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.

Sharing the Surf Coast Century

Every time an ultra runner races, they are alone. Alone with their thoughts, what their body gives them, and how the race will unfold on the day. The journey is shared with other runners, and sometimes even with a superb crew of family, friends, and spectators. But at the end of the day, the runner is a solo artist; a virtuoso executing his plan: enjoying, battling, despairing, loving, hating, laughing, hallucinating, powering, finishing.

After my race in Switzerland (the Salomon MountainMan Ultra), I am heading home to Australia. I am really looking forward to all those special, every day things that makes home home: A morning swim in a salty, rolling sea, excellent coffee, an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, the smell of the Australian flora. There is also so much happening - Matt Cooper's Ultra Made trail camp, a road trip south to Melbourne, and running again on home turf in the inaugural Surf Coast Century.

What excited me even more is that I will be running in a TEAM! This is a first for me, and one I am really looking forward to experiencing. I decided that after 3 months of some big distances on my body, and with only 2-3 weeks in between to physically and mentally recover, running a shorter course and sharing the experience with a friend would be perfect. With the Olympics just gone, I was also inspired by all the team camaraderie. Sometimes, sharing an amazing, indescribable event with a friend can take you deeper, and push you harder.

Picture: Michael Dodge, Source: Quest Newspaper

My team mate for this event is Samantha Gash, an ambassador for the event, and a pretty incredible woman. Sam has just finished a solo desert crossing of the Simpson Desert, not for personal gratification, but to raise money for a charity close to her heart. Read more about it here. Teaming up with Sam also means that she will cover the section of the trail that resonates with her strengths (the first 50km of more beach/sand running), while I will get to stretch my legs on the more bush/forested trails in the second half of the race. 

Sam during her Crossing the Simpson run

Some of my Salomon team mates will also be competing as a team, meaning that those not running will be out on the course, supporting, cheering, and giving energy to the other runners. Thinking about this experience, and sharing it with both the Salomon gang, and also with Sam, led me to find this quote:

"One piece of log creates a small fire, adequate to warm you up,

add just a few more pieces to blast an immense bonfire,

large enough to warm up your entire circle of friends;

Needless to say that individuality counts but team work dynamites."

(Master Jin Kwon - South Korean Martial Arts Master)