The return of parkrun....

It seems very weird not to have done a parkrun since I was in the UK back in February, ie before Coronavirus hit, but I have watched with interest as they have gradually restarted in various parts of the world - first in NZ and then in the various Australian states and territories.

Understandably Tasmania was one of the first to reopen and NSW would be one of the last (further delayed in many places by another small outbreak the weekend they were due to recommence), so it was quite exciting to think about attending one on my recent visit to Tassie.

I started off my trip staying with my friend Iestyn just south of Hobart and as I was there on a Saturday morning, we made the trip to his local course at Kingston Park parkrun (not to be confused with Kingston parkrun in London that I ran many moons ago). I knew that I wasn’t really recovered from my epic ultra a fortnight before, but I didn’t quite expect to feel so lethargic and plodgy as he showed me the route on a warmup trot. 

Wearing the stripy socks to be with the
 5:20 chicks in spirit for their fancy dress run

The route is slightly under 5K, but I guess you make up for that by having to do 6 x 180 degree turns during the run, and though it gently undulates, there are no taxing hills. I started relatively far back and so by the time we rounded the first tree to double back on ourselves off the grass and onto the path, I was behind about 50 runners including kids and buggies. All the turns (the route itself is vaguely a “Y” shape with you doing the first bit twice) meant that you got to see the speedsters at the sharp end of the field, and there seemed to be a good tussle on right at the front between a fast guy and an amazing lady. Iestyn himself wasn’t that far behind them either. 

Making it look like hard work!

I gradually worked my way up the field, overtaking many younger runners (and the buggy) and though I felt like I was going to have to stop on many occasions, closing people down gave me the motivation to keep going. I couldn’t make up the distance on the two guys that were in sight, but was very happy to finish with the position token 007 in a ladies V40 record time (the leading lady finished second overall and set a massive new ladies CR, with Iestyn also running a PB on the course so it was a good run all round).

Christmas Day is one day of the year that all countries are allowed to stage an extra parkrun (Coronavirus notwithstanding) and as I was staying in Launceston for Christmas and was up before anyone else (an early morning chat with my sister’s family over my Christmas breakfast and their Christmas Eve meal will do that!!), I decided to venture down to Launceston parkrun. Initially I had difficulty in finding how to get to the start, but luckily had plenty of time, and even chatted to another Christmas waif/stray (I recognised the Kirribilli Runners’ vest) who was visiting town from Sydney.

NSW refugees at parkrun

This course was the correct distance but was much flatter and faster than Kingston. The first km was on a trail along a flat levee by the North Esk river and then we ran down off the levee and proceeded to do a clockwise loop of the Heritage Forest along flat firetrails/paths. I had (as usual) moved up past many people along the levee and was in about 4th place as we started round the loop. Unfortunately, the lead runner was out of sight and just as I caught the two guys ahead of me we hit a bifurcation of the trail. With none of us being local, we weren’t sure which way to go, and someone had forgotten to put out the guiding cones (there were marshals of every other junction). We slowed, hesitated for a  brief time and then headed off to the right, and I was very relieved to then spot the “2km” marker post.

"Sprinting" back along the levee

After completing the loop, it was then a case of heading back to the levee and trying to look good running up the slope onto it (as the tailwalkers/runners were still coming out the other way), and then fighting the headwind for the last km back to the finish (why is it that you never feel as much benefit from a tailwind going out as you feel punishment from a headwind going back?). I was over the moon to finish second in what was a good time (for me) and although it was several minutes behind what some ladies have run on that course, it was still a LV40 record :-)

On Boxing Day morning, I’d had a rather broken night but didn’t seem capable of a lie in, so as it was a Saturday morning, I again headed off in search of a parkrun. I had planned on jogging over to a trail-type of course nearby, but found it rather an effort so I mainly walked over there but still got rather hot and sweaty. It was nice to catch up with Amy and her partner Jono there, as I’d gotten to know them a bit over the course of the C2K run three weeks beforehand. Unlike me (as I’ve found a lack of motivation to do much as my body recovers from the Ultra), Amy said that she was enjoying running again but found it hard to do intervals/efforts as her legs were still lacking that “zip” (I’m not sure mine ever had any!!!).

She still set off like a bat out of hell as the run started down a firetrail dotted with various rocks and roots to take out unwary runners, and soon disappeared off into the distance out of sight. The course was definitely a tough one as it was on mountain bike trails so mainly undulating single track with twists, turns and lots of tree roots and boulders. I didn’t think I’d be making up many places during that run as you couldn’t get into a rhythm due to little scrambles and always having to be very alert as to where you were placing your feet (it appears that almost every week, someone takes a tumble!).

A good C2K catch-up

I was surprised to pass a lad that had been part of Amy’s C2K support crew on a wider stretch with about a km to go……though he was blaming it on his Christmas pudding from the day before. I guess he thought I would try to chase Amy down but I was more than happy for her to take the victory and mentioned it was “all about the age grading” - teeheehee…….there have to be some benefits to getting old!

Surprisingly enough, she did actually come into sight as I reeled her in unintentionally and I actually caught her with about 500m to go (along with a young orienteer lad who’d set off rather too fast and his stomach was rebelling!) and so (although that last 500m seemed to take forever as the single track wound up and around away from the finish before finally heading back to it), again I managed to cross the line in second place (Jono was long finished) and although it seemed a rather slow time, this time I managed to claim the overall ladies’ CR and age graded record……not a bad effort but it mean I needed lots of ice cream to recover before flying back to NSW!

The Three Capes Track

The lovely 5:20 chicks (my running buddies from Terrigal trotters) have tentatively arranged a long weekend away next year to go and hike the Three Capes Track in South East Tasmania. When you do the official hike, you start with a boat ride from Port Arthur and finish 4 days later by catching a bus shuttle from Fortescue Bay back to Port Arthur. During the hike you stay overnight in huts which are equipped with sleeping mattresses and cooking equipment (the hut on the second night even has hot showers) so all you have to carry is your clothes, food and a sleeping bag….and probably more clothes as you don’t often get several consecutive dry days in Tassie.

Whenever I visit my friend Iestyn, he always has a fun running adventure planned for me, and so when he suggested a modification of the Three Capes Track I jumped at the opportunity, even though I really wasn’t sure that I would manage to get round it so soon after C2K. Although he has run it many times, the distance measured by a running watch is always rather variable so I knew it would be anything up to a marathon distance, though not on “usual” marathon terrain.

Fortescue Bay

We left the car at Fortescue Bay and headed out along the “Old Cape Pillar Track”, which was fairly rough underfoot as it gradually ascended away from the coast, but generally quite runnable. Well, when I say “runnable” I mean it would be if you weren’t feeling rather heavy legged and tired, but I managed to keep up with Iestyn of sorts….usually by trying to ask him questions which required longer answers (teeheehee).

Heading off up the Old Cape Pillar Track

After about 8km, we joined the official walking route and headed out along the out and back section towards Cape Pillar. We passed a few campsites and then reached Munro Hut (the one with the hot showers). It was built in a beautiful location and hence was a great place to stop and admire the views and take a few pictures  though we soon carried on along our way. We’d hardly seen a soul up to this point, but expected to start seeing hikers after this point as they would leave their packs at this hut and go out to Cape Pillar and back, before picking up their gear to carry on to that night’s lodging. 

The view from Munro Hut

It was amazing to see the effort that had been put into the route’s infrastructure - as there was a section of boardwalk that started not far from the hut that was about 2.5km long. It was decorated at one end with a snake’s head and therefore the other end finished in a tail with the phrase “my blood runs cold” written into it. The undulating gradient of the boardwalk wasn’t bad but it was liberally strewn with steps that were all just the wrong length to be able to run up or down them easily, so I couldn’t get into a rhythm at all. As we ran along the cliff tops, the views across to Tasman Island just got better and better, but just as Iestyn promised, the best one was after we had climbed up the steep rock formation known as The Blade.

On The Blade!

View from The Blade towards Tasman Island

On descending The Blade we continued on a newer track extension down and up to Cape Pillar itself, admiring some of the benches that Tasmanian artists had sculpted after being airlifted in to see where the benches were to be positioned. 

Tasman Island

We then turned tail and wound our way 8km back along the way we’d just come to the original junction with the Old Cape Pillar Track (spotting an echidna and a tiger snake along the way……as well as filling up with much needed water when we passed Munro Hut again).

Such a cute surprise!

Slightly windier when we revisited Munro Hut

Iestyn had promised me that it was only about another km or so from this junction to Retakunna Hut and that we would stop and eat our sandwiches there…….and as I was absolutely starving I certainly picked up the pace knowing a break and a feed was coming up. We were the only people at the hut at that time of day, so had the choice of the picnic tables, and watched as the Rangers brought supplies in by helicopter (though unfortunately they didn’t have any cake on them…..and yes, I did ask!!).

An easier way out from Retakunna Hut?

The weather had been much hotter and sunnier than forecast up to this point, but luckily it now clouded over considerably and the wind also picked up, as we had a long slog up Mount Fortescue to do (though the summit was only 490m above sea level). As we popped over the top, I was secretly quite relieved to see that Iestyn was also getting rather tired by this point but we knew that we were on the homeward stretch by now (or almost….as there was still another out and back to go). One thing that really amazed we all the way round the track was the variety in the flora…..some dry eucalypts, some open grassland, some cloud forest etc…..it was always changing!

Some of the views en route...

We came to another junction in the track with a clearing containing a few hikers’ packs. This was the start of the 2km out and back to Cape Huay….which appeared to have no flat trail on it at all, everything was ascending or descending, with many more steps which took it out of our tired legs. Still, the Cape itself was definitely worth the trip as the track ended at a little viewing platform where you could look across at the famous climbing stacks of The Totem Pole and The Candlestick.

View from Cape Huay towards the Totem Pole and the Candlestick

As we turned around there, Iestyn said that it was “only a parkrun” back to the car and that we should make it by 3pm if we got a move on. I realised that this meant we would have time to stop for an ice cream on the drive home before the shops shut, so I was off with a bit between my teeth (though it may just have been a parkrun PW due to the nature if the trail and the elevation gain/loss!).

The end is in sight....I can almost taste the ice cream!!!

We made it back to the car tired but happy, as it was a fabulous day out, and I can’t wait to go back with the girls and do it all again, though at a slightly slower speed for better sightseeing……though I still think it rather funny that the Three Capes Track only actually goes to 2 Capes anyway (I’d originally thought that our run had meant we missed one out, but no, there are only 2 that you visit!!).

A very long post for a very long run....C2K!!!

When I first heard about the “Coast to Kosciuszko” run from some friends who suggested it to me, I thought it sounded totally crazy……a 240+km nonstop run that goes from sea level (ie the Coast) to the top of the highest mountain in Australia (ie Kosciuszko) that takes up the best part of a weekend….and then some.

The title of the event says it all....

I was gradually talked round into putting in an entry for consideration of a place…..they usually have over 100 applicants and only offer 50 places so all entries have to be vetted with qualifying runs etc. When I didn’t hear anything further about it, I presumed that I hadn’t been successful and so put it out of my mind. As it turned out, the organisers delayed their selection process but had decided not to bother letting potential runners know anything about that, as they expected everyone to follow their Instagram feed or something ((!!!!)).

A month later, friends who are on appropriate social media let me know that I was one of the lucky few that had been selected…..though I still remained far from convinced that it was really a run I wanted (or should) do, considering the discovery of my worsening bone problems. When someone told me that most people would jump at the opportunity and I may never have the chance again….and I learned that one guy walks almost all of the course and still makes the cutoffs (just) I thought I might as well give it a go….though I fully recognised that I wouldn’t be happy with myself if I walked it.

I’m not quite sure where the entry fee goes as there is no support provided en route, and so each runner has to persuade some of their lovely friends to give up a few days of their lives and come along and crew. Having not been in the country for that long, I found it hard to ask people to support me, so was very thankful when I few friends offered totally off their own bat, and eagerly took them up on their offers.

I ended up with a crew of 4 - Michael and Geordie (both of whom I have met through running since arriving here) drove down to the start line at Eden with me on the Thursday, whilst Julian (who has lived here for many years, but I knew through the bridge club in Cambridge way back when) & Jenna (his girlfriend who had just flown in to visit from NZ for the first time since the start of the year……what a romantic reunion….crewing a hot sweaty tired runner!!) came down on the Friday to sub in partway along the road as they both had to work on the Thursday.

My crew with the Kosci beers I gave them (Geordie, Michael, Julian and Jenna)

Unfortunately the evening meal and race briefing for runners and their crew was cancelled and so after a non event of a number pickup, we were left to our own devices for the evening…..which for me consisted of eating pasta, getting my food, drink and mandatory kit sorted for the morning and then turning my phone off before chilling out with Geordie and Michael over a few glasses of wine.

I needn’t have set an early morning alarm as the team staying in the cabin opposite us turned their car headlights on at 4am - and as they were directed right at the head of my bed, there was no danger of me staying asleep - so I had ample time for my coffee and porridge before we drove down to the start on Boydtown Beach at Twofold Bay.

We had to check on the beach prior to 5am and then there were some random photo opportunities and pre-race speeches (naughtily enough, my friend Katy and I used the speech time to have a good catchup). All too soon it was 5:30 and we were setting off. It was funny to see some people try to sprint up the soft sand and onto the trail leading back to the main road…..I set off at a walk but started jogging shortly afterwards. Having crossed the main road, everyone (even the leaders) ceased any pretence of running as we had to scramble up a  slope so steep that hands were needed in places!

On the beach :-)

With Geordie and Michael before setting off

It was lovely to start off by chatting to several different girls that I had never met before…..the joys of a nice slow sociable start knowing how far we had to go! We weren’t allowed to meet our support crews for the first 25k or so, but the race organisers had whittled down the 3 aid stations provided in previous years on this stretch to a single one before we’d even gone 4K. The people I was running near were amazed that I went over to the aid table, but I was all for getting my money’s-worth of jelly snakes even if I didn’t need (or really want) them……and I did manage to consume everything I picked up :-)

Starting on the sand....

The next stretch was a relatively long gradual climb uphill on a dirt road and although I started this section with one guy…..telling him all about the history of who both Kosciuszko and Strzelecki were….my steady uphill pace meant that I was soon running alone, though I did pass a few more guys along the way, so had brief chats. I’m never the best at running down hills, and hadn’t quite expected so many (steep) descents……but because I was chatting away to a fellow Scot (who now lives in Queensland), I realised that I’d run way too fast and my quads would certainly not thank me for it later!!!

I did really enjoy this section of the run as it was still cool in the early morning, and we were running up and down small inclines winding around through beautiful wooded areas with the sun gradually climbing up into the sky…..perfect….so although it was nice to chat to various people, I also enjoyed the peace and tranquility when running along on my own.

I saw Geordie out in the road looking for me as I ran into Towamba, and he asked what I needed and grabbed it from Michael to hand on to me as I passed. He was allowed to run about 50m with me to find out how I was and what I’d like and when….but I was very aware of him not running more than this as the road was flanked by everyone’s support crews as this was the first point that we were all allowed to rendezvous. I was more than slightly jealous of the onlookers and supporters as they were all eating bacon and egg rolls whilst supping on coffees that were for sale at the local village hall…..whereas all I got was my prepared bottles and snacks that I knew I could eat whilst running….not quite so appealing!

I saw the guys a few times after that….and after a few misunderstandings about which bottles I wanted when I asked for a specific one (I had different coloured bottles containing plain water or made up powder) we got pretty slick at Geordie handing me a bottle at the side of the road and then me placing it into Michael’s outstretched hand as he drove the car past me and further up the road (though when they handed me food, they got nothing back in return!!). I remember running past other runner’s crew and they asked me why I had such a big grin on my face……and I replied that it was “all about the cake” as I’d started eating my way through my banana bread by then and waved a piece in the air to show them!!

The loneliness of the long-distance runner

Without really realising it, I’d somehow moved into second place in the ladies’ race and some of my Trotter club mates (there to support other runners) told me that I wasn’t actually that far behind the leading lady. I was shocked at this as I knew her credentials and expected her to be way off in the distance….but then again, we had really only just started!! I was worried that I’d totally overcooked it already as although I felt comfortable, I went through the marathon distance in just over 3.5 hours and I was definitely starting to feel the heat of the day. The boys were great at reacting to this, handing me a change of top when I wanted to change into a lighter vest, and stopping more frequently to give me water, which I started pouring over myself as well as drinking (hence why we had to make sure when I was getting water and when electrolytes!!).

The first “mandatory checkpoint” was at Rocky Hall, which was about 50K into the run. Although described as a mandatory checkpoint, the “checking in” simply consisted of your crew texting the time that you ran through it to the race organisers…..which wasn’t exactly easy given there was no phone signal on a lot of the course. I actually couldn’t see the boys when I came into Rocky Hall and so presumed that they had gone slightly further up the road to wait for me there. I was a tad unimpressed by this as I was hot, hungry and thirsty and very envious when I saw Amy (the leading lady) being handed pieces of watermelon. I waved to another Trotter there supporting a friend of his, and so he then filmed me running past him and sent the footage back to the Trotters on the Central Coast!

I spent the next wee while desperately seeking out the boys’ car and was rather surprised when they drove up behind me. It turned out that they had been at Rocky Hall but had been parked behind someone else (hence me not spotting them) and hadn’t been expecting me that soon so had had their heads buried in the boot of the car sorting things out and missed me running past. When they saw people that had been quite a long way behind me running through, they asked one of them if they’d seen me….and then realised that I must be long gone…..and so chased me up the road!

Definitely starting to heat up.....

It wasn’t far from where they found me to the start of “Big Jack”. This is a climb of almost 7k at an average gradient of 7.7% so with the best will in the world, I wasn’t going to be running up it. The gravel road is very narrow and twists up the hill through trees, so support vehicles were not allowed to stop anywhere…..hence each runner was allowed to be accompanied by one member for their support crew who could “mule” for them. Michael drew the short straw of coming with me (though I think he actually volunteered for the role) whilst Geordie had to drive up in one of the official car convoys (of which I wasn’t a fan as the cars waited haphazardly in the road at the bottom of the hill forcing me to weave around them all!).

I ran tiny segments but mainly walked and used the break to eat some proper food (ie sandwiches and wraps I’d made earlier) and get a decent amount of drink into me. I have never used poles when running (or walking) but I did have some pole envy as Amy and her “mule” powered past me with her using hers very effectively (she seemed to run/walk with ease up the steep incline, whereas my legs were protesting rather loudly!). When another car convoy came past, I got some encouragement from Damon, another Kirribilli Runner I know who was there supporting a good friend of his, but my only response was to tell him how much I was craving a good ice cream (we had been told that the forecast was for 20 degrees and overcast skies, but it got up to 38 degrees and there was hardly a cloud in the sky!!!).

The tarmac resumed at the top of Big Jack

Geordie was going to come down the hill to join us, but he wasn’t allowed to do so, but he was there at the top with some sunscreen for me to try to apply to my neck and arms as I ran past. Michael had to stop at the top of the hill and so I was back on my own again…..literally….as Amy was miles out of sight ahead of me and there was no-one close behind. When I passed Damon’s car he asked if I had been serious about the ice cream as he had some Super Doopers in the car…..I would have fallen down at his knees for one, but luckily that wasn’t necessary (as I doubt that I would have been able to get up again) as he kindly gave one to Geordie to pass onto me….and it was as amazing as I’d thought it would be.

The run into Cathcart wasn’t much fun as it was along the side of a road into a strong headwind, but an added bonus of having slightly closed down a gap on a runner in front was that his support crew donated me the ice cream they’d bought him at the Cathcart shop, but that he’d refused!! I was due to have a crew changeover with Julian and Jenna joining us at Cathcart, but unfortunately I think I got there abut an hour earlier than we’d expected so luckily Geordie and Michael were happy (!) to carry on with me. I was rather glad of this as we’d established a good routine of them giving me water and snacks (with extra water to wet my hat/pour over my head) at regular intervals, and then me handing empties back into their outstretched hands as they drove past shortly afterwards. 

I really needed that support at this point in time, as I wasn’t exactly in my “happy place” If anyone had been near me, they might have be subjected to hearing rather a few swearwords coming out of my mouth as my head was telling me that I f***ing hated running, I hated the sun, I hated the heat, I hated the flies….and so on. I felt like I was running through a scene from something like “Little House on the Prairie” as I could see no evidence of civilisation……just an endless winding dirt road through hot sunny grassland under a hot clear blue sky, only broken up by the odd cattle grid to negotiate. The guys were meeting me more often than we’d originally thought (due to the heat and sun) but it still felt like ages between the times when I saw them. One of the race medics drove past me and commented that I must have had about half a kilo of flies hitching a lift on my hat, and I replied that the other half kilo seemed to be between my glasses and my eyes as they were everywhere and were not even slightly concerned by me flapping and swatting at them!

Crew swopover time :-) 

My crew swopover happened at the second main road crossing of the day. At the first one a marshal made me run a gratuitous extra couple of feet round a cone before I could cross the road, and at this one the marshal wasn’t quite sure what he was meant to be doing, so he made me stop and stand still whilst he walked out into the road to check that there was noting coming in either direction, before I could cross. Michael and Geordie explained to Julian and Jenna how they’d been “handling” me before driving off for a well-earned break (and cold beers in the pub at Dalgety…….I was sooooo jealous!). That section of the route was probably the most scary as it involved running down the side of a highway with no footpath/verge as trucks lumbered past…no wonder a few people dropped out there! After a couple of false starts, Julian and Jenna also established a nice routine with Julian standing at the side of the road offering me a bag of goodies and then Jenna catching my rejects when she picked him back up and drove past.

A long hot lonely road

The two of them got me through what seemed like a very long section of dusty gravel roads, cattle grids, climbs and descents and endless plains (well, I guess there’s a reason they call that region the “High Plains”), but at least it meant that I had passed the 100K point and then the halfway mark. Soon after that I also passed Amy and moved into the lead in the “ladies’ race”. It felt as if her crew had been timing the gap between us as when she was ahead of me, they would wait for me to come into sight before driving off to catch her up, and when I was ahead of her they would drive up to where I was before waiting for her. Maybe I imagined it, but it didn’t bother me, as I just wanted to get to the finish myself and knew that whatever anyone else did was up to them, be they ahead or behind me…..you can only run your own race!

Passing Amy

It was actually lovely to run as evening descended as the temperature cooled and the sun sank lower and lower in the sky. I was starting to wonder how far I’d get before needing to put on my high-viz top and head torch……as initially I thought that I was just about at Dalgety, but the road was misleading as although I thought I was on the run down towards the hall (and pub!!!) I still had another hill to climb first. Michael and Geordie drove past just before dark to see where I was…..they must have recognised my running style as my head was hidden from view as I tried to wrestle myself into a warmer top and high viz vest without having to stop running. 

Running off into the sunset

At precisely 8:30pm (as per the rules…..as we did check with a race volunteer that was fortuitously driving past just then…..and who did promise me that she would ask them to supply me with G&Ts at Dalgety village hall) Geordie was booted out of the car to start running with me, as from that point onwards I was allowed 1 “running companion” and so the guys had agreed to alternate between themselves through the night, whilst Jenna drove ahead and got some sleep so she could be fresh for the morning driving stint.

As you enter Dalgety there are signposts pointing both right and left, both indicating a road to Jindabyne. I was so glad to be turning left as this was the shorter route, but this was mitigated via the fact it meant I had to ascend the Beloka Range of hills. That was still a long way away and so I put it out of my mind and thankfully ran into Dalgety Hall. I was the first person to enter after dark and so my head torch surprised the crews sitting there, and me being female also caught them by surprise, as when I asked where the toilets were, I was directed to the men’s. Having found the ladies, it was hard to make myself stand up again after sitting down, but the reward for doing so was that I got to wash my face in the sinks there. Unfortunately there were no G&Ts to be had (ha….false promises!!) and I was still too hot to want the pumpkin soup on offer (I usually love pumpkin soup), but the crusty bread and proper butter was like manna from heaven and so Geordie stocked up on several more rolls and butter to take on the road for me.

It seemed very dark when we left Dalgety but the temperature was much more pleasant. Geordie kept feeding me the crusty rolls as we pooled along the road which was very much appreciated. We had been gradually climbing (with some undulations) since Dalgety. But then Michael had the job of coming up the Bloke Range with me. We kept thinking that we’d started the steep climb, only to run downhill for another short stretch before the road kicked up again. Once we started the actual 5K “climb”, we certainly knew about it as the average elevation rise was 6.4% to a high point of 1171m. Support cars were not allowed to stop on this climb either, but I wasn’t entirely sure as to why, as the road was tarred and much wider then Big Jack and there was even a parking bay partway up!

We had another funny incident further along the road towards Jindabyne as I was relying on my crew to tell me about any junctions coming up. Geordie was back with me on the road and as he is not known for his navigation skills, he asked the car to stay near us at junctions rather than just motor ahead to Jindabyne. They informed us from the car that we had a roundabout coming up at which we must turn right into Jindy, but then suddenly Jono (who was driving Amy’s support camper van) pulled up alongside us and told us that we should go straight on across the roundabout. We thought he was playing with us, jokingly sending me the wrong way so that Amy could move back into the lead, but when I did try turning right at said roundabout, it turned out that Jono had been right as the right turn took me down a private road into an accommodation complex (and the right turn was at a T-junction 500m behind the roundabout)!!

I had thought that when the guys said I just had to turn right to run down into Jindabyne, that I was almost there….but no, there was more than 5K to go to reach the built-up area, and it started with yet another uphill stretch. There was nowhere to run except in the road but luckily it was well after midnight and so there was no traffic……I would say that there were no cars on the roads at all, but unfortunately the one that we did see, didn’t like us much, and decided to speed up and head straight towards us (despite our head torches and reflective high viz clothing) meaning that we had to jump off the road and into the long grass to avoid being mown down!!! Nice……but it certainly woke me up!

My crew enjoying the night!

Surprisingly, for a run where you have to provide your own vehicle support, the route into Jindabyne was one that the car could not follow me on. It was described as a 1km run along a bike path beside the lake, which sounded pleasant enough….but as it turned out, it was several kms of undulating bike path complete with turns and speed bumps, which weren’t that easy to see by the light of a little head torch (bought the week beforehand from ALDI!). Even more bizarre was the fact that the bike path ended in the middle of a caravan park with no obvious marking or signposts so I had to wind my way round caravans in the dark trying to work out how to get back to the main road to meet my crew at the next mandatory check-in point.

I had hoped to be leaving Jindabyne just before dawn as I was told that it was a magical scene to see the sun rising over the lake as you looked back on the road behind you, but unfortunately (!) as was way ahead of this schedule as I passed through  and on down to the Thredbo River at about 1:30am. It was a long slog up from the river into the National Park, and I swear that if I closed my eyes, I could fall asleep whilst still walking, but Julian now took his turn walking and running with me, so there was new chat to keep me awake. I was quite cold at this point in time, so had put a down jacket on and was wearing a beanie and gloves…..not usual Australian running attire I know, but at least the cold meant I kept moving…..and it was rather encouraging to still overtake the odd person along the way.

As I had gone through Jindabyne a lot earlier than planned, Jenna was still sleeping so we thought it kinder to let her get more rest and so the 3 guys swopped in and out of the car depending on when they wanted some fresh air and exercise, and when they were bored of my whinging and wanted some rest (so much rest that I actually had to knock on the car window and wake them up at one point!). Running through dawn gave me a lift, as did ticking off the various ski resorts as I progressed up the valley, starting with the wonderfully names “Smiggins Holes”.

Jenna drove by and stopped to see me into Perisher which was another mandatory check-in point for the race. I would say that passing through Perisher is rather a non-event out of ski season, as everything is closed and boarded up…..and the only living beings seemed to be my crew standing by the car. What made it stand out in my memory was that we finally had phone signal and so Geordie got a group call from the Trotter girls who were on their Saturday morning run. It was lovely to hear them all and draw support from them, as I’d felt that I was rather “over” running by then. I was having such a good chat to them that Geordie had to actually get me off the phone and make me continue on my way. 

From there is was just under 10K up to Charlotte’s Pass and the guys were really good about keeping me moving on up the road, as when we hit steeper sections and I slowed to a walk, we’d set mini targets of a landmark where I would stop and walk, and anther one of where I’d start running again. The guys had told me that I was well under course record time, but that as the weather had been closing in, they’d heard talk of the course being shortened to the “inclement weather” version, which means that we would have been stopped at Charlotte’s Pass (at about 1800m and 222K into the “run”). As much as I wanted to be at the finish, I really didn’t want the course to be shortened as that would mean that I had no chance of setting a record. 

It was getting colder and windier all the time, but although I had tights and capris with me, I did not want to change out of my shorts, as I knew that if I sat down and took my shoes off to change, then I would be very unlikely to get up again, and certainly not put my shoes on again! Instead I “rugged up” my top half with a jacket, buff and gloves and the car went ahead to get our “mandatory summit kit” checked by the race crew at Charlotte’s Pass. Luckily for me, you were allowed to have as many of your crew as wanted to come with you on the final 18K, and they were allowed to carry my mandatory kit as well as theirs. I thought that there would be a medical check before I started this final push, but after a brief hello etc, I was waved onto the trail.

Slogging up Kosci

The trail is initially suitable for mountain bikes as it undulated along the hillside and so I was able to keep running, and my crew had to chase me down. As we then descended to cross the Snowy River we cheered on the leading man and his team coming back up from it towards the finish (the last 18K was an out and back section). After that it was a much steeper climb up towards the “summit ridge”……when I say ridge, it’s not exactly what Europeans would call a ridge, but it was steep enough for my tired legs to be glad of a walk rather than a run. Charlotte’s Pass to the summit and back is a popular day walk and so there were markers for me to count off every km, and we passed several other people out enjoying the bracing air (wearing rather more clothes than my little shorts!!). The second man was pushing hard as he and his team descended but I didn’t think he had any chance of making up the gap to the leader (and, in fact, his time from Perisher to the Finish was only 7 seconds quicker than mine despite the speed of his descent).

The path seemed to wind round and round (but always into a strong headwind) and never actually get to the summit, but we finally made it….and my crew asked some other tourists if they would mind waiting for their photo opportunities whilst they took a picture of me by the Strelecki Monument at 2228m elevation (they then sent it to race HQ as a check-in time). I decided that there was no way I would be doing much running in that final 9k back to Charlotte’s Pass as the ground was rather rough, I was so tired that I felt like I could hardly pick my feet up, and my eyes were playing up due to the wind, the cold, tiredness and the length of time I’d had my lenses in, that I was finding it quite hard to see clearly. 

The Strelecki Monument

I surprised myself by being able to run more of the descent than I’d thought I could, albeit at a snail’s pace, but by the time I got back to the mountain bike path, I was so cold that I told Geordie and Julian that I needed to run properly to warm up (Michael had gone ahead to warn Jenna of our imminent arrival and take a finisher’s photo for me). In the end I put rather a lot of distance into them over the last couple of kms that I had time to finish, chat to a few people, find the toilets and still get back to see them across the line (supporting them as they’d supported me!).

The Finish!!

The finish was also a total anti-climax as although everyone had a tape to cross, that was about it…no fanfare, no finisher’s medal, no food or drink and no shelter. I would have liked to stay around and support other runners, but it was just cold and I wanted to get us all some coffee etc (and it turns out that the nearest place to get a simple cup of coffee was almost 50K back down the road in Jindabyne……I have no idea why the organisers didn’t arrange something like a simple coffee cart at the finish as they’d have done a roaring trade…..or even just an urn of hot water!!). 

Showing how underdressed I was compared

to everyone else at Charlotte's Pass!!!

It seemed like a lifetime ago that I’d been on the beach in Eden telling people the history of who Kosciuszko and Strelecki were, wondering whether I’d actually make it all the way there and how many days of my life I’d lose doing so, so it didn’t really sink in that I’d finished 3rd overall in one of the top 20 times for the event, taking an hour and 45minutes off the ladies’ record….but what I did realise was that no matter how good or bad the organisation of a race is, what makes it, is your friends ad how selflessly and tirelessly they support you…..I didn’t do the race, WE did it and I can’t thank them all enough!!!

With my crew the morning after by Lake Jindy

The alumni of C2K 2020

Shoalhaven Summit

I had been thinking about running the new Shoalhaven Summit 55K race as it was one of the ones suggested suggested when the 6 Foot Track was cancelled way back in March, but unfortunately it was also delayed a couple of times due to Covid-19 restrictions. Unfortunately the final date that they moved it to was just a week before another big run I had entered, so I didn't think it would be a sensible thing to do in any way!

However, I did still get to experience the event, as my friend Simone decided to enter it, and so I offered to go down and support her for the weekend. We were going to head down on Friday as soon as I finished work as the race started fairly early on the Saturday morning, but at least that meant we would be able to get back home on the Saturday night. Another friend of Simone's (Julie) also decided to join us so it became a nice girls'' trip away, as we stopped for dinner and a drink en route.

Outside help was not allowed during the race, so I offered to volunteer for the organisers whilst the girls were running, as there were shorter distance events starting a bit later on so they needed people to help with car parking and registration as well as being able to drive people out to swop volunteers at aid stations. I had a brief thought of running the shortest distance on offer (13K) whilst there, but it was due to start at 1:30pm and I thought that the girls might be finishing around 2pm so I didn't want to risk missing them coming in, and hence dismissed it.

With Julie and Simone
before they headed off

The forecast for the weekend looked rather horrendous as there was a heatwave coming through the area, but the decision was made that the event would still go ahead, but that start times would come forward. This meant a 4am alarm for us, as Simone and Julie were now running at 6am instead of 7, and I was volunteering on registration from 5am....the coffee van in the field was a godsend (when he finally got set up!!!). I waved them off and then carried on dishing out starter packs and hoodies to those taking part in the 40K, the 23K and the 3K races who were all due to go if within half an hour of each other. As the girls weren't going to be back for ages - and there was no further volunteering to do at that point, I decided to run the 13K after all - as it was now starting at 7:30am rather than 1:30pm.

I didn't want to tire myself out or end up completely dehydrated and so "racing" was not the order of the day, but as soon as I started I realised that there was no danger of that! It was sooooo hot, and soooo humid....and we started straight up a rather steep hill, which seemed to go on and on. I took it nice and steady and managed to keep "running" of sorts all the way to the top, passing a couple of people but watching others move away ahead of me. Once I finally reached the "crest" there was a lovely view down the other side, and as I knew that enforced "braking" would be worse for my quads, I just let myself go down the hill. There was a water stop at the bottom, but I didn't think I really needed to use it as I'd only gone a few KMs, but I regretted that later. 

The race leaders were far out of sight, but I had overtaken a youngish looking lass (Paige, aged 20) and another young lad on the descent. It got slightly confusing after that as we started to catch up with the tailenders on the 23K race who had set off 30minutes ahead of us. There was another steep descent down to a creek but we'd been warned that the ford was rather slippery due to moss and that the stepping stones were safer, so a funny change of stride was involved in getting to the far side, especially as I was now stuck behind one of the aforementioned tailenders. The climb back up from the creek was my first walk of the run, but as the gradient lessened, I did then manage to run all the way to the 13K turnaround point.

Simone's car was feeling the heat!

For some reason the way back seemed an awful lot harder....but maybe that was because I was hotter and more dehydrated by then.....but I found it much harder to keep running. I reminded myself that I had nothing to prove and so "allowed myself" (not that I could have done much else) lots of walking breaks. I found myself doing a dance on the stepping stones with a runner coming the other way - backwards and forward trying to work out who who step off first - and then did detour via the aid station to take on water before starting the climb back up and over again. 

I decided that I would walk up most of the hill, with the occasional short running break when it was less steep, so Paige soon flew back past me and disappeared out of sight as she powered up it. The young lad I mentioned earlier was an interesting study in odd run tactics as he seemed to run past me up the inclines yet walk the flats and so I'd overtake him again - though again he disappeared off ahead of me as that last hill climb was over a kilometre long. By the time I reached the top there was no-one in sight either in front or behind, and so you would think that the logical thing for me to do would have been to just meander down it gently. My brain had other ideas, as I just wanted it over and done with, and to get top the finish as soon as possible, and so I powered down it (randomly taking a Strava crown in the process) even though my legs felt like they'd buckle at any minute.

2nd lady and 1st in age group :-)

At the bottom of the hill, I came across the young lad again - his tactics had unfortunately gotten the better of him in the heat of the day, as he was having to be helped to the finish field, which was so close....just a few hundred metres down a rough single path into the field (I reckoned that would catch a few people out in the longer events...trying to pick up your feet on such a rough surface when you were knackered). I felt so sorry for him, but he was definitely the worse for wear.

As for my own run, I'd closed up a lot on Paige down the hill but she needn't have worried about me catching her as there was still a good 30seconds in it......but I was still so hot and bothered at the end that I needed lots of cold water and coke before I could even think about the scones that were on offer! Unfortunately Simone had also suffered in the heat and pulled out after 20K, but Julie ran/walked the whole distance, and so I did several more hours of volunteer duties as we waited for her return.

Presenting Julie with her
finishers' medal!

All in all it was a fun girlie trip away, but I;m not sure that any of us did ourselves any favours by running in those conditions.....and my quads were sore for days from that long hard descent....but all self-inflicted so I ask for no sympathy!