UTA 2017 has come and gone in
what seemed like a blink of an eye, the flash of a camera or an explosion of
fireworks. It was an intense few days in the beautiful Blue Mountains and a
fitting curtain call on what was an epic 6 month build up to race day.
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| With Beau and Charley just before their UTA race - Aurora |
Ultra-running is a funny sport as often best
laid plans can go to waste and with so many variables inevitably encountered,
what is expected doesn’t always play out. This year was certainly no different
for me both as an athlete and as a coach.
Being prepared and fit to go was always a goal
of mine since I crossed the line in 2016 where I was well off my best but well
aware of what needed to be done in the lead up to my 5th outing in this event.
My coaching goal was simple, have my athletes prepared to achieve their
individual goals and learn and grow from the experience as a coach.
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| Slippery board walks early on - Aurora |
The week leading into the race I felt great, my
training had been great post pneumonia in early February and I felt I had
finally got back to my best form through consistent and effective training. I
was approaching the race in my best shape physically, mentally and emotionally since
2013. In short I was good to go.
My clients were ready too. I had athletes in
both the UTA100 and UTA50 and expected them all to run to their potential. I
pride myself on preparing my athletes for their events in the best way for
their goals and ability. Smart training for rewarding racing had me feeling
good about holding onto my 100% finish rate from 3 years of coaching.
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"Landslide" an addition to the 50 for 2017
Aurora |
"Sometimes you have to let go of what's
gone, appreciate what remains and look forward to what comes next"
(Unknown)
This is true of the 10th anniversary year for
all involved. Weather had its way but thankfully the event remained a go, a
modified go, but still a go! I was quite unsettled on the Friday as rumours
were flying around of impending course changes, I found
it hard to get my head around the changes until it was officially confirmed
later in the day.
For the record - Tom, Alina and crew managed to pull it off
and keep the race on which is testament to their organisation and the
relationships they have formed with authorities, I'm not sure anyone else could
have done this given the position of the race on Friday.
When news broke officially it
was first important that I accepted the decision so that I could then ensure my
clients had someone to fall back onto if they had any questions or concerns.
Obviously there was some anxiousness around the course changes, primarily
around timing and so forth but the general feeling was still positive and as a
coach I was able to feel at ease that all would be well. Personally before the
official announcement of the course change I was hoping for an out and back
along the cliff tops to Queen Vic and back to Scenic World as I felt it would
have played more to my strengths and what I had trained for but I was still
feeling good and had run sections of the new course in the past so I was
somewhat familiar with it.
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| Bring on the finish arch - K. Gibson |
My race plan was to start
with purpose and settle into the run taking advantage of the good spots and
conserving in the tough ones. By the top of the Golden Stairs I was aware that
my body was not too keen to play ball, my legs were not clearing the lactic
acid accrued, and I was hoping that after some more time settling in I would
feel better. I didn’t have the leg speed needed on the fire trail often finding
myself hiking sections that I should have been running and at around 19km I was
starting to cramp.
I was mentally very strong
and found myself having to run according to how I felt but this meant I was at
too low an output and by the Megalong Rd CP I had to stop for food because I
was hungry, an issue that was made worse by a later start and not adjusting my
pre-race nutrition accordingly and a reduction in my heart rate due to my lower
output in the last hour or so.
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| Post break and ready to get it done - B. Duffus |
I regathered myself here,
taking 5min to refuel and readjust ready for the climb up to Nellies and over
to the finish. I again battled cramps just out of the CP but once they cleared
I was able to consistently shuffle along to the single track where I managed a
strong and steady hike to the top of the stairs. I was feeling good and closing
in on the finish maintaining a fairly good effort and this allowed me to push
into Katoomba with some purpose.
I managed to get moving
reasonably well again and when I approached the finish arch I was feeling
content and satisfied that I had done my best on the day, a time of 5:17:42 and
37th overall. My body didn’t want to come to the party on the day, I
had prepared very well for this race and while this aspect is slightly
disappointing I was also happy that I had dug in and battled to the end
salvaging a reasonable performance. I can only feel as though I definitely had
more to give but on the day I just could not get things flowing in the manner I
had prepared for, as frustrating as this was it just means I have more to learn
and implement in the future.
Ultra-running is always tough,
some days you run fast and others you do not, UTA was somewhere in the middle
this time around.
As a coach I was basically
blind of what was unfolding until shortly after I finished. Kellie had been
keeping an eye on things during my race and informed me that my clients were all
moving along well at that point in the afternoon. With runners in both the 50
and 100 ranging from the front to towards the end of the field I was hoping
that they were all having a good day out and most of all backing themselves and
their ability to complete the challenge they had taken on.
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| Finish with purpose - M. Reeves |
With some variables being
thrown their way before the start it was always going to affect some
differently than others. With my original start time I had planned on getting
across the various CP’s to support them but with the delayed start after I had
showered an eaten I based myself at the finish to ensure I could see them cross
the line. All in all, I was extremely proud of each individual performance,
another 100% finish rate with 5 PB times. This is both a testament to their
preparation and trust in my coaching to ensure they had what it took to meet
their goals for UTA.
In the wash up and upon
reflection I was very fortunate at UTA in 2017. I was able to share the
experience with Kellie, although she couldn’t get out on course she was still right
by my side across the entire weekend. I made big steps forward in my running
and while I didn’t hit the bulls eye my shot was definitely much closer than in
my last 3 previous efforts. As a coach I shared a journey from sign up to
finish line with many amazing and determined athletes, a privilege I take very
seriously. And finally once again I was blown away by the weekend, the
atmosphere, the encouragement, this event is unique and like no other sporting
event I had seen nor participated in.
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| On the home stretch - B. Berriman |
Where else would you see the
first place runner take the time to genuinely talk to the runner who came
across the line in the final position? Only in ultra-running.
With this in mind, recover well, be kind to
yourself and take the time to restore your body and mind. I am not sure what
will be next on my radar, there are some penciled plans but I have definitely
taken plenty away from this event that I intend on building upon. One thing is
certain in 2018 I will be lining up in an Ultra Trail Australia event, once
again chasing that elusive day out in the mountains.
Photo Credits
Meg Reeves - legend mountain crusher
Ben Berriman - legend BMMC man
Kellie Gibson - legend wife
Ben Duffus - legend ultra runner
Aurora Images - official photo supplier
