Ultra Trail Australia UTA100 Nutrition Plan & Drop Bags 2016

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Adam Connor

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

2016 update– I’m not in the best condition for a quick time this year so I will be concentrating on race craft but trying not to destroy my body, so I can get back into training quickly and get ready for whatever is next.

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
*these things are too hard to eat while running- I will be looking for another snack that has some protein and maybe amino acids before this climb
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. 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.

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!

Ultra Trail Australia UTA100 Tips 2016

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Adam Connor

2016- there isn’t much on this that needs updating, but new stuff will be marked
2016 update

Most of the tips in the first part of this post are also in the non mandatory gear post. If you want the new and interesting strategy tips, head to the bottom of this post.

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

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

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-~~ actually this is part of my strategy every year now. 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.

2016 update- this works well and I discovered last year at the Hardcore 100 that being a little warmers does seem to help my performance. But wearing 2 singlets will depend very much on starting temperature and weather forecast.

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

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.

2016 update– I’ve been training in a sugar depleted state quite a lot. It still isn’t easy but I’ll be eating more real food this year. Hammer Perpetuem and cheap arse muesli bars will do nicely.

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

2016 update– they’ll probably be Bluedio or Jabra

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!

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!

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!

Ultra Trail Australia UTA100 Non Mandatory gear 2016

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Adam Connor

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 2016 version of Ultra Trail Australia, formerly known as 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! There is a bit of a balance between going super light and risking being uncomfortable and taking extra stuff and being weighed down. There is a lot of comfort to be had by taking extra gear, but you decide. I’ll be lining up for my 6th 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….. I might be wearing Teko socks if I can find a new pair.

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

Lifeproof iPhone case

iPod- I’ll use my iPhone 6 Plus with Lifeproof 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!

2016 update- I have some really big bluetooth headphones that have 50 hour battery life. Very comfortable to wear and I’ll probably stash them in my cp3 or cp4 drop bag, they are from a Chinese website and branded Bluedio

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.

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.

Vlad the Inhaler

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.

Ultra Trail Australia UTA100 Mandatory Gear 2016

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Adam Connor

This is basically a copy/ paste of my 2015 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 2016 update, I really recommend you speak to one of the local shops like Pace Athletic, The Frontier, Fast Gear or one of the camping stores (mostly around Kent St in Sydney. As you know they 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 (looks like this is deceased, dammit) 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, 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 UTA100, 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-

Patagonia capilene mens long sleeve top

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 went 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 WP

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)

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 as they were a limited release. I recommend going up to the Montane Minimus 777 which weighs 140g or the Salomon Bonatti at 190g. 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.

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

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

I have some Icebreaker Merino gloves for this purpose, in case it gets really cold! 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)

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 needs to 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

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.

2016 update– the official documentation now says that you must be able to use these lights to navigate at night. These Kathmandu torches output a surprising amount of light and should be ok, but make sure you don’t ignore this requirement.

*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 Lifeproof 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)

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!

2016 update– I will be carrying 2x 600ml Powerade bottle and 2x 500ml Salomon soft flasks. The soft flasks will be folded up and wrapped with a rubber band, stored in an obscure pocket. That gives me 2.2l of fluid capacity and only 122g weight. Nice
Weight: 122g

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 (2013?), 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 WP 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

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

2016 update– The docs now specify that 100 weight fleece is 214gsm Polartec fleece. I’m assuming GSM is grams per square metre. Wool is specifically banned for this item because of its tendency to retain water when wet.

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 and 2015 and 2016…..

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!

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……….

How to Get In To Coast To Kosci (C2K)

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Adam Connor

Now this information is unofficial, unreliable, speculative and possibly wrong. If the article causes any fuss I’ll probably just delete it. Why? Because Coast to Kosci, the environment and all of the people involved are so special that I don’t want anything to change. And I want to protect it all as much as possible. BUT- this question comes up so much it’s worth exploring……. and I know that every person who has been involved as crew, runner or vollie gets asked the same question- a lot.

* I’ve used real names as examples here, if anyone wants their name removed please let me know

By now you would have read the basic entry requirements– a 100 mile race on trails under cutoff, or 180km on road or track within 24 hours. And a 100km race, but that’s not a real challenge, is it? Remember, that’s the minimum expected of you. We’ll break that down more later.

So, there’s only 50 spots- how do I grab one? I am not a fast or talented runner, so I had to work the system. I had DNF’d the Great North Walk 100 miler in 2013, so I pretty much had to go back and finish it in 2014. But I needed an edge, something extra that would make my application stand out. So I did the Sri Chimnoy 24 hour race in Rooty Hill and made 180km in 24 hours. I wanted to see what it was like to do 450 laps of a running track. Let me reassure you, that was bloody hard work.

So, about those 50 places? As far as I can tell (yes, pretty much pure guesswork) it gets split up like this-

A very small amount of places reserved for elite runners
A very small number of places reserved for international runners
A larger amount of places for new runners
A fairly large amount of places for returning runners

One of the things that I love so much about the race is that they will accept people like me. It’s a very egalitarian race, you get to rub shoulders with superstars of the sport- even if it isn’t for very long! So, assuming you aren’t a superstar…..

…..and assuming you aren’t an international runner- I met a couple of internationals in 2012- Frank Fumich and Alex Nemet. These guys are absolutely tough as nails.

So, new runners- you know the minimum requirements, what is going to get you that spot? Basically, doing more than the minimum…….. I needed one qualifier, and I had two. If you only have one qualifier, make it a hard one.
Which one?
The Great North Walk 100 miler.
Why?
It is the gold standard of qualifiers, it’s an unreasonably vicious race with a fairly tight cutoff. Last year 5 of my fellow NRG runners got into C2K, and all had finished GNW. Does that grab your attention? The reverse could also be true- in 2015 I didn’t get in to C2K- and I hadn’t done GNW in 2015…… yes, GNW is important.

Rule number 1- Finish GNW100M
– corollary to rule 1- it doesn’t really matter what time you do, GNW is hard enough that a finish is as good as a win. I did 34:57 which is only an hour under the cutoff. Not a special time in any way, but I did take it easy because I needed that finish. I could definitely take a few hours off that time, but I played it safe. Or you could choose your races carefully…..

Rule number 2- Do something extra.
Another 100 miler can’t hurt. You could run 860km through NSW like Kirrily Dear. You could do the entire 250-275km Great North Walk 3 times for fun like Joe Ward. You could get a world record at running the 2200km Pilgrim Trail like Jane Trumper.

Rule number 3- Don’t be soft.
You already know that each runner is hand picked, don’t you? This means that the RD’s will know your racing history or will look it up when you apply. It’s perfectly fine to have a little vomit or a cry during a race, but if that causes you to give up, the RD will know about that DNF. If your racing history is littered with DNFs, you are less likely to get a start.
– corollary to rule 3- if you get offered a spot, it means the RDs think you are capable of finishing the race. THAT my friends is like being anointed by the Pope. Don’t fuck it up.

Rule number 4- an ‘easy’ qualifier isn’t going to cut it.
One day I will get to do Glasshouse, WTF100, maybe Hume & Hovell 100 miler, but right now these races are a bit further down the list as qualifiers. I’m not saying they’re easy (maybe I did above!) – no 100 mile race is easy, but you simply aren’t going to get the push you need by sailing through those runs, unless you do a good time. Want proof? I did the Hardcore 100 in the You Yangs in 2015 thinking that it would be a good qualifier. I never thought in a million years I would be able to do a trail 100 miler in under 24 hours- but I just made it. That was like winning the Olympics for me, but it wasn’t enough. If you are completely nuts, do the Alpine Challenge, but the timing isn’t good to do both in one year.

Rule number 5- be a crew or vollie
In past years I was told ‘if you ever want to run the race, you should be there as crew or volunteer’. And that was good advice, I have crewed 3 times for the amazing Jane Trumper and the experience has been superb. I imagine that a previous crewing or vollie experience will help you, but I don’t think it is as important as it was a few years back. BUT- remember if there are 2 applications from runners with similar race history, I would assume that the one who has seen the race would have an advantage. If you’ve previously applied and been knocked back, try to be there anyway- sitting in a corner licking your wounds doesn’t get you closer to your goal, being there and helping out IS!

I don’t know what will guarantee a start, but you should just run your arse off.

Now, here’s a funny thing- it’s actually harder to get in as a returning runner than a first timer. I’m not just saying that because I didn’t get in for 2015. Think about it- in 2014 I was competing for a spot with people like Kurt Topper, George Mihalakellis, Annabel Hepworth etc. These people are great runners, I’m very privileged to know them but I can call them contemporaries- they’re not so totally out of my league that I can’t run with them. Except maybe Annabel, she’s super crazy. They’re normal (or relatively normal).

But the moment you are competing for a spot as a returning runner, you’re competing with people like Kevin Heaton (Brick) a 9 time finisher, Jane Trumper (6 time finisher) and Wayne ‘Blue Dog’ Gregory (Winner in 2008). I honestly can’t see any sane person saying ‘Sorry Blue Dog, I’m giving your spot to Adam Connor’ and that’s ok. Totally the way it should be. These people have earned their places over and over again. And again.

So now you see the central issue inherent in the race. With so few entries available it HAS to be a personal choice by the Race Directors. It’s perfect as things stand now. We don’t need any more transparency into the system, we simply need to make the best possible application that we can.

I was so privileged to be chosen in 2014, and finishing (the sprint edition) is one of the proudest moments of my life. It made a pretty ordinary runner feel special, because it is such a special event.

I would totally encourage you to give it a crack- but don’t think anything about it will be easy. Except all of the friends you’ll make.

Protected: You Can Outrun a Bad Diet

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Adam Connor

Fear & Loathing Food & Wedding in Las Vegas

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Adam Connor

I wrote most of this while we were driving between stops. Most driving days were between 2-3 and maximum 6 hours of driving so I had plenty of time to summarise while Sarah drove…..

Day 1- Wednesday March 9

March 9 we got on a plane for Los Angeles- it’s a 13 hour flight. I usually manage to get some sleep but this time I watched 5 movies instead. Of course I was pretty shattered by the time we landed, but it was 6am local time and we needed to stay up as long as possible so we could get into sync with the time difference. Honestly it’s not too bad with only an effective 5 hour difference. OK it’s actually 19 hours but midday in LA is 7am Sydney. So most days I had until about 2pm before any support tickets came in!

It’s kind of strange to leave at 11am on Wednesday morning and arrive at 6am on Wednesday morning after such a long flight, but the mental gymnastics to deal with the situation were overwhelmed by the desire to sleep…..

That first day we managed to drag our old carcasses around to the local shops to pick up some essentials. They had a whole aisle of breakfast food but I found it impossible to buy anything without heaps of sugar. I normally like a non toasted, natural muesli for breakfast but even the muesli was all toasted and in 100 different sugary flavours. Later I learned that to get natural muesli you have to go to a health food store. And those are chock full of incredible stuff like 5 different flavours of hemp milk. Yes, hemp milk.

Sarah wouldn’t let me buy Bison jerky

Saw loads of interesting cars- without exaggeration I’d say Teslas are about as common here as Volvos. Lots and lots of Maseratis, couple of Ferraris and Bentleys and a Koenigggseg. We even saw 3 KTM X-Bows, I mean I think only about 3 of them were ever made? One other difference from back home is the crapload of electric cars. Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and hybrid Prius mixing it up with the Teslas. Seriously- so many Teslas. It became such a thing that eventually Sarah threatened to punch me if I pointed out any more, and she punches hard.

This is the kind of Black Dog that I like

Day 2- Thursday March 10
La Brea Tar Pits

The La Brea Tar Pits is a place I’d always wanted to visit, and we found that we were staying within walking distance! The main ‘pit’ is a grungy looking pool that’s free to visit, but looks very unattractive. Apparently tar bubbles up through the ground from time to time in various areas of the park, and there’s green traffic cones warning people of small eruptions. We went into the museum and they’ve done an awesome job of explaining the history and there’s even a film describing how so many creatures got caught in the sticky tar and preserved. Well worth a look.

La Brea Tar Pit

Tar escaping from the ground around a protective fence

I’m guessing that tar isn’t the only thing that seeps from the ground around here….

The XXL 1 pound burger

Day 3- Friday March 11
Disneyland

I was very glad we had pre paid for the tickets, because it seems impossible to walk more than 10 steps at Disneyland without an opportunity to buy something, indeed anything for about 15x what it’s worth on the outside. It was particularly interesting to see what Disney has done with the Star Wars franchise since purchasing it- i.e., they are flogging the shit out of it! You can buy Darth Vader beanies for your toddler, a gold C3PO hat with Mickey Mouse ears, and R2D2 dress or purse, and mountains of other vile tat. OK some of it I was kind of attracted to, but my mind flipped out when I saw the price. Yes Virginia, you can have this Light Saber Umbrella for only $65. Phaaaaark, that’s about $90 Aus!

I think we spent over $100 just on food- and I had brought my own bottle of mineral water. The rides were a lot of fun- we finished with ‘Hyperspace Mountain’ and it couldn’t have gone for more than 2 minutes but holy crap it was intense!

Who is the bored guy? Unconsciously hilarious

Day 4- Saturday March 12
Getty Museum

This is our last day in LA and we decided to hit the Getty Museum and Graumann’s Chinese Theatre. The Getty is beyond amazing. I can’t express how great it is to be able to see these artworks so close up and their beauty can make you very emotional. Well, it did for me anyway. Weirdly Van Goughs Irises was protected by glass, but positioned so that a lot of light spilled in from outside, meaning 1. you couldn’t get a photo without reflections and 2. I wondered whether the painting was adequately protected from UV rays. I really want to go back and spend 2 days there, just so I can stand in front of some of the items without time limits.

This painting was massive and incredibly detailed. The light, the luxuriousness, I could have stared for hours

Some of these panoramas are great- give them a click! ^^^

We were so tired after the Getty that we all just wanted to go home and sleep, so the Hollywood Walk was cancelled, but I demanded to be dropped off at Amoeba Records so I could go crate diving. Fantastic place with over 25,000 records- unfortunately I didn’t have much time so I managed to pick my way through the Dance Pop, Trance and House sections. I didn’t really feel that the full priced records were worth the money, but I picked up a few (ok 60 or so) records at between 50c and $2.99. Some I already own but in better condition than mine, a couple that I have no idea if they are any good, a few that should be interesting and one, yes one, off my list. Every DJ has a list- of tracks they are looking for…..
There’s no listening stations at Amoeba, but they have a return policy where you can bring things back for a 75% refund if you don’t like it. I didn’t have time to listen, and I think the really cheap records that I bought are excluded from that offer. The AirBnB we stayed in had a DJ setup that included a Technics SL1200 MKIII, so if I’d had more time…….

Amoeba- you could go broke in here

After a couple of hours in record heaven I hopped across the road for dinner at Jack In The Box (quite tasty, but slathered in butter) and got a cab back to our Air BnB

Day 5- Sunday March 13
Vegas Baby!

Overnight daylight savings time turned on in California and so our time difference with Sydney is now 6 hours, we packed up and hopped in our enormous van and headed up the freeway to Barstow outlet centre where I bought too much stuff. This was a recurring thing over the next few days. Lunch was a 1lb burger from Fatburger which definitely lived up to its name. I kind of felt that I was going to emulate Elvis and collapse while attempting to push that burger out of my body, but that’s a TMI story for another day….

We spent a lot of time driving, but luckily most of the scenery was stunning

We got to the hotel Circus Circus and booked in. It’s an old, fairly tired hotel but everyone was really pleasant. We were warned several times that ‘this is a non smoking hotel’ but you have to walk across the casino floor to get in or out, and the smoke was eye watering. Up in the rooms you couldn’t smell smoke but as soon as you step out into the corridor it hits you. Anyway the rooms are basic but good and fairly roomy, and at $US50 per night I can put up with a few weirdos and smokers. We had a bit of a walk up the strip and it was exactly as fun and hideous as you’d expect. People holding these huge cans of beer, openly drinking, others with novelty containers- yard glasses, plastic Eiffel Towers, guitars etc. all filled with cheap sweet booze. We walked into a 711 to pick up some supplies and they had flavoured tequila shots on ice right next to the cash register…….

If you look carefully you can see performers just under the lights….

It must be delightful to be an alcoholic in Vegas, you’re never more than a few steps away from buckets of cheap booze and nobody gives a fuck if you walk up the strip at 8am with a beer the size of an aircraft carrier and talking to yourself. After a few days Sarah hated it, I just wanted to see more of the seedy side!

Day 6- Monday 14 March

We woke at 7am and went for a run up the strip- all of the major intersections require you to go up to an overpass- I suppose this is to reduce vehicular deaths from all of the pissed pedestrians. Helpfully, they all provide escalators and elevators for the old, fat, infirm and completely spannered.

After a shower it was off to get remarried! We hopped in an Uber and got to the chapel in plenty of time. The ceremony was heaps of fun and Elvis did a great job. Sarah was absolutely stunning in a red sequin dress and we all got to be a bit silly and have a dance, if you want to see the extent of my embarrassment you should watch the movie!

Back to the hotel for a change and to the Dennys across the road for lunch. The servings are ridiculous- I ordered a spicy meat plate and could barely finish it- remember I’ve been able to eat 9 pieces of KFC and 2 large sides for lunch. A bit more shopping and no time for a sleep before we got picked up by Maverick Aviation for a helicopter ride out to the Grand Canyon. Just a note about this- the helicopter ride didn’t cost much less than our flights from Australia. It was hugely expensive, but we got to fly over Lake Mead, land IN the Canyon, have a snack and then fly back via other landmarks and up the Las Vegas strip at sunset, it was totally amazing. Apart from the eye watering cost I’d totally recommend it.

Picked up from the hotel in this limo

Landed in the Grand Canyon with 5 other $3 million helicopters

A limo ride back to the hotel and we met my parents for a steak dinner in Vince Dean Tuatara- a rock n roll steak joint with nightly karaoke. We ate at the same joint the next night and watched a toddler dance on stage for an award. Toward the end of the song I heard the chorus- ‘Spread your Legs’, charming.

Everything is big in Vegas

Day 7- Tuesday 15 March

Out for an early morning run, we ran the opposite direction and found the sleazy part of Vegas. In reality, the sleazy part starts the moment you step off the strip. One block back from our hotel was the ‘Worlds Largest Erotic Museum’ and many many supply stores for strippers. No, I did not attempt to buy any strippers.

Yes it really says ‘Hangover Bail- because last night was no movie’

For breakfast we went to the Bellagio – Mum had read online that the Bellagio and the Wynn has the best breakfast buffet, and I can believe it- we had paid $US20 each for dinner at the Circus Circus buffet, and while they had a decent selection of food, it was just uninspiring and a little depressing. The Bellagio by contrast was fantastic- 2 different kinds of bacon, chefs on hand to custom make omelettes for you (with real crabmeat, as one American next to me demanded) and a fine selection of pastries and other things that I should not eat for breakfast. But did. The only downside was when I ordered a coffee for Dad and myself- at $US13 + tip for 2 coffees, that was about A$10 per coffee. Ouch!

Bellagio foyer roof

Those DJ’s? Never heard of them

I think I’m going to run a caption contest for this one

There were a couple of interesting exhibitions on at the Luxor– one about the human body and one with some Titanic bits so we headed down there- unfortunately we didn’t know it would cost $US35 for each entry so we headed back to the hotel for a much needed rest. Well, I slept and Sarah failed to sleep. So we got up and went to ‘Fashion Show’ which is a big mall in the middle of the strip. Sarah got excited about clothes and shoes while I got accosted by a tweaker trying to sell a $US500 device that streams content from all over the world. It seems to be a basic $50 streaming box that comes with a ‘lifetime subscription’ to a private club that hosts pirated content. Sorry buddy but I’m not paying for your meth, and I doubt you’ll be around for a refund when the FBI shut down your little club. It’s most likely that the content is organised by one of a number of small underground piracy groups. If that’s true they are selling access to something that is free for other people. Great scam I guess!

Sarah spotted a Tiffanys store so we had a quick look and I spotted a lovely Tiffany blue pendant and decided to buy it for her as a 10 year anniversary gift. Then she spotted a little duck pendant and decided to buy it for herself. They both look lovely, and it continues a duck motif that has been present through our marriage- we gave glow in the dark ducks to our wedding guests, and brought one of the ducks with us to take photos with.

Tiffanys duck with our wedding duck

Later we met up with Mum and Dad- they had taken Alex for a few rides back at Circus Circus, and we took the bus up to Fremont Street. This is the ‘original Vegas’ and has covered part of the street with an amazing light show to attract tourists and rebranded as ‘the Fremont Street Experience’ and honestly it was a bit much for my tiny brain. I needed a wee and went into one of the casinos, they had go go dancers dancing above the slot machines. There was skimpy dancers on top of a bar right in the street and skimpily dressed and just plain weird people all over the place, including a guy who wasn’t that much younger than my father wearing backless pants and angel wings. No one needs to see that, granddad.

Luxor Thursday nights. Wow.

This beer was delicious, and the cans were nearly 750ml

Freemont St Experience. Yes it was.

Day 8- Wednesday 16 March
Leaving Las Vegas
Lone Pine

On our last day we had a truly Vegas breakfast- black coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Sarah ran to the airport to pick up our next rental car, and predictably the lady behind the counter was gobsmacked that someone could run that far (about 45 minutes). Mum and Dad helped us take our bags down and we said our goodbyes (they are spending a few more days in Vegas then heading to the coast to take a cruise). It’s been truly great having my parents around to share some of these experiences. A pity the rest of the family weren’t able to come but at least I get to see my sister next month when she comes over to be celebrant for my cousins wedding.

We stopped in Pahrump to get some supplies for lunch then went through some weird town that has a whole bunch of fireworks stores- actually Sarah tells me that was also Pahrump. I had to stop and get a pic. The 2 toothless owners were really friendly, and I’ve got to say that’s probably the largest amount of explosives I’ve ever been around. I was told that I could buy whatever I wanted but I’d have to pay $5 extra for a firearms license. Then they became really cagey when I asked where it would be legal to set them off……

It was hugely exciting to get close to Death Valley National Park, the site of the Badwater Ultramarathon. Six years ago, in 2010 when I started running I heard of Badwater- it’s one of those ridiculous races that people use to prove that runners are crazy. In the intervening years I’ve discovered that races like this ARE possible to complete, and even for someone of limited running ability like me. It requires careful planning and full respect for the challenges, but it is possible. I really think that UTMB would require more than I currently have, but Badwater is a race that has always fascinated me, even when I thought it would require a superhuman to complete it.

Here’s some photos from the Zabriskie Point–

So Sarah dropped me off just outside Stovepipe Wells and I ran up the road towards Emigrant, fulfilling a long held dream. I had wanted to do at least 10-15km and we had compromised on this section which is about 8 miles or maybe 13km. Unfortunately it was 3pm when I started, so Sarah had to pick me up about halfway due to time constraints- we needed to get to our hotel in Lone Pine before reception shut. A few notes about the run- when Sarah dropped me off the temperature was about 90F which is 32.2 degrees celsius. That’s warm but not uncomfortable for a run. The bit that sucked was the air- there’s no moisture in the air and your sweat doesn’t really get a chance to cool you down- it’s drawn straight into the air before you get any benefit. Also the heat reflected off the tarmac is hotter than the sun so it’s a weird feeling to feel the ground hotter than the atmosphere. And it was a mistake to take a black coloured bottle with me- it absorbed the suns rays and made my water like warm tea. But even considering all of that and the traffic it was still a run I will cherish forever.

We stayed in the Best Western at Lone Pine, it was clean and well appointed and so far, the nicest place we’ve stayed on this trip. Apart from having to share a room with Alex! Breakfast was also included which was a bonus. We’d been buying some breakfast things from supermarkets and keeping it cold in our foam $3.79 esky and free hotel ice, but particularly in Vegas it was really hard to get healthy stuff for brekkie and I’m not used to dropping $50 for breakfast every day!

Dinner at ‘The Grill’ was lovely- I had ‘Dust Devil Pasta’. Trust me it was a lot nicer than that sounds, and also got to try an Alaskan beer, nice way to cap off the day.

Day 9- Thursday 17 March

Lone Pine is only about 13 miles or apx 20km from Mt Whitney Portal. The portal is the beginning of the hiking trails in the area, and is the end of the Badwater race. The road is currently being repaired so we weren’t sure we could get access, but we figured it was worth a try. And sure enough we had to get an escort car to take us up to a spot where the road really was closed. However, the traffic guy had told us that no one would stop us going up higher, but if we had to be rescued by the cops they would give us a fine. Totally worth it, so up we went. We had switched to a Hyundai ‘soft roader’ in Vegas so I was hoping that would be enough to get us out of trouble but it turned out to be a non issue. You know, I’m kind of running out of superlatives but I will say it was brilliant. We got to race around in the snow, there was no one around and Alex got to play in snow for the first time ever! It’s incredible to think that all of the photos I took were easy to get, beauty all around. And signs to look out for bears…..

From there we drove to Tahoe and booked in to a hotel called Kingsbury Lodge- it’s a time share ski lodge. Once again, we felt like we had scored pretty well- the room was nicely appointed with a gas fire, kitchen and huge couch. Sarah had been a nanny in Tahoe in the early 1990’s and we were trying to catch up with some of her friends in the area. We had a lovely St Patricks Day dinner in one of the (very posh!) wooden houses perched on the side of the hill looking out over the lake with a great bunch of people, including a friend of Sarahs who had been a lawyer but is now a local judge!

Day 10- Friday 18 March

My training had been pretty poor and my eating pretty substantial so it was time to suck it up and get out there. The only downside was the below freezing temperatures! It was -1 celsius in the morning but we managed to crank out a few km- it’s not going to get me where I want, but better than nothing. After that we hopped in the car and headed out to Reno. Sarah works for a company that imports Cascade Design products- this encompasses many brands of outdoor gear. There we were given a personal tour of their 87,500 sq foot warehouse- yes it was bloody huge! It was also fascinating to see them making and testing some waterproof bags. Lunch with a former colleague of Sarahs who worked for Patagonia, and then a side trip to the Patagonia outlet store. That was a bit disappointing, as I had purchased a jacket at a Patagonia store earlier in the week a lot cheaper than the price at the outlet store. And I really didn’t dig any of the stuff that was cheap. We had dinner at Applebees- a sort of high end Denny’s with one of Sarahs ex boyfriends and his kids. He’s an interesting guy and dinner was great- I made the joke that Sarah was dining with 2 ex boyfriends, which was sort of true as I had been upgraded to husband…..

Day 11- Saturday 19 March

Another early run at -2 then on the way out of Tahoe we went down to the shops and Sarah managed to spend an eye watering amount of money on more gear (most of my shopping had been much earlier) and I had to consider the possibility that we would need to ship stuff home.My 120 litre bag was so stuffed I don’t think I could fit a cigarette paper in there.

Post shopping was a little side trip to Emerald Bay– it’s got a great high up view of Lake Tahoe- and snow! We played in the snow for a while and I managed to have my first accident- I fell through some snow melt and smacked my shin on a massive boulder. It hurt, but I didn’t think much of it until later when I discovered an impressive amount of blood. Next it was off to more friends of Sarahs- family friends who live in Placerville. What a beautiful spot- it is nestled in some hills amongst apple orchards and wineries.. So we had a bit of a hike around the local area. It was fantastic to have a relaxed dinner with some locals (thanks Peter and Gale!) and of course once Alex found out about the hot tub, he had to have a go- despite the outside temperature being on the unkind side of bitter.

Day 12- Sunday 20 March

After a bit of a sleep in (finally!) we got up and headed down to a local lake- Sly Park Lake. The lake has a single track path around it that goes for 8 miles, just over 13km. So I took Alex out who made it 4km before refusing to go on. I handed him back to his Mum who had already run that morning and I ran the rest of the trail. It was fantastic- a nice soft bed of pine needles and some nice easy rises and great slopes to bomb down. I felt like a runner again, not the fat bastard that I had become. ‘Home’ again for some lunch and I even managed to sneak in a short nap before a bunch of people arrived for dinner. It was great being part of a family dinner and we had dry rubbed ribs and malt liquor. OK I had malt liquor- everyone else refused. It didn’t make me want to fight my own shadow so I’m not sure what the problem is. Well, I guess the problem is that you can buy a 739ml can of 8.1% alcohol malt liquor for $1.79. That’s a serious alcoholic bargain.

Day 13- Monday 21 March

On the road again, on our way to the outlet stores at Vacaville. We were fairly shopped out, but still couldn’t resist a bargain. Have you ever said to yourself ‘if I ever see one more fucking North Face hoodie I will scream’? No? Well, I came pretty close…… and yet. And yet I bought still more North Face clothing. If you think I am well dressed whenI get home from this trip it is because I could purchase Calvin Klein jeans for $20. And did, more than once. It was In-n-Out Burger for lunch, adding to our tally of Jack In The Box, Five Guys, Fatburger, Chipotle and Dog knows how many others. Yes, I’ve been making America great again by singlehandedly supporting the burger industry. We’d pretty much decided to eat local for the last few days so when we arrived in Santa Cruz we headed in to downtown in plenty of time to be harassed by a couple of homeless people and have pizza for dinner. It didn’t bother me much but Sarah was quite perturbed, particularly because a crazy black guy had unleashed a torrent of racial abuse at an Asian lady who accidentally bumped in to him- and then apparently said something to Sarah.

In ‘n Out Burger

Day 14- Tuesday 22 March

Our run the next morning was brilliant, running along the river but brutally cold. I had dressed for 14 degrees (Sarah checked the weather) but it was very low single digits. I should have checked for myself! We also went past an artist community called the Tannery which sparked a memory of mine- a young resident had been murdered there last year by another resident. Very gruesome story, and of course that put Sarah off even more! I think she was pretty happy to leave, just quietly…..

Gale had sent a bunch of things for us to do but the only one we could fit in was the Monterey Aquarium. What an amazing place, and somehow not surprising since the list of people donating $1 million, $5 million, $10 and $25, even $50 million was quite long. I can’t really say enough about this one, just get there if you can and I hope the pics give you an idea. Late in the afternoon we arrived in San Luis Obispo, a Californian town famous for its good weather. It’s a really cool but fairly touristy town. This was the place where we had booked the cheapest hotel of the trip and it showed. It was clean and comfortable but the last residents dinner was still in the fridge, and some woman decided to sit out side our door and complain about her life well into the night. I didn’t really fancy putting pants on to tell her to piss off but luckily Sarah did it for me. I had managed to go into Abercrombie & Fitch just before dinner and buy MORE clothes so there’s a danger I will be mistaken for someone who cares about their appearance soon. Dinner was in a local pub called F. McLintock and was good- we even had dessert so I think the transition to overeater is complete. Full disclosure- Alex ordered deep fried cheesecake and I helped him to finish it…….

Day 15- Wednesday 23 March

We woke a bit late and skipped a run, opting for a basic breakfast and getting on the road. We passed through Shell Beach, Pismo, Guadaloupe and other towns going down the coast towards Santa Barbara and Ventura, our last hotel for the trip. Ventura is only about an hour or so from LA but far enough that it’s worth exploring. It’s very spread out though- we had a lot of trouble figuring out where the shopping spots were, but lunch at the top of Gates Park was amazing. You could hear the big V8’s roaring around Ventura Raceway (and we’d driven past Laguna Seca only 2 days before). Sarah needed a rest so I went out to a local Mexican ‘art’ shop (ok, it’s full of tourist stuff. But I love the ‘day of the dead’ things) and I managed to buy a ‘dead’ bride and groom on metal plate, and a decorated skull that I’m going to call ‘Bob’ after the ‘Bob the Skull’ character in The Dresden Files novels by Jim Butcher. You should read them, they are heaps of fun.

Day 16- Thursday 24 March
Los Angeles

We woke up and went for a run, then spent a stupid amount of time tracking down a breakfast place. We needed up at Pete’s Breakfast House and yes, the fuss was worth it. I had a completely artery clogging fried hash, and Sarah had Heuvos Ranchos. Sarah wanted to go to a Patagonia store (yes another one, but this one was apparently the original) and I wandered away to find a coffee. My mission on the last day was to have the most American version of whatever that I could find. At Starbucks I asked the poor server ‘what’s the dumbest drink you have?’ and without batting an eyelid she simply answered ‘hot or cold?’
So I needed up with a caramelised honey latte with whipped cream. So bad, so good.

I set the GPS to take me to one last record store ( it’s actually called ‘Record Surplus- The Last Record Store‘). This one had listening stations, but not a great selection of the music I like- it seems all the record stores are risk averse to dance music. Anyway I picked up a few tracks (mostly super handbag) and we headed down to Santa Monica for a last look at the beach and then a browse of the shops. Electronics shops seem to be a thing of the past now- no Best Buy, Frys Electronics, Radio Shack or similar to be seen. But I did have a quick look at Sears- the electronics section was in the basement and looked like WW3 had broken out. Anyway it satisfied my curiosity and we got back in the car at 4pm for our 17km trip to LAX. Holy crap the traffic was awful, it was nearly 3 hours later that we managed to drop our bags, negotiate into a lounge and get some food. OK beer. Luckily the flight was not due to take off until 9:55pm. It didn’t actually leave the ground until nearly an hour later but we made up the time in the air and landed safe back in Sydney at 6:50am Saturday 26 March, having completely missed Good Friday!

I met new people, had amazing adventures and made memories that I will treasure my whole life. I’m so grateful to Sarah for arranging it, Mum and Dad for coming along, and Alex for being Alex.

Coast to Kosci C2K 2015- Crewing

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Adam Connor

When you’re running this event, your whole body hates you.

If you’re crewing, it’s only your liver.

At around 9am on Wednesday Jane Trumper and Sally Dean arrived at my place and we made a few last minute decisions about what to take and leave and headed off. Then headed back again because I had forgotten my laptop. Sometime much later we arrived at Hailey Maxwell’s place and added her stuff to the amazing assortment of crap in the car.

The trip to Eden was uneventful except for 2 things- somehow we didn’t go via Berri- and hence missed the fresh donut van, and we managed to talk openly about bodily functions for quite a long time. It became obvious I was going to enjoy spending time with these lovely ladies…..

A quick stop to dump our crap at the caravan park and it was off to dinner at the Fisho’s- Eden Fisherman’s Club. It’s like going home. Well, a gaudy home that sells delicious fried things. And beer. Wayne ‘Blue Dog’ Gregory was there with his team so we added Mick and Bernadette along with BD, coming back after 4 long years in the injury box.

Getting back to our new waterfront trailer, we were pretty happy and took a few selfies with beer and decided to head off to bed. At that moment Wayne turned up with a bottle of red wine, and the ladies ran away and shut the room doors. So Wayne and I sat up and talked about nothing, nursing a few middies of red. Nice way to finish the day.

Thursday morning and strangely I wasn’t feeling 100% but I wasn’t worried about getting sick, as alcohol kills bacteria. We popped into town for breakfast and met Joe Ward and Anderson, who would both be running. After that we hit Coles for supplies and everything looked delicious. Poor Jane was made to pay for our soft drink and chip habit, then we handed the big job of re arranging the car to Sally while Hailey and I checked the course for Cossie to Coast.

If you’ve never seen this race it is hilarious- the crews all wear a swimming costume and run 7km from near Boydtown Beach back to the caravan park. This year we had 29 starters, and for some reason I ended up as the RD, but it went smoothly and we didn’t have to send out a search party for Annabel Hepworth like last year. She was in a gorilla suit so I’m not sure if she’d have been able to hunt down any food……One person this year wore a ‘Gafkini’- a bikini entirely made from Gaffa tape. Just be glad I’m not posting a photo of that one…..

Back to the Fishermans club for the race briefing and pre race dinner- it really is Christmas for ultra runners- almost every ultra runner you know is in that room. Handshakes, backslaps and sandbagging is the order of the day, before an early night and even earlier morning for the race start.

We shuffled down the beach in lovely mild conditions to start the race. This year my running club (NRG) had 5 runners accepted into the race, but sadly 2 were out with injury. Would have been an amazing thing to have 10% of the field, but alas it wasn’t to be. On the upside we did have Robyn Bruins, Chantelle Farrelly and Rocco Smit- all of whom had amazing performances at GNW. I snuck in for a pic with team NRG, got one with my crew + runner and suddenly they were off!

The last few years there has been a rule that everyone must head off to the Pericoe Rd meeting spot directly from Boydtown Beach. Makes a lot of sense, and prevents runners breathing in heaps of dust from cars going past. We arrived there to see the locals making coffee and bacon & egg rolls. They were delicious, but I had a few things to set up too….. I planned to be the only car on the road with wifi, aircon, and an espresso machine. OK air conditioning isn’t that special in a modern car, but I figured good coffee and access to Facebook would make the crew very happy……

DSCF0011

At Pericoe Rd we ‘serviced’ our runner for the first time and started to get into the rhythm of the race. Jane had been a bit worried about a niggle she had picked up during her race in Manislu and had brought her own moon boot. That’s a new level of sandbagging. I hoped. However she seemed to be moving well when she came through. In the early stages of the race you get to see pretty much everybody, and it’s a real party for the crews before the field starts to stretch out. Trevor Allen came through first at warp speed, followed closely by Joe Ward and others- not sure it’s a good idea to make your 10km pb in a 240km race but I have full respect for those who can ‘go out hard and hang on’!

From there the next major moment is at Rocky Hall, 50km in and designated Checkpoint 1. Jane made it here at 11:55am or 6:25 race time. This was 19 minutes slower than her PB in 2013, but the day was getting hot and certainly no reason to worry.

We designated Hailey to walk up Big Jack with Jane, and I went up in the car with Sally. It’s the first time I’ve been up there in a car- twice pacing Jane and once running the event. At the top, we figured we had enough time to sneak into Cathcart. It puts the odometer out of whack, but we wanted to buy lunch, get ice (we were using a lot in drinks etc because of the heat) and make sure there was something good for Jane (she likes a mango Weiss bar at Cathcart, but we already knew they didn’t have any).

Back to the top of Big Jack and no one was any wiser, except for the pie stains on my shirt. Jane checked her feet, and it was here that we started to hear about the carnage unfolding on the course. Jan Hermann (11 time starter, 9 time finisher and bloody legend) had pulled out at Big Jack- we found out later that he had recently been knocked off his bike and was still injured from that. Tough guy but poor luck this year. It was a big blow to all of us to hear this.

Another to pull the pin was Billy Bridle. I really wanted to see him finish, he’s worked really hard for his place and lost 50kg over the last few years. Alas it wasn’t his day but I hope he’ll be back.

Into Cathcart and it turned out that the earlier trip was worthwhile- they’d run out of ice! It would bean extra 20km into Bombala to get some if you needed it…… Jane was now running 45 minutes behind her PB but still looked comfortable. Blue Dog had his game face on but looked like he was in pain, and Sabina Hamaty was way back in the field and looking unhappy- but 240km is a long way and like someone said ‘if you feel good during an ultra marathon, don’t worry- the feeling will pass’.

Jane asked us to meet her 4km up the road outside Cathcart, so we went out 4km, I laid back for a nap, and the ladies sat at the rear of the car and talked quietly. Just as I drifted off I thought’ we haven’t seen any runners or cars for a while’ but it wasn’t enough for me to wake up…… and shortly after this my mobile rang and it was Andy ‘Whippet’ Hewatt the race medic using Jane’s phone to find out where we were……. she had run 6km and figure we had gotten lost. Oops. Yes, we’d missed a turnoff.

Back on track and Jane came up to the window and absolutely tore strips off us. The air turned blue and all I could manage was a weak apology, then I looked around and Damon Roberts crew (who had helped Jane while we were indisposed) were filming us! We’d been set up!

So I called her a bitch and she variously said she was fine and we were a bunch of er whatevers, and we all trundled merrily down the street. Next thing I’m being interviewed by Damon’s team again about our ‘mishap’ and Billy Pearce (race medic) comes up to give us shit too. It seems runners can’t keep secrets….

It’s a bit of a slog from here to the dead tree at 102km, and we were all a bit sombre after getting lost. Your runner really does rely on their crew to be on top of everything at all times, it could have been much more disastrous than it was.

We’d decided that I would be first pacer and would start at CP3. Cup noodles were ordered from the finest chefs in the land but unfortunately our stove kept on getting blown out in the wind. They eventually solved the problem by using hot water we had in a thermos from the morning. Nice!

By this time it was obvious that Jane was not having an easy time and it would be a matter of minimising losses rather than killing her PB. I saddled up for a 6 hour shift and we headed out into the night. Previously we had done a big 8 hour shift to start, but this time we had only 2 confident runners on the crew (Sally would have been fine but our job was to keep Jane moving, and Sally more than makes up for not pacing by being super organised and nice to be around!)

I like the night shift, it’s quiet and you can see stars and reflect. The trip into Dalgety can be a bit soul destroying because it is pretty long at 42km but there’s nothing for it except to keep going. I insisted the ladies get a bit of sleep as I was carrying everything that Jane needed for the next few hours. So we left the clipboard on the windscreen of the car and I wrote the time we went past, allowing them to get a bit of sleep. I did turn into a bit of a Nazi though, yelling at Hailey for not being asleep! Sorry Hailey!

Hailey took over pacing around 2:45am and I settled in for some sleep. Amazingly I was pretty relaxed and actually slept for a while- massive win!

Somehow I managed to arrange things so that Hailey had to pace Jane up Beloka Range. I awoke in the early morning, and as men do, needed to wee. First problem- there was about 5 cars up there! So I spotted a tree a discrete distance away, but just as I was about to drop trou, Damons team command parked right in front of me. Given their previous treatment of us I was pretty tempted to urinate on their nice clean car, but figured it wouldn’t really make things better. You’ll keep, you cheeky bastards.

In another stroke of brilliant luck, Jane told us to go ahead to Jindabyne and get coffees, breakfast and supplies. So I got a couple of hours sleep, coffee, breakfast and plenty of rest. Heaven.

I took over pacing duties again in a car park on the outskirts of Jindabyne, and we headed out of town towards the big climb. It was around here that we heard about an issue that had come up. I don’t really want to go into it here but several teams were warned about having too many crew cars serving their runner (you are allowed only one), and subsequently a time penalty of 2 hours was issued to Nikki Wynds team. It must have been gut wrenching for both Race Directors and runner (and crew), but anything that jeopardises the running of the race must be dealt with harshly. I can’t imagine that the race would get approval in todays nanny state environment, and we must do everything to preserve it’s viability.

Jane is typically very strong on the hills, and we started catching up to Kirrily Dear- eventually passing her by the side of the road with her legs in the air. Sorry that didn’t sound right- her all female team were attending to some nasty blisters. I’m sure Kirrily thought ‘game on!’ but when she got past again a few km later Jane told her there would be no contest and she could have the race placing with her blessing.

This made us aware of how badly Jane was hurting. You always hurt during these races, and Jane has a higher pain threshold than most humans I’ve ever met. And probably most I haven’t. However she was getting slower and slower. I’d paced her in 2012 to a PW and 2013 to a PB. I’d seen her really sick in 2012 and still finish. This year she was in (slightly) better physical condition (i.e. not spewing for 8.5 hours) but much more pain from a back issue. There were a few worried looks from the other crew so I had to chat to them privately about our strategy. Which boiled down to- don’t mention the injury, get Jane to the finish. We never discussed the option of pulling out in front of her, but it was quite distressing to see her like that. It became a task to make her as comfortable as possible, with loads of massage and stops, which she normally wouldn’t do.

Hailey had another stint at pacing and I took over again at Perisher. We had a long stop at Perisher to massage Jane, get some food on board and make the last 9km to Charlotte Pass. We had a couple of runner service stops and sent the crew forward to get our mandatory gear checked off. I’d spent a fair bit of time schooling Jane so she could pass a cursory medical ‘just stand up a bit straighter and make sense when they talk to you’. I went to Paul Every to ask if we could allow Jane to hold on to our packs to keep her a bit straighter but he wasn’t keen and said ‘you have to ask if you need to keep your runner upright if they should be going up the mountain at all’ and looked pointedly at Rhiann Blackwell, medic. Luckily we had already convinced Rhiann that she was ok. So, she’ll have to do it herself then, no problem. We were super organised but somehow it all turned into a complete clusterfuck once we arrived. Nobody could get their shit together for the final assault on the mountain. Even me. In fact the NRG’ers waiting at the finish line laughed when I yelled at the team to get moving and then spotted Ngaire and had to run over for a hug.

……. And then it got very, very ugly. If you’re in good condition you should be able to do the 9km up and 9km back from the summit in around 3.5 hours. It took us nearly 6 hours. We’d been explicitly told to get assessed by Andy ‘Whippet’ Hewatt at Rawsons Hut. We were lucky enough to get (for Jane) a more professional massage and hot chocolate, which she promptly threw up. But I was very glad that she’d had it- I’d been pushing her to eat and drink for hours with little result.

With 1.3km to go I asked Sally if she would go ahead and get the car- bring it up towards the finish line and out the heaters on full blast. It was pretty cold and I wanted to bundle Jane into the car as quickly as possible after crossing that line.

And so it happened- 42 hours and 39 minutes after leaving the shores of Boydtown Beach, Jane crossed the finish line for the 6th time. She’d been telling us that this was her last time for the last few days, let’s see what happens next year when entries open….

I drove us all down the mountain, not as fresh and awake as I’d hoped, but still ok to get us back to Jindy. Once we got inside we were all so shattered that showers were about all we could manage, and the thought of going out to the car for another pot noodle filled us with dread.

The next morning we all attended ultra runner church- the presentations. While the entire event is special, there’s nothing quite like it when Paul stands up and gives a little speech about every single finisher, and yes, while we’ve heard most of the asides there’s still not a dry eye in the room. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

After this I had planned to have a sleep but somehow got caught up shopping and drinking. This went long into the night- in fact when I flamed out and went home, Jane stayed until she got kicked out at closing time. Maybe I’ll have to develop that kind of stamina for next year!

Monday morning breakfast was quite sombre, at least until Roger turned up and started doing jokes. Somebody at the table said ‘Roger, what’s going on in that head of yours?’ and 4 other people at the table simultaneously screamed ‘DON’T ASK!’

Final word goes to Paul Every. As I was leaving breakfast he asked

‘So, will we see an application from you next year Adam?’

‘try and stop me!’

Paul ‘Oh, we can stop you…..’

“OK, PLEASE don’t try and stop me!’

Coast to Kosci Crew Race Planner 2015 C2K

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Adam Connor

These times are taken from Rob Masons run in 2010, stats downloadable here. I’ve chosen his 40 hour (39:57 actually) run as an example, adjust as needed. Pericoe Rd and Dead Tree times estimated from Alison Lilley 2009 who ran around 23 minutes faster than Rob, both are terrific athletes- times chosen because they were close to 40 hours. Adjust as needed but most runners seem to finish between 36-43 hours. Or leave it as you see it and hope your runner can finish in time before the pizza place in Jindy closes. Don’t be worried about cutoffs, but do know what they are.

Race Start 5:30am Friday

Meet Runner at Pericoe Rd Intersection ~24km
Race time 2:58, Time of Day 8:28am
You will have breakfast here and there may be a coffee van. Don’t forget about your athlete and make sure they have fluids and nutrition as they go past.

*after this, your athlete will choose how far up the road they want you to drive. Early on it might be 5-10km between each stop, later in the race it might be 1-2km, particularly in the section from Thredbo River to Charlotte Pass. Jane will usually choose 5km gaps until we hit Thredbo River but communicate with your runner.

Rocky Hall, 50km
Race time 6:10, Time of day 11:40am
Should be toilets available here, field starts to spread out

There is a picnic ground just across the causeway at the base of Big Jack. also has one of the nations prettiest public toilets. Good spot for crew to have a snack, or lunch if you don’t fancy a pie at Cathcart. I believe that crews are allowed to walk with their runners up Big Jack but do confirm this. At the top of Big Jack it’s common for runners to take a short break to change socks etc. Can be quite busy here.

Cathcart, 70km
Race Time 9:02, Time of Day 2:32pm
The shop at Cathcart is the last open shop you will see for a while. You can buy a hot pie, ice cream, chips, soft drink and other assorted health foods. They sometimes have ice but don’t count on it. Jane would like a Mango Weiss bar so you bastards better not eat them all.
Toilets available at the Community Hall, but not always unlocked

Dead Tree, 102km
Race Time 14:00, Time of Day 7:30pm
Dinner time! Your runner might like to stop here, or go 4km further to Checkpoint 3 at 106km. I’m not going to do a separate entry for CP3, but here’s what you should know-
First pacer should get ready for 8pm start
It can get cold as soon as the sun goes down
Your runner has done apx 2.5 marathons and it’s another marathon to Dalgety
If your runner made it to 100km in under 14 hours, they can walk the rest of the way and still make the cutoffs. But there’s not much margin for error so don’t let them do that.

Here starts the critical time for crew. How long does each pacer go for? It most likely doesn’t matter as long as the other crew GETS ENOUGH SLEEP. At this point if you are a team of 4 you have 1 runner, 1 pacer, 1 driver and 1 sleeper. I am pretty good against sleep monsters until 2-4am so I will generally take the night shift. I am not a vampire but in any case you have no proof. At night, because the runner has a pacer we can extend the support gap out to 10km or more. At walking pace this means the 2 people in the car can get 2 hours sleep at a time……

Dalgety 148km
Race Time 21:15, Time of Day 2:45am
Dalgety is set up as a support stop for crew more than runners. There is plenty of floor to sleep if needed, and there’s always some fantastic hot soup and a bit of company there. And toilets. Yes these are important, which is why I mention them! It’s also a major milestone for the runners because there is less than 100km to go. Pretty sure in 2012 I went from 8pm till 4am when we hit Dalgety. I was pretty much crying for joy when I finally saw that community hall. A shift that long is probably too long unless your pacer is a very keen athlete.

Get your runner in and out of here as quickly as possible- depending on a bunch of things you may switch pacers here, but make sure that pacer has enough stuff to get them though the next few hours. You may tell the car to go ahead to the bottom of Beloka Range and sleep. This is 14km away and will give the people in the car a good sleep.

Remember this is one of the rare races where ‘mule-ing’ is allowed- take as much stuff out of the runners hands, pockets etc. as possible. The pacer can easily carry a couple of hours of food and water for their runner.

At the bottom of Beloka Range is the 100 mile point, another major milestone to be celebrated! On a 40 hour pace the sun will rise before you get into Jindabyne. This is your athletes 2nd sunrise, often a 20 minute nap will help if they are walking sideways at a snails pace- not 40 minutes though! You know, biorhythms and stuff.

Jindabyne, 183km
Race Time 27:40, Time of Day 9:10am
Toilets! Yay! Omigod coffee! Hot food! Ask your runner what they want for breakfast- a couple of bites of a bacon and egg roll are amazing- they probably won’t be able to eat the whole thing. There’s 2 places of importance here- there’s a bakery cafe inside the shopping square that appears to open early (we’ve arrived in Jindy at 6am and 9am) and there’s a shop attached to the petrol station next to the caravan park.

MAKE SURE- you have your shopping and stop planned out BEFORE you hit Jindy and don’t waste time here- some of the crew may have been awake for way too long and may not make good decisions- you probably don’t need pink marshmallows from Coles.

Some runners will stop in the caravan car park for a massage, Jane may ask us to meet her and her pacer at Thredbo River.

*EDIT- Have a printout of the receipt for accommodation. When your runner goes through, see if you can get the key for your room. Lake Jindabyne Hotel are often ok with this. Dump out of the car anything you can to make space- but don’t dump any of the mandatory gear- its a long way back if you have to get anything.

Thredbo River 188km
There is a little park off to the left (with toilets!) and you can have a bit of time in the sun until your runner comes past. This is where it gets gnarly. It’s basically uphill with few respites from here to Charlotte Pass. Your runner will probably ask you to do 2km or even 1km stops for them. It can be brutally hot, or freezing cold- and the variations get worse as you go higher. On a hot day you can use a spray bottle to spray your runner down- and don’t forget sunscreen for all of you!

Note- if you have a marine esky in the car you probably still have some ice left- maybe keep the spray bottle in the esky but do not use the ice for anything that goes in your mouth at this point. This race is so long that a hygiene mistake can take you or your runner out with chunderous force. If you bought a pack of 600ml water bottles and froze them before the race there might still be some ice in them. Use them for cold, fresh water. Not the brown sludge with sticks in it from the esky.

PARK ACCESS (updated). There may be a new, automated system for getting into the park- you probably won’t be able to sweet talk your way in for free, even if you look like the undead (as most of us will at that point). Pay at the entrance, or risk a ranger coming in and issuing you with a payment notice at some stage. Sorry for the misinformation I had here earlier!

Perisher 212km
Race Time 33:50, Time of Day 3:20pm
Disappointingly, the checkpoint at Perisher is a bus shelter, and not a fully stocked bar with snow bunnies. I’ve never seen one of those either, but I’m pretty sure the race would be abandoned here if it was. There are toilets- but you have to go into a spooky empty building and head downstairs where the lights only come on when someone enters.

There’s only about 9km from here to Charlotte Pass so you’ll probably only meet your runner a couple of times before the next big stop. Then you will head up to the car park, get all of the crews mandatory gear together (including your runner’s gear), get it checked off, get some food and fluids AND YOUR CAMERA, and wait for your runner to arrive.

CLEAN the car up inside- make space for your runner. If they have a post run protein drink or a bloody kale smoothie, make sure it is in the car and ready to go.

When that happens you all saddle up and join your runner for the last section- this is your reward for putting up with a grumpy runner for 36 hours!

Again, you carry EVERYTHING you possibly can for your runner, including their mandatory gear. You must anticipate their needs- if it gets slushy, offer a walking pole. If it gets cold, get them into a jacket. Most likely they’ve lost their mind by now, you need to think for them. Have they not eaten for a while? This is a danger point because you’re so close to the end you may not want to worry about food etc. Always give them the best possible walking line- you take the rough path. After dark the wet ice turns into a teflon coated slippery dip- be wary.

A couple of km from the top is Australia’s highest toilet. Why am I obsessed about toilets? Well, they do make life a bit more comfortable…..

Get to the top, take some pics and get the hell off the mountain!

Charlotte Pass, 240km
Race Time 40:00, Time of Day 9:30pm
You’ve got 9km to the finish. The sun will go down before you hit the finish line. At the finish, unless told otherwise you should hang back and let your runner hit the tape alone and hopefully get some good photos. You’ll probably be invited to come back in and get some more pics with all of you but remember this is their moment, we are just privileged to be a part of it. And one day maybe we’ll get to that line too…….

Don’t hang at the finish for too long, you may all get very cold when you stop. Now comes the reason you were told to sleep on Friday night- the person who is hallucinating the least is going to drive you all back down the mountain. I’m joking but it’s quite a long drive (35km?) and you must not take any chances with safety.

If you can poke your runner into finishing around 38 hours, the pizza place in town may still be open. Otherwise Jindy is pretty dead, even on a Saturday night. Pot noodles for dinner again then?

Now I’ve just written 2000 words to try to answer the question ‘how long are my pacer shifts and how long between runner service intervals?’

I think I’ve adequately answered the runner service intervals question but the simplest way of doing the pacing is this. Assuming you have 3 healthy pacers-

Pacer 1- 8:30pm till 4am ~Bukalong Siding Rd to Dalgety (42km)

Pacer 2- 4am till 11am Dalgety to Thredbo River (42km)

Pacer 3- 11am till 5:30pm(estimated) Thredbo River to Charlotte Pass (32km)

All crew 5:30pm till 9:30pm Charlotte Pass to top of Kosci return (18km)

This does mean that Pacer 3 has a very long day, but the total distance is 50km vs 42km for the others. You may wish to split this up differently based on the talents of your crew, but I know this does work.

UPDATE 2
I’m going to try to do splits for a runner where they have 2 reasonably strong runners and one who isn’t very keen. The 2 pacers start with 6 hour sessions, then switch to 4 hours.

Pacer 1- 8:30pm till 2am ~Bukalong Siding Rd to somewhere outside Dalgety

Pacer 2- 2am till 8am ~Dalgety to Jindabyne

Pacer 1- 8am till 12pm ~Jindabyne to around Thredbo River

Pacer 2- 12pm till 4pm ~ Perisher to Charlotte Pass

Pacer 1- 4pm till finish

All Crew- 5:30pm till 9:30pm Charlotte Pass- Mt Kosci return

That looks a bit hard on Pacer 1, so let’s go shorter again-

Pacer 1- 8:30pm till 2am ~Bukalong Siding Rd to somewhere outside Dalgety

Pacer 2- 2am till 8am ~Dalgety to Jindabyne

Pacer 1- 8am-11am~ Jindabyne to Thredbo River

Pacer 1- 11am till 2pm ~Thredbo River to Guthega Turn off

Pacer 2- 2pm to 5:30pm ~ Guthega turn off to Charlotte Pass

All Crew- 5:30pm till 9:30pm Charlotte Pass- Mt Kosci return

Review- Teko Eco Performance Socks

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Adam Connor

Now I’m not terribly good at doing reviews, but if people would keep sending me stuff to try, perhaps I’ll get better. /Subtle hint

These socks are not currently available in Australia so I was very happy to be given a pair and asked to do a review. At their most basic, they are a 100% recycled nylon sock. Made from old fishing line, how cool is that? We all love the outdoors, and we all abhor waste so what’s not to love about a sock made from stuff that would normally become landfill?

The company also makes Merino wool socks which I love, have a look at their sustainable practices here

The sock I tried was the lightest weight material, called ‘Evapor8’. They’re quite long in the ankle/calf area, a good fit, and really really soft. Now to be honest, the length of the socks is not exactly the height of fashion, but have you seen the Salomon Team gear? Call the Fashion Police! There’s been a crime against style! And yes, if you do trail running for fashion, you probably need your eyes checked.

Bonus- high socks = less leeches

So how are the socks? Running in cold temps they are fantastically warm, and the softness allows your feet to move around a bit without getting blisters. Running in hot temps I found my sweaty feet got well, sweaty and did not dry out even after several hours. It certainly wasn’t uncomfortable but does contrast to those brands that claim to wick moisture away from your feet. I haven’t had a chance to run through creeks etc in them but I suspect the results would be similar- if you really need dry-ish feet, try another brand. BUT- if your requirement for dry feet is because you think wet feet= blisters, you will be pleasantly surprised with these socks.

So I’ve been able to do a couple of months of multi hour runs in these socks and they’ve worn pretty well- no signs of distress yet. They are comfortable and don’t have any hot spots, reasonably priced (in the UK) and good for the environment.

I’m hard pressed to say what the best feature of these socks is- is it the fact that they are really, really soft? (Just had to say that again) Or is it because they are contributing to a cleaner environment by reusing old fishing nets etc. in their manufacture?

Either way, I’m a fan.

*update- after several months these socks did go a bit hard which I kind of expected. So I’m going to order more.

running+music

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Ultra Trail Australia UTA100 Nutrition Plan & Drop Bags 2016

What is Provided at Checkpoints?

Contents of Checkpoint Bags

Ultra Trail Australia UTA100 Tips 2016

Ultra Trail Australia UTA100 Non Mandatory gear 2016

Ultra Trail Australia UTA100 Mandatory Gear 2016

1 x beanie, balaclava or buff

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

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

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)

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

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

1 x whistle

1 x emergency space blanket, light bivvy sack or equivalent

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.

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)

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

2 x bars / food portions

1 x Ziploc bag for your personal rubbish

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)

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

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

1 x long leg waterproof pants

1 x 100-weight long sleeve synthetic fleece top

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Coast to Kosci C2K 2015- Crewing

Coast to Kosci Crew Race Planner 2015 C2K

Review- Teko Eco Performance Socks