I’ve run the UTA100, or North Face 100 as it was previously known, a few times but it’s been a while since I challenged myself to race this distance. I consider myself much better suited to 100 miles and multi day events than the shorter, faster ultras but after some advice at the end of 2017 from some elite runners on how to improve my 100 mile time, I decided it was time to test myself again in 2018.
I had high hopes, probably too high in hindsight. I hadn’t raced 100kms for 6 years but with a 12:15 103km run at the GNW as part of my GNW 100 mile race in 2017 and a previous time of 14:39 for the North Face 100km in 2012, I felt confident I could run well.
My training had been consistent with a solid 6 month block, hovering around 120 to 140kms a week and peaking at 150kms. It felt good to have a solid base of kms in my legs with plenty of climbing and hiking. I felt pretty fresh going into the event with a 3 week taper and when I arrived on the start line I felt confident, well rested, light and motivated. Maybe today was the day!
I set myself a target of 11 to 12 hours, feeling pretty confident I could crack 12 hours ish.
The night before, I could feel the nerves settling in so I did what every sensible runner does when the nerves strike. I ate a huge pizza and chips (first mistake) and began my relaxation meditation in my Stayz cottage in Leura. I’d been advised by my nutritionist Tamara at MadonNutrition to eat a big lunch and light dinner but my nerves got the better of me. I felt I could burn off the calories the next day quite comfortably but in retrospect I think the high salt content left me very dehydrated.
At the start line I was greeted by the usual suspects. Super fit, smiley athletes from all over Sydney and NSW, Australia and the globe. The creme de la creme of trailrunning lunatics. My running family 🙂
I felt focussed, relaxed and composed. It felt like the stars were aligning not just for me but for all of us. My confidence was high, maybe a little too high. 20 minutes till the gun. Time for a coffee! (mistake number 2)
WHAT?? I never drink coffee on a start line and it’s not something I’d practiced before my weekend long runs so I’m baffled as to why I had a Soy Flat White in my hand before such an important race … but I did. Maybe I thought it would settle the nerves or help me perform better over the relatively fast first 10kms? I really don’t know. But suffice to say, when we set off up Cliff Drive for the first few kms on road, I felt great! The caffeine was kicking in nicely and I was humming along.
I soon found myself chatting to my good friend and local Manly speedster, Nick Hough aka “The Hoff”. As we ran together downhill after the first turn around, we both agreed the weather was near perfect for a good day in the mountains. Hopes were high throughout the field for some juicy PBs. It felt like the running gods were smiling down on us and we might be in for a rare treat. A perfect run in the mountains. Is it possible!?!
Just before we passed Scenic World at the bottom of Cliff Drive, The Hoff pulled ahead. He’s a fast guy so I was happy to let him do his thing. As we headed towards the Kiosk, I heard a familiar young voice shout from the crowd, “My daddy’s beating you!!” It was Nick’s little girl Lucy providing live updates. I gave her a high five, “Your daddy is so fast!” and congratulated myself on not starting out too fast but I was only just behind him and the caffeine was already kicking in.
As we hit the Furber steps, the pace of the pack slowed a little so I tried to overtake a few people and make the most of the downhill. I was a little surprised at how slow people were taking the stairs but in hindsight, maybe I was just going too fast!!
We hit the single track, a little more overtaking as I tried to stick to sub 6 minute kms. Across the landslide, again I was surprised how slow we were all travelling through this section despite being in Wave 1 but again, this could just have been my caffeinated state.
We hit the Golden Stairs and the first real climb. Lots of banter and jokes up here. It was almost reassuring to hit the first climb and be properly starting the race. We were in the thick of it now. No more hugs and high fives. Too late to feel nervous or anxious. It’s time to find the rhythm and settle in for a long day.
The first 10kms felt too easy but I was happy to hit that climb in around 60 minutes and keep to my pacing guidelines. At the top of Narrow Neck I was quickly rejoined by Nick Hough and Jacob Fleming-Gale. The conversation across Narrow Neck was as pleasant as the views across the Blue Mountains. I can honestly say, this was the best run I’ve ever had on Narrow Neck. Great company and great conversation. I also made a new friend, Keelan Birch, who was running his first 100km and celebrating his 21st birthday. The great conversation helped the kms pass effortlessly and before I knew it, we were descending Tarros Ladder around 21kms ish
I bumped into Nikolay Nikolaev descending Tarros Ladder. Nikolay is a legend in the GNW100s world and a super strong trailrunner so seeing him made me feel like I was pacing myself well. We chatted briefly before we hit Mount Debert and I lost him.
As I headed in Dunphys Camp at 31kms, I was 3:05 into the race and feeling fantastic. A quick gulp of water and I was off again. It was great to bump into Gary Mullins who looked super strong. He had taken an entry into the 100km on a whim and was killing it! I overtook him on a couple of downhills and thanked him for letting me tick the “pass Gary Mullins in a race” goal off my bucket list.
At this point, the race started to fall apart. I hit the Ironpot Mountain climb around 33/34kms and my legs felt like jelly. The climb felt much harder than it should’ve been and my pace slowed down to a very slow climb. I haven’t trained on Ironpot Mountain at all (I think this is private land) so I was completed unprepared for the battle to the top.
When I reached the top I was greeted by the familiar sound of a didgeridoo. Man that sounds reverberates deep in my rib cage. If anything can get you shuffling again it’s the sound of this incredible instrument. Hauntingly beautiful, happy and sad sounding simultaneously. Thank you to those musicians, that was a magical moment for me.
Despite the incredible music and feeling of accomplishment for summiting Ironpot, I could feel my legs weren’t right. This is honestly the worst I have felt in a race for a very long time. It’s also the earliest into a race I have fallen apart for a long time. I knew at this point it was going to be a tough day.
On the steep descent from Ironpot, I could feel my quads weren’t happy. Then at 40kms both legs decided they didn’t want to run anymore. Wow! Where did that come from? I haven’t had cramps of any kind in a race for several years so it was a bit of a shock. Quick visit to a tree, caffeine tablets, get some music on, adjust my goals … toughen up princess!
I shouted a bit at my legs, “COME ON! LETS F&*KIN GO!” … they weren’t 100% happy but the caffeine helped. I runner saw me struggling to run and offered some water. Thank you whoever that was!! I quick gulp and I decided I would push on and then put myself back together at CP3.
When I arrived at CP3 at 46kms I was just starting to feel normal again. I put a brave face on it. Got some love from my support crew. Great to see Ben Blackshaw who always says the right things in these moments. My two girls gave me a kiss each and I was off. I told myself, if I can just get to the top of Nellies Glen maybe I can ride this out. Maybe this is just a bad patch and my legs will wake up again.
The run round to the start of Nellies felt great. It was so good to be back on familiar ground. There’s so many advantages to training on the course before race day. Six foot track felt like being home. I wasn’t running fast any more but I was still running so I felt good about that.
Then, Nellie’s Glen … this climb kicks my ass every single time! It never seems to get any easier. Half way up I refilled my water bottle from one of the streams (not sure how sensible this is!). The water was cold and the brief rest helped me recharge a little.
After a bit of swearing and laughing at myself, I finally reached the post near the top of Nellies Glen. It’s such a relief to see that wooden post! I could’ve kissed it!
As I turned back towards Katoomba town, I felt relieved to be through one of the toughest parts of the course. Maybe my legs will start to feel better now?
Arriving at Katoomba Aquatic Centre I could tell this was not going to be my day. My legs had got worse and I was slowing to a shuffle. I was greeted by my support crew and asked for some Voltaren but all they had was some Ice Gel. After a brief massage I was back out the door and running with my new friend Keelan again.
On the course elevation profile I remembered that this section was runnable but it certainly didn’t feel that way. I shuffled through the kms adding some walking breaks to keep my legs happy. I knew my legs were beyond repair so I accepted that the run was now just a case of doing the best I could but the negative voice in my head was getting louder. I hadn’t faced my negative voice or had a bad run for a while so this was an unexpected challenge. Usually I hear my negative voice beyond 100/130kms so to hear it so early was disconcerting.
Running passed the Three Sisters, the crowds and the marshals gave me a cheer and this really lifted my spirits. Also, the professional photographers through here were fantastic liars. Who can resist a comment like “You look amazing!!” and “You look so strong woo!” I don’t think spectators realise how much the runners feed off this positive energy. Thank you beautiful strangers!
Down the giant staircase was tough on broken quads but I was happy to get the job done. The run through Leura was stunning. This section is an incredibly scenic part of the course with waterfalls and incredible views.
When I reached the water point at 70kms, I was greeted again by my support crew who quickly told me that they were unable to help me here and this was just a water point. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself here. I sat down in a chair with some crisps and listened to my coach (and wife) Emma Ward. I explained I was pretty broken. She said, “It’s time to have a good chat to Leeroy.”
I should explain that Leeroy is the name I have for the negative voice in my head. This is a name for every runners internal negative voice given by Mr Tailwind Gavin Markey. Gavin has told me several times during long ultras, “Tell Leeroy to shutup. We don’t need him right now and I don’t want to talk to him.”
My internal conversation with Leeroy went something like this …
Me : “Oh man, we have to keep moving!”
Leeroy : “We can’t. Your legs are f*&ked!”
Me : “But we can still climb and shuffle.”
Leeroy : “Barely! You’re a mess mate.”
Me : “Come on Leeroy I need your help!”
Leeroy : “Seriously, you should just quit. How are you going to make it down Kedumba?”
Me : “We can cross that bridge when we get to it. Can you help me get to Queen Vic?”
Leeroy : “Ha! You can’t run! How the hell are you going to get to Queen Vic?!”
Me : “We can climb and shuffle. Come on Leeroy, you’re stronger than me!”
Leeroy : “Wait what? Did you say I’m stronger than you?”
Me : “Yes mate!”
Leeroy : “And you need MY help to finish?:
Me : “Yes. We need to do this together!”
Leeroy : “We could probably shuffle the rest if I help you.”
Me : “Yes lets do that!”
Leeroy : “Because I’m much stronger than you so I can help you shuffle and climb?”
Me : “Yes shuffle and climb!”
Leeroy : “You promise no running just shuffle and climb right?!”
Me : “Shuffle and climb, that’s it. No running. I promise”
Leeroy : “Ok. Shuffle and climb. Lets do this!”
Leeroy and I shuffled and climbed. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t fast, but it wasn’t slow either. I always think of Scott Jurek on the Appalachian trail when I start falling apart. That dude shuffled and climbed 80/90kms a day for 47 days. It wasn’t pretty but he got the job done!
As I arrived in Queen Vic checkpoint my legs were starting to seize up again but I was euphoric. The slight downhill into the Checkpoint was like a practice for the finish line. I knew if I could fix my legs up in this checkpoint I could still finish in a half decent time.
More high fives and lots of love from my support crew. Some Ice gel all over my legs and I was on my way down Kedumba.
I traversed down the 8kms to Jamison Creek in about 48 minutes or so and started to climb up the other side. It’s such a relief at this point in the race to start counting down instead of counting up. 14kms to go and although they are a tough 14kms, it felt like the home stretch. At this point Karen McMorrow passed me and it was great to see a familiar face. She was looking so strong, tearing through the field and she would go on to finish in 7th place!!! Massive congrats Karen, you smashed it!!
I caught up with James on one of the climbs and we chatted about sci fi movies and beer. He was having some stomach issues and putting a brave face on it but his conversation really helped me through some of these climbs. Thanks James!
Through Leura Forest, passed some very tired looking 50km runners. Absolute credit to all the hikers out there. This is such an incredibly tough course and I truly believe anyone that rocks up to the start line and attempts this beast should be very proud of themselves.
Suddenly there it was. 99kms into the race. 1km to go and the start of the last climb up Furber Steps. I was proud of myself to get to the last part of the course when there were so many reasons to give up. I climbed up the stairs and saw my girls at the top. My 18th month old daughter Nia and I finished the last 200 metres together and it felt like a good day to be in the mountains again.
Finish time 12:56 – new PB although I’m keen to run a sub 12 next year
Position – 102nd
Mistakes –
1) Too much salt the night before
2) Coffee on the start line
3) Setting expectations too high
Favourite memories from race day
– Narrow Neck dad jokes with my running fam
– overtaking Gary (and then eating his dust)
– crossing the line with my little monkey
Lessons learned
– listen to your nutritionist
– don’t drink coffee on the start line you dick!
– a PB is still a PB!
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