The long journey back at the Alpine Challenge 100km

1 week ago I ran my personal best distance-wise for almost a year. It wasn't my fastest time by a long shot, but given the terrain, the absolute remoteness and self-reliance expected, and where I was at with my body and on-going achilles niggle, I was stoked just to make it back to the finish line. Even better, I felt strong, happy, and as if I could've run a little further.

It's an old story. The one of injury. Every runner will experience it at some stage, whether it's a toenail that falls off, a scratch or scrape, or something more insidious like an ITB inflammation or the dreaded achilles tendonopathy. When injury happens to you as a runner though, the implications become personal. No longer are you able to enjoy what gave you the most pleasure, that sense of freedom not found elsewhere. I would also argue that it is hard for non-runners to understand the absense of running in one's life.

For the last 3 months I have been carefully managing this niggle. Some days are great and I can run carefree, other days a simple 40min run at an easy pace really aggravates the injury. There is no rhyme or reason, just management and celebration after every run. Luckily, hiking hills and downhill running didn't seem to cause any problems, and so this is where I have focused my efforts! Going into this race I was really nervous of my own capabilities: the longest training run I had completed was 34km, so 100km seemed like a very long distance all of a sudden!

The Alpine Challenge 100km was a race I really wanted to do. I really wanted to run in the Australian Alps, to run in our own unique Alpine landscape. And it was an amazing journey. For the first 50km I was mostly running with a few friends, enjoying the scenery and being careful with my achilles. For the second 50km I was alone, surrounded by true mountain weather - mist, rain, passing sunshine, and feeling stronger as I got closer to the finish.

The team (myself, Nick, my sister Thea, and my brother Werner) at the Tawonga Gap lookout before race day:

Race morning, 4:15am, with Matt Cooper, feeling pretty surreal in the dark:

Waiting at the start:

The Victorian Alps waking up, a beautiful morning for running (photo: Werner)

Arriving on the summit of Mt Bogong. 35km and 6 hours later.. (Photos: Werner):  

Quick check-in with my crew - here with my lovely sister Thea:

  

Heading off from the second checkpoint at Langford's Gap (at 63km). By now the weather had changed and it was cold and rainy (Photos: Werner):

Tawonga Hut at 78km -  I had a quick check-in with my crew before the final leg of the race (Photo: Werner):

Race presentation at Bogong Jacks (Photo: Werner)

With Matt Cooper (He set a new course record for the men in the 100km, and won outright in 12:31hr):

Arriving at the finish, with only a handful of people - the Alpine Search and Rescue representative, my crew, and Matt Cooper`s parents, I realised that in the end finishing your own personal journey is what matters. 

I`m ever grateful to my amazing support crew: my brother, sister, and sister`s boyfriend. Thanks also to Salomon and Suunto Australia - your support of the sport is incredible. 

Alpine Challenge 100km Countdown

The Australian Alps in the distance through layers of mist and cloud:

The Australian Alps as seen on a beautiful twilight evening (Mt Bogong is on the right in the distance):

4 sleeps to go. 800km to drive to reach the race start. Bags to pack, gear to prepare, maps to study. On Saturday I'll be lining up with friends and my Salomon team mate Matt Cooper to run the Alpine Challenge, an event of various distances through the Australian Alps. While some runners will be competing in the full 100miles, I'm facing 100km and ~4900m+. 

The event is tough. Maybe the toughest Australia has to offer. Not only are the trails very remote, the checkpoints are scant and most only accessible on foot after 4+ km of hiking. So, for much of the race I will need to be self supported, carrying enough food for 60km, grabbing water at streams and river crossings, and ensuring that my mandatory gear works as we will be running in conditions forecasted to range from sun to snow showers!

I have had an annoying lead up to the race, with my preparations having been constrained by an Achilles injury that flared up here and there. Interestingly, I have been able to enjoy as many hill sessions as I want, but on the flatter trails the tendon has often been inflamed and tender following a run. With this in mind, I just feel lucky that I can run, and that I have been able to continue training. 

I am looking forward to seeing old friends come the weekend, and to share the journey with my amazing crew: My brother, sister and her partner. You guys rock!

Salt, sand, and scrub at the 2012 Surf Coast Century

This past weekend brought together all the elements of why I love trail running. It was a weekend with friends I had not seen since The North Face 100km race in May. We came from our various homes on the east coast of Australia, travelling south for the inaugural Surf Coast Century. The event was staged along a stretch of dramatic southern coastline reaching west from Melbourne. Having just returned from Europe, nothing felt better than being by the beach, enjoying the good weather, and having a swim in some salty surf!

Some of the coastline that made up the Surf Coast Century course:

Evening sun on sandstone:

Native Australian flora along the trail:

Some of the race course ran along the scrub* on this cliff top:

I had initially signed up to run the race in a team with my friend Samantha, but at the last minute plans changed, opening up the opportunity for me to run with my Salomon Australia team mates. We had 2 days before the race which we spent around the table eating amazing salads and avocado toasties, out on the trails, in the local coffee shop (I would highly recommend the Red Till in Anglesea), down at the beach, learning to surf, napping, cooking, joking around, getting excited about all the different races we wanted to race next year, and talking about the places we still wanted to explore. 

By the time race day arrived the whole team was focused on having fun, running well, and more importantly, encouraging and cheering on the other competitors. Like so many of the established trail races in Australia, I felt that this event had succeeded in bringing together a bunch of like-minded, like-souled people for a day of laughing, sweating, sand, and mud.

Personally, I was really happy to only run the last 23km leg of the 100km event as my body has been feeling a deep tiredness that needs some quality rest time before tackling the goals of next year! I was also happy to finish the day with enough energy to enjoy the atmosphere at the finish line, to enjoy an evening BBQ with friends, and to return the next day to run 14km in the last race of the Salomon Trail Series.

The race start:

With Mick, after he had run the first leg of the race (Photo courtesy of Oli Wilson): 

Running along the beach with my team mate Matt, very different terrain from what I usually run on (Photo courtesy of Oli Wilson): 

At the finish line with the whole team. We placed 3rd team overall, 1st mixed (Photo courtesy of Oli Wilson):

Some night time spectating (Photo courtesy of Matt Cooper):

Fantastic crowd at race 4 of the Salomon Trail Series (Photo courtesy of Oli Wilson):

At the finish line of the 14km race with my friend Leeah (Photo courtesy of Oli Wilson):

Thank you to Sam, John, and the team at Rapid Ascent for staging a great event, and to Naima, Fabi, Sam, Jackson, and Oli  (team awesome) for hosting a lovely weekend, and never-ending enthusiasm and energy.

For a more detailed account on the race and how it unfolded read Trail Runner Mag's account here.

*Scrub: Noun Australian native vegetation, similar to bush, but with fewer and shorter trees.