This was my first ultra trail race since UTA100 way back in 2016, and Carole’s first ever ultra, so I approached it with a fair amount of trepidation.
We arrived at the start about 15 minutes before our allotted start time, only to hear over the loud speaker that our wave was to start in 3 minutes. We only had time for a quick dash to the loos, before running to the start, and we were off. When I looked behind me as we crossed the start line there were only a small handful of people behind us.
The first 6.5k was 3 out and back sections on the roads around the start at Scenic World. We stuck to our plan from the start and walked up the hills and ran the flats and downhills. There were 3 road out and backs, with one short fire trail section. Fairly hilly. All up or down!
Then on to the Prince Henry Cliff Walk to Echo Point, and down to the beginning of the Giant Stairway at 8.5k. All fairly easy runnable formed pathways.
About a km after Echo Point we joined the back of the queue at the top of the Giant Staircase next to the Three Sisters. We waited for what seemed like an eternity, but was only probably 10-15 minutes max. Then a long narrow and slow descent down the stairs to the Laura Forest.
The section along the Leura Forest floor was short and mostly runnable. Only about 1-2k before we started climbing again up to the Leura Cascades. The climb up was steep and long.
Then the next section of about 5-6k to the Fairmont Resort aid station is a bit of a blur. We popped out on to a short road section for a k or so, then back down onto the trails, and past Olympic Rock (I think), where there is a bridge and a photo opportunity.
Eventually we popped back out on to the road again about 800m from Fairmont, and it was a steady incline up before the last hill down to the resort.
We agreed in advance to spend as little time as possible at the aid station, and no more than 5 minutes, so it was a nice quick transition - just time for a refill, some watermelon, and a quick loo stop, and we were off again. I had only been through one of my bottles, so refilled that,
The section after Fairmont was a reasonably long runnable downhill, before it got steep down to a stream crossing, and back up the other side. Then some more runnable trail. The trail through here was quite rocky though, and Carole took a tumble. She was shocked, but not hurt. In hindsight, we shouldn’t have run it. It was along this section that the two leading 100k men passed us. We didn’t realise what was happening at first. They breezed past, and then were gone! A NZ runner, George Murray, was in the lead and went on to win the 100k in a little over 9hrs 30.
After that section we popped out on to the road, near some loos, then back down to Wentworth Falls. More undulating stairs down and up. Then across the top of the falls, where I bumped into Michelle Pepper. Small world.
The climb after the falls was a technical pinch, that took us up to Tablelands Road. The track is a wide gravel gentle incline, which we (and most others) walked. It would be runnable if you had the legs and fitness. It was a gradual incline for 1-2k, then a brief flat, followed by a gradual decline (on rough ground) all the way to the QVH aid station. We walked the decline after learning some lessons from Carole’s fall earlier.
At QVH we employed the same strategy of not mucking about, and getting back onto the course in less than 5 minutes. I’d been through another bottle, so refilled that, necked a couple of cups of coke, and we were off.
I thought the section after QVH was all downhill, but there was a section of about 1k of gradual uphill before the descent into Kedumba. On this section the leading woman 100k runner, Emily Gilmour-Walsh went past us. About 10 minutes behind her was Lucy Bartholemew in 2nd place.
The descent was, as I remembered it, long - about 8k and very steep in parts. We ran most of it, apart from the very steep bits, which we walked to try to save our quads. I think that mostly worked, as we got to the bottom at Jamieson Creek feeling ok, and having passed a few. I still felt like I had a good amount of energy and running left in my legs.
From Jamieson, there are three steep climbs (not two, as I had mapped) to the last aid station at 41k. They are all about 1k long. At the base of the third climb, just after you cross the second creek (I’ll come back and put the name in…), I felt cramp beginning in my right quad. Oh no. I took a cramp stop “gel” - it tasted like vinegar - and that seemed to help. After 2 minutes we were back on the climb.
At the last aid station there were a few runners looking worse for wear, but we were both ok. We made short work of it again, and headed out.
It was just beginning to get dark, so a few hundred metres after the aid station we put on hour headlamps.
The climb out of the aid station was, as I expected, long and hard - about 3.5k, before the sewage works and the entry onto the single track for the last section.
The single track section started with a wet and muddy climb for 1-2k. Here, we realised that Carole’s headlight was crap, and she could hardly see. From here on in we walked the last 6-7k.
The last 5k was mostly runnable (if it wasn’t very dark and muddy) heading back towards the Furber Stairs. We hiked in a train, letting 100k runners past. The section seemed to drag on and on, as we were doing 15 minute plus ks in the dark. It was slow progress.
Eventually, we reached the bottom of Furber and steeled ourselves for the climb out. We took a couple of rest stops along the way, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I remembered it. We took about 30 minutes to climb up to the top. As we neared the top, we could hear music, which I assumed was the finish line. It wasn’t. It was some supporters. But, they said the top was only 100-150m away, which seemed unbelievable at the time.
Next thing we knew we were on the finish ramp, and knew we had done it. We ran across the finish line together holding hands. Bruce and Dave were there to meet us, and Matt Rayment called us across the line. He said that I had inspired him by dragging him out to run in the Waitakere Ranges, which was a cool thing to hear.
Finish time 12hrs 25 minutes 04 seconds! 124/130 in my AG, and 1783/1857 overall.
It was never about the time or place, but about finishing together with Carole, and we bloody well did it!
A huge sense of achievement, happiness and love.
Things that went well:
- Training together - ironing out issues with blisters, practising nutrition, and building endurance, so we could continue running through the day;
- Gear - UD vest, Salomon Sense Pro 4 shoes, Injinji toe socks;
- Nutrition - ate to hunger and drank to thirst. Little bits at a time. OSM bars and Tailwind mostly, with a few treats at the aid stations. Coke from QVH;
- Togetherness :-)
- Headlamp choice - the more powerful the better for the very dark forest section at the end;
- Running down technical trails - be careful!
- Cramp stop - should have carried more cramp stop gels - the one I had seemed to work well.
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