The North Face 100 2015 TNF100

 

The night before the big race.....

The night before the big race…..

 

Well, I’m not sure what makes me turn up year after year. I know it’s the people, but there’s always the small matter of the trail demons from this race using their sharp teeth to gnaw at my soul. And laughing at me.

If you’ve read the other posts, you’ll know that I was gunning for a sub 14 hour time this year. I won’t keep you in suspense- it didn’t happen, but I got closer than ever. Yes Brian, I now have 5 bronze buckles……

I was unusually well prepared and very zen like at the start, until some bloke walked past and snagged his bladder tube on my gear as he walked past. This pulled off the tube and water went everywhere about 60 seconds before the start. Oh well, it couldn’t get worse…..? Yep, Lise Lafferty walked up and said ‘my bladder is leaking, do you know anyone with a spare?’ Um, they’re starting the 10 second countdown……. ‘Lise you have to run across the start line or you’ll be DQ’d, but come right back and see if anyone can lend you something. My friend Gillian brought all her gear hoping for a run, she should have a spare’

‘What does she look like?’

I survey the thousands of people at the start line and confidently say ‘She’s Scottish’

Apparently Gillian needs a T-Shirt with this on.

….And we’re off! The first few km are on road, and unlike last year everyone is very quiet (maybe because I stated in Wave 4 last year- less serious, more fun!). They’re also a bit faster and show no signs of walking the hills. I hope this does not come back to bite me later, but I know I have a little bit of extra speed so I’m not super concerned. We settled down into a bit of light banter- it didn’t last long as we saw a runner down after the landslide. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was ultra legend Kevin Heaton. He’d torn something important and was obviously in a lot of pain. One thing you must do in an ultra is to offer assistance needed to ensure the safety of those around you. The other thing you should do is get the hell out of the way if others have the situation under control. As the medical director of the UTMB was right there I figured it was time to stop clogging up the trail. He was later taken out by chopper and had scans, an operation and trip home all within a couple of days. He’s a really interesting bloke and won’t be running for a long time but perhaps that will give me a better chance to talk to him if he can’t run. Yes, look for the upside.

At the Golden Stairs I could still hear Adam Darwin and Joe Hedges chatting, but as expected they were getting away from me. I didn’t lose too many places up there, and trotted comfortably into CP1. Race plan said 1:15- 1:24, I got there in 1:22 and grabbed a couple of mandarins, filled my water bottle and got out. Note- when I write target time of 1:15-1:24 I mean that the average time for a sub 14 hour finish was 1:15, and the LAST person to go through that checkpoint and still make sub 14 hours was 1:24.

The next section down Narrowneck is the most pretty part of the course and possibly the best running. I tried to assume a comfortable pace without talking to randoms too much. In every previous year I’ve spent time meeting new people or talking to friends, but this year I had my game face on and probably didn’t speak to more than 5 or 6 randoms. Good job Adam.

The shoes felt great (Hoka Challenger ATRs) and I got to Tarro’s Ladders in pretty good time. There was quite a lot of people here, and lots chose to do the 400m long way around. I chose to have a rest and eat the 2 mandarins I took from CP1, knowing that this was one of the only places I would get rest today. That was my slowest KM of the whole day 17:52 min/km so I was probably stationary for about 5-8 minutes. To put that in perspective- taking Duncans Pass to go around would have taken nearly that long and I got a feed and a rest. Time worth spending. Being in Wave 2 probably would have cut down the time waiting but I think this is the only part of the course that being in a slower wave really impedes your progress- we had a nice, flowing pace across the landslide this year which is the only other place where you can get held up.

Robyn Bruins at Gordon Falls

Robyn Bruins at Gordon Falls

We had a little push across Mt Debert and then down on to the fire trail leading to CP2. I knew that I needed to run as much and as fast as I could along here to eat up some deficit. I wasn’t feeling great but no time to feel sorry for myself, we’d only covered <30km!

In to Dunphys Camp Ground for our second checkpoint at 3:43 race time. My goal was 3:24-3:37 so still no reason to panic, I know I can finish stronger than most people so a quick transition is needed, and don’t get mentally crushed by Iron Pot Ridge!

I filled my bottle, grabbed some watermelon and a couple of snakes then mentally girded my loins for the big climb. It’s actually a series of climbs that seem to get steeper until you hit the big wall of dirt and rock. It’s a delicate balance for me- I’m not good at going up these steep hills, but I am getting better slowly. Just before the race I asked Andy DuBois if I should stay out of heart rate zone 5 and he replied with a very big yes…. so I looked at my watch and saw I was up to 5.4. Bugger, didn’t feel too bad and pushed on. Unfortunately by the time I got to the flattish bit at the top I needed to rest before I could run again….. in retrospect I suspect this was the point at which my race turned.

The out and back along Iron Pot is a great way to see how you’re going against your mates- there will always be a surprise or two in front AND behind. This year I was surprised by Adam Darwin (he should have been further in front) and Tanya Carroll (she has been beating me a lot lately and should not have been behind), but I was able to see that I was doing pretty well, and possibly still in with a chance of sub 14 if nothing went wrong! The descent off Iron Pot is always tricky but I figured it would be easier this year because it had rained recently. Well, the talcum powder dust was a little thicker, and in the last 5 years the trail has become more defined, but I can’t say I flew down there! Crossed a few creeks, handed out a few salt tablets and caught up with Mal, Paul Garske and Bruce Craven on Megalong Rd. As soon as this flattened out I took off the handbrake, clocking a sub 5min/km (OK, it says 5:01 on Strava) and going through the marked 50km point in 6:22 race time. I felt great until the stile to get into the paddock to approach the Six Foot Track checkpoint. Yes, my legs locked up in cramps but I told Kurt Topper to hustle on ahead as we were ‘about 20 minutes off our 14 hour target’.

Richard Bettles at Gordon Falls

Richard Bettles at Gordon Falls

Into CP3 in 5:51 against a target of 5:24-5:40, so I’d lost another 8 minutes against the average time. My goal was slipping away, but I also knew that CP4-5 was likely to be 10-15 minutes faster this year. I need to keep the pressure up to CP5 because anything could happen!

CP3 is the first where you get access to a checkpoint bag, and I guzzled down the 600ml Coke I had stashed in there, oh it was sooo good! In previous years CP3 had been relaxed, but this time it was swap and fill bottles and get the hell out. I knew that I needed to do the next section in about 1:40 to make the average time, but I was already 30 minutes behind so a quick section might restore some confidence.

Unfortunately it was not to be- drinking that Coke all at once gave me some minor stomach problems, and I couldn’t run the bits I needed to. Kurt Topper played it nice and steady and started getting away from me. Up Nellie’s Glen I was pleased that I didn’t have to stop more than once (this has been a problem for me for years) and it was great to see legend Natalie Watson at the top of the stairs, but I couldn’t talk! I just couldn’t put it together running the technical bits afterwards. Luckily there is a bit of road into CP4 and I came in feeling fairly good, but knowing that the big test was about to start.

Arrival at Katoomba Aquatic Centre in 7:36 meant that I was drifting farther from the 7:05-7:21 times I needed but as mentioned before, I felt there might be a chance to make up some time to CP5. If I’d taken the full set of figures provided by Ian Rowe I would have seen that I was heading for a >15 hour finish. Lucky I didn’t!

I didn’t bother having any noodles here as is my habit, I was getting all the nutrition I needed from Perpetuem. Not wanting to make the same mistake again, I stashed the Coke bottle from my bag into my pack to sip on while running. Rob Mattingly was stuck to a chair at CP4, it probably made him miserable to see me get past him here- we both know he’s a much better runner than me, but if it’s any consolation I didn’t take any pleasure out of it either! The next section is a bastard- on the elevation profile it looks relatively flat and perhaps runnable. In reality it’s a constant grind of up and down stairs, closed in single track and mud puddles. It’s very difficult to get any flow, more so for me as I am quite tall. But this was my chance!

Or maybe not. I passed and was passed by quite a few people on this section and just couldn’t make it happen. Recurring cramps were making me over cautious- pretty difficult to fully commit to a step when you don’t know if your leg will get stuck motionless in the air before it hits ground. I’d had a single Panadol tablet (yeah I know) at about the halfway mark to see what would happen, and it did make my legs hurt a tiny bit less, but did not help the cramps at all. For the amount of stress the experiment caused, probably not worth it. I was just begging to hit the road and get to CP5 and a runner said to me ‘will we get to CP5 in day light?’

Chantelle Farrelly at Gordon Falls

Chantelle Farrelly at Gordon Falls

I said no because we had yet to go past Wentworth Falls and up Rocket Point Track and it was close to 5pm. Sunset was officially 5:06pm so we’d probably have to use our head torches before CP5.

We finally hit Rocket Point track and got up to the road, where a marshall was waiting to tell us to put on out hi-vis vests and get out our torches. The marshall was kind enough to help me with this so I was ready at the same time as Michael Hanavan and we trotted off together down to Queen Victoria Hospital.

Last year I had needed my head torch shortly after Gordon Falls on this section so I was deeply impressed to get as far as Queen Vic without needing to turn the torch on! Arrival time of 11:07 race time was still way behind my goal of 10:32-10:53, but wow, what a journey! Only 22km to go, 8.5km of that roughly downhill, but I knew that getting under 4 hours for this section would be tough. Remember according to those stats, the last person to do sub 14 arrived in 10:53. Which means the fastest time I could get would be about 3:10, and I’m not very fast at all. Bugger.

Gordi totally rocking the pink Skirt Sports- Thanks Natalie Watson!

Gordi totally rocking the pink Skirt Sports- Thanks Natalie Watson!

It was here at CP5 that one very odd thing happened. Michael Hanavan had left the CP and I filled my bottle and was about to leave when a marshall called out ‘have you got your fleece?’ I replied that we only had to carry it if it was after 7:30pm as per the rules but he insisted I had to take it. So I went back, got my bag and took it with me. I should point out that it was before 6pm! And the only reason I even had access to a fleece is because I had put one in CP4 bag and one in CP5.

I caught up to Michael and we began the downhill run to Jamison Creek. I was very grateful of the company but there wasn’t much conversation beyond ‘I’m stopping for a wee, I’ll catch up’ and ‘it hurts to pee’ so I’ll leave the rest of that out….. by this stage every single step felt like my quads wanted to burst out of my skin. They were revolting and not in an interesting way. My feet were really good though- the combination of 2Toms lubricant powder, Injinji socks and Hokas was wonderful. I still had bashed up my little toes a bit but that’s mainly because I hadn’t wanted to stop to re do my shoelaces tighter. I might try that heel lock lacing system in future.

Once we hit the hills I knew I had to push on otherwise I’d go over 15 hours, and I didn’t want to waste all my effort. Surprisingly I was able to go up hills ok, at only the slight cost of nausea. I felt bad about leaving Michael as he’s always been so nice but I’d expect him to leave me in the same circumstances. I got to pass two people- correction- one person- the other one slightly lengthened his stride and nearly broke me! Yes I’d caught up to ‘Tall Geoff’ Evison. I didn’t have any energy left for speaking and luckily he had earplugs in so we walked uphill in companionable silence for a while.

Of course I’d been doing maths in my head for hours trying to make sure I wouldn’t miss a major time target, but at one stage I lifted my watch up and was about to make a comment on our pace and Geoff said ‘I don’t want to know’, so the watch went down again. I was going to say that we were good for sub 15 hours but as long as I knew that was good enough. We pushed through the old Sewerage works with Geoff leading and once or twice he had me take point- he wasn’t going to allow me to latch on like a zombie as I do….

Ngaire at CP3

Ngaire at CP3

I was watching my Garmin like a hawk to see how far I could get in 14 hours. The answer turned out to be ‘within 3km of the finish’. Wow. I briefly pushed on ahead of Geoff and a couple of minutes later clipped small rock and went arse over tit. Of course both legs went into spasm and I felt very sorry for myself to get so far without an accident then BAM! Geoff came around the corner and said ‘get up, I’m not leaving you on the ground’ I tried to protest ‘just leave me here, I’ll be fine’ but to his credit he helped me up, bloody knees, blood dripping out of hand and wounded pride. You’re a solid gold legend Geoff Evison!

We walked again for a little bit, me encouraging Geoff to leave me, even while a couple of people snuck past, and then we hit the base of Furber Stairs. Time to suck up the pain and make those legs work again. In the absence of legs that would extend, I opted for full body contact on the stairs. A couple of people got past, but I used my arms to push and wobbled my core to get some upwards action happening. A couple of minutes later I heard Robert Rigg behind me say ‘I did/ didn’t think I’d catch up with you again’. I can’t remember exactly what he said because I was deep in the hurt locker. I’d completely lost the power of speech and the only non physical activity I had going on was counting stairs. There’s 933 stairs here (976 if you count the down stairs as well) and I count them in lots of 100 to keep from going mad. Sorry Rob, I had nothing…….

Not sure if I managed to acknowledge David Brown and Clare Northrop at the top of the stairs, but I spied Geoff who seemed to have slowed down so I caught up and we crossed the line together in 14:45:07. 21 Minutes from the base of Furber seems ok.

That’s a 45 minute PB for me (2013 was 15:28 and 2014 was 16:28) and I’m a very happy man.

Brad Smithers,  Sally Dean at the finish

Brad Smithers, Sally Dean at the finish

So, what could I have done better? Well a sub 14 would have required a 100% perfect race and a bit of divine intervention. I reckon I had about a 98% perfect race, and Divine is unfortunately dead. The fall at ~98km definitely cost me about 5 minutes, and I suspect the cramps are worth 15 minutes. I probably can’t completely get rid of cramps but I suspect that if I train harder they may not be so bad. I felt perfectly well hydrated all day but my wee was a bit darker than normal later in the day. There really wasn’t anything wrong, but I didn’t feel 100%. This is pretty common for me in hard races and I can usually get away with ignoring it. Getting into Wave 2 would potentially gain me a couple of minutes at Tarro’s Ladders. I had pretty bad nausea this year, it’s always present in a long race where you go hard, but this year it was a bit worse than usual. Not enough to make me chunder, but enough to be uncomfortable. Again it’s possible that training harder will mitigate this a bit. Laser hair removal- I decided to take one for theta but didn’t do this early enough and it started to grow back a bit before the race. I may have it done again so I don’t have to worry about chafing in races, but boys be warned- it’s like being stabbed repeatedly in the scrotum with a red hot knife. Yes, I once had a girlfriend who would have enjoyed that. Actually most of my exes would probably enjoy that.
So I’ve still got about 30 minutes of other gains to get under 14 hours, but a big fact has been unveiled- it IS possible!

So in summary
Don’t fall over
Train harder
Get in Wave 2
Train harder
Don’t be soft
Train harder

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Getting my bloody knees seen to- still clutching some mandarins that I had carried for 43km and had fallen on. Thanks for your sacrifice mandis!

Getting my bloody knees seen to- still clutching some mandarins that I had carried for 43km and had fallen on. Thanks for your sacrifice mandis!

I still have to follow up an issue with my lungs. it’s possible that if I get that fixed I’ll be ok. Quick fixes, who knows?

 

What went right? My nutrition was just about perfect. I had bottles of Perp and muesli bars in CP bags along with Coke and Powerade. This meant that the only thing I had to do was fill the Perp bottle with water and (I think) my CP transitions were super quick. Apart from drinking too much Coke at CP3 I don’t think I could improve this.
Feet- also great. probably should have stopped to tighten laces before CP4-5 as certainty of foot placement would help here but I reckon 8-9/10.
Weather- couldn’t have been better. I got hot for a few minutes then the clouds came back- awesome!
Clothing- double singlet, arm warmers, merino gloves, buff, Patagonia shorts, gaiters all went really well.
Shoes- the Hoke Clifton and Challenge ATR’s have a very flimsy inner sole that can shoot out the back when you run. I bought some Selleys Quick Grip Spray Adhesive and sprayed the inner soles before inserting into the shoe. Worked like magic.

Another slightly odd thing- at a couple of the checkpoints I went to where the bags were kept and they couldn’t find my bag. This was because it was already out and on a table for me. I’m not sure if they did this for everybody or even how they knew I was coming in but it was a bit confusing and slightly annoying. It’s obviously aimed at getting people though faster but I got a bit confused. Probably only cost 10-15 seconds but I’m not sure if this was covered in the race briefing- does anyone know what happened with this?

Finally a special thank you to those who made it possible- my long suffering wife who managed to leave the event 5 minutes before I crossed the finish line- I STILL think you’re awesome!

And to super coach Andy DuBois- you really know how to get an old man moving. I’ve gone from about 85km a week of training last year and going backwards (I was an hour slower in 2014 vs 2013) to a much more achievable volume- around 65km a week- just more closely aligned to the race. Yep, nearly 2 hours off last years time. I still think I’ll have to do a lot more but you really proved that race specific training works.This one’s for you- BOOM!

*Thanks to Doug Richardson and Sam Rossington who I think supplied most of these stolen photos.

 

 

North Face 100 Race Plan 2015

I’m not sure if I’ve done one of these before but it is definitely needed this year, as I have an aggressive target that will be difficult to achieve without a plan. Hell, it will be difficult WITH a plan!

Currently I’d rate my chances at about 20% of making sub 14 hours but I’ll give it my best. I still can’t go up hills like normal people but my confidence has improved recently because  I’ve been hitting a few pace goals and my hill sessions are getting better. The other big thing is that until last year I had never done sub 14 hours for 100km in any race but last year I did it twice and both times as part of a much longer run- at the Sri Chinmoy 24 hour and during Coast to Kosci. So now I know I can do it, I just have to slot in 5500m of vert as well…… um.

Because of course changes, the only year I have reliable data for is last year. In 2014 I had a LOT of problems- I forgot my Ventolin, forgot my sunglasses, missed my start wave, my shoes were too loose (lost 3-4 toenails) and I suffered from cramping for about 70km. So my 16:28 finish wasn’t too bad, but keep in mind when you read the following, that I did have a bad year. And if you read it and think ‘this guy has no chance, we’ll be waiting for him the following morning’ you might be right, but a girl’s gotta dream, right?

Here goes. Note, all of the time figures mentioned here are from the spreadsheet compiled by Ian Rowe from the Noosa Ultra and Triathletes (NUTR’s) linked here. Thanks Ian!

North Face Splits for 14-16 hour finishes

North Face Splits for 14-16 hour finishes

Start 6:30am (wave 3)
The first 4.5km is along the road and is intended to spread everyone out before we head into the bush. This year for the first time the rules say that your result will be based on gun time rather than net time. I’m not sure why this change has been made but it does mean that there will be a lot of insane people elbowing others aside at the start line. For a 14 hour finish the stats say I need to be at CP1 in 1:15. My time last year was 1:25 which means I need to be 1min/km faster, but I’m not going to stress about this because I do tend to pick up a bit when others get tired. The fastest here was 1:08 and slowest 1:24 so as long as I’m a bit faster than last year I’m still in with a chance.

Goal-
Split time 1:15
Race time 1:15
time of day 7:45am

CP1 to CP2
Last year I was 2:33 over this section, but in 2013 (my fastest ever year) this was slightly further into the race and I did 2:41. This year I will need to do 2:08. The spread here is getting much more consistent, times of 2:07- 2:12 predominate.

Goal-
Split time 2:08
Race time 3:24
time of day 9:54am

CP2- CP3
This will be a critical section for me as it includes Ironpot Ridge. Coach Andy DuBois emailed me last year and noted I could do ’20 minutes better’ in this section. This was before he was coaching me. I think he’s right!
The goal here is to get to the Ironpot turnaround in 34 minutes (3:58 race time) for a total time on the section of 2 hours flat. I’ve done 2:27 (2014) and 2:38 (2013), time to put my big girl pants on!

Goal-
Split time 2:00
Race time 5:24
time of day 11:54am

CP3-CP4
This section is only 11km, but if you can’t run, you will suffer terribly time-wise. The stats say you need to do this section in 1:35, my best is 1:49 (both 2014 and 2013). Although this seems like a monumental task, I was actually able to go up Nellie’s Glen without stopping for the first time recently. If I can keep my pace up on the flat, not stop up the stairs and have a gentle jog to the CP I’ve got a good chance of getting this time.

Goal-
Split time 1:35 + 6 minutes at CP3
Race time 7:05
time of day 1:35pm

CP4-CP5
Probably the toughest section of the race, it’s a brutal set of ascent/ descent which never seems to get anywhere. But I’ve been training stairs a lot this year and hope to bring back some of the time I lost last year to cramps. Because of course changes the only year I have stats for is last year when I did 3:52. The spreadsheet say I will need to do 3:16 this year. Gulp. But it IS possible. Sunset is 5:06pm on race day so you most likely will not have to use your head torch to get to Queen Vic hospital. Nice.

Goal-
Split time 3:16 + 10 minutes at CP4
Race time 10:32
time of day 5:00pm

CP5- Finish
Last years time to get to Leura Forest was 2:50, this year I need to make that 2:22. I felt good at CP5 last year but as soon as I left the CP I was unable to run, even downhill. With a bit of luck I can do it this year.
From Leura Forest to finish is 4.7km and the target is 55 minutes. Last year was 1:13 and I was feeling very sorry for myself. A good part of that time is going up the Furber Stairs. Speaking to Tim Lyndon yesterday I found that he was able to go up these in less than 10 minutes, but it takes a normal person 15-25 minutes!

Goal- to Leura Forest
Split time 2:22 + 11 minutes at CP5
Race time 13:05
time of day 7:35pm

Goal-
Split time 55 minutes
Race time 14:00
time of day 8:30pm

Now- the only way I can give myself some breathing space if running behind is to do the checkpoints quickly. I know I can do this- last year CP3 was 2:06, CP5 was under 4 minutes and CP4 was still under average at 9 minutes (even though I stopped to have 2 lots of noodles and couldn’t untangle my headlamp). If I simply stuck to the same times I would be 11 minutes in front of the average 14 hour runner. Now I just need to find another 80 minutes! Let me put it this way- I’m pretty sure I am on track for a PB finish. A half hour under my PB of 15:28 would not be surprising. Getting those extras to go under 14 hours is going to be the fight of my life, but let’s see if I can do it!

North Face 100 Nutrition Plan & Drop Bags 2015

This post had 40 likes in 2012 so I think it’s worthwhile updating with what worked and what didn’t. As you can see, it’s an eating competition with a bit of running thrown in. The las couple of years I’ve been making my own gels, so where I write ‘flask of gel’ I actually mean apx 4x commercial gels, because each flask holds about 4. I’ll probably carry a few commercial gels as well, this will help fight flavour fatigue. Let’s go……

In 2015 I’ve been doing a lot of training without gels and using cheap no name brand muesli bars instead. Lately I’ve added Hammer Perpetuem powder and I think this works well for me. I may carry a flask of home made gel for a quick burst of energy but won’t be relying on these for race nutrition. Basically ALL of the nutrition plan is new for this year because I’m relying more on less sugary foods, but changes in strategy are highlighted at the bottom with the words 2015 update

What is Provided at Checkpoints?

Endura sports drink (pre mixed)
Water to fill bladders
Fruit
Lollies
Bread/buns (Not at CP1)
Chips (Not at CP1)
Hot water/ tea/ coffee (Not at CP1)
Instant noodles (Not at CP1 or CP2)
Gels are available at some checkpoints, but you can’t depend on them, and if you do, you might have to take grape flavour, which is quite vile tasting. Other items I will have to carry.

Running Start to Checkpoint 1- 10.5km
Drink 600ml sports drink at the start, discard bottle
At CP1- Drink 500ml Endura at checkpoint, fill 2x bottles when leaving.
Pick up 2x mandarin to eat while waiting at Tarro’s Ladders
I will have a couple of things to eat in my pack but not much. I will have 1 bottle empty but full of Perpetuem powder, and add water at CP1. The other font mounted bottle will have 600ml of Nuun electrolyte.
*Don’t need to carry much water on this section as much of it is on road and the section is short.

To Eat While Running Checkpoint 1 to Checkpoint 2- 20.5km, total 31km
A few sips of Perpetuem
2x Salt tablet
2x muesli bar

At CP2
Drink 500ml Endura at checkpoint,
Check bottles/ fill with Endura

To Eat While Running Checkpoint 2 to Checkpoint 3- 15km, total 46km
Eat a Growling Dog bar while exiting CP2 before the climb up Ironpot Ridge
2x Muesli bars
Sip Perpetuem
1-2 salt tablets

At CP3
Drink 500ml Endura
Check bottles/ fill with Endura- don’t fill up too much- only 11km to CP4!
Gel flask from drop bag?
Perpetuem bottle from drop bag
600ml coke from drop bag
HPLC bar from drop bag

To Eat While Running Checkpoint 3 to Checkpoint 4- 11km, total 57km
1x muesli bar
1x Fruit from CP
Sip Perpetuem
1-2x Salt tablet
Important- must eat at bottom and part way up Nellie’s Glen! See explanation below

At CP4
drink 500ml Endura
Check bottles/ fill with Endura <<21km to next checkpoint
Perpetual from drop bag
600ml Coke from drop bag
HPLC bar from drop bag
Eat a cup noodle while getting gear

To Eat While Running Checkpoint 4 to Checkpoint 5- 21km, total 78km
2x Muesli bars?
Sip Perpetuem
1x HPLC bar
1-2x Salt tablet

At CP5
drink 500ml Endura
Check bottles/ fill with Endura <<22km to Finish!
Perpetuem bottle from drop bag
600ml Coke from drop bag
HPLC bar from drop bag

To Eat While Running Checkpoint 5 to Finish- 22km, total 100km
2x Muesli bars
Sip Perpetuem
1x HPLC bar
1-2x Salt tablet

At the Finish
Need to make sure you eat something or you’ll be ridiculously hungry when you get back to your hotel room! I choose beer and pies, you can have kale chips if you want.

 Contents of Checkpoint Bags

This means I’ll need to carry from the start of the race to checkpoint 3-
1x flask of gel
4-6 Muesli bars
Loads of salt tablets

And I’ll need to pack the following

Checkpoint 3 bag
1 flask Gels
Muesli bars
Perpetuem in a bottle
HPLC bar
600ml Coke

Checkpoint 4 bag
1 flask Gels
Muesli bars
Perpetuem in a bottle
HPLC bar
600ml Coke
Proper headlights (will be carrying low weight versions during the day)
Clothing for night time- Fleece as per rules
Leave sunglasses in bag here
Pick up sunglasses with clear lenses for night running

extra mandatory gear if required

Checkpoint 5 bag
1 flask Gels
Muesli bars
Perpetuem in a bottle
HPLC bar
600ml Coke

Discussion
Where it says ‘Drink 500ml Endura’ that is about 3x 150ml cups. I can usually drink that much at once without bad effects, you may find otherwise. The instructions to eat more up Nellie’s and along Federal Pass are because these have been where I’ve had low points, and more food usually helps. The Growling Dog bars are hard to eat, and need to be cut into squares and put into a sandwich bag in prep. I also quite like the James Magnusson Missile bars from Body Science, but these also need to be cut up.Unfortunately I’ve given up on Perpetuem solids, I just can’t eat them- they stick to my teeth!

I’m going to do this race without a bladder in my pack. I will carry 2x 600ml bottles on my front and 2x  500ml Salomon soft bottles in my pack. This will give me the required 2l of fluid carrying capacity.
Gu Chomps- I also like the Cliff Shot Blocks, particularly the Margarita flavour, but really- these things can be easily and CHEAPLY substituted with bags of lollies from a supermarket. Sure they have electrolytes etc, but just shove a handful of lollies in your face and a salt tablet. Sorted. (2015 update– I’m substituting more ‘normal food’ in the form of muesli bars)
Fruit- they often provide watermelon, mandarins etc and sometimes I prefer these even though bananas are probably better race food.
Cliff Bars- These were a sponsor in 2014 but no longer….
Nellies Glen- I have found over 4x doing this race that I don’t have a major crash if I eat at Nellie’s Glen once when entering the single track (this goes for about1500m) and again part way up the stairs. There are about 511 stairs, so count them off in lots of 100. Each 100 stairs is about 20% of the distance. This makes it easier mentally. Forgot your count? Who cares? Just go again from a logical number. You’re trying to keep your mind off the task, not really counting stairs anyway! Same goes for Golden Stairs (xx stairs?)and Furber stairs (933 stairs if you only count up, 976 if you count down stairs as well) at the end.
CP4-5- This section will take a long time, must make sure to take enough fluids and food.
CP5-Finish- this section is even longer, but there is an emergency water stop at 91km, so don’t worry too much about fluids. Remember to DUMP YOUR WATER at the bottom of the Furber steps up to the finish- NOT on the trail. You don’t want to be carrying much up those final 933 steps!

Real food- I had some macaroni & cheese at CP3 in 2012, and to be honest that was a bit heavy, or maybe I just ate too much of it. In 2013 I did the same and ate less, but it was still too heavy on my stomach. Another suggestion has been potato salad- yum! This has some decent carbs and is easy to get down because of the mayonnaise- don’t skimp on the mayo! But what I really like is boiled eggs- I will probably boil, shell, then freeze a couple of these in a container full of water so they aren’t full of salmonella when I get to them at CP3. These were quite good in 2014 but too hard to keep fresh. 2015 update– I won’t be making eggs or potato salad this year, I’ll be getting protein from other sources so I’ll just see what is available at the CP if I’m hungry.

I often finish races with enough spare food to go another 80km so this year I’ll be trying to go light as I have a very aggressive target!

In 2013 I went a bit crazy and spent 2 weeks shopping for treats to put in my drop bags. This is not necessary and will cost you time because you can’t decide what to eat. Just put one or two things in there- you may not eat them but it will make you happy knowing they are there. Run for treats!

North Face 100 Tips 2015

2015- there isn’t much on this that needs updating, but new stuff will be marked
2015 update

Probably the thing I get asked most in person is ‘what tips do you have for me?’. Now truthfully I’m not a better runner than you. Anything I’ve got to share I’ve stolen from others or gained through studying the electrons on the internet. Terror will do that to you. Some of these things might work for you, some probably won’t. Be very careful about changing your race plan because of anything I write here- you need to be comfortable with your choices, and remember ‘nothing new on race day’!

Serfas Portal Sunglasses

Serfas Portal Sunglasses

I wear my sunglasses at night
This tip from Nick Weinholt was a big winner. I have 2 pairs of sunglasses, and at checkpoint 4 swapped my daytime pair for a pair from my checkpoint bag that had clear lenses. This worked really well for two reasons- in the cold it kept my eyes a bit warmer and stopped them streaming like a sad panda, and during leg 5 it meant I could run through the bush without worrying about getting hit in the face by branches. So in a way, it made me run faster! You’ll look like a bit of a wanker, but it’s night, hardly anyone will see you……

Papa’s got a brand new bag 
You should buy a bunch of blue cool bags from a supermarket- or even better get some that look different from everyone else’s . You’ll need 3- one each for checkpoint 3, 4, and 5. Each will need to be labelled clearly with your race number so the race crews can put them in order (so you can find your bag when you hit the CP). You should also try to make it look a bit DIFFERENT from all the other blue bags- tie something on to the handle, like a piece of ribbon or even another plastic bag- but MAKE THEM ALL THE SAME SORT OF DIFFERENT so you can recognise them. Inside the lid of each CP bag have a list of stuff you need to do. If you have crew, MAKE SURE they go through the list before you leave the checkpoint- in 2012 I forgot to fill my bladder before leaving CP4, meaning I ran out of water on the longest leg of the race. This was because my wife was there to help me and I hadn’t planned on her being there, so I forgot to ask her to check the list. Completely my fault and it could have been a disaster. My bag notes look something like this

Adam CP4 Bag

All that suff including the instruction sheet, goes inside the bag

The text is large so I can read in low light. I also have treats in each bag, so I’ll have a quick look inside to see if anything takes my fancy- WARNING- this did not work very well in 2013, I spent too much time looking at treats- just have one or 2 things in the bag that you would consider a treat and don’t buy the entire contents of Coles. Some of these items on the list are just guides rather than instructions- for instance there is no way I could have eaten fruit going out of CP3, but at least I got to consider it because it was on the list. Also dumping your rubbish in your drop bag will save you having to find a bin. Not a big deal, but could save you some time when you’ve completely lost your mind later in the race.

Bag Raiders
Pack a FINISH line bag. It should contain some food, warm clothes (your old trakky daks are FINE), a towel in case you get to have a shower, baby wipes in case you can’t stand the smell of your own body, deodorant, thongs or thick socks so you can take those vile shoes off, maybe some sparkling mineral water because you’re sick of soft drink, sports drink and water. Chocolate milk, first aid kit and a sick bag have all been suggested too….. Also include a couple of plastic bags to put your stinky crap in, if you’re really chatty a mobile charger or external battery so you can wake up your folks at 3am and tell them how you did. You may be too wired to sleep- hang around at Scenic World and chat to strangers like me. Don’t include anything valuable- I’ve never heard of anyone stealing stuff at this event, but it could happen one day. Stick 20 bucks in the bottom of your running pack so you can buy something at the end if you want.

Keep Warm
I thought I’d be really smart and use cycling style arm warmers for the early part of the race when it is often very cold. It’s a great theory, but didn’t work in practice because the arm warmers have some rubber at the top to keep them from slipping off, and this rubbed my arms raw. UPDATE- I used them again in 2013, and simply turned the rubber bit at the top inside out. This worked quite well and I am likely to do this again in 2014. Also the 2 bits of clothing you want to have in large sizes are your reflective vest, and your rain jacket. You don’t really want to have to take your pack off to put either of these on, and indeed the reflective vest MUST be visible over your pack, so make sure you haven’t got a midget version. I’m most comfortable running in a singlet, and can do this at temps down to about 10 degrees, but in 2011 the temp never got above 6 degrees even though the sun was shining. Have a plan, decide what you are going to do if it is cold and wet. My big problem is I hate having sweaty underarms, which means T- shirts are not ideal. Maybe I can wear a second singlet under my NRG top- I could use the 2010 Six Foot one, it’s about the size of a postage stamp! UPDATE- wearing 2 singlets did work well to keep my core warm. Test your clothing, you only need a tiny problem to make your clothes dig a hole into your flesh over 100km. Trust me, that’s not fun. For instance- I now know that the seam on my compression shorts will take bits of flesh out of my back after a 100km run, so I have to tuck my singlet into my shorts. It’s not a fashion parade……

2015 update– I will most likely wear 2 race singlets to keep my core warm and the arm warmers if it’s under 10 degrees at the start. I can pull them off and tie them to my pack easily and dump them at CP3.

The Race
Buy a race number belt, or even better a SpiBelt with race number holders. you may need multiple clothing changes during the race and it is a requirement that your race number be visible at all times. Having to move all those pins with freezing or tired hands is not going to be fun

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Energy 52
Eat early and often. Don’t let your energy levels drop. On a normal run I’ll probably have my first gel at 8-12km. Race day I will be eating at 5km and about every half hour after that. But don’t eat too much- in 2012 I ate quite a bit of macaroni and cheese at CP3, then couldn’t run some of the easiest bits up towards Nellie’s Glen- that mistake cost me up to 30 minutes. In 2013 I ate the same food, but less of it and still had problems. Will try boiled eggs in 2014, they’ve been good in other races like GNW.

2015 update– I’ve been training to run without a lot of sugar recently, so my main race food this year will be Hammer Perpetuem. I’ll supplement this with muesli bars, food from the course and a bit of beef jerky in my drop bags. It’s hard to chew, but comes in small pieces.

Silence
Later in the race you’ll probably spend a bit of time on your own. There’s always plenty of people around, but perhaps all the people going up the stairs are too slow for you. I will have my headphones around my neck and connected at the start of the race so I don’t have to fiddle around in the dark if I want some tunes. I’ll be listening to a few trance podcasts by John ‘OO’ Fleming. These can be downloaded for free from iTunes or choose something else that you might like more. One of the reasons to choose this style of music is because it has the right cadence to keep your legs moving a bit faster than normal. Warning- the RD has instituted rules around the use of iPods, make sure you read them and comply. No iPods at all in Leg 1, See point 4 in the event rules.

2015 update– I’ll be wearing cordless bluetooth headphones this year

Fade to Grey
If you’re feeling like crap (and you will!) you need to have the presence of mind to recognise it and take action. This is the difference between a finish and a DNF. In my limited experience you need 4 things. Look at your fingers and repeat after me ‘sugar, water, salt, caffeine’. Attach those words to your fingers in your mind. Do not forget them. When you feel bad, look at your fingers and repeat ‘sugar, water, salt, caffeine’. You need at least one of these things. Have it and you WILL feel better. Usually for me it is sugar…….at a recent run I had a coke at the halfway mark and immediately felt better and went on to finish a run that I didn’t think I could. Think about it- Coca Cola has 3 out of the 4 essential ingredients!

Relax
Spend as much time as you need in checkpoints, but no more. In 2011 I got into CP4 and told my wife I was quitting. She told me not to quit straight away. After spending nearly an hour in that CP, I felt better, got up and went out and finished. The key thing here is that I would not have finished if I’d gone straight over to the desk and quit. I wasn’t really injured, and taking that time allowed me to get back some energy. But the biggest tip I can give is GET OUT OF CP4. That’s right- if you can get out of the aquatic centre you’ve just committed to the longest unsupported leg of the race (CP5-Finish is longer but has water), once you get down the Giant Staircase there is no turning back until you get to CP5, Queen Victoria Hospital. And of course once you get to CP5 you’ve only got 22km to go… this is going to be mentally challenging but go on, do it!

2015 update– CP4-5 is probably the most difficult section of the new course. Now that the Giant Staircase is out of the way, it’s still going to be a struggle to leave that nice warm stadium. Beware the chair!

Welcome to the Pleasure Dome
When you get back to Scenic World, get some warm clothes on and EAT SOMETHING. I forgot in 2012 and my wife woke up to me looking for food in my drop bags in the dark. Congratulations, you’ve just completed the North Face 100, you awesome person you!

The actual running bit
(this extra stuff is from a second post last year, but it really belongs here…..)

All organised? Me too, sort of. However I’ve stolen a few more bits of running lore to share, and here they are-

I can run faster than Jane Trumper (sometimes), but why does she beat me in Ultras? Because she never stops! One thing I’ve learned very clearly is this- you can change your clothes, get food out, apply sunscreen, eat and vomit all while moving. Plenty of times I’ve been surveying all the great food at a checkpoint and Jane’s already gone. If you need an aspirin, get it out before you hit the CP, undo your pack as you cruise in, run through your mental checklist- but BE READY.

Once again- MAKE A PLAN BEFORE YOU HIT THE CHECKPOINT!

Clues you are about to hit a Check Point
CP1- at the top of the Golden Staircase you run up Narrowneck for about 1km into the CP
CP2- There’s a gate across the fire trail a few hundred metres before the cruel descent into CP2
CP3- You climb over a stile off Megalong Valley Rd and run through a field for a bit before hitting CP3
CP4- You exit trail and run along the road (civilisation!) before hitting CP4 (apx 2km?)
CP5- You’ll probably hit this at night, you’ll see it and hear it. You’ll be running down Kings Tableland Rd for several km and you’ll see light and a hive of activity

If you feel like stopping, run through your finger checklist- water, sugar, salt, caffeine. Usually having one or more of these will help you. Don’t slow down and feel sorry for yourself, take action!

Walk the hills- you need to run/ walk at well below your threshold. If you’re gunning for a sub 14 hour time I can’t help you because I’ve never done it! I will be attempting it this year, so let’s see how that goes…….

Concentrate on your speed while walking. Jane Trumper walked up Kedumba with me in 2011 Mt Solitary race. Or I should say we started at Jamison Creek together. She walked with a purpose, I walked while feeling sorry for myself. She beat me to the top by 22 minutes over 8.5km- this can make a HUGE difference to your race.

Talk to someone. If you can push each other along, there’s no reason not to have a chat- ultra runners are very friendly people. But the moment you think you can go a bit faster, make a move- stopping to chat is now costing you time. As Nick Weinholt puts it- ‘I came here to race, not to chat!’

Dead Eyes Opened – Another Nick tip is not to look into the eyes of those who have failed for too long for fear you will be brought into their world. You can’t help the people in Medical, leave them to the experts.

Conversely, if someone needs help on the course, give it! In 2011 a guy asked me for electrical tape coming up Kedumba. What he actually wanted was blister patches, and I had heaps. It was like the best Christmas ever…….. Oh, and if you need something, ask! I ran out of water up Kedumba in 2013 and another runner donated a whole flask of sports drink. I’ll be forever grateful, and I still have no idea who that person was.

Are you injured? No? Keep going. ‘But I feel like shit’. Figure out what you need, have it and keep going. ‘My legs hurt’ Yes, well stopping now won’t make them hurt less, and they WILL carry you to the end if you ignore the pain. ‘But I still feel like shit’
Here’s a teaspoon of cement princess, now HTFU. Bernadette Benson, female winner of the 2013 Coast to Kosciuzko Ultra (yes 240km) said the thing that annoyed her the most was the medic kept coming up to her to ask how she felt ‘It’s irrelevant how I FEEL’ she said. I’ll never be that tough!

Repeat your mantra. You’ll see this one all over the internet, but the one I use is ‘relentless forward progress’. Just 3 words to keep you going. Repeat them, explore them, make them resonate, feel the power, keep going!

You need to run upright to make your breathing more efficient, so put your headlamp a bit further down your forehead so you don’t hunch over while running to watch the ground.

When you’re tired, concentrate on your running form. Work those arms back to front (not in front of you!) breathe a little deeper, head up, get your rhythm back.

I’ve talked a lot about how to go faster, but the key goal here is finishing. If you need to, take a break. You’ve got 28 hours to finish. Don’t stress about the time. If it will get you to the end, spend an hour or more in the checkpoint. Do what you need to do to finish.

That wasn’t a drop bear, you’re just hallucinating.

If you have any questions, please post them on the FaceBook page and we’ll get them answered!

North Face 100 Non Mandatory gear 2015

Again, this is just a rehash of my 2014 list with a few updates, I hope you enjoy!

Here’s a list of a few things I’ll be carrying in the 2015 version of The North Face 100 Australia. They’re not on the mandatory gear list, but don’t make life hard for yourself- if it will make your race easier, take it! Warning- I’m going for a sharp time this year, so I’m planning to go super light. This might not suit you, there is a lot of comfort to be had by taking extra gear. I’ll be lining up for my 5th crack at this race, but for my first time I took loads of extras and it made things easier. Horses for (100km) courses!

Sunglasses- I’ll be wearing Serfas Portal sunnies, thanks to the local importer VeloVita for getting them in on time! Why wear sunglasses all day? Lots of reasons- you won’t get a headache from the sun, if you get hit in the face with a branch on the single track you won’t get an eye injury, and if you get photo chromatic lenses they’ll adjust to the available light.

Tip- I also have a second pair of these in a checkpoint bag for use at night. You look like a bit of a dickhead but in really cold weather it stops your eyes from streaming, and when going through bushy sections allows you to go a bit faster without needing to worry about getting hit in the face by branches. Your lizard brain wants to protect your eyes and will slow you down, you can overcome this by wearing sunglasses at night…..

Garmin 920XT

 

Garmin 920XT– how else will I know how slowly I’m running? Lots of people using Suunto this year which is also a good option.

Nipple tape– You may not need it, I do.

Spibelt– I’ll most likely have my 2 pieces of mandatory emergency food in the pocket, and hang my race number on the front using the optional elastic toggle thingys. You can put your race number on to your shirt, but if you put a jumper on, you’ll need to move it. The race number belt is great because you can have as many costume changes as you like and not have to deal with pins……

Injinji Trail 2.0

 

Socks- I’ll be wearing Injinji socks. The higher versions because I’ll put anti leech stuff under the socks so the little blighters can’t get inside- this really works. Yes the Trail 2.0 are nice and comfy…..

original_CW

Before a bush run I always apply a wide area of this from below the sock line to halfway up my calves. Since starting this I have not had an uninvited guest suck my blood, but they could be just biding their time for a mass attack.
Update 2014– I no longer need this because I will be wearing the BSc calf guards below

BSc calf guards

Skins- Depends on the weather. I wear long compression tights when it’s really cold or if I’ll be running through a lot of single track- it’s a small amount of protection. I’m not really an athlete that can tell the difference in performance from compression. Most likely I’ll wear Linebreak compression shorts under my running shorts, and BodyScience calf guards tucked into my socks to prevent leech entry. There is no science behind these choices, these were just the cheapest version of these things available when I needed to buy them. The compression shorts are good for preventing chaffing when my fat legs rub together.

Shorts with a pocket- I love the Patagonia Ultra shorts. Sadly unavailable now, however they are great because they have nice big pockets on each side. I reserve one pocket for rubbish and clean out at each checkpoint, the other pocket for stuff I need close to hand.

I have found it really difficult to buy running shorts with enough storage for long runs, but I’ve been recommended to try these, not tried them yet but have a look at Race Ready

 

iPod- I’ll use my iPhone 6 Plus with Gecko case. It’s big and ugly but the battery lasts a long time! Anybody who knows me understands that my first priority is chatting to other runners, but almost every year when leaving checkpoint 4 I have been alone and loved putting on some choons as I descended the Giant Staircase.

Headphones- the Sennheiser PMX-680i are very comfortable and pretty easy to route the cables. I’ve destroyed one set of these by using accidental violence, so I bought a second set. These have been replaced with the PMX-685i but I purchased the 680i cheaply from MWave.
2015 update– all of these headphones have been discontinued, but I have a new strategy. I hate having cords and it makes it messy to remove the pack, so I’m going with a pair of bluetooth headphones and I will use the music on my phone. I’ve ordered a pair of these– even though the battery life will not last the whole race it should be enough. I may use these as a backup, they’re actually quite comfortable to wear!

Bodyglide– it’s not fun to put lube where the sun doesn’t shine- but if you don’t, it’s going to hurt bad. Insert prison joke here.

Gloves- for me, something like these is ideal, they have a mesh back so my hands don’t get too sweaty but they give some protection. Yes I know they’re ugly.
2015 update– I’ll probably just use a pair of running gloves as specified in the mandatory equipment. It seems a bit dumb to carry 2 pairs of gloves, so although the weightlifting gloves are better for grabbing rusty stair railings, they are going in the dustbin of history.

Salt Stick capsules– this is very much a personal ‘feel’ thing. In a road marathon I’d have one at 20km and one at 30km to stave off cramps. During TNF I’ll probably have a couple more- 1-2 every 10km or so. I always take a few extra, because I ALWAYS see someone on the course who needs them. You should consider what you’ll be taking for cramps! By the way- the super huge ‘this will last me for 10 years’ bottle was only slightly more expensive than the ‘3 marathon’ bottle. Colin Jeftha- ex Six Foot Track Race Director, says ‘there is no proven link between salts (electrolytes) and cramping. He’s right, but in my experience if I have salt capsules they do relieve the cramps

Aspirin- I’m a simple bloke so a simple solution for headaches seems in order. Might be some Panadol in the first aid kit too but I’m mostly looking to follow Jane Trumpers advice and steer clear of drugs. Unless someone lights a joint up for the Kedumba descent, then I’ll try to warm my hands on it.

Compeeds– These things are like magic on blisters and hot spots. If you get a hot spot, stop immediately and slap one of these super sticky things on, the pain will go away and you can carry on- an absolute must in your kit. DON’T buy the ‘Band Aid’ branded copies- they do not work as well. I gave one to a guy on Kedumba in 2011 and I think he would’ve named his children after me. Poor kids.

Ventolin inhaler – I would never have survived childhood if it wasn’t for Ventolin, and while I’ve only had one asthma attack in recent memory, cold weather can cause EIA- Exercise Induced Asthma. I’d be silly not to carry it. I forgot my Ventolin in the 2014 race and had to ask medical at CP2 for a couple of puffs. This meant they had to fill out a little form, which cost a couple of minutes. Not really a big deal but in total this would have cost me some decent time for a silly mistake.

 

North Face 100 Mandatory Gear 2015

This is basically a copy/ paste of my 2014 entry with updates as required. Please let me know if you spot any errors, it was done in a hurry…….

The major changes have been noted as 2015 update, I’ve also included a bunch of photos from Northside Runners. As you all probably know they’ve been very good to me and are big supporters of ultra running in general. Go and see them or one of the other local shops for your gear and keep that essential local knowledge available!

-I also want to acknowledge the huge help I’ve gained from others. In 2011 I was crapping myself at the huge task I’d jumped into, and probably the best source of info was Nick Weinholt’s Enduroexplorer.com website. I’ve since found out that he’s a helpful and approachable bloke too. You should read the website and particularly the training and gear list he did for the 2010 race. And although the Ultra168 guys are a whole new level of crazy (er, I mean commitment) you should read their adventures too- lots of good info there. You should also check out the gear thread on Coolrunning for 2012. Pasty has put another good summary there, and you can ask questions too! Check out the Facebook groups- official, unofficial, and training.

Ultra168 have added a post that takes in some of the gear (2014) here

 

I’ve seen a lot of discussion on various sites about the mandatory gear for TNF100, so I thought I’d share a few insights I gained over the last 4 years of doing this race in the hope that it will help some other competitors. Following is a list of the gear taken directly from the event website with my own explanations and links etc. It will be updated if the gear list changes, or if someone provides an interesting view that we should share here. Description of the mandatory item from the official document in italics, my explanation below-

1 x long sleeve thermal top (polypropylene, wool or similar). Cotton, coolmax, lycra and any compression garment will not be sufficient even if the compression garment is called a “thermal compression garment”. You may still use compression garments however they do not replace this mandatory item. Refer to this link for an explanation.

My wife has just been to Patagonia in Sydney and purchased for me a Capilene long sleeved top. In her words- the silk weight version probably does not comply, and the lightweight version is ok for summer but probably not a Blue Mountains winter. The Midweight probably best matches the polypropylene specified in the mandatory item description.
Weight 221g

1 x long leg thermal pants (polypropylene, wool or similar). Cotton, coolmax, lycra and any compression garment will not be sufficient even if the compression garment is called a “thermal compression garment”. You may still use compression garments however they do not replace this mandatory item. Refer to this link for an explanation.

I used a pair of polypropylene thermals I had purchased for a trip to NZ. Fairly lightweight, these were purchased from Kathmandu- they are from the Ultracore range- link
Weight: 173g

Salomon Bonatti Jacket

Salomon Bonatti Jacket

1 x waterproof and breathable jacket with fully taped (not critically taped) waterproof seams and hood. The jacket must fit the wearer correctly. A recommendation only for a good jacket is one that has a waterproof rating of over 20,000mm hydrostatic head and a breathability MVTR rating of 25,000g/m2/25hrs. (plastic rain poncho, wind jacket, water resistant jacket etc. not acceptable) 
Salomon Sense Flyweight Jacket

Salomon Sense Flyweight Jacket

This is probably the item that causes the most discussion. You should get a good one, as there is a lot of weight to be saved here. My Mont jacket weighs 450g, the Salomon Sense Flyweight is apx 120g. Race Director Tom Landon Smith has flagged that in future he wants to enforce a stricter international standard for ‘waterproofness’, but that has not happened this year. It must have a hood AND actually fit you. Yes, people have tried to get through check in with child sized items to save weight. Don’t do it. I can confirm that the lightest jacket that meets the spec is the Salomon Sense Flyweight Jacket at 120g. These are now hard to get (it seems Pace Athletic may be out of stock) but Northside Runners may still have your size. I recommend going up to the Montane Minimus which weighs 208g or the Salomon Bonatti at 210g. Why? Because the Minimus contains Pertex fabric which is much more breathable- and this will likely be the absolute minimum spec sometime in the future. I’m sure the Minimus will probably last longer too! In 2011 I used a Mont jacket (different brand) which weighs about 450g, so you can save a lot of weight here.

homer-hats-beanies-red

1 x beanie, balaclava or buff

at Trailwalker 2010 I was given a buff about the halfway point, and it was the most glorious feeling to be putting on something so warm- it has a drawstring so it can be made into a beanie, and I’m going to use that instead of the achingly expensive snow beanie. Remember you lose a lot of heat out of your head, and it’s going to be bloody cold. If it’s reasonably warm like 2012-14 you might get away with a light fabric buff, but in 2011 it was soooo cold!
Weight: 46g

Salomon Running Gloves

1 x full-fingered lightweight thermal gloves (polypropylene, wool or similar)

I have some black mountain biking gloves for this purpose. These gloves stayed in their packet, as I have a personal preference for non sweaty hands, and covering them up makes me very sweaty. The best compromise I have found here is some old leather weightlifting gloves that have an open mesh back- they are not full fingered so I have to carry the mandatory gloves as well. Lots of protection for your hands if you fall, but not too sweaty. Remember fairly early in the race you will be going down some stairs with nasty rusted iron hand holds.
Weight: 34g (nylon cycling gloves)

Safety vests

1 x High Visibility Safety Vest that complies with Australian Standard AS/NZS 4602:1999 -N Class for night time wear.

*I borrowed one of these from my wife’s work. You might have contacts who can loan you one of these, or you can buy them from Bunnings/ Masters Hardware etc. Not expensive, but make sure it meets the specs- and it use go OVER your pack so you can be seen from behind at night- get a large size. If you buy a running vest with reflective steps it probably won’t comply- remember this item must comply with the Australian Standard…… Remember it’s the reflective stripes that allow the night rating. No stripes= doesn’t comply. Weight: 155g

unboxed

Petzl Nao v1

1 x headlamp (test your headlamp on bush tracks at night prior to the event to make sure it provides enough light to both see the track and the course markings)

* My main light here is the Petzl Nao. The new version released in 2014 now outputs up to 575 lumens and has lots of options, the big bonus being it has regulated output- this means that as your batteries wear out it will keep a constant light output- your light doesn’t get dimmer over time.  And it can sense how much light is available and dim itself, saving batteries. At my favourite setting, the battery will last about 6-8 hours which means I should get to the finish without needing to change batteries, but I will be carrying a spare. The Nao will be in my drop bag at CP4, if you are a 16.5+ hour runner you will want to have your headlamp in your CP3 bag.

WARNING- if you use these Petzl lights, be aware that they are NOT fully charged when all the lights are on- you should either use Petzl OS to check or leave them on charge for a while AFTER it looks like they are full……

 

During the day I will carry 2 tiny ‘Keyring Mini Hand Torch‘, these are on the website for $7.98 each- ouch in 2014 they are now $19.98, but Kathmandu is always on special anyway…..
2015 update– those Kathmandu torches take a bunch of LR4 batteries which I haven’t been able to buy in bulk so I will probably use a couple of torches from a $2 shop as my mandatory carry items during the day. Weight is not significant for these.

*I have spoken to the Race Director about whether a hand held torch is ok rather than a headlamp, and he agreed it was ok. He couldn’t see why you would want to use a hand held torch if a headlamp as available (me too) however it will pass. Weight: 10g  (light until CP3).
Weight: 187g (Petzl Nao with battery)

1 x small backup light in case of headlamp failure but still bright enough for you to walk by and see course markings

* I will use a Petzl Tikka XP2 for my backup light. it is perfectly ok for an event like the North Face 100 as your main light, but I’m lucky that my wife works for the local distributor so these things breed like rabbits in our house. Weight: 10g (light until CP3).
Weight: 88g (Petzl Tikka XP2 including batteries)

1 x mobile phone (Telstra Next G is strongly recommended as coverage on the course is far better than any other network)

*Yes Telstra aren’t my favourite people either, but my phone is with them and the network is pretty good. Ouch- upgrading my phone means I am carrying an extra 100g of gear. Oh well, at least the battery should last until I finish! I will be carrying an iPhone 6 Plus including Gecko waterproof case
Weight: 278g

1 x compass for navigation in the very unlikely event that you get lost. While we recommend a good quality compass such as the Silva Field 7, you can bring any compass as long as the magnetic needle will settle quickly and will point to magnetic North. A waterproof watch compass is allowed as long as you can calibrate it and use it correctly. An iPhone compass is not acceptable as it is not waterproof and the batteries may be needed for making emergency calls.

Smallest compass I have been able to find is these at 12 for < $2 ,  Weight: <10g

UPDATE- got an email from the Race Director which says the following- Can I use an iPhone as my compass?  Answer is no.

1 x whistle

*most Salomon packs seem to have a whistle built in, so I have 3. You should either borrow one from someone who owns a Salomon pack, or buy one from a toy or sports store- Rebel Sport will have these, or order something like this which has whistle, compass and backup light all in one.
Weight: included with pack

1 x emergency space blanket, light bivvy sack or equivalent

* Salomon Advanced Skin 12 v3 packs have these inside, or I bought one for about $5 from Khatmandu last year. Hint- Khatmandu seems to always be on sale……
Weight: 55g (or included with pack)

bandage

This image lifted straight from the TNF100 website…..

  • 1 x compression bandage minimum dimensions 7.5cm wide x 2.3m long unstretched. If in doubt the wrapping should list ‘heavy weight cotton crepe bandage’ or ‘heavy cotton elastic bandage’ (this item is used for the treatment of sprains or snake bite). 

I asked, but never got to the bottom of what makes a suitable compression bandage- common sense says that it’s the elastic in the bandage that will provide the compression. Supplied by my wife from our medical box, but you can buy these from Chemists.
Weight: 45g

1 x full box of waterproof & windproof safety matches (provided by organisers)

1 x firelighter block for emergency use only (Jiffy Firelighter provided by organisers).  You will need to provide your own zip lock bag or container.

*pretty self explanatory- there will be a table at check-in with these items on it. Grab a small amount and stash them in a zip lock sandwich bag that you have brought along. You’ll need a couple of extras for this and following items. Weight: no idea, say 30g

1 x lightweight Dry Sack to keep your compulsory clothing dry (plastic bags or zip lock bags are fine but Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil dry sack is recommended)

*You don’t need to buy a Dry Sack if you put everything in individual zip lock sandwich bags. I also wrote on the outside of each bag what the contents were, and found that I never had to look far for anything. This is important and could save time when you are cold and mentally shattered.
Weight: 3g each, you’ll need about 10 of these

Capacity to carry 2 litres of water (water bladder or water bottles)

* My early version of the Salomon Super Advanced XT Wings Wooshka Skinbag comes with a bladder that holds 1.5 litres, so it doesn’t technically meet these requirements. I bought some Platypus bendy bottles and a 2l Platypus bladder and now I have more than enough capacity. Indeed, I could smuggle a cheeky red and some fine cognac on to the course. But won’t. <<<< The Platypus bladders have been updated for a lower depth profile and no longer fit in the Salomon pack. According to Ultra168 the Hydrapak should fit, but if you’re going to a shop, take your pack to try it.

2014 Update
– I now carry 2x 750ml mineral water bottles in the front pockets of my pack, so I am going to go over the course description to decide wether I can leave my bladder at home and simply carry an extra 600ml handheld which will take me over the minimum requirements. Benefits are not having to take pack off, and relatively easy to fill up each bottle when needed. Weight (not measured)
Weight: 2l water = 2Kg, Weight: 157g (bladder)

2015 update– I ran last year with 2 bottles in the front pockets and a 2 litre bladder in the back. I didn’t need the bladder at all so this year I will be using 2x 600ml Powerade bottles in front (they have a big mouth for filling and a great closure with nice high flow) and I’ll make up the rest of the 2l requirement either with collapsible flasks or more Powerade bottles. These weigh 31g each (could I get it down to 30g if I remove the labels?). Technically I could carry 2 of these and 2 Salomon Soft Flasks and meet the requirements at only 120g.  That’s a big saving over the bladder + tube + 2x bottles I carried last year. That makes up for the increased weight of my phone!
Weight: 122g

Breakfast of Champions

Breakfast of Champions

2 x bars / food portions

* When you pull everything out of your pack after the event, you probably won’t remember why you have 2 squished muesli bars at the bottom. These were your emergency food items. Equally important- if you get into trouble, don’t forget they are there!
2014 update- this is probably the only rule loophole that isn’t yet closed. You could theoretically take no extra food portions and claim you had an emergency and ate them. You most likely would not get in trouble for this, but don’t be an idiot- take extra food! I often finish an ultra with enough food to take me another 50km. Ahem.
Weight: 39g (muesli bar) Weight: 33g (packet of Gu chomps)

1 x Ziploc bag for your personal rubbish

*Oh no! You’ve just added 3g to your running weight! Don’t worry, you’ll sweat it out.

1 x set of maps and course descriptions (provided by organisers). At registration, you will be provided with one set of maps and course notes.  You will need to protect these from getting wet (using item below)

* provided on A3/ sometimes A4 paper, you will put these in a safe place and forget they are there. It’s unlikely you will refer to the maps- the course is very clearly marked. You won’t get lost- but don’t forget where your maps are- there was a gear check mid race in 2012 and we had to show them to scrutineers. Weight: 62g (I weighed another competitors handout from 2010)

Sea_to_Summit_TPU_Map_Case__jpg_508x300_q85

1 x waterproof map case or any other way to keep your maps protected such as map contact

*The best of these I’ve seen is by Sea to Summit, but it isn’t quite a full A4 size. I have a Sealine one that is big and bulky. The Sea To Summit should be available from most of the camping stores around Kent St in Sydney, Weight: 128g (Sealine from 2011).
Weight: 53g (Sea to Summit 2012)

Note- as suggested by Andy Hewat, you can put your maps into an A4 sized ziplock bag. This will pass a gear check, and weighs a lot less than a map case. Honestly, you won’t need to use your maps during the race.

1 x A5 Participant Emergency Instructions card on waterproof paper (provided by organisers)

*self explanatory. Don’t need to memorise it, just know where it is if you get in trouble. Weight: 6g (pretty sure this info is on the back of your race number, so I weighed one from another race)

1 x race number with timing chip to be worn on your front and visible at all times (provided by organisers). A recommended method of securing your race number is to use an elastic waist strap like a triathlon band which allows you to easily have your number visible over the top of your outermost item of clothing. You will need to provide your own elastic waist strap if you choose to do this.

*remember if you aren’t near the front of the pack you will most likely experience a few weather changes during your event, and you’ll probably want to change clothes. If the extra fleece and waterproof pants are declared mandatory during he race you could be changing both your bottom and top clothing, meaning that the best way of having your race number visible at all times is to have it on a race belt or a SPI-Belt. For some unknown reason Running Wild NSW were giving these away at the Knapsack race, so I have one- but if you don’t you should find them at Rebel Sport/ Performance Sport or other sports stores. By the way- you should join Running Wild NSW– they have some great events! Weight: 6g as noted above + race belt weight.
Weight: 60g (SpiBelt with 2 pockets)

Salomon Bonatti Waterproof Pants

Salomon Bonatti Waterproof Pants

1 x long leg waterproof pants

* I bought mine from Rebel Sport for about $40,  they are Team brand. You can get some for about $20, but they were non breathable plastic and looked easy to rip, and very heavy. The Rolls Royce here is the Salomon pants pictured but they are about the same weight as the cheap Team branded ones, but will probably last longer! You may not have to carry this for the whole race, see the explanation below.
Weight: 191g

North Face Fleece

North Face Fleece

1 x 100-weight long sleeve synthetic fleece top

* 100 weight polar fleece is not very heavy. You may not have to carry this for the whole race, see the explanation below. An example of a 100 weight fleece top here, but I actually ordered this 200 weight one here because it was lighter and cheaper. Remember- if you buy a fleece top without a full length zipper it will be more difficult to get on when you are cold and tired. Get a full length zipper version.
Weight: 346g

Here is the explanation of the last two items- the waterproof pants and the fleece taken directly from the website here

*** You will only be required to carry the waterproof pants if weather conditions are wet. You will be notified during the Friday night registration if they must be carried on person from the start, or if they need to be left with your support crew or in a specified drop bag for use during the event.

**** There will be two different scenarios for what you will need to do with your fleece top. These will depend on weather conditions:

SCENARIO 1. The fleece top may be compulsory from the start if weather conditions are expected to be bad. You will be notified at the Friday night registration if the fleece top must be carried from the start.

SCENARIO 2. If not made compulsory from the start, the fleece top will be compulsory to carry from CP4 from 4:30pm and compulsory to carry from CP5 from 7:30pm. Depending on your speed, you will need to have your fleece available at either CP4 or CP5. Please read the following recommendations and decide which option will guarantee you have the fleece top in the right location for when it becomes compulsory:

a) You will definitely be though CP4 well before 4:30pm so you should put your fleece into your CP5 drop bag
b) You will definitely be through Cp4 after 4:30pm so you should put your fleece into your CP4 drop bag
c) You will be through CP4 around 4:30pm or are not sure what time you will be through CP4; either put the items into CP4 drop bag and carry them from CP4 regardless of the time or have two fleeces with one in CP4 drop bag and one in your CP5 drop bag. If you have a support crew this will be easier as they can have your fleece available at CP4 and at CP5. 

Other things to remember- If there is any discrepancy between my explanations and the official line, the officials win. No arguments.

There will be at least one random gear check- usually two. Don’t try to skimp on any of the mandatory gear, it could ruin your race if you have to wait for a crew member to drive one to you- which is the best case scenario.

In 2011 we were required to carry a first aid kit. I use an Aide Void kit which is very small and has lots of worthwhile stuff in it. Declaration- yes my wife works for the company that distributes these but I will carry one anyway in 2012…….and 2013……. and 2014

All of the outdoor shops seem to be on sale right now (Kathmandu permanently!) and I saw some of the mandatory gear at great prices where they all cluster around Kent St Sydney.

Don't forget the Bodyglide!

Don’t forget the Bodyglide!

Recommended items via TNF website:

  • Vaseline, Body Glide or other body lubricant
  • Sunscreen
  • Cap or sun hat
  • Spare socks
  • Spare headlight batteries
  • Additional warmer clothing at supported checkpoints
  • A spare headlamp in case your main light stops working.
  • More substantial first aid kit (sterile dressings, roll of strapping tape, blister care such as blister block patches, Compeed or Fixamol, antiseptic wipes, painkillers, and any relevant personal medications).

I’ll do another post soon about the non mandatory items you should consider……….

Buffalo Stampede 75km 2015

Warning- discussion about failure, and no actual answers.
So this was the Buffalo Stampede……

 

What’s the worst ever excuse for pulling out of a race? Well, you’re about to read it-

‘I didn’t finish because I didn’t want to’

So there you go. I wasn’t injured, there was no blood pouring out of me, I wasn’t vomiting or crapping everywhere. I was happy, felt good, had loads of energy and was beginning to make gains on some of the people in front. So why quit?

I was scared of the climbs on the way back.

I completed the entire course up to the 43km mark (I believe this is the entire marathon course) and the other 30km are just back to the start. Unfortunately that means crossing some fairly large hills and 2 utterly ridiculous ascents and descents. I don’t really mind hills, I accept that they are part of our sport, but my lizard brain started yelling at me quite early in this race that it wouldn’t support me if I wanted to do those hills in the dark. Let me describe these hills for you- when you look down and you think
‘if I lose my footing, I have no idea how far down I will land’.

Yeah, like that.

at the start Martyn Adam Tanya Jennie

When this bubbled into my conscious brain it went like this-

‘I can’t see any training benefit from another 30km of hills where you are going to fuck your legs up and turn your little toes black. They aren’t going to recover before North Face and you’ll be sorry’

‘there’s 2 inches of soft powder under every vertical step on the way back. If you were skiing this would be a good thing. Since you are meant to be running it’s actually going to be part comedy and part life threatening’

‘you had a couple of 20-24 min/km on the way out- you’re going to have worse on the way back in the dark. For what?’

aaaand so on…..

Ultra-Stampede-Profile

So I pulled out. I still think it was the right thing to do, but the critical question has to be this-

‘did it help or hinder my chances of a sub 14 hour finish at the North Face 100?’

We’ll never know for sure, and I had a huge amount of angst when seeing my mates finish, get their medals and celebrate, but right now I feel strong and ready to take on the world. I doubt my recovery from 75km would be as good.

So I’ll dust myself off and get back in the saddle. My compliance with the training program has been pretty average lately, and a DNF has actual helped in a couple of ways

1. I recognise that I could have finished Buffalo. There was no physical reason for me to quit, so by consciously giving that up I’m now more determined to do well at TNF. My goal is still unlikely, but possible. I’ll take those odds

2. I only have 3-4 weeks of training left. I need to make them count. Taking this week off for recovery would have been a disaster

3. Stupidly I wanted to prove to everyone that I was being strategic and not a complete softie. I felt like running back to Bright, running to the next checkpoint, running anywhere- but I have a huge task ahead. If it costs me a medal or some respect from my mates I don’t care. I never said I was tough, in fact I frequently say the exact opposite!

4. I still needed to pause a few times up some of those climbs. I frequently saw my heart rate in the 4.4 to 4.9 zone. But the best thing is that on the 3rd major climb from Eurobin to Chalet I did not get passed by anyone! Even better was the fact I passed a few people in the last couple of km after Mackies lookout. Very pleased about this because I have been a poor climber, but it shows the work I am doing with Andy is definitely working.

5. This was my first race using Hammer Perpetuem. It worked really well and I just have to figure out how thick I can make it for future races.

Adam & Alex finishing

Running back down to Eurobin would have been nice. it’s only about 10km and has some really nice single track. Then it would have been fine to go 9 ish km back to Buckland- but then I would have been only 15km from the finish and pride would have demanded I carry on. Massive congratulations to an amazing number of friends who actually went the distance, and a special mention to Martyn Dawson who did 2 out of 3 days of the grand slam (nutbag) and Matt Grills who also did the third day and won it!

I saw Andy DuBois during the run and decided not to tell him about pulling out. It wouldn’t be fair to affect his race to discuss a DNF. I’m a big boy, he’s not my Mum and I have to accept the consequences of my own decisions. He certainly paid a price on the weekend and I hope he recovers well.

I had a chat with Marcus Warner afterwards and he said ‘running an event like this is the only way we can get our local runners qualified to run similar races in Europe’

Which makes a lot of sense and Marcus in conjunction with Mountain Sports (Sean and Mel) have put together an amazing weekend for runners. I’d absolutely love to come back, but not so sure about the Ultra! Maybe if it was further from TNF, or if I make sub 14 this year I can probably just go for it next year……..

*Thanks to Petzl for the entry, Northside Runners for the support, Andy DuBois for getting me this far, and my wife for organising some fabulous family time. Photos by Sarah Connor

Six Foot Track 2015


Wave 3 start

The story starts back in October when we start training for this epic race. Actually for me it started in about July 2014 when I first asked the run hosts from last year if they would host again for the coming training season- thankfully most were happy to do it which made my job much easier! I missed a whole heap of training runs at the start because I was training for, and then recovering from my attempt at Coast to Kosci. This made my comeback to running extra hard- I’d just ticked off my last running bucket list item and had no desire to run another step. Ever.

But I’d entered Six Foot in December and if I didn’t want to be picked off the course in a foetal position I’d have to move my rapidly expanding bottom.

The training runs that I did get to were heaps of fun as usual, but I realised that being a barge-arse had cost me dearly- Martyn Dawson was back from injury, had stepped up to run with the fast middies and was leaving me to eat dust. That’s great because I don’t like to have it easy, but he had improved so much it was astounding. I spent the last couple of months wondering if I could ever catch up……

Race day I was feeling strong- I’d written down some goal times for various sections and knew that the rest was up to the race gods. Saturday dawned while we were all milling around at the start- that’s the thing about Six Foot Track- you consider not doing the race, but you know all of your mates will be there. Total FOMO. I got to say hello to dozens of running friends while I was looking for coffee and freezing my nuts off. There had been some mix up with wave allocations and a bunch of faster people got pushed up, while I lost my place in Wave 3 and was pushed back to Wave 4. That’s completely cool because I don’t like being hunted down- much better to be the hunter.

When the gun finally went off we’d been in the second row and had a bit of a race to the stairs. It was 10 degrees at the start so it took a while to warm up but once running it was perfect conditions. I got down to Cox’s River in 1:36:48 which was right on target. Crossing the river was the last time I saw Martyn- this probably means I ran too fast to the river however I had a ball on that section! Stuffing some food in I started the big climb up to Mini Mini Saddle. I felt much happier going up here than previous years, Andy Dubois training really helped. In fact last year I lost 100 places between Cox’s and Pluvi, this year I gained 24 places, running 1:32:24!

YHA before start

Running along Black Range was exactly as painful as it always is. Very difficult to keep moving when you just want to rest, but again my training helped. Being able to push through the pain means you can make much more progress than if you allow the pain to slow you down. Yes I know this is obvious but there’s an astounding difference between just moving and pushing on…… I started feeling sorry for myself but tried to consume more food to change my outlook. Hey, whatever works right? I breathed a sigh of relief at Deviation camp ground which quickly became a huge grin as the NRG crew let out a massive shout. Thank you to those amazing people who gave up their weekend just to cheer- it made huge difference and I loved it!

With only 11km to go it was time to go hard. Andy had said to me ‘don’t go too fast down to the river’ which of course I had intended to do, but being sensible is HARD. I also took his comment to mean ‘when you get to the top, make it HURT’ so at least I had that covered. I’d somehow gotten past Petra Erby on Pluvi and Col Woodliffe along Black Range (thanks for the chat ladies!). Then John Doughty just before the road crossing. Unfortunately as always happens in Six Foot Track my legs decided to ping cramp warnings as we crossed the road and I knew that the undulations would make the last few km a bit uncertain. I slowed down a bit, sped up a bit and tried to manage it as best I could. All to no avail- with under 2km to go I was screaming in pain as the cramps hit like a train. I’ll agree it must have looked quite comical to see me rubbing my inside leg and screaming ‘come on!’ but I couldn’t see the humour at the time.

All 3 of those NRG’ers got past me while I was incapacitated but they ran well and deserved to do well. If I’d been a bit smarter and had salt tablets earlier I may have bypassed the cramps but hey that’s racing.

As I came on to the concrete path to the finish chute I realised I was going to be a few seconds over 5:20 so I ran with no regard to cramping and screaming at people to get out of the way- Garmin elapsed time 5:20:05. Bugger.

Luckily I had taken a while to get over the line at the start and my net time was officially 5:19:49 and a 20 minute pb.

So did I have enough to match Martyn? Not a hope in hell, he had a 40 minute pb and came in at 5:08, what a blinding run- congratulations!

Martyn Dawson

There were lots of pb’s that day- I suspect the weather had a lot to do with it. Female course record fell to Hanny Allston, and amongst NRG there were an embarrassing number of great times

David Madden 50 minute pb

Leigh Reynolds 1 hour pb

I absolutely loved hanging around afterwards and chatting to my mates, it’s an epic race in every way.

 

*all photos by Pippa Bradbrook

The North Face 100 Training Resources 2015

I made a post on the Unofficial North Face 100 Training page late last year, here are all of the links that I could find. This document will get updated as often as needed. Any link with (R) next to the name also does remote training programs via the internet.

Training Groups & Coaches

Official training camp with Brendan Davies (R)

Crows Nest Sydney has Northside Running Group

Another Sydney Club is the Sydney Striders

Mile 27 online training with Andy DuBois (R)

Brisbane has Wild Runners (R)

Hunter Valley Trail Runners

Northern Beaches Trail Runners

Blue Mountains Fitness

In the Orange NSW area contact Brett Sammut

Noosa Ultra & Trail Runners (NUTRS)

Southern Sydney Running Club

Energy Fitness Gymea

Sydney Northern Suburbs or Online DBA Runners– with Matty Abel (R)

 Manly Beach Running Club– hosted by Joe Ward (R)

South Australia has Hayley Teale and RunFit

Queensland has Surf Coast Trail Runners

In Victoria we have Bendigo University Athletics Club

NSW Hawkesbury Fitness

Victoria Ascot Vale Personal Training

 

Coast to Kosciuszko C2K 2014

‘I love a bit of carnage’
     Adam, feeling cocky at 81km

‘Be careful what you wish for….’
    Paul Every, Race Director

These shoes have done 2 runs for a total of 288km, still look pretty much brand new. Thanks to Northside Runners and Hoka One One Australia

These shoes have done 2 runs for a total of 288km, still look pretty much brand new. Thanks to Northside Runners and Hoka One One Australia

*warning, rude words follow-

 

The Coast to Kosci race is Australia’s longest road ultra marathon, starting at sea level on Boydtown Beach near Eden on the New South Wales south coast, and finishing at mainland Australia’s highest point, the survey trig marker on Mount Kosciuszko, just on 240km away. Actually you have to go back from the marker 9km down to Charlotte Pass to finish the race, but the basic premise is to go from the lowest to highest points in the land. It’s nice to see the race and RD mentioned in the Wikipedia article, this is where I found that I was incorrect to call the top bit ‘Strzelecki Monument’– that’s a bronze down by Lake Jindabyne, the top is just a simple trig marker.

I’ve crewed the last 2 years, and after seeing the incredible feats of endurance that these runners produce, I figured maybe I’d put my hat into the ring. You never truly know if you’re ready, the only thing I could say for sure was that I was NOT ready in 2013 after a DNF at GNW100.

The discussions with Wifey happened in February and permission given. This meant I had to chase at least one qualifier. I already knew I had to conquer GNW so that meant I couldn’t take the somewhat ‘easier’ Glasshouse 100M (or ‘SoftHouse’ as it came to be known on C2K weekend). But success there was never assured and I didn’t want to wait until so late in the year to get a qual. A study of the rules took me to the Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour race in Rooty Hill. Bad news, it’s only a couple of weeks after TNF100, which commonly makes me a bit tired. With the help of guru coach Andy DuBois I did actually make the 180km in 24 hours standard so the focus for the rest of the year was to get fitter and not break like a cheap toy.

The quals cover a 100 mile race in under the cutoff, or 180km+ in 24 hours on road or track. By September I had both so I was feeling pretty good about my chances. I shouldn’t have been so cocky- some of the other runners, even ones you’ve never heard of have incredible pedigrees. At the awards ceremony Paul mentioned one runner who had 15x 100 mile races to his name……….. this year! The was a collective sucking in of breath at that one.

Then it was time to look for crew. You need a team, ideally 3 people, who are utterly dedicated to getting you across the line. People who don’t require a lot of sleep, won’t kill each other, can think on their feet and equally take orders when needed. Thankfully amongst runners these qualities aren’t rare. This ended up presenting a problem because every time I got pissed I’d tell people about the adventure I was planning and gain another 20-30 crew volunteers. I had a few quiet conversations with people I thought would do the role well. Then even that was thrown out the window when I heard a hint that Jane Trumper might be injured and not able to run. And a chance meeting with the mighty legend Wayne ‘Blue Dog’ Gregory, he offered to crew too. And he’s also a great friend of Jane’s and said he would ask he if she would come for the ride. So that’s the story of how I came to have my wife, a 5 time C2K finisher and holder of several world records, and Blue Dog who has 3 finishes at C2K including a win in 2006. That’s got to be about the most epically talented crew ever, right? Well it turns out that over the 47 or so starters, there were 24 people on crews who collectively had 49 finishes. That’s right, pretty much the entire field had epically talented crew. And I had to make loads of phone calls that started with ‘hey mate, you know I asked you to crew me at C2K…..?’

Now the pressure was on- with such a class crew there would be no soft cuddly moments until that beast was spanked. Or as Blue Dog so succinctly put it in a phone call to me ‘Adam, if you can’t finish with us crewing you, you’re fucked’.

I think you might be getting the impression that these are pretty tough people. Yes, that includes my wife, who has also represented Australia in her own very odd sport involving running. However her sport also involved reading maps so obviously I’d be shit at it. More than one person commented to me ‘mate with a crew like that, they’ll do anything except give you sympathy’. How true, bring on the tough love.

And thus started nearly six weeks of packing. I even arranged a cigarette lighter powered Wifi hotspot so the kids could have FaceBook even when they couldn’t make calls, so you can thank me for all of the useless updates on FB.

The day before the race start is the ‘Cossie to Coast’ 7km fun run for the crew, including questionable outfits…… say no more.

Cossie to Coast 2014

Cossie to Coast 2014

It was kind of difficult going to the Fisho’s (Eden Fisherman’s Club) and not drinking, but at the race briefing there were unsurprisingly a few non drinkers…… we also got gold service from Brendan Davies who hand delivered our races shirts from Get Shirty because I had submitted the artwork 2 days too late.

Up at 4:20am on race morning, I took the time to prepare my feet- tape the little toes, lubricate the rest of the foot, one pair of Injinjis covered by a pair of double walled Wright socks. Stick these into a pair of Hoka One One Cliftons and I felt like I was floating on cushions of air.

C2K Start- Crew Photo

C2K Start- Crew Photo

Start to Rocky Hall 50km
We assembled in the dark at Boydtown Beach and each crew and their runner lined up for a photo in front of the C2K banner. I’d had good preparation and had even slept fairly well the night before which is quite unusual for me when doing a new race. Then all of a sudden we were called up to the start line and Brendan Davies is next to me looking at everybody’s shoe’s ‘should I have worn trail or road shoes?’ he said. My first thought was ‘you could smash this race in Blundstones Brendan’ but I managed to get out that it’s probably most sensible to wear road shoes. He seemed satisfied with the answer and as predicted I didn’t see him for the next couple of days……

c2k start

c2k start

Paul called out the countdown in his soft voice and we were off- it’s a bizarre feeling that you never thought in your wildest dreams that you’d be lining up with such a talented bunch. Then you have to remind yourself not to get too overawed because you qualified, and merely getting in means that Paul thinks you can finish. Put out all thoughts of failure and get on with it.

You can’t see your crew until the 24km mark at Towomba Rd, so there are aid stations about every 5km until this point, so we all just settled in and had a good old chinwag while the k’s counted down. Not too much to report from this section except I found myself in the midst of Roger Hanney, Annable Hepworth, Sabina Hamaty and Joe Ward. I let slip that the carnivores were outnumbered and may have outlined plans for the Dirty Bird 100- where the course is between KFC aid stations and the vegans get post mix soft drink. At least I knew they weren’t going to eat me…… probably.

Early on, all smiles

Early on, all smiles. Photo credit- Brett Saxon

I also met Raelene Bendall and predicted that she would beat me by 2 hours. In fact if she’d had a good run it would have been more like 4-6 hours however I did see her more than I should have in the next 35 odd hours. Gutsy run, Raelene.

I’d put in an order for a coffee at Towomba rd- I had weaned myself off coffee for the last couple of weeks and was pretty desperate to get back on the caffeine train. In retrospect this was a mistake because it gave me a boost early on when I didn’t really need it. Finding myself in front of Brick, Roger, Sabina and Nikki Wynd was just dumb, but I suppose I have a lot to learn about this distance……..

I’d made the first marathon distance in 4:42 and the first 50km in 5:52. I was going too fast but having a ball. No, actually my balls were on fire.

Arriving in Rocky Hall I made my debut as a shameless ultra runner by putting Vaseline on my testicles in the middle of the road in front of about 30 people, now read on if you want all the gory details. Sensitive people scroll down a bit…….

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How to feel like you’ve set your genitals on fire for 37 hours
I had decided to shave down this area for the race and started about a week early. All signs were good but I felt I should maintain the manscaping in order to reduce friction. Here’s how it all went a bit Pete Tong-
1. Always use a fresh, sharp blade. I couldn’t find one so I didn’t bother. Strike 1
2. Do a really good job the day before the race. Water kept on going cold so I gave up. Strike 2
3. Don’t use Vaseline. It’s great for 5 minutes and then…….Strike great balls of fire

I ended up with really bad friction grazes on both inside leg and naughty bits. On both sides. A few days later when the muscle soreness had gone I was still walking like a 90 year old cowboy because of this, and the only cure is time. Many layers of skin were missing. These are mistakes I hope never to make again. Won’t somebody think of the children? Because it doesn’t look like I’ll be having any more……

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OK, sensitive people, you can rejoin us here…….

Rocky Hall to Cathcart- 20km (70km total)
I don’t really remember a lot about this section except that it’s the very last place where you might see an open shop before Jindabyne. Your crew will often get you an icy pole or a pie as a bit of a reward. I’d been drinking a lot of mineral water so my crew bought loads of extra bottles of it here. Of course I immediately stopped drinking mineral water just to piss them off.

This shot does not feature a naked Blue Dog attempting to put the hard word on our stunning NRG Mannequin

This shot does not feature a naked Blue Dog attempting to put the hard word on our stunning NRG Mannequin

My main nutrition source on this run was orange flavoured Accelerade. It has carbs, electrolytes and some protein. I really like the flavour (a little bit like Tang from my childhood) and the protein means it is just about complete food for running. My crew had developed a procedure of putting a whole bunch of stuff on a plate and offering it to me as I went past. Then they would change the stuff on the plate and repeat the process. This meant I always had new stuff to choose from if I couldn’t make up my mind what I wanted. It also meant that I overate for about the first 100km. food and drink was sloshing around in my stomach enough too make me feel a bit slow, but not sick. I don’t usually get sick. Oh yeah, cherry tomatoes are amazing…….

Dave Graham battles Big Jack on day 1

Dave Graham battles Big Jack on day 1

Around the 81km mark when I was crossing the Monaro Highway it started raining, big fat lazy drops of summer rain. It came in harder and I saw Paul Every the Race Director standing on the side of the road ‘I love a bit of carnage’ I called out, he gave me a little smile and replied ‘be careful what you wish for….’ I should listen to him. Paul is not only a fantastic RD, he’s an amazing athlete. This year I saw him at the Canberra marathon  so I looked up his time, pretty decent but not massively sharp. Then someone told me ‘oh he rode his bike to Canberra to compete’ and ‘it was probably a taper run because he did a full Ironman the week after’. Like I said, amazing athlete.

Sarah and Sally supercrew

Sarah and Sally supercrew

Cathcart to Snowy River Way 37km (total 107km)
I was pretty keen to put in a decent 100km time because I knew from previous calculations that I could walk the rest of the way and still make the cuts. It didn’t mean I would walk from there, just that I had a decent buffer and could do things like change shoes and eat while stationary. The rain had stopped so I should have changed my shoes but I think my mind was starting to go. Greg Brown got past several times and appeared to have a demon chasing him, he was running up hills I wouldn’t have considered but seemed to be absolutely thriving. That was the last I would see of him. Finally Brick caught up to me and restored some natural order, then just about 1km from the dead tree Roger caught me- I love him dearly but the guy has a stream of consciousness conversation with no filter. Of course the only way for me to combat this was to say ‘I need to go and crap in that ditch’. We had a quick group photo at the dead tree and my crew asked if I wanted to  change shoes (again I should have said yes) and we agreed to have dinner at the next CP, about 4-5km away.

He's behind me, isn't he? Photo credit- Brett Seaxon

He’s behind me, isn’t he?
Photo credit- Brett Seaxon

So I’d made my first 100km in 12:44 and was pretty happy. I knew that I was on course for a 38 hour finish or better if I could keep up the pressure, but conversely the pressure was now off (for a finish). From here to Jindabyne on the first overnight would be a big test, as would ascending from Thredbo River in the morning.

Day 1 weather was moody like this and wet in parts. Better than 35 degrees? Who knows....

Day 1 weather was moody like this and wet in parts. Better than 35 degrees? Who knows….

Snowy River Way to Dalgety 41km (total 148km)
I sat down to dinner of cup noodles as the rain set in for the night, it was looking pretty grim but I got on some wet weather gear and headed off. You’re allowed a pacer from 8:30pm and I’d arrived at around 7:30pm. This was about 30 minutes in front of Jane’s time from 2013 but I wasn’t to know how much suffering there was yet to come……

I was moving pretty well and trying to do a light run on the downhills here when I came across another runner recycling his dinner over the guardrail. A quick check of his welfare (they never want any help) and I strode off into the deepening dark. I was initially pretty happy that the weather was a bit gloomy, but actual rain was a bit of a bother because it meant wet feet and as Roger says in his report, you can run with just about any problem except broken feet. Water makes it much more difficult to keep your feet working.

About 10km out of Dalgety I finally asked for some foot care, so we all stopped and Blue Dog got out the foot care pack. He removed the socks (sure enough my tape had come off) sprayed the feet with adhesive and taped up the problem areas. Man it was like I’d had new feet transplanted on. They weren’t any better looking but they worked a whole lot better. Should have done that 50km ago…….

It was during this section that we said goodbye to a 38 hour finish. The stats say you need to get through here between 1-2am for a 38 hour finish and I think I left at 2:55am.

Dalgety is a big reward for the crew- the hall is set up to give them a warm feed and somewhere to sleep if needed. Oh and there’s a toilet. Toilets are awesome.

Dalgety to Jindabyne 36km (total 184km)
It’s about 12km from Dalgety to the bottom of Beloka Range, which is the second big climb (after Big Jack at 56km and before the climb to Charlotte Pass) so we told the crew to drive ahead to Beloka and have a 2 hour nap. As soon as they drove past my headlamp  flashed 3 times, meaning it was out of batteries, and my spare was in the car! Oh well, Jane had hers and a spare so we were fine, it was just an embarrassing mistake. Particularly as I’m supposed to be the electronics geek. It went into low power mode and lasted most of the night, but I did think I had tuned it for a longer burn time.

supercrew Wayne and Jane getting ready for the Beloka ascent

supercrew Wayne and Jane getting ready for the Beloka ascent, about 5am Saturday

Around Beloka we saw Annabel again, she’d had quite a long sleep and was moving pretty well. I couldn’t match her speed up the hill and so we said goodbye for about the 10th time. I was pretty determined to get to Jindabyne in good time but couldn’t make the maths work. It was a sign that I was really losing it, and soon the crew came to me and said they wanted me to sleep for 30 minutes. This was good because I had started hallucinating. I could see loads of words flying up the road like movie credits, but too fast for me to actually read. I gratefully got into the car and shut my eyes- I did have a wonderfully refreshing sleep for about 15 minutes but then woke up freaking out that they had not set the alarm or something. But then I could hear voices outside the car, so I knew they wouldn’t forget. I couldn’t get back to sleep so it was a bit of a relief when they came to wake me up. I felt energised and happy with only a few km to get into Jindy. I was moving well, but then old iron guts decided he needed relief- I found a nice quiet stand of trees and just as I was pulling my pants up the Singaporean runners van pulled up and he jumped out- ‘you runner?’ he said and I couldn’t think of anything to say. Of all the outdoor toilets in all of NSW he had to pull up outside mine…. but read on to find out how I got him back!

Blue Dog took me through Jindy via the bike path and the ladies went to buy coffees and try to book in to the motel where we would stay after finishing.

Jindabyne to Perisher 33km (total 212km)
It’s around this time that you start to make shit up. I mean, I knew that the last 40-50km of this run is basically uphill. So I have no idea how I managed to be convinced that there was only 11km of uphill then it would taper off. But I kept on looking around the next corner and then the next for a bit of relief. And it never came. The weather started to close in too. Looking up from Jindy we could see dark menacing clouds around the peaks, just where we were heading.

And sure enough, the higher we climbed, the more filthy the weather became. It wasn’t too bad at first with the wind whipping up a bit, then the heavens opened and it just deteriorated from there. And I got slower and slower. Jane had been saying to me constantly ‘when you get to Thredbo River you’re halfway through the race’ which quite frankly gave me the shits because it was quite clearly more than 2/3. But maths and reality can diverge so she was right in meaning that you need to reserve a decent amount of energy for this last push, or you’ll get crushed by the course. I was in the process of being crushed by the course, and when the crew said to me ‘maybe you need another sleep’ I took a couple of km to think about it and agreed. But before I could tell them they pulled over to a sheltered spot, pointed out to me that I only had 2 hours to make Perisher and started to dress me in warmer wet weather clothes.

They were using the flimsiest of excuses, I mean I’d actually written the stats that they were using against me, but I had no choice but to buckle up and carry on.

Perisher to Charlotte Pass 9km (total 222km)
We arrived at Perisher about 15 minutes after the time on my sheet, to find Joe Ward rugged up and waiting to see if anyone would continue with him. I hadn’t seen him since early the day before and thought he’d be finished by now, but he’s obviously had some hard times in the intervening period. I hadn’t realised how cold I was, I didn’t feel too bad but when someone handed me a cup of soft drink I couldn’t hold it still. Time for even more clothing and then we would attempt the 9km from there to Charlotte Pass. Joe and Ben Blackshaw came out of the bus shelter with us but quickly slipped behind. The weather got more grim. The wind whipped up the rain into our faces and we had a constant roar of rushing water in the culverts next to the road. I started matching the cadence of my feet with a soft repetition of ‘fuck this, fuck this, fuck this’ while watching the world destroy itself through my 2 inch viewhole. Jane came back and said ‘Whippet (race medic Andy Hewatt) wants to call the race off, but he said if I can go to Charlotte Pass and take over there, he will go to Rawsons Hut and tend to some stuff that needs doing’. I’m a bit ashamed to say I was thinking only of myself at this point and how much I wanted to finish the race. It didn’t really matter that was happening elsewhere, I just wanted to finish, and I didn’t want to be plucked off the mountain while so close. ‘Go’ I said to Jane without asking what she wanted. I realised after that Sarah was pretty tired by then, in fact everyone was tired and over it. We’d been brilliant as a team, but cracks were starting to show. Blue Dog would have to take me to the summit and he had to borrow some pants from Brad Smithers. He’s quite happy not wearing pants most of the time but these were mandatory……

About 5km from Charlotte Pass Sarah said ‘look, here’s someone coming down the mountain and he’s talking to everyone’ we knew it would be the announcement that they were calling an ‘inclement weather’ course, and we would finish at Charlotte Pass. This has happened 3 times in the 10 years of running the race and I’d have to say it was completely justified. It was Paul Every coming to give us the news himself, and he was very apologetic. I was reasonably happy because I knew it was going to take me another 4-5 hours to summit and the crew would not be happy at all with a 42 hour finish. We got within 3km of the finish and I told Sarah to get in the car as the weather was now properly vicious. I’d lost places to the Singaporean guy (he’d probably needed to get ahead because for the last 8 hours I had been pulling my pants down to wee whenever I felt like it and he was often in prime viewing position, sorry dude), Realene Bendall got past and also Joe Ward had shuffled past while I was looking for a chocolate bar. So I lost about half an hour in that last 3km. Lucky Blue Dog got out of the car and started using his dog whispering routine to get me to move forward. I was having all sorts of trouble but of course it was all related to being so close to the finish, all the aches and pains came out. With his gentle chatting and frequent stops we finally saw the car park at Charlotte Pass. A pretend run through the tape and it was over in 37:35 (inclement weather). Yes, this is also known as the 222km sprint course. Har har.

And thus finishes my ambitions and the pinnacle of Australian Ultra Running. There’s plenty of races I haven’t done in Australia, but none I wanted to do more. I’m so grateful for the opportunity and so happy to gain knowledge from these amazing athletes. I made loads of mistakes and yet ran really conservatively. I do think that I could do better if I did it again. Oops, did I say again?

Jane, Adam, Blue Dog at the finish. Sarah was warming up the car, I was bloody freezing! Thanks to Brett Saxon of TrailsPlus for this picture

Jane, Adam, Blue Dog at the finish. Sarah was warming up the car, I was bloody freezing! Thanks to Brett Saxon of TrailsPlus for this picture

So I’ve finished Australia’s toughest trail ultra (GNW100m), Australia’s longest road ultra (C2K) and the Sri Chinmoy 24 hour (Australia’s silliest ultra?) all in one year. That makes me a very happy ex fat bastard. Every groan has been accompanied by a grin as big as Dark Horse Dave Graham’s- that’s huge!

I also want to pay tribute here to Kurt Topper, who battled on for longer than I did and still came out smiling. We were both at the back of the field, but a finish is as good as a win for me, and I hope Kurt feels the same way.

Kurt & Paul Every finish

Kurt gets a hug from RD Paul Every a the Charlotte Pass finish

Saying thanks here isn’t really adequate to express how I really feel about the people who made this all possible, but I’ll try.

Sarah Connor- who let me follow my dreams and didn’t complain about all the extra child minding. I love you the ends of the earth and back, but please don’t make me run there.

Andy DuBois- who resisted calling me out when I re interpreted his instructions. I mean isn’t it perfectly reasonable to say
‘run 60 minutes easy’ equals ‘take the day off’ ?

Wayne ‘Blue Dog’ Gregory- who taught me that big boofy blokes can have a sensitive side, and still be hard as nails. You’re a brilliant man to have on my side and nobody I’d rather share the time with.

Jane Trumper- very grateful to have been taken under her wing in 2011, now look what’s happened… You’ve made me into one of those crazy running people, and I love it!

Getting my Akubra and hat pin from Paul Every

Getting my Akubra and hat pin from Paul Every Photo credit- Brett Saxon

 

on finding out that I had won the chafing award!

on finding out that I had won the chafing award!

Here’s proof that you don’t need to be wordy on FaceBook, this 5 word post got nearly 200 likes

Full points to Grant Campbell- Raw Aussie Athlete, who sat down opposite me at breakfast the day after and said nothing while a whole plate of pig made the ultimate sacrifice into the Great White Buffet Hunters gob. I can be sensitive, but that was not one of those days. And special thanks to Michael McGrath, who volunteered as a safety officer for the race. Afterwards he came into my room and said ‘I always knew you would make it and I’ve brought you some nice Scottish beers to celebrate with’. Thanks Mike, I’m sure you’ll be on the start line next year. He also sent this cheery note about the weather-

‘Worth noting that :

Perisher Valley BOM site recorded 128.8mm of rain in the 24 hours from 9am Saturday 6th December to Sunday 9am

Of which over 100mm falling between 11am and 10.30pm Saturday when bulk of runners were going through area

Average December MONTHLY  Rainfall for Perisher is 95.3mm

IE 35% more rain than for the average whole month of December fell in a single day’

Well, I’m glad it wasn’t considered an ‘easy’ year then!

Here’s the splits. I really slowed down in the back half, could have done a lot better with a bit more concentration.

http://www.coast2kosci.com/live.php

 

Andrew Tuckey and Adam, the similarity ends at the Akubra!

Andrew Tuckey and Adam, the similarity ends at the Akubra!

Last year this race had its 100th finisher. By comparison, on 23 May 2010, the summit of Mount Everest was reached by 169 climbers- yes in a single day -making a finish in this race a rare achievement indeed. (Wikipedia)

I want to stress this once again- I’m a normal bloke with no particular skills. Everything I have achieved is down to spending time with people who’ve already done it. If you want to do something like this, plan it out. Spend time with people who have been there. Volunteer to crew. Get a qualifier. Get involved. The rewards go much further than just a race finish, this event is epic on every level. Thanks to Paul Every, Diane Weaver, Dave Criniti and the whole team of volunteers. Don’t go changin’

All finishers who brought their hats are invited to be in the finishers pic.....

All finishers who brought their hats are invited to be in the finishers pic…..