The North Face was
amazing.
I ran in the 50km
event, starting at 8.50am from Leura Golf Club and then following a massive loop of the
beautiful and brutal Jamesion Valley winding up, down and across the cliffs near Katoomba and back to the Leura Golf Club to finish. The weekend was a brilliant experience on so
many levels and I was lucky enough to share it with my beautiful wife Kel and
some really good friends.
First off the
race. 50km starting on the fairways of the golf club and looping around
to join the trails heading towards Wenty Falls. From there we took in the
most varied and challenging course I have ever ran on. It had steep long
descents and ascents as well as wooden, metal, plastic and stone stairs up and
down, road running, magical single track and one of the toughest sections of
either of the options on offer.
Section Breakdown
of The North Face 50km
Leg 1 - 11km Start
to Queen Vic Hospital
I went a little
hard in the 1st k and had to back off, after 3k of running I was only 10 minutes
or so in, a little quick for me at the moment! I had to use the single
track leading over to Wenty Falls to recover as I knew there were a couple of
early climbs that would shorten me up some what if I was still cooking and I wanted to be able to get going through them and be ready to hit the fastest
section running well.
 |
| Another stupid running face |
 |
| The start was fast on the fairways of Leura Golf Course |
I hit the
firetrail on the Kings Tableland feeling good, I could see 5th a few hundred metres
in front and used his pace to guide me. By the time we had hit the road I
was closing in on 5th and 4th had come into view. I began hitting low
4min pace and pushed onto the check point where I had planned to stop and
refill my water and a new bottle of perpetuem.
 |
| Early on approaching Wenty Falls |
I spent too long
here and wasted 2 minutes, I would not have stopped in hindsight and now I had
to make up the time I got back earlier on the flatter stuff. Kel was here and she
offered me some good feedback and it was killing her to watch me fumble about without
being able to help. After a quick fist
pump I was off again, it would be 2 hours before I saw Kel again and this gave
me motivation knowing she’d be waiting for me at the aquatic centre.
 |
| Approaching CP1 just before the long downhill |
Leg 2 - 25km Queen
Vic Hospital to Aquatic Centre
I left the
hospital and did not panic, I just needed to follow my plan and run the way I
had trained for. This meant throwing myself down Kedumba and to Jamison
Creek as quickly as I could. I was running 3.40-50 pace all the way down
and really felt good just flying along enjoying the bush. Soon I was in
view of 2 runners, who I found out later were Ben and Caine, Brendan had told
me before the race that they where good runners from QLD. We went across
the creek together and began the first climb side by side.
 |
| At home on the firetrail |
Ben took off a
little and maybe got 100m in front early on, this wasn't a worry as the climb
is steep for 1km and the gradually goes up for another 1.5km or so. I ran
just off Caine and then we ran side by side for a while until close to the top
when I started to pull away from him. I then worked hard on the flatter ridge
section and into the downhill towards Leura Creek. I had put some time
into Caine and Ben had also had to work hard on the descent to stick with me, when
we crossed the creek Ben and I were neck and neck.
 |
| Late in the race descending some stairs |
The next climb is
nothing short of brutal, long, steep and draining. I knew what I was in
for and dropped Ben after 500m or so, pushing on taking the opportunity to
build a gap. I was now in 4th overall and feeling good. I ran the whole
way up the climb onto the single track leading to Leura Forest below the cliffs
and then across to Furber steps, this section was quicker than I expected and I
arrived at the base of the steps feeling good. I really enjoyed the technical single track sections below the cliffs and this was some of my most enjoyable running on the day.
 |
| The walk across Wentworth Falls |
Man Furbur Stairs were
tough. I believe I didn't pop them as well as I could have and maybe gave
up 3-5 minutes from here to the Aquatic Centre. I powerwalked them, dragged myself one at a time using the rails to assist with my ascent and then ran when they flattened out trying to keep my cadence high all the time, this
helped as I started running once I joined the next road section leading up to
the Aquatic Centre. This road was tough
and I did walk for about 200m but managed to get into CP2 on schedule, feeling
strong and in 4th place.
 |
| No Coke!! |
Again I wasted
time at the checkpoint. I should have
been in and out but I could not see any coke and had to make do with their electrolite
drink, I was not happy. Kel was there
again and though we didn’t get the chance to say much I felt as though she knew
I was travelling well and was enjoying the day. A quick goodbye and I was on my
way to the finish.
Leg 3 – 14km
Aquatic Centre to Finish
Another real test
of character and fitness. This was much
more difficult than I remembered and contained 3 fairly savage down then up
stair sections in a short space of time.
The 2k to the cliff was through a paddock and was a stress for me as
there were plenty of holes and I had to be careful not to roll my ankle. Once
onto the Prince Henry Trail I got into a good rhythm running well, dodging tourists and
imaging 5th chasing me down.
After Echo Point
the trail becomes technical, uneven and very tough. The course took all the amazing cascades
towards Leura, sending us up and down, twisting and turning on good technical
trails. Each descent and ascent was hard
in its own right, the first at Leura Cascades was very steep down, Gordan Falls
is a long stair ridden climb up and the Pool of Soliam, while being so beautiful
and my favorite area in the mountains, made me work bloody hard so close to
the line.
 |
| Back onto the single track after the long climb |
I walked up the
steep stairs and ran as much of the trail as I could, finding myself able to
get going well when I needed. It is a
weird feeling when your in a good position and your worried someone will pop up
behind and run past, normally this isn’t a worry but I suppose with 5km to go I
really wanted to hold onto 4th place.
I could see the
tall pines near the Fairmont and knew the end was in reach, this gave me a little
boost as I came off the last trail and onto the road leading to the
finish running really well. It was only 2k but I really did
enjoy the little run leading into the finish as I felt good and knew I had done
my best, met my goals and expectations for the run. I turned into the driveway leading into the
Fairmont and followed the pink tape around to the finish line, where a small
crowd was awaiting the finishers. Kel
was there as she had been all day and I was so glad to finish, not because I
was exhausted, but because I wanted to be able to reflect and enjoy the rest of
the experience with her.
 |
| Words not required...this is why I run in the Bush! |
So I came across
the line in 4th position in 4 hours 49 minutes and 20 seconds. This was 35 minutes behind Vlad Shatrov, the
winner and over 10 minutes in front of 5th. Interestingly enough Vlad had won the 50km event
in Canberra earlier in the year and ran 2hr 55min so this event added 80
minutes more to his time, a true indication of just how hard the race was.
 |
| My favourite photo with Kel right there as she was all day |
 |
| Crossing the line |
So it was off to
the spa and time for a hot shower. I
chatted with the guys that came in in front of me. To be close to such strong
runners in a big race is quite humbling, as I know I have so far to come before
I reach their level. After freshening up
I headed out to see Kel and catch up on the status of the 100km event.
We had originally
planned to head over to the Hospital to see Brendan come through and offer some
support, but he was flying so we decided to stay put so we didn’t miss him
finish. Shortly after Nadine, Brendan’s
wife, arrived to the finish. She was
excited, worried and buzzing. He had be
smashing it all day was coming to the finish in what looked like record
time. Nadine was a little concerned with
how much water he grabbed but I assured her he’d finish sweet, and he did.
9 hours 16 minutes
and 12 seconds, first by a country mile and a new course record. I have seen some amazing things in sport but
this was up there with the best moment I have witnessed. Brendan Davies assured himself of a place in
history and deserved that victory more than anyone could imagine, I was just
glad I was there to see it and share the moment with him.
Afterwards we also
saw Jo cross the line, sub 12 hours, 2nd female home and with a stellar performance.
The 100km in the girls for 2014 will go way into the 10 hour zone next
year that’s for sure. We then took of
and grabbed some pizza and beers, this was the highlight of the weekend for me
as I was able to spend it with the people that know how much I’ve put into this
race and mean so much to me.
The next day was a
crazy one and allowed me to catch up with the guys I’d ran with at camps, meet
some new faces and affirm friendships. I
got a massive bottle of wine and a desire to aim higher and work just that bit
harder each week.
 |
| 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd Place in the 50km |
The North Face is
the big race made so special by the little races you run where you meet people
and develop your skills as a runner. The
smaller races allow the big ones to be celebrated by all, no matter what time
or position we run, because its just about running to most and that’s why it
is so special.
* Gear and Nutrition
* Inov8 Trailroc 245 Shoes.
* Ultraspire Omega Pack.
* Smash 350ml Water Bottles, stolen from my kids.
* Hammer Products
-
Perpeteum Caffe
Latte every 90 minutes; 1& a bit scoop per 300ml water.
-
Endrolyte Cap
every 30 minutes (8 in total).
-
Espresso Gel every
60 minutes.
-
2.5 litres of
water.
* Garmin 610.
* Sustagen Sport Chocolate, Pizza & Beer consumed after race (not all
at once!).
Big and special mentions must go to my wife Kellie who has been amazing in her support of me and my running and to Brendan Davies who has been coaching me since November 2012, I would not be here without their support.
