2013 Mt Buller Sky Run

Race morning started with the Delatite River in my ears, the sun yet to reach into the deep valley where I was camped out at the start of the race. 

After 2 days of training in the Australian Alps area, I wanted to finish with what must be one of the most scenic race courses in Australia. The La Sportiva Mt Buller Sky Run is put on by Running Wild in Victoria, and has a non-nonsense Race Director that prizes the runners' experience above all else. This makes for a fantastic day out in the mountains and on the trails.

The start was in Merrijig, at the trailhead to the Klinsporn (not King's porn) trail. The climb is immediate, but unlike some of the other trails in the area, this one is quite gentle and slowly winds it way up to the summit of Mt Buller. 

Once above the tree line the views are never ending, the landscape incredible:

No need to rush when on the summit of Mt Buller:

 

From the Mt Buller Summit, the trail runs through the village and onto a trail that traverses across the saddle to Mt Stirling. The trail was dusty, rocky, and quite steep in sections,  requiring good footwork and a large amount of guts and balls to let it rip downhill.

Short climb back up to Mt Stirling Summit:

Mt Stirling Summit:

Looking across to Mt Buller, the ski runs visible down its side:

Trail winding beneath skeleton gums:

For the 36km distance, the runners headed down the Big River Spur for 15km of downhill. By now I was so grateful that my legs were still working, still moving and enjoying the downhill. I was able to lengthen the stride a little and just enjoy the changing scenery brought by the drop in elevation.

The trail down crosses the Delatite River 15 times across beautiful bridges made from old trees. With the last crossing done, I arrived back at the start to a finish line complete with home made baked goodies and nutritious soup, and old and new friends to catch up with! I was pretty happy with a finish time of 4:06 and 1st female in the 36km distance. Congratulations as well to Salomon Australia teamate Mick Donges who set a new record in the 45km distance!

Thanks to Simon Ferraro for allowing me to use his pics for the blog!

In the shadows of Mt Buffalo

With February here, and only just over a month till the Alpine Challenge 100km, I am using every bit of free time to head to our Australian peaks and get as much training, playing, hiking, and exploring into my legs as possible. 

This past weekend I headed down south again on what is becoming a very familiar 700km drive from Sydney to Bright. I had 3 days off so the plan was to get in some quality hills and then race the Mt Buller Skyrun on the Sunday. 

Friday - Mt Buffalo 

The climb up to Mt Buffalo across large granite slabs, and up on the alpine plateau is fast becoming one of my favorite places to be. The colors, spectacular view points, unique vegetation, and meandering trails keep you wanting to run and explore well past sunset. Recommended is either starting at the Eurobin picnic ground and taking the Big Walk trail up to the plateau, or driving up higher to either Mackey's Lookout, or onto the plateau and accessing the trails from the Chalet carpark.  

The start of my hike, on the Big Walk Trail just beyond Mackey's Lookout:

View across the granite to the Australian Alps in the distance:

The Big Walk trail:

 

A lone snow gum trying to survive the harsh alpine climate:

 

Views towards the Australian Alps, Mt Bogong with its summit in the clouds:

 

View down into the valley from the Gorge

The Mt Buffalo Chalet, now closed and waiting for a new owner:

Boardwalk trail meandering through a little glen of sphagnum moss:

Lake Catani, a great place to finish a run and soak the legs and body:

On the Caldwell Galleries trail that takes you through a labyrinth of granite:

The ever changing mountain weather fast closing in, ghostly snow gum skeletons in the foreground:

The Mt Buffalo plateau:

The view of Lake Catani from The Monolith:

 

Saturday - Clear Spot, Bright

Saturday called for hills. Lots of them. A friend living in the beautiful little town of Bright recommended the hike up to Clear Spot (~1000m high). The trail is a fire break running straight up a ridge through commercial foresting areas. It is exposed, steep, rocky and perfect for training. Access is from Hargraves St in Bright, although there are other trails (of varying gradient) leading up to the top.

Last climb for the day done:

Nothing beats doing a little power yoga when you are at the top of the climb:

With training done, I could enjoy the blackberries on the way down:

Sunday - Mt Buller Skyrun

Read about the race here.

Journeys: Italy and the Ultra Trail Lavaredo

A week after The North Face 100km I packed my bags again for overseas. I first travelled to the Czech Republic to catch up with friends and enjoy some running in the Krkonose Mountains. Being in Europe right now has some advantages - summer weather, lots of walking trails around for running and training, and the opportunity to race in some dream events. Being in the Czech has also meant drinking beer instead of water, succumbing to some amazing (but healthy) cakes, and trying to find a vegetarian meal amongst the goulash.

View down one of the ski hills into the town of Harrachov (gateway into the Krkonose Mountains):

On Wednesday evening I traveled from Prague to Venice, and then onward to Cortina by bus. Being here is incredible. Seeing the white, jagged peaks of the Dolomites is eerie, like seeing a dream materialise in front of you. I feel so uplifted. The town of Cortina is relaxed, and doesn't quite have the glamour and snow-sex-appeal that Chamonix had. I am just happy to be camped out in a little tent, to have these giants around me, and to look forward to running with a crowd of like-minded people tomorrow night in the Ultra Trail Lavaredo. 

The race is very much about self-sufficiency in a mountainous, alpine environment. The mandatory gear list is minimal, a "you choose what you think you might need" attitude which I like. The aid stations are spaced about +/-15km apart, and sometimes supply only water, meaning that nutrition planning is essential. I will be relying on the aid stations for the most part, as I have no support crew and don't want to carry the weight of food for the whole race (there is one drop-bag location at 48km). I am planning to run conservatively at the beginning, using my Suunto Ambit to monitor my HR (I have a specific threshold I will by trying to stay under). It has been a while since I have been running in BIG mountain country, and can't wait for the sunrise on Saturday morning and to be amongst it all.

My little tent, mountains peaking out just behind:

The glacial blue waters of the Torrente Boite, the peaks of the Fiames in the distance:

Trail marker for tomorrow's race:

The town of Cortina, behind the Fiames:

The starting line for the 2012 Ultra Trail Lavaredo:

Cortina town centre:

Journeys: The beginning

"Your toughness is made up of equal parts: persistence and experience. You don't so much as outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

The beginning - The 2012 North Face 100km

Although this race might have been the final destination for many - the end of a season of hard training, focus and preparation, I have come to view this race as my beginning. 

Prelude

The lead up to arguably the biggest race on the Australian calendar was overwhelming! I had been away from Australia for almost 2 years, and was really looking forward to running with old friends in terrain that felt like home. I thought I had been training well, and had felt strong on some of the longer runs out on the race course. I was planning every detail like I had never done before - nutrition spreadsheets, logistics maps for my crew (amazing friend Nicola, and wonder-mum Greta), and a pace chart to work out exactly where I wanted to be and when. Although this race didn't play to all my strengths (the long stretches of fire trails are where I hurt and really need to focus on my cadence and rhythm), I was determined to go for it and to see where my training had brought me before the start of my racing season. 

It never crossed my mind that I would not finish. 

It was great to attend the race as part of the Salomon Australia team, and to meet international athlete Ryan Sandes. The buzz around Leura was electric, and it was hard not to get mentally waylaid by all the media hype surrounding this epic event. My heart would race every time I thought about the start line, and although I tried to embrace the adrenaline and pre-race nerves surging through my body, I think one of the lessons I have learnt is to be less focused on what everyone else is doing/Twittering/Facebooking, and to concentrate on why I am running and racing, something I have never had to deal with before! Dan Bleakman summed it up nicely on the Ultra168 race report by saying that: "Running is as simple as putting one leg in front of another and appreciating what you have around you. Goals achieved or not, it's only running."

The Race

I think I have learnt more from the 4 hours and 36km of running that I did in this race, than from many of the training runs that I had in the lead up.  

Last minute gear checks at the Fairmont Resort, about 15 minutes till the start (photo courtesy of Oli Wilson):

My start was fast, furious and I immediately focused on where the other runners were and on maintaining my placing, and completely ignored my body and my heart. The adrenaline was telling me "faster, faster," while my mind was telling me "hmmm, your heart rate is unsustainably high, maybe you should slow down, relax and settle into the race." To this the adrenaline replied "SHUT UP MIND, GO FASTER!" David Eadie once remarked to a friend that "at the start of the race, if you think you're going too fast, you're definitely going too fast. If you think you're going the right speed, you're going too fast. If you think you're going way too slow, your pace is about right." 

So, my first lesson from the race is to never ignore my heart.

At an early stage of the race, running through Leura, still smiling and catching up with Sam Robinson from Suunto who was out cheering for us (photo courtesy of Oli Wilson):

By 18km, I could feel my digestion not working optimally. It's pretty obvious that my body was sending all available blood to my muscles rather than to help with digesting, a result of burning the candle at both ends (my dad loves this phrase). The result was bloating, as all the nutrition I was taking in just sat in my tummy instead of providing energy to my muscles. Instead of powering up the notorious Golden Staircase as I normally would, I crawled up at snail pace. During this climb my HR peaked 182bpm, which I think says it all.
My second lesson from the race is to always plan for the worst. If I was already feeling bad at 18km, I should have taken time to stop, rest for a few minutes, try a different nutrition strategy.

At the top of the Golden Staircase, the photo capturing just how hard I was working at this stage (photo courtesy of Lyndon Marceau):

The next 18km were so tough. By now I had completely used all energy, and had replaced it with nothing. My pace slowed, I had stomach cramping and I felt nauseated. I really wanted to stop. The 8km to the next checkpoint were awful as I was vomiting at this stage, a result of all that nutrition just not digesting. I couldn't stop thinking about how early on in the race it was. When I got in to the next checkpoint I went straight to the first aid station. In my mind I had finished. And so I had. After another small vomit, I decided to finish there. Now, I wish I hadn't. I recently read "to get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping." (Chinese Proverb).
My third lesson here was to KEEP GOING. I know this, I know that after the worst slump, things can always turn around. Walking is a good start, and invariably jogging will soon follow. One of my Salomon team mates told me this as I was lying in the first aid station, told me to at least walk to the next aid station, but in that moment the idea of walking shamed me. I forgot why I was running and the personal challenges that undertaking the hardest of journeys brings.

So, this is the beginning. I can move forward into my next races with these three, hard-earned lessons behind me. I don't wish this kind of race experience on anyone, but if you can learn from what went wrong then it is these kinds of setbacks that build experience and allow you to persist when the going really gets rough.

Greetings from Monte Bianco

A package arrived for me last week, filled with memories from racing in last year's Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. Inside the envelope was a letter, written in Italian and addressed to "Gentile Margaretha," and 6 black and white photos, developed from film. In an instant I was transported back to the rugged peaks of the Alps, the happy countryside I encountered while passing through Italy, and the generous support and encouragement the volunteers gave to the competitors.

The letter and photos was from a man called Arnaldo, who had volunteered at the aid station located at the Bonatti refuge (hut), about 90km from Chamonix. Passing through this station was a blur, but I remember getting a honey sandwich from him. He took my photo (I suspect because I was an Australian woman), and said that if I gave him my address he would send it to me. I didn't give it much further thought, left the checkpoint and kept racing. 

Now, almost a year later, his package has arrived and with it a reminder of the extended community of people I have met all over the world through trail running. People who love the mountains, people who love supporting the pursuit of a challenge, and people who just want to give. I am also reminded of how important the volunteers are in any event, and how their enthusiasm and kindness can create a unique atmosphere that will stay with a runner long beyond the finish line. 

Rifugio Bonatti (Bonatti Refuge):

Runners entering the checkpoint. Arnaldo has labelled the peaks, including Monte Bianco/Mont Blanc:

Arnaldo:

The checkpoint:

The leader's of the race passing through the checkpoint, including Killian Jornet in the centre:

Dawn from the Traveler's Range, Tasmania

With winter making it's presence known in the Tasmanian mountains, the days getting colder and light more precious, my last day as a guide on the Overland Track arrived. The decision had been made the night before to climb up to the top of the Traveler's Range, a ridge of mountains presiding over deep valleys and unexplored wilderness. We woke at 4am, and glancing out the window for a weather forecast, I glimpsed open sky and a shooting star. Perfect conditions for a dawn hike up to the summit. 

We followed the track back up to Ducane Gap, our headtorches illuminating ancient rainforest. In the saddle between the Traveler's Range and the Ducane Range we found the barely-used trail that would lead us up. On the summit the wind was fierce, the cold as crisp as the light starting to emerge on the horizon. We nestled in amongst the large dolerite boulders and waited for the sun. 

L-R: The Acropolis and Mt Geryon:

Thanks to Ross Bird for the beautiful photography.