th and Cindy in 14th, uttering something about doing
the ‗24h race next time‘! This ensured the girls won a very deserving team
bronze medal. The men‘s teams results were much closer and was very hard
to make a ‗good guess‘ due to the number of DNFs in the race and the top
times being very close. With Jonathan putting in one of the fastest last lap
times in the field and finishing in a superb 16th spot, we knew we were up
there. However, with the race over and the typical British weather setting in,
everyone was quick to leave the island and it wasn‘t until the medal ceremony that night did we find out that we also managed to snare a team
Bronze medal, behind the Welsh and the English team.
Mick Donges coming in at the finish
I am very proud of our results, and very honoured to have represented Australia and captained the team. Two team medals and an individual medal to Kirstin in a world class field is a tremendously pleasing result and can only be great for Australian ultra trail running. I am most proud of the fact that we
all stuck to our race plan and really dug deep for the team when going through the bad patches. On behalf of the
trail team, I would like to thank Rob Boyce and Justin Scholz for managing the team and all behind the selections
at AURA. I would like to think I will be back in two years time but who can tell what the future holds?
Winning a team bronze
medal was a real bonus!
SEASON 2: NEWSLETTER 1
PAGE 9
Glasshouse 100 mile 2011:
By phil murphy
I had a different experience at this year‘s Glasshouse. First up my mellum mates Andy and Tim couldn‘t make it
which meant I needed to scramble to find someone else to share car hire and accommodation costs. I had booked
a family room with the intent of combining a short trip away for the girls but that also fell through.
A few emails later and Dan Bleakman, Rob Hall and the flying Kiwi Gordi Kirkbank were the new Melluminium ( as
Rob put it) Alas Dan pulled out at short notice with an injury and we were 3. I arrived midday at Brissie airport to
be greeted by Rob and Gordi. Off we went, picked up the hire car and made our way to the Glasshouse Mountains. It absolutely bucketed down on route, I‘ve never seen so much rain the day before the race. It was torrential
but short-lived and soon enough the sun was splitting the skies. This augured well for good conditions with
maybe a few pools of water at best.
We settled into our motel in Beerwah and did some last minute shopping and drop bag prep. Off to the registration where we met up with some familiar GH faces and plenty of new faces too. Indeed this was a very different
pre-race rego, up in the school itself and with the briefing moved to the main undercover area. Glasshouse, like
most 100 milers in the country just continues to grow.
We didn‘t hang around too long after the briefing, just a quick bite to eat and off to bed. It was around 8 pm
when we settled in, so a good night‘s sleep was had by all.
We made our way to the start line where we were weighed and given some last minute instructions. Gordi was all
fired up raring to go. There were plenty of anxious looking runners waiting for the start. It was cool but skies were
clear and we were expecting a good day for running.
I took off pretty much with the lead group of the Dave‘s and Mike, with Gordi just behind me. On the 10km loop
back to base the field spread some but I still found myself up front as we approached the climb up Beerburrum. I
dropped my pack at the base and settled into a steady hike just behind a couple of 100k runners. As we neared
the turnaround the views were spectacular with clear vistas in all directions. The poor volunteer at the top struggled to keep up with the influx of grouped runners as she ticked us off. I was sitting just behind Dave C and Zac on
the descent, quickly grabbed my pack and stuck with them to 3A. I had prepared some splits for an optimistic sub
20hr finish. Optimistic because of a limited prep for this race with a back issue that hampered my training and prevented me doing as many long runs as I would have normally. Coming into CP4 I was 20 minutes up, feeling
good. I had backed off the pace as the Daves and Zac took off.
Nutrition during the early hours was just hammer gel and water with the occasional piece of fruit at the CPs. It
was working well with my energy levels feeling good.
I was flying along the rough trail to CP5 feeling fantastic in my new Cascadias (apart from feeling somewhat
heavy) - very grippy on all terrain. At one point I approached a downhill section before Weetbix Hill. I was riding
the ridges of the gullies when all of a sudden I went over hard. Landing hands first I yanked my right hand back
and strained my wrist. Lying on the trail untangling my shorts from some roots all I could think was..are my legs ok.
Knee copped a hit but was fine. I stood up and looked at my hand, already swelling up. It didn‘t take long before I
had to remove my watch. I hustled along figuring I could still run so just kept moving. I was annoyed but relieved I
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Glasshouse 100 mile 2011
hadn‘t hurt my legs and could keep running. That said I was very cautious over the next few kms or indeed along
any technical trail thereafter.
CP5 was a welcome sight; I grabbed some fruit and headed off for the goat track to CP6. Ran this section quite
well with a couple of 50kers passing me. As I approached CP6 I noticed some of the front pack, Zac and Dave C
were backtracking after going the wrong way. There was some confusion with the signage here and after a few
minutes we finally made our way onto the correct trail to CP8. At this stage Gordi, who would be my partner in
crime had closed the gap and caught up. We would remain together for the rest of the race. As we left the CP
Maggot passed us with ease, he was pacing himself very well.
It was starting to get warmer along the trail to CP8 but a cool breeze helped keep temps down. The powerlines
were wet in places with large pools of water and mud but most could be skirted carefully. I put a small gap into
Gordi along the technical stuff but he soon caught up and passed me as we made our way up the hill into CP8.
It was great to see Ann and the gang at CP8 but I didn‘t want to hang around too long, just filled up and left. I set
off just ahead of Gordi but soon enough we were together again. He didn‘t want to miss the mango tree turn off.
We also had a new canine friend tag along, followed us out of the CP and stayed with us for the entire western
loop. At times it would run just in front of us almost tripping us, a few sharp words from Gordi and it would move
over.
As we trudged back up the hill into the CP Tugger pulled up alongside and walked for a bit chatting. He of course
was coming off his second loop and was doing it easy.
I was looking forward to meeting up with my crew for the remainder of the race - Dave McKinnon who would be
back at the CP. As we approached the CP, he appeared and mentioned he had heard about my fall and subsequently had prepared a compression bandage for my (broken) wrist. Superb crew, I immediately felt much better
leaving for the second loop at 8b. A couple of panadeine forte no doubt helping matters too.
The second loop felt so much easier than previous years with the cooler conditions and soon enough ‗Team
Spordi‘ were back at 8 for the final time.
The new course to 7 was rather dull. As we approached the CP we saw a fast moving Zac on his way out having
finished his 4.4km loop at 7. The loop itself was a mixture of jogging and power walking. This time as we left 7 we
saw Brick on his way in.
I was enjoying fruit and creamed rice with salted spuds at the CPs and felt great all the way back to 6 and on to 5.
This is my favourite time of the day as the shadows grow longer and Mt Beerwah rises majestically before you as
you approach the last bit of goat track stuff around its perimeter. It‘s a big advantage getting this part of the trail
out of the way in daylight. I still had my partner in crime tagging along as we pushed each other nicely. I was
strong on the downhill technical stuff while Gordi made light work up any uphills. We said a quick g‘day to Innes
as we passed him here; he would go on to finish the 100ker in a respectable time.
CP 5 was busy as we dug out our lights and night gear. In truth we had just enough time to get back to base
(CP2) without lights but you never know. Dave was doing a great job getting me in an out of the CPs swiftly.
We passed the lookout at 5 and continued on the very runnable trails back to Matthew Flinders Park and 1A. Not
long after hanging a right and heading for CP2 Maggot appeared. He was moving well and in good spirits having
had his pit stop at base. I figured he had a good 40 minutes on us, but we would continue to chase.
Back at Base I changed into a warmer top and got some calories in. I was leaving ahead of Gordi who was taking
a little while longer getting his shit together. We teamed up again headed out onto the eastern section. 110kms
down, 51kms to go.
We jogged the entire way to Moffat‘s Road making good time. Gordi is a funny bloke to run with, constantly making noises, grunting and breathing heavily. I had to zone out at times in order to keep the distraction at bay. At
one point I thought he was keeling over. He would occasionally yell out (like a painful yell) having landed awkwardly or almost tripping, I‘d turn around only to see he was fine each time. Never a dull moment with Gord.
A very fast moving Mike LeRoux on his way home then appeared. I looked at my watch in disbelief; the race record was going down big time.
We ambled into CP9 after a wet and muddy traverse of Tibrogargan Creek. It‘s always nice to see our Dutch
friends there who have been volunteering at CP9 for years now. We made light work of Wildhorse and were soon
ushered on our way to 10.
SEASON 2: NEWSLETTER 1
PAGE 11
Glasshouse 100 mile 2011
The trail deteriorated rapidly as we negotiated numerous pools of water and muddy patches. This slowed things
down a little and by the time we got to CP10 my legs felt quite worked. I was looking forward to saying hi to Bill
Thompson‘s wife Jane who looks after this CP. She was having a kip however, so I missed her. Dave was giving me
an idea on some splits for those ahead. There was a few struggling out there it appeared, and so we set off again
chasing any shrapnel.
Right enough on our way back from the second (very slow and sandy) loop at 10 we came across a very haggard
looking Zac. He was now walking dejectedly back to 10 having spent an inordinate amount of time on the last
loop. We checked on him and wished him well. This would now place us joint 6th in the field. Could we catch
Mal?
The run back to CP9 was again a painful affair with crappy footing and slowish progress. As we sat briefly eating
pizza, I looked at Gord and mentioned ‗12km to go mate, let‘s smash it‘.
We got up grabbed our tickets and headed up Wildhorse for the last time. Gord was way out in front here, moving very well. I trudged up and took a brief moment to take the wonderful vista on top. Back at 9 and it was game
on. We flew out, realising we could break 19.30 if we pushed it, a respectable time.
I faltered somewhat though on the boring wide forest trails that brought us back to Moffats Rd, finally coming
good when we crossed the road and could ‗smell the barn door‘. There would be no catching Mal however who
finished comfortably under 19hrs. And so we settled for joint 6th place with a good push along the last section
back home.
Running the final km or so, memories came flooding back of the numerous finishes I have been blessed to have
experienced here. It‘s not the prettiest 100 mile course in the country but certainly has a unique charm of its own,
the birthplace of my 100 mile journey.
Thanks to Gordi for pushing me and keeping me honest at times.
Thanks too to the tireless Ian Javes and his crew of volunteers.
Lastly, Dave McKinnon, thank you for playing a big part in my brand new shiny GH100 PB!
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R ac e 2 : W e n t wo rt h Fa l l s
Race 2 at Wentworth falls and the weather was so
much better than our first race at Mt Portal. Eager
members arrived ready to race one of the most technical courses of the series. This course can probably
also boast having the most steps on the course, but to
help runners forget about those steps, it winds its way
through some pretty spectacular parts of the Blue
Mountains.
To help congestion, this race was split into two start
waves, with wave 2 setting off in hot pursuit of the tail
enders in wave 1.
Results
Female:
Joanne Barton
1.49.16
Susan Keith
1.54.02
Anne Mackie
1.55.06
Wave 1 start
Male:
Fabrice Bardy
1.26.20
Jak Bukovvinsky
1.27.40
Ewan Horsburgh
1.28. 12
Here are a couple of great member write ups for you!
Wave 2 start
R ac e 2 R ac e r e p o rt.
B y J oa n n e Ba rt o n
My goal last year was to run hard in all six races of the
inaugural Running Wild trail series. I achieved this,
placing and loving each of the different courses. This
year, after a winter of inactivity due to injury, the goal
was to make it to the start line of as many races as possible and finish intact. While I finished Race 1, it wasn‘t
exactly pretty. Now, standing here at Wentworth Falls,
at the start line of Race 2 I had the benefit of an extra
month‘s training and felt pretty relaxed. No pre-race
jitters, no pressure - just a run to enjoy and gauge how
much conditioning I‘d lost.
At the starter‘s gun the field headed off for a half lap
around Wilson Park before running through Charles
Darwin Walk arch and onto roughly 3km of single
track. I tuck into the back of a group and hold a comfortable pace over the twisting mix of dirt, rocks, roots,
stairs (a taste of things to come) and boardwalk. A
hard left turn and a creek crossing put me at the bottom of an old 4WD track and the first climb of the day.
I‘m quite happy on the hills and manage to pass a few
people here. The 4WD track which is relatively nondescript at this stage turns right to a rocky downhill.
With a momentary head up I laugh out loud here at
the amazing view across the Jamieson Valley. Magnificent! After this it‘s back to concentrating on my footing downhill. By now the pack has thinned and I let a
few runners pass me on the twisting single track. I‘m
feeling fine with no twinges and anticipating the
Grand Stairway down to National Pass. I trot as fast as I
SEASON 2: NEWSLETTER 1
PAGE 13
R ac e 2 R ac e r e p o rt
can manage down the 173 steep steps carved into the
sheer cliff face, agreeing with a fellow runner that it‘s a
shame we can‘t linger on the glorious view out to Mt
Solitary. But honestly, these steps are steep and not
the place to lose concentration.
more breathtaking scenery (not that I‘m brave enough
to look right now). I reel in another couple of runners.
Still climbing. More stairs. I remember now why I‘m
wearing as much compression gear as I can this time
around.
Descending still further to the valley floor and entering
the rainforest section of the course I try to catch up
with some runners ahead. Maybe it‘s because I‘m not
running as hard, but my legs don‘t feel as bad as I remembered after the steps last year. More twists and
turns and steps that seem to be an organic part of the
forest and challenge a short-wheel base like myself,
but it‘s so much fun running across the stepping
stones and catching spray from the waterfalls that I
feel like a child in an adventure playground. I‘m sure
this forest is what Tolkien envisioned when he penned
Lord of the Rings.
The runners are so friendly we start chatting about
times and try to figure out how we are comparing to
last year. I reach the Conservation Hut aid station at
the 10km mark and am pretty sure most of the hard
climbing has finished. The course marking is excellent
so I am able to concentrate on getting to the finish
rather than navigation. From here we drop again onto
Overcliff Track. More twists and deep steps make me
wish for a little added height. And now the mud starts.
No avoiding it. Straight through trying not to slip or
trip on any submerged stepping stones.
As I pass Garth
whose marshalling,
he tells me I‘m first
woman. I think I‘d
better put in a bit
more effort and see
if I can keep it that
way. More large
sandstone block
stepping stones
crossing creeks and
waterfalls and it‘s
time to ascend.
Okay, now the
memory of steps is
returning. Did I
walk these last
year? They are
steep and wet and
everyone seems to be walking so I‘m not worried. Up
we continue and onto a narrow path hugging the side
of the cliff face. There are sheer drops to the left and
I know there are lookouts to the right with what must
be more spectacular vistas but now‘s not the time to
admire the view. A left turn and I‘m back to the single
track of Darwins Walk. This is a winding piece of trail
but having paid attention on the way out, I know
there is not much further to the finish. I‘m determined
to keep my position and push hard along the trail and
back through the arch to Wilsons Park. Done! I‘m
chuffed - only 5 minutes slower than last year, I‘ve
maintained my lead and most importantly, nothing
requires icing. I‘ll definitely be back next year.
Joanne Barton
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Running Wild Race #2 – Wentworth Falls (16km), NSW.
by Nick Weinholt
"Is there a lot of stairs and climbs in this one?"
Travelling along the M4 as the fog began to lift and a
cloudy dawn broke across western Sydney, the conversation began to focus on the race ahead as the
foothills of the Blue Mountains loomed closer. A quick
look at the race course on MapMyRun had led me to
the incorrect conclusion that most of the race was on
top of the Kings Tableland, an area of short pinch
climbs that makes the last 10km of The North Face 100
a difficult affair, but would not present much trauma in
a short 16km race.
"Nah - nothing much to worry about. Few quick
climbs, but nothing too bad".
As the crowds gathered at Wilson Park at Wentworth Falls, the
normal pre-race rituals of warmup jogs, kit preparation and
queues for the facilities were carried out under a grey sky, but
with the forecast showers holding off. After a short race briefing by Running Wild co-founder
Sean Greenhill, the first wave of
the race was off on a quick tour
around Wilson Park and then
onto single track past Jamison
Creek. A large turn-out of
around 200 runners had resulted
in the field being divided into
two waves – with a 50 minute
10km time used as the rough
rule of thumb for wave divisions. With a planned assault on
a sub-40 10km planned for the
summer, I opted for the first
wave and with a starting position towards the pointy end, the pace down the board
-walks that parallel the creek was quite fast despite the
tricky footing conditions.
Short races don‘t produce the same linear, coherent
memories as marathons and longer events. Rather
than a product of short elapsed time, the snapshot
memory recollection seems to be more influenced by
the much higher pulse rate that these events are run
at, and despite some pre-race thoughts about taking it
easy to give a slightly battered hamstring a break, the
narrow single track and competitive field meant that I
was hooning along a quite a clip. The thirty or so runners tightly bunched in what could loosely be described as the lead pack were in a similar groove, with
sharp and ragged breathing from all sides competing
with the initial stirs of the birds and other wild-life
whose forest home we were sharing for the morning.
The second snap-shot memory of the morning was the
relatively smooth and easy 4km section between the
end of Darwins Trail and the start of the National Pass
trail. In this section, the focus was on controlling the
breathing, dropping the pulse rate down a little to a
level that would be sustainable for the next ninety
minutes or so, and concentrating on enjoying the
run. The cloud covered had cleared and with the
sparsely forested terrain, the mandatory hydration that
all runners were carrying was put to use as the sun
beat down.
The steep descent down steps and trails is my enduring memory of the race – stunning panorama‘s of the
Jamison Valley and gorgeous falls cooled the runners
in a fine mist. In any race that starts and
finishes at the same point, a steep descent
is a sure sign of impending pain on the
inevitable incline, and as the field spread
out and the course reached the head of
the Valley of Waters, long climbs up steep
and uneven stairs dropped runners into a
walk. The views and waterfalls along this
section are stunning, and a return visit at a
more leisurely pace is definitely planned.
After climbing out of the Valley, the familiar
Overcliff and UnderCliff tracks led back to
Wentworth Falls and the final few kilometres along Darwins Walk to the finish. A
few runners who had set off a bit hard
were struggling in this section, and I picked
up a place or two as all caution was
thrown to the wind, the throttle was
opened up and good running conditions
made for a fast pace.
Upon crossing the line (in 17th place as it
turned out, with 176 finishers in the 16km
long course event and a further 20 running an
abridged 10km loop) and catching up with one of the
runners who had car-pooled with me up to the race,
we began discussing the rather substantial lack of
quality of my assessment of course toughness and
whether the final member of our party, a Masters runner who generally preferred courses without excessive
elevation deltas, would mention my rather misplaced
assessment of course conditions. As the BBQ sizzled,
the finishers mixed in relaxed, smiling groups in Wilsons Park and a few brief showers validated the forecast, our runner appeared, moving to the finishing line
with a determined gait and wry grin. It was apparent
the stairs might get a mention.
"You bastard. I thought you said it was going to be
flat".
SEASON 2: NEWSLETTER 1
PAGE 15
R ac e 3 — h o k a o n e o n e k e d u m ba h a l f m a r at h o n .
Kedumba Pass is well known to local Blue Mountains
runners as a fantastic place to run, especially in the
lead up to the Six Foot Track marathon, as its pretty
good hill training! So it seemed quite logical to make
this beautiful trail part of one of the Running Wild
mountain series races.
The Kedumba Valley really is a hidden gem in the Blue
Mountains. For all those runners concentrating hard
on the race, here are a couple of photos of the things
you didn't really get the chance to see, but the committee did.
Race 3 of the Running Wild series is arguably the
toughest half marathon in Australia, with a long
downhill section, water crossings and a long haul back
up the pass to the start. It was a glorious day for a run!
Mt Solitary peeking out from the early morning mist at
the half way point
Pre race discussions at the start of the Hoka One One
Kedumba half marathon. Photo courtesy of Roger Hanney.
RESULTS:
Male:
1.
Andrew Tuckey (SS)
1.31.56
2.
Fabrice Bardy (RW)
1.36.56
3.
Andrew Lee (RW)
1.37.26
Female:
1.
Georgie Moore (SS)
1.53.45
2.
Joanne Barton (SS)
1.55.40
3.
Gill Fowler (RW)
2.03.28
A monitor lizard hiding from runners up a tree in the
Kedumba valley
This race was the second year of the Running Wild vs.
Sydney Strider Mountain Challenge, with many Striders
keen to take up the challenge.
The race was a huge success and the near vertical
climb out from the valley a big talking point by most
runners back at the finish.
Congratulations to all runners—a fantastic performance all round, with Sydney Striders taking out 1st
male and 1st female and Running Wild winning the
team event trophy.
PAGE 16
RUNNING
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Runners Always Welcome at the Mental Hospital.
By Roger Hanney
The Hoka One One Kedumba Half Marathon was a
truly Running Wild event. Without getting too soppy it
was an honour to hang our banner with you guys and
the day seemed to hit the spot for just about everyone.
In proper RW style, there was a solid turnout, many of
the usual suspects with a few noticeable absences –
likely off the back of Great North Walk the week before, and a typical mixture of competitive sledging and
social trotting.
However the trailheads want to play with numbers,
Striders scored a definite takedown. Andrew Tuckey
killed it in 91:56 (even better than the predicted
92:15), showing similar form to his Coastal Classic win
a few months ago. Georgie Moore was genuinely
happy as well to break a string of second places for a
win. Top job also to Jo Barton, Fabrice Bardy, Gill
Fowler and local hero Andrew Lee.
Runners up each receive
a $50 voucher for Summit Gear in Katoomba or
Glenbrook (thanks Brett
& Summit Gear – Western Sydney‘s Hoka One
One outlet). Both winners get their pick of a
pair of Hoka One One for
slamming downhill or
just running for hours
with reduced fatigue.
Just ask Natalie, Buzz,
Spud, Jane, or Richo.
This, in part, is why we‘re
doing what we‘re doing
– bringing shoes to
events and group runs
and instores for people to try for themselves. Talk is
cheap and feeling is believing. A fat, light shoe that
genuinely looks weird goes against the last few years
of increasingly minimal, streamlined footwear and all
the various assertions about ‗natural running‘ that accompany it.
But the two guys behind Hoka – Jean-Luc Diard and
Nicolas Mermoud – have over 30 years experience in
research and development between them. As lovers of
gravity sports – mainly skiing and mountain biking –
and with Mermoud‘s move from adventure racing to
top level ultra running, they wanted to bring the same
joy to descents in running that exist for almost every
mountain sport.
A 10km downhill like Kedumba should be fast, relatively painless, and a lot of fun. The shoe‘s other design
elements coincidentally work brilliantly for endurance
running.
Inside, the Hoka‘s heel-toe drop is effectively identical
to the Inov-8 F-lite 195. And thanks to a couple of
crazy French men who headed in the opposite direction when everyone else decided minimal should be
skinny, the shoe employs a superlight EVA, a cupped
design that sits up around the foot, and an outsole
that works like spellcheck for your feet whether the
ground is uneven or fatigue is negatively effecting running form.
Taking all of these efficiencies and adding a broad sole
with heel and forefoot protection seems to reduce impact on joints, and the need for damaging braking
forces that leave your
legs tired before it‘s time
for on the inevitable
climb that follows any
good downhill.
Sounds like a fairytale?
Yes, I know. See previous
comments about bringing shoes out for runners
like yourself to try on and
play with, for yourselves : )
Thanks to Phil, Jo, Rod,
Sean and the whole RW
crew for inviting us to
partner with you for
what was a great day
out. Cheers to everybody who came over and had a
look at the Mafate and Bondi and went for a run or a
walk or a bounce in either. It was a real pleasure to be
involved and probably the best excuse I could come
up with for not running the week after my first miler
was to man the stall.
Hoka hope to partner again with Running Wild, later
this season and beyond. Happy racing through
2011/12 everybody – keep getting to those starting
lines healthy, and see you next run!
Drop by www.facebook.com/HokaOneOneAustralia,
HokaOneOne.com.au, or come find me – Roger Hanney – online or at Cool Runnings, posting as Dirty,
SEASON 2: NEWSLETTER 1
PAGE 17
K i n g i s l a n d u lt r a .
B y N ata l i e J e n n i n g s
Having entered mostly trail Ultras in 2011 I wasn‘t sure
what to expect from the King Island Ultra – 78km. The
event was being run in conjunction with the 150th Anniversary
of the Lighthouse at Cape Wickham, located on a small island
just off Tasmania. I was drawn to
the uniqueness of this run and
the lure of a long weekend away
from the hustle and bustle of Sydney was certainly appealing.
A quick trip to Melbourne and a
connecting flight to King Island is
the only mode of transport to get
to this race. Upon landing I soon
found my hire car company representative (a car is essential as there is no public transport on King Island) and my accommodation contact,
they were both waiting for me on arrival.
The accommodation was just breathtaking, sweeping
ocean views with nothing between the front deck and
South America. There are so many fantastic things that
I could say about the accommodation and surrounds
but this is a running race report after all.
On the morning of the start a few runners gathered at
the post office in the township of Currie and we were
taken to the start which was at Stokes‘s Point Lighthouse, the southernmost point of King Island. Before
The course soon turned into dirt road once we were
off the point and this continued for some distance as
the road moved away from
the coast and started to take
us inland. The rolling hills
continued and although
nothing too tough or steep
they were certainly enough
to keep a runner honest and
were compounding when
taking the distance into account.
The long stretch of dirt road
was scattered with the very
prominent wild wallaby road
kill. The problem is I could
hear the flies or smell rotting flesh before I could see
the carcass. It all adds to the character of the event
and made for interesting running while trying to hold
my breath at the same time.
Drink stations were strategically placed and provided
some great relief as the temperature started the rise.
There were some un manned water stops along the
way which were handy for a top up if needed. There
wasn‘t any sports drink at the aid stations so I decided
to pack my own and make it up as I went along. I carried a 3 litre bladder and pack with my food plus a
600ml water bottle to make up my sports drink. In my
pack I had a rain jacket with a hood, food and some
first aid supplies.
After the long winding dirt road the course then turns
further inland and takes a route which is mostly bitumen. The course is open and exposed for all of the
bitumen section and is in the direct sun, heat and wind
with the possibility of showers at any time. It pays to
be prepared for all weather conditions. The views on
this run are nothing short of spectacular with so many
―wow‖ moments to admire along the way.
long we were on our way. There were some walking
teams that had started half an hour before the runners. The runners were made up some solo runners
and a few relay teams. The first seven kilometres was
on a semi trail like track that was scattered with shale
like rocks and sharp stones on rolling hills.
The roads were long and seemed never ending but
there was something that just kept me going knowing
that I was going to be running the entire length of
King Island, lighthouse to lighthouse.
The locals were so supportive and everyone was exceptionally friendly. Just about every car waved or
yelled out encouragement as they passed me.
The last 8km of the course is on dirt road and this section of the course is very unforgiving and extremely
PAGE 18
RUNNING
WILD
K i n g i s l a n d u lt r a
exposed to the elements. The heat was bearing down
and the pesky hills were starting to bite as I neared the
back end of the 78km course. With all of the Lighthouse celebrations going on
there was a constant stream of
cars heading in the same direction to take part in the festivities
of the day. This made for a
dusty final 8k and this is where I
spotted my first snake which
sadly had been hit by a car.
was on the microphone and announced that I had
completed the event in 8hrs and 22mins. I was elated
to have been a pioneer in this event and to be part of
the Cape Wickham Lighthouse
150TH Anniversary celebrations.
Ian did a fantastic job organising this event and has taken on
board a few suggestions for
some improvements for next
year. Anyone thinking of entering this event I would say DO
IT! King Island has so much to
offer for the whole family from
pristine beaches, crayfish pies
and let‘s not forget the amazing
King Island dairy, yum! There is
some amazing Maritime history
associated with this Island and I
would suggest that a stay of at
least three days would be just
enough to see and do everything this little gem has to offer.
As with most events when I
know the end is near every kilometre seems like three when all
I want to do is just get there.
What seemed like forever, I finally had the gorgeous tall
white structure in sight. I managed to pull myself together
and run the final 800m along
the car lined track towards the
green flags which was the finish line. I decided to take the
final little hill and ran up to
touch the lighthouse because
after all it was all about her and
not me. Ian the race director
Vo l u n t e e r i n g AT RW E V E N T S
If you find yourself unable to run, or are injured, we
are always looking for volunteers to help us at all
events. Volunteers are always in high demand and we
really appreciate any help you can give us.
Volunteering can also be a really rewarding experience, plus an eye opener as to what happens on the
other side of the race. Go on, volunteer, you will be
pleasantly surprised.
Turn point location at the half way point of a race 3.
Great place to spend a few hours volunteering!
SEASON 2: NEWSLETTER 1
PAGE 19
O t h e r Ru n n i n g w i l d n e w s a n d i n f o r m at i o n
RW/NORTHSIDE RUNNERS GLENBROOK MARATHON
ONLINE REGISTRATION:
The Running Wild, Northside Runners Glenbrook
Marathon has been re-organized for 18th December.
All short course series will now use an online registration system. Members can still register on the day, but
online entries are preferred.
Entries have already re-opened and we hope you have
been successful in securing a place second time round
if you missed out originally.
For those of you who
didn't see the photo of
the causeway on the Saturday morning of the
original race date, here it
is. Perhaps we should
have changed the race to
a swimming event instead!
See you on 18th December when hopefully the
causeway will not look
like this!
NEXT RUNNING WILD NEWSLETTER:
Running Wild is keen to expand the newsletter with
many more race reports from our members. Reports
can be from any trail events, not just Running Wild
events, in fact the more the better!
MONEY RAISED AT HOKA ONE ONE KEDUMBA HALF
MARATHON:
As you were aware, Running
Wild was raising money for
Lisa-Maree Major, who
passed away on the 13th
October 2011 aged 38 years.
Lisa was a wife, a mother of
2 beautiful children and was
well known as an enthusiastic runner. Lisa loved trail
running, the peace and
beauty of these runs and the
challenge of competing in
running events in the mountains. Lisa is sadly missed.
Running Wild would like to say a huge thank you to all
runners who donated. On the day, $750 was raised
and Running Wild will donate a further $250 to make
this up to $1000. This will make a huge difference to
Lisa‘s family in the lead up to Christmas.
Please send your articles to us at:
[email protected].
Please include photos, as everyone loves to see photos
and it makes us feel like we were there with you!
Upcoming events:
Running Wild would like to say good luck to all runners competing in any events in the coming weeks, in
particular to Running Wild members (including many
of our own committee) who are running. A couple of
these events are listed below, but there are no doubt
many more.
The KEPLER CHALLENGE or the LUXMORE GRUNT
(3rd December)
COAST TO KOSCIUSZSKO (9th December)
Plus multiple fatass style events, of which there are
several at this time of year.
If you know of any events that you would like us to
add to this section, please contact us with information.
Note: For full details of all upcoming events, please
refer also to the race calendar held at coolrunning.com.au
PAGE 20
See our website for all Running Wild
information:
Runningwildnsw
.com
(Note the NSW as part of our web
address).
Or contact us at:
[email protected]
About Running Wild:
Running Wild was formed to fill a perceived void in organised,
quality trail running experiences for athletes in NSW, with the
goals of staging low cost trail runs and to foster, encourage
and promote the experience and enjoyment of Trail Running.
Running Wild is keen to provide NSW runners with opportunities to regularly run on trails and where better than in the Blue
Mountains National Park. The park covers a huge area and is
already known for great races such as the Woodford to Glenbrook, the Six Foot Track and The North Face 100, but there
are many other excellent trails out there, just waiting to be
run. Our vision is to bring new and exciting trail races to all
runners, which is also good for us, as it gives the committee a
really good excuse to get out on the trails and run more, to
find even better trails to share.
To be allowed to run these stunning trails, we also strive to
also build positive long term relationships with key stake holders, such as National Parks and Wildlife Services and the Department of Lands for the benefit of all users.
Ultimately, our aim is to organise to the best of our ability, unsurpassed trail runs that cater for all levels of runners, from
elite runner‘s right through to those who just enjoy a great
day out running on the trails with likeminded friends.
Our events are a great way to meet a fantastic bunch of likeminded people, as well as enjoy some of the best trails in the
Blue Mountains. Come along to some runs and experience it
for yourself. After each race, there is usually a BBQ where you
can get excellent food and then sit back, relax and share the
stories of your run with your fellow runners.
It is our hope to see many of you at one of the Running Wild
Trail Association events coming to a trail near you.