Welcome to all of our members to the second season of Running Wild. After our first season, we are excited to bring more races to the Blue Moun-tains for you to enjoy.

Our races:

The Short Course Series (6

races). This series is the

Running Wild point score

series, where members

will win points according

to their position at the fin-

ish of each race and these

scores are aggregated

over the series.

The Long Course Series (3

races). A series of 3 longer

races, set over some of the

best trails the Blue Moun-

tains has to offer.

If you haven't made it

along to any of our first

races, come along and see

for yourself how good it is

to run trails and don‘t for-

get to collect your Run-

ning Wild shirt! They are

awesome, although we

do say so ourselves, but

we are sure you‘ll agree !

Welcome to Series 2 !

RUNNING WILD

Race 1: Mt Portal. Race Report

2

New Committee in 2011 2

RW at Fitzroy Falls 4

Commonwealth Ultra Trail Championships

6

Glasshouse 100 Mile 2011 9

Race 2: Wentworth Falls.

Race Reports

12

Race 3: Kedumba. Race

Reports

15

King Island Ultra 17

Other Running Wild News 19

About Running Wild 20

Inside this issue:

RUNNING WILD RACE DATES

Short Course:

Sunday 25/09/2011 - Mt Portal. 16km

Sunday 30/10/2011 - Wentworth Falls.

16km.

Saturday 19/11/2011 - Kedumba Half Mara-thon. 21km. (Hoka One One) Sunday 11/12/2011 - Terrace Falls. 13km

Saturday 14/01/2012 - Narrowneck Night

Run. 20km.

Sunday 26/02/2012 - Woodford Dam. 19km

Long Course Sunday 27/11/2011 Glenbrook Trail Mara-thon *(Northside Runners)

Thursday 26/01/2012 - Knapsack Lap Race.

3hr/6hr.

Sunday 22/04/2012 - Mt Solitary Ultra.

45km.

26/02/2012 - Woodford Dam. 19km.

* Denotes 6ft qualifier All races are open to members and visitors.

Running Wild

Season 2. Newsletter 1: December 2011

the billy goat climb and a trek around Portal Water-

hole brought runners out to the manned aid sta-

tion. From this vantage point, young unknown run-

ner, Jak Bukovinsky, was setting a cracking pace lead-

ing the field. Ben Artup emerged in close pursuit, but

was 'off the bit' chasing the leader. By this time the

rain had set in and runners were coming through with

plenty of mud on the legs and smiles on their

faces. With the big climb to Mt. Portal coming up, run-

ners refuelled on fruit and cordial and set their sights

on the lookout. By the time they got there our trusty

turn point marshal, Keith Hong was nearly frozen

through, but managed to keep a close watch on all

runners coming through.

After the turn, the runners clapped on the pace down Mt. Portal. The leader, Jak had gapped the field and was moving nicely. Leading the ladies home was Heather Sinclair closely followed by Heidi Jones. Many a comment was made by returning runners about the unexpected bonus of the views from the look-out. Onto the single trail and Jak had a victory in his sight until he took an unfortunate wrong turn back at the roadway. Local knowledge paid dividends and

Ben Artup slipped through for a race win with a time of 1:10:53. Ben was followed in by fellow Blue Moun-tains locals Ewan Horsburgh and Paul Robertson. In the women's Heather Sinclair claimed a win in 1:20:17

from Heidi Jones and Melanie Foster.

A total of 107 runners participated on the day. Com-pared to our first race at the same venue, attendance was doubled. Plenty of members from season one returned, as well as lots of new members all keen to

experience a RW event.

RW received lots of positive comments on the course and the overall day. The committee is sure this will be a taste of things to come and attendances at the re-mainder of the mountain series will go from strength

to strength.

Season 2 of Running Wild offered lots of promise after

an encouraging and successful first year. During the

off season we built a solid membership base of 198

leading up to race 1, that surpassed our season one

total of 142. With this in mind and the promise of a

great club shirt, attendance estimates were running

high for our season opener at Mt Portal. Committee

member Ben Berriman had added in two new single

trail loops that added to the variety of the course—

whilst the course is 'only' 16.5km, there is plenty of

bang for your buck with over 500m of vertical

climb! With everything in place, the only thing that

we could not control did not come to the party...... the

weather. It was a crowd killer with solid rain falling in

Sydney on Saturday night scaring off all but the most

hardy souls.

Not to be deterred the committee were there bright

and early at 5:30am for course set up. Runners trickled

in to registration and members were greeted with

their new shirts. Plenty of good reports about the

quality and styling. Well done Mel and Ian with the

design.

Enough of the formalities, it was a trail race and 107

lined up for the start of the season. A few big names

were missing, most notably Brendan Davies and Mick

Donges at the Commonwealth Ultra Mtn Running

Champs. A few new faces there including Geoff

Stalker up from Kembla Joggers with a gaggle of

young Kembla runners.

From the vantage of the aid car, runners were making

heavy work of the climb out from the Causeway to

Ironbarks Trail. Committee member Ewan Horsburgh

was up at the pointy end keeping the leaders honest

and plenty of runners new to the area were quite sure

what they got themselves into. The Ironbarks turnoff

broke the climbing and the runners took off into Eu-

roka Clearing. A loop down to the Nepean River, up

P A G E 2

RACE 1 : Mt portal

For RW season 2, you have probably already seen some new faces on the committee helping out at the first races of the season. Our new committee members are intro-duced on our new website, but just in case you haven't seen it, here they are:

My name is Ian Sargent but most people know me as ―Sarge‖. I have been running for ten years after a lifetime of playing other sports. I am glad that I am on the Running Wild committee this year as I really believe in nurturing a trail running culture in the Blue Mountains and want it to prosper. I have met some lovely people whilst running in the Blue Mountain‘s bush and some of them have become close friends. Some of them I can even beat in a race !! I hope everyone that runs with Running Wild this year enjoys the beauty of our surrounds and improves their PBs along the way.

New committee member : ian sargent

New committee members in 2011

R U N N I N G W I L D

ance, but have been known to run road races too, like the Gold Coast Marathon and Sydney Marathon. I‘d like to run some overseas mara-thons, like London or Tokyo, to experience something new. As I said though, I‘m not fast – you will find me in the back half of a race,

but hey, I enjoy it and that works for me. I am really happy to be part of the RW committee – I love vol-unteering at events and crewing. It‘s an amazing experience giving something back to the sport you

I run trails. Lots of them. I‘m not fast, but I love the peace, tranquil-lity and the scenery out there, in fact, I usually run with a camera to capture those magic moments on the trails. I‘ve been running for over 15 years and run both short and long distances, although the

marathon and 50 km are my fa-vourite. I‘m a keen runner of all Blue Mountains trail runs, includ-ing the Six Foot Track Marathon, Woodford to Glenbrook, Mt Wil-son to Bilpin and the Wild Endur-

love and helping others achieve their goals.

Luke is new to the trail running

scene, his early athletic pursuits

were in the field of Triathlon. It

took the better part of 10 years

and trying all of the distances in

the sport for him to figure out that

he couldn‘t swim or bike. Not that

he could run much better but he

enjoys running and when you can

put running on trials instead of

running next to lycra clad testos-

terone filled competitors, could

you really ask for more!?!? Luke is

very keen to help the Running

Wild team and test his metal ‗out

there‘ as long as he doesn‘t have

to see snakes!!!

P A G E 3

New committee member : helen pretty

New committee member : luke doyle

know the trails featured in the first

series of Running Wild I love run-

ning everything from 10km road

races to 100km+ trail ultras, with

NF100, GNW100 and 6foot being

just a few favourites. Living here is

great for training as I am able to

run some brilliant upper mountain

trails virtually from my own back-

yard. There is a great running

community in the mountains and I

am regularly running the trails

with the Leura Icebergs. The Friday

coffee run has been very popular

especially after those cold winter

mornings. I‘m really excited to

become a part of the Running

Wild Committee for Season 2

I am a

recent

Blue

Moun-

tains resi-

dent and

the tim-

ing was

perfect to

get to

S E A S O N 2 : N E W S L E T T E R 1

New committee member : ewan horsburgh

New committee member : Garth Mcinerney

putting on the races. Love getting out in the bush for a run early in the morning. There's no better

way to start a weekend!

I started running a couple of years ago after someone dared me to run a half marathon. I enjoyed it immensely and have been running regularly ever since. Got into trail running not long after and en-joyed the general no-fuss attitudes of the people both competing and

to the 6 foot track marathon. In train-

ing for 6 foot I fell in love with trail

running and became part of a won-

derful community. The 6 foot mara-

thon cemented my new addiction, but

left me a bit worse for wear, and I have

spent the last 6 months recovering

from a stress fracture. I am thrilled to

be slowly getting back into running

again now and am really enjoying

being part of the Running Wild com-

mittee. Remember…Life‘s too short to

run on the road!

P A G E 4

My name is Jo and I am a trail running addict! Having played team sports my whole life, I only discovered my love of run-ning after having my second child. I started out doing triathlons, which I enjoy, but would enjoy more so if there was no swimming involved.

After completing several half mara-

thons, I ran my first marathon in 2010,

and my second was the Running Wild

Glenbrook Marathon. Placing 3rd

in

this race gave me a guaranteed entry

course is over wide fire trail that is nor-mally dry and hard packed. Sure there are a few water crossings, but you could generally make the crossings and keep your feet dry. No such luck this year. There was plenty of mud and quite a few crossings that left no choice but to plough through the knee deep water. Well no choice for most, except for the runner that kindly piggy backed his mate across the

stream.

Typical of this race, there was a hectic pace at the start. Runners streamed down the chute, and all jockeyed for position. This led to fairly fast splits early as the runners sort themselves out. Speaking to Tim Cochrane post race, he mentioned that he was 8

th

early, but kept a constant pace know-ing that a few runners would come

back to him.

Both Andrew Tuckey and Mick Don-ges set the pace early. Early favourite Alex Matthews took a fall on the course that seemed to affect his overall position in the field. Brendan Davies was holding an early prominent posi-tion, but mid race Tim Cochrane had worked his way through the field and was challenging for third. In the men‘s field Andrew Tuckey crossed the line in 2:47:05, followed by Mick Donges in 2:48:10 and third was Tim Cochrane in 2:54:11 In the women's field Louise

Sharp won in 3:26:30, followed by Shona Stephenson in 3:37:53 and Sarah Carpenter in 3:39:18. Running Wild members covered three of the six podium positions with Andrew and Mick in the men's and Shona in the

women‘s field.

All up 42 Running Wild members took part in the race. Plenty of good results posted including both Andrew, Mick, Brendan Davies 2:55:23, Ewan Hors-burgh 3:09:16, Martin Pengilly 3:11:59, Stephen Johnson 3:19:30 and Chris Yates 3:26. In the women‘s Shona posted a great time and some other results included Gill Fowler 3:56:43, Elouise Peach 4:30:03, Donna Heldon

4:33:46 and Jocie Evison 4:43:50.

What was most pleasing from the committee perspective, was the promi-nence of Running Wild member shirts and adventure tops. They were easily recognisable on the course and pro-vided a good conversation piece dur-ing the run. This also helps in promot-ing our organisation to other trail run-ners. Most importantly all members that wore the Running Wild clothing received double points in the terrific trail series. We encourage all members to get along to our mountain races, pick up their shirts and wear them at

any upcoming trail races.

This race has developed over the years from a niche race to one that is be-coming a ‗must do‘ for trail runners. The race is staged as a fundraiser for the local bushfire brigades and gets plenty of support from the rural firies on the aid stations. Every year the management of the event has im-proved on previous years. The course is challenging, without being overly difficult, so is an ideal first race for any-one who wants to have a go at trail running and/or marathons. But most importantly, the hamburgers at the

finish are the best!!!

This year 155 runners lined up for the 12th running of the Fitzroy Falls Fire Trail Marathon. Also on the day were 5km and 10km events. In the main race a lot of talk centred around the men‘s field. There was plenty of depth with Andrew Tuckey, Mick Donges, Brendan Davies, Tim Cochrane and Alex Matthews all amongst the chal-lengers. All have been in good form during winter and had serious claims on a win. With the depth in the lead-ers, there was talk the race record of

2:41 may fall.

After a chat from the starter, Max Powditch, runners were heading off into the fire trails. Within about 300 metres it was evident that conditions were going to be a bit wet and slip-pery this time around. Generally the

R U N N I N G W I L D

running wild at Fitzroy falls

New committee member : Joanne br i schetto

I relocated to the Blue Mountains from Brisbane in 2005, I was a keen runner in BrisVegas but have never really re-gained my mojo after the move. I am a big fan of most sports and in particular

the NBA Basketball.

Most love organizing events and love catering. Love the Blue Mountains although the long winter gets me

longing for Qld at times...

New committee member : Melanie parry

Fitzroy Falls fire trail marathon was well represented by Running Wild members. Here are the results of the day

with the attached point score. The first column denotes your position in relation to RW members running, the sec-

ond column denotes your position in the overall Fitzroy Falls marathon results.

Congratulations to all Running Wild members—great to see so many of you attending another great trail run.

P A G E 5

Fitzroy falls—running wild results

S E A S O N 2 : N E W S L E T T E R 1

RW Pos

FF Overall

Pos Runner First Name Surname Gender RW Shirt Points

Overall

Points

1 2 Mick Donges M N 41 41

2 4 Brendan Davies M N 40 40

3 8 Ewan Horsburgh M ? 39 39

4 10 Martin Pengilly M ? 38 38

5 15 Stephen Johnson M 37 37

6 19 Chris Yates M Y 36 72

7 23 Jason Wheeler M 35 35

8 29 Shona Stephenson F 34 34

9 34 Keith Hong M 33 33

10 35 Tom Reeve M 32 32

11 42 Kieron Blackmore M 31 31

12 45 Paul Wooton M 30 30

13 46 Rod Cutler M Y 29 58

14 50 Mark Dakin M Y 28 56

15 51 Gill Fowler F 27 27

16 55 Grant Butterfield M 26 26

17 64 Will Cox M 25 25

18 68 Brad Smithers M Y 24 48

19 69 Ben Sloman M N 23 23

20 71 Anthony Coulter M Y 22 44

21 74 Eden Fanelli F 21 21

22 75 Stephen Bowers M Y 20 40

23 85 Peter Nutall M 19 19

24 87 Peter Hibberd M N 18 18

25 91 David Stirk M 17 17

26 96 Elouise Peach F 16 16

27 98 Michael McGrath M 15 15

28 100 Donna Heldon F 14 14

29 101 Mark Kraljevic M 13 13

30 107 Jocie Evison F Y 12 24

31 108 Geoff Evison M N 11 11

32 110 Steven Gray M Y 10 20

33 114 Denis Sharrock M 9 9

34 118 Ray Goddard M Y 8 16

35 121 Carol Adams F N 7 7

36 122 Damien Stewart M Y 6 6

37 124 Lyndal Maloney F 5 5

38 125 Craig Cartner M 4 4

39 132 Jane Trumper F N 3 3

40 149 Marie Claire Kurt F 2 2

41 153 Bert Sloan M N 1 1

With the boom of trail running worldwide, the organisers of the 2nd

Commonwealth Mountain and Ultra Distance

Championships (CMUDC), wisely chose to include an ultra trail race into this biannual event‘s program. This re-

placed the 100km road run which proved to be the least popular event on the program at the previous CMUDC in

Keswick. Factoring in the 100km World Champs were less than a month before, and it would have been an easy

decision for the organisers to make.

Having arrived at the race headquarters in stunning Llandudno, Wales (a much less stunning name to pro-

nounce!), the team gathered at the group hotel to settle in and meet each other, some for the first time. Staying at

the same hotel as the 24 hour team was a benefit to the trail team. We got to know our fellow teammates and

build team spirit. As the 24 hour event was first on the program, we were able to watch a considerable portion of

our guys and girls go around in their event. If any of the trail team were lacking in inspiration, they would have

gone away with a bucket load to take into our own race after watching the guts and determination of these in-

credible runners!

From my perspective, I couldn‘t be happier with the swap to a trail event. I‘ve really been focussing on trail run-

ning this year which culminated in some very good results at 6 Foot Track and The North Face 100, which was

thankfully enough to be selected. Having represented Australia at the last CMUCD , I was given the honour of be-

ing named Team Captain of the trail team. Completing the men‘s team was the ‗junior‘ Mick Donges and the ‗all

wise one‘ Jonathan Worswick. Making up the ladies team were Verity Breen, Kirstin Bull, Katie Seibold-Crosby and

Cindy Hasthorpe. What this meant was that as a nation, we would be competitive not only individually, but also in

both team‘s categories where the top three times from each nation go towards a team award.

Three days prior to the event, the team convened and, borrowing Rob Boyce‘s

car, drove to the Newborough Forest on the Isle of Anglesey which was to be

the venue of the 53.75km ultra trail race. Organisers had gone to a lot of effort

to make the course both scenic for runners and friendly for spectators, and they

did not disappoint. It was both beautiful and challenging, and although devoid

of any major climbs, the course threw up a lot of challenges in terms of the ter-

rain and weather conditions. The route was basically a 10.5km loop which we

were to do five times during the race. The terrain was a mixture of smooth tracks

through lovely pine forest, soft sand beach running and grassy single track. Initial

thoughts after the ‗reccie‘ were that this was one of the least technical ‗trail‘ runs

we had seen and that it would suit the faster marathoners in the field rather

than the hardened trail runner used to big climbs and tricky terrain. Certainly it

was very different to what we were all used to being called a ‗trail‘ event in Aus-

tralia!

I was more than happy with the course. I was sure my road running background

would put me in good stead during the race, while others, such as Jonathan,

was cursing his luck. Jonathan is, of course, one of the better ‗technical‘ trail run-

ners on the trail running scene, as his results on the toughest courses over his

extensive career prove. The girls were in good spirits too, with Verity offering

thanks to the heavens for the ‗flat‘ course more than once!

Prerace, as is usually a ritual for me, I glanced through the list of competitors. Some very big names were in the

field. There was Vajin Armstrong from New Zealand who won last year‘s Kepler Challenge and Huw Lobb from

England, a 2:15 marathoner who famously won the annual Man versus Horse race in Wales for the first time in its

25-year history and was second at last year‘s Jungfrau Marathon. Also in the field were Richard Gardiner, the

Welsh Marathon Champion with a 2:18 marathon to his name and the Canadian Jason Loutitt, who this year was

second at the World Trail Running Championship in Ireland. Throw in the English, Scots and the usual mix of un-

known Kenyans, Zambians, Gambians and South Africans and this was truly an elite international field.

Race morning soon dawned and we arrived on Anglesey to be met by overcast and cool conditions. It was almost

perfect conditions; the only worrying factor was a strong on-shore breeze (more like a gale!) that was blowing. It

would ensure tough running on the beach section (approx 1.5km each lap) and the out and back section to the

little island where, at least on the ‗out‘ it would be coming right into our face. We were thankful however, that it

would not affect us through the protected forest sections which made up the majority of the course. We all

agreed that there would be very fast and very slow sections throughout the race and prerace advice to the team

P A G E 6

Commonwealth Ultra Trail Championships 2011

A Captain‘s Perspective. By Brendan Davies

R U N N I N G W I L D

With Jame Kuegler from NZ on the course 'reccie'

was to ‗run smartly‘ to the conditions and terrain of the course

and not to be sucked into racing the opposition too early.

As soon as the gun went off, the Africans took off like it was a

10km road tempo. They also managed to pull along a few oth-

ers, notably Loutitt and Lobb and the main pack, made up of the

Africans, went through the first lap in 35 minutes! I settled into a

much more circumspect pace, settling into the second chasing

group. Most of us in this group agreed that the race was going

to be a battle of attrition and 54km was going to prove the un-

doing of more than one competitor!

And how right we were. By the end of the second lap I began to

pass the Zambians and South African runners who were paying

the price of the early suicidal pace. A Kenyan runner was still

maintaining the lead, followed by Lobb, Gardiner and Loutitt. The out and back section of the island allowed the

chasers to keep track of the competitors in front. Not far behind me and on my tail was Mick, Vajin from NZ and

two Welsh runners Lane and namesake Andrew Davies, who were pacing themselves perfectly.

The beach and island section were undoubtedly the toughest sections of, on

what you would otherwise call, an undulating cross country course. Faced

with strong headwinds, soft sand, seaweed, crushed shell and rocky out-

crops; it took a considerable amount of nous to negotiate this section. I did

notice a lot of the front runners take the most direct line across the beach

across the soft sand. My tactic was to run a further distance to the outgoing

tidal mark on the harder sand and run along this stretch. Although longer, it

proved to be much less taxing and allowed me to maintain my rhythm. I be-

lieve this section contributed to the demise of a lot of the early pacemakers.

Soon after I passed a fading Loutitt and found myself in 6th

place at the 30km

mark. I still felt very strong, although not as strong as Welshmen Davies and

Lane who passed me soon after. Despite being passed, the little lift I under-

took as I ran with them enabled me to put a comfortable space between my-

self and the chasing pack made up of Donges, Armstrong and the Scot An-

drew Fellas. I soon found myself running on clear trail and I used this time to

reassess my form and my strategy for the rest of the near 20kms. On the 2nd

last lap I was surprised to see the Kenyan, Tum, lying face down on the trail

clutching his hamstring. Although very unfortunate for him, it put me in the

top 5 and not without a chance of snaring a medal. I really put my head

down and suddenly all the memories from watching the 24h race flooded

back. I was getting tremendous support from the impartial spectators

(perhaps having a very Welsh surname helped!), from Rob Boyce who had set himself up at the halfway drink sta-

tion and the Aussie crew at the start/finish line made up of David Kennedy and Justin Scholz.

The big effort on the 4th

lap was rewarded with the Welshman Lane coming back into view on some of the longer

open stretches on the course and I was determined to pull him in on the last lap. Matt Bixley, the elite NZ 24h run-

ner offered me great support along the beach section and, while beginning to believe a medal was perhaps just

going to be out of reach, I was determined to finish as quick as possible to ensure a strong team position.

Throughout the race I was constantly doing ‗rough‘ team calculations based on competitors positions in relation

to the Aussie guys and I knew with Mick being just on my tail and Jonathan putting in a great effort mid-pack, we

would be up there for a medal.

At the last drink station, I was greeted with the trusty bottle of water and a ―You‘re in 4th

!‖ message from Rob

Boyce. I was shocked and I was later to find out the Englishman Lobb had ‗blown up‘ at 48km and the new leader

was now Gardiner from Wales, with the other Welshmen making up the top three. Suddenly a medal was within

reach and seeing Lane only 150m ahead I began to call on the very last of my reserves for one last big effort. I was

gradually catching Lane, and was planning my strategy for the pass until he turned and saw me on a straight

piece of trail and that was all the impetus he needed to put in a big surge. With only a few kms to go, I had no

choice but to go with his surge and hope that he faded late, but despite my intentions, the body was not as will-

ing and cramping in the calves pretty much turned my thoughts of 3rd

now into holding down 4th

. This can be the

price you pay for putting in a big effort and the finish line could not come quick enough! Entering the final stretch

P A G E 7 S E A S O N 2 : N E W S L E T T E R 1

It was fast through the forest sections

Myself, Jonathan Worswick and Mick Donges pre-race.

I was spurred on by the really respectful Welsh crowd and my Aussie crew and I

threw my arms in the air as I crossed the finish line in a time of 3:38:57. I was

very happy with that race, I don‘t think I could have raced any smarter, or

quicker, and as such it is a very satisfying result. The winner was Gardiner in

3:29:55 with the Welshmen Davies second in 3:34:34 and Lane third in 3:38:09.

Only a minute later, Mick Donges, looking very fresh crossed the finish line in 5th

spot to be welcomed with a sweaty hug from myself, probably the last thing he

wanted! It is a tremendous result in his debut international race. Watch out for

big things from this guy in the years to come, he is truly a superstar of the sport

in the making. Following Mick‘s finish, I was told by an official that I had been

randomly selected for a doping test. I won‘t go into that story, it is another story

worthy of a report on its own, but in a nutshell what it did mean was that I dis-

appointingly missed the rest of my Aussie

teammates finish.

When I eventually was freed from my

‗commitments‘, I learned that our own

Kirstin Bull had run a fabulous race to fin-

ish on the podium in third place. I did not see Kirstin on the course, but obvi-

ously and from all reports from the crew, she ran a particularly smart race,

pacing herself beautifully throughout the entire distance. Watch out for

Kirstin too in the years to come in the ultra scene. Katie finished in a wonder-

ful 8th

spot, Verity in 10th

and Cindy in 14th

, uttering something about doing

the ‗24h race next time‘! This ensured the girls won a very deserving team

bronze medal. The men‘s teams results were much closer and was very hard

to make a ‗good guess‘ due to the number of DNFs in the race and the top

times being very close. With Jonathan putting in one of the fastest last lap

times in the field and finishing in a superb 16th

spot, we knew we were up

there. However, with the race over and the typical British weather setting in,

everyone was quick to leave the island and it wasn‘t until the medal cere-

mony that night did we find out that we also managed to snare a team

Bronze medal, behind the Welsh and the English team.

I am very proud of our results, and very honoured to have represented Austra-

lia and captained the team. Two team medals and an individual medal to Kirstin in a world class field is a tremen-

dously pleasing result and can only be great for Australian ultra trail running. I am most proud of the fact that we

all stuck to our race plan and really dug deep for the team when going through the bad patches. On behalf of the

trail team, I would like to thank Rob Boyce and Justin Scholz for managing the team and all behind the selections

at AURA. I would like to think I will be back in two years time but who can tell what the future holds?

P A G E 8

C o m m o n w e a l t h u l t r a t r a i l c h a m p i o n s h i p s ( c o n t )

R U N N I N G W I L D

The tough beach section

Mick Donges coming in at the finish

Winning a team bronze medal was a real bonus!

I had a different experience at this year‘s Glasshouse. First up my mellum mates Andy and Tim couldn‘t make it

which meant I needed to scramble to find someone else to share car hire and accommodation costs. I had booked

a family room with the intent of combining a short trip away for the girls but that also fell through.

A few emails later and Dan Bleakman, Rob Hall and the flying Kiwi Gordi Kirkbank were the new Melluminium ( as

Rob put it) Alas Dan pulled out at short notice with an injury and we were 3. I arrived midday at Brissie airport to

be greeted by Rob and Gordi. Off we went, picked up the hire car and made our way to the Glasshouse Moun-

tains. It absolutely bucketed down on route, I‘ve never seen so much rain the day before the race. It was torrential

but short-lived and soon enough the sun was splitting the skies. This augured well for good conditions with

maybe a few pools of water at best.

We settled into our motel in Beerwah and did some last minute shopping and drop bag prep. Off to the registra-

tion where we met up with some familiar GH faces and plenty of new faces too. Indeed this was a very different

pre-race rego, up in the school itself and with the briefing moved to the main undercover area. Glasshouse, like

most 100 milers in the country just continues to grow.

We didn‘t hang around too long after the briefing, just a quick bite to eat and off to bed. It was around 8 pm

when we settled in, so a good night‘s sleep was had by all.

We made our way to the start line where we were weighed and given some last minute instructions. Gordi was all

fired up raring to go. There were plenty of anxious looking runners waiting for the start. It was cool but skies were

clear and we were expecting a good day for running.

I took off pretty much with the lead group of the Dave‘s and Mike, with Gordi just behind me. On the 10km loop

back to base the field spread some but I still found myself up front as we approached the climb up Beerburrum. I

dropped my pack at the base and settled into a steady hike just behind a couple of 100k runners. As we neared

the turnaround the views were spectacular with clear vistas in all directions. The poor volunteer at the top strug-

gled to keep up with the influx of grouped runners as she ticked us off. I was sitting just behind Dave C and Zac on

the descent, quickly grabbed my pack and stuck with them to 3A. I had prepared some splits for an optimistic sub

20hr finish. Optimistic because of a limited prep for this race with a back issue that hampered my training and pre-

vented me doing as many long runs as I would have normally. Coming into CP4 I was 20 minutes up, feeling

good. I had backed off the pace as the Daves and Zac took off.

Nutrition during the early hours was just hammer gel and water with the occasional piece of fruit at the CPs. It

was working well with my energy levels feeling good.

I was flying along the rough trail to CP5 feeling fantastic in my new Cascadias (apart from feeling somewhat

heavy) - very grippy on all terrain. At one point I approached a downhill section before Weetbix Hill. I was riding

the ridges of the gullies when all of a sudden I went over hard. Landing hands first I yanked my right hand back

and strained my wrist. Lying on the trail untangling my shorts from some roots all I could think was..are my legs ok.

Knee copped a hit but was fine. I stood up and looked at my hand, already swelling up. It didn‘t take long before I

had to remove my watch. I hustled along figuring I could still run so just kept moving. I was annoyed but relieved I

P A G E 9

Glasshouse 100 mile 2011 :

By phil murphy

S E A S O N 2 : N E W S L E T T E R 1

hadn‘t hurt my legs and could keep running. That said I was very cautious over the next few kms or indeed along

any technical trail thereafter.

CP5 was a welcome sight; I grabbed some fruit and headed off for the goat track to CP6. Ran this section quite

well with a couple of 50kers passing me. As I approached CP6 I noticed some of the front pack, Zac and Dave C

were backtracking after going the wrong way. There was some confusion with the signage here and after a few

minutes we finally made our way onto the correct trail to CP8. At this stage Gordi, who would be my partner in

crime had closed the gap and caught up. We would remain together for the rest of the race. As we left the CP

Maggot passed us with ease, he was pacing himself very well.

It was starting to get warmer along the trail to CP8 but a cool breeze helped keep temps down. The powerlines

were wet in places with large pools of water and mud but most could be skirted carefully. I put a small gap into

Gordi along the technical stuff but he soon caught up and passed me as we made our way up the hill into CP8.

It was great to see Ann and the gang at CP8 but I didn‘t want to hang around too long, just filled up and left. I set

off just ahead of Gordi but soon enough we were together again. He didn‘t want to miss the mango tree turn off.

We also had a new canine friend tag along, followed us out of the CP and stayed with us for the entire western

loop. At times it would run just in front of us almost tripping us, a few sharp words from Gordi and it would move

over.

As we trudged back up the hill into the CP Tugger pulled up alongside and walked for a bit chatting. He of course

was coming off his second loop and was doing it easy.

I was looking forward to meeting up with my crew for the remainder of the race - Dave McKinnon who would be

back at the CP. As we approached the CP, he appeared and mentioned he had heard about my fall and subse-

quently had prepared a compression bandage for my (broken) wrist. Superb crew, I immediately felt much better

leaving for the second loop at 8b. A couple of panadeine forte no doubt helping matters too.

The second loop felt so much easier than previous years with the cooler conditions and soon enough ‗Team

Spordi‘ were back at 8 for the final time.

The new course to 7 was rather dull. As we approached the CP we saw a fast moving Zac on his way out having

finished his 4.4km loop at 7. The loop itself was a mixture of jogging and power walking. This time as we left 7 we

saw Brick on his way in.

I was enjoying fruit and creamed rice with salted spuds at the CPs and felt great all the way back to 6 and on to 5.

This is my favourite time of the day as the shadows grow longer and Mt Beerwah rises majestically before you as

you approach the last bit of goat track stuff around its perimeter. It‘s a big advantage getting this part of the trail

out of the way in daylight. I still had my partner in crime tagging along as we pushed each other nicely. I was

strong on the downhill technical stuff while Gordi made light work up any uphills. We said a quick g‘day to Innes

as we passed him here; he would go on to finish the 100ker in a respectable time.

CP 5 was busy as we dug out our lights and night gear. In truth we had just enough time to get back to base

(CP2) without lights but you never know. Dave was doing a great job getting me in an out of the CPs swiftly.

We passed the lookout at 5 and continued on the very runnable trails back to Matthew Flinders Park and 1A. Not

long after hanging a right and heading for CP2 Maggot appeared. He was moving well and in good spirits having

had his pit stop at base. I figured he had a good 40 minutes on us, but we would continue to chase.

Back at Base I changed into a warmer top and got some calories in. I was leaving ahead of Gordi who was taking

a little while longer getting his shit together. We teamed up again headed out onto the eastern section. 110kms

down, 51kms to go.

We jogged the entire way to Moffat‘s Road making good time. Gordi is a funny bloke to run with, constantly mak-

ing noises, grunting and breathing heavily. I had to zone out at times in order to keep the distraction at bay. At

one point I thought he was keeling over. He would occasionally yell out (like a painful yell) having landed awk-

wardly or almost tripping, I‘d turn around only to see he was fine each time. Never a dull moment with Gord.

A very fast moving Mike LeRoux on his way home then appeared. I looked at my watch in disbelief; the race re-

cord was going down big time.

We ambled into CP9 after a wet and muddy traverse of Tibrogargan Creek. It‘s always nice to see our Dutch

friends there who have been volunteering at CP9 for years now. We made light work of Wildhorse and were soon

ushered on our way to 10.

P A G E 1 0

Glasshouse 100 mile 2011

R U N N I N G W I L D

The trail deteriorated rapidly as we negotiated numerous pools of water and muddy patches. This slowed things

down a little and by the time we got to CP10 my legs felt quite worked. I was looking forward to saying hi to Bill

Thompson‘s wife Jane who looks after this CP. She was having a kip however, so I missed her. Dave was giving me

an idea on some splits for those ahead. There was a few struggling out there it appeared, and so we set off again

chasing any shrapnel.

Right enough on our way back from the second (very slow and sandy) loop at 10 we came across a very haggard

looking Zac. He was now walking dejectedly back to 10 having spent an inordinate amount of time on the last

loop. We checked on him and wished him well. This would now place us joint 6th in the field. Could we catch

Mal?

The run back to CP9 was again a painful affair with crappy footing and slowish progress. As we sat briefly eating

pizza, I looked at Gord and mentioned ‗12km to go mate, let‘s smash it‘.

We got up grabbed our tickets and headed up Wildhorse for the last time. Gord was way out in front here, mov-

ing very well. I trudged up and took a brief moment to take the wonderful vista on top. Back at 9 and it was game

on. We flew out, realising we could break 19.30 if we pushed it, a respectable time.

I faltered somewhat though on the boring wide forest trails that brought us back to Moffats Rd, finally coming

good when we crossed the road and could ‗smell the barn door‘. There would be no catching Mal however who

finished comfortably under 19hrs. And so we settled for joint 6th place with a good push along the last section

back home.

Running the final km or so, memories came flooding back of the numerous finishes I have been blessed to have

experienced here. It‘s not the prettiest 100 mile course in the country but certainly has a unique charm of its own,

the birthplace of my 100 mile journey.

Thanks to Gordi for pushing me and keeping me honest at times.

Thanks too to the tireless Ian Javes and his crew of volunteers.

Lastly, Dave McKinnon, thank you for playing a big part in my brand new shiny GH100 PB!

P A G E 1 1

Glasshouse 100 mile 2011

S E A S O N 2 : N E W S L E T T E R 1

Race 2 at Wentworth falls and the weather was so

much better than our first race at Mt Portal. Eager

members arrived ready to race one of the most techni-

cal courses of the series. This course can probably

also boast having the most steps on the course, but to

help runners forget about those steps, it winds its way

through some pretty spectacular parts of the Blue

Mountains.

To help congestion, this race was split into two start

waves, with wave 2 setting off in hot pursuit of the tail

enders in wave 1.

Results

Female:

Joanne Barton 1.49.16

Susan Keith 1.54.02

Anne Mackie 1.55.06

Male:

Fabrice Bardy 1.26.20

Jak Bukovvinsky 1.27.40

Ewan Horsburgh 1.28. 12

Here are a couple of great member write ups for you!

track. I tuck into the back of a group and hold a com-

fortable pace over the twisting mix of dirt, rocks, roots,

stairs (a taste of things to come) and boardwalk. A

hard left turn and a creek crossing put me at the bot-

tom of an old 4WD track and the first climb of the day.

I‘m quite happy on the hills and manage to pass a few

people here. The 4WD track which is relatively non-

descript at this stage turns right to a rocky downhill.

With a momentary head up I laugh out loud here at

the amazing view across the Jamieson Valley. Magnifi-

cent! After this it‘s back to concentrating on my foot-

ing downhill. By now the pack has thinned and I let a

few runners pass me on the twisting single track. I‘m

feeling fine with no twinges and anticipating the

Grand Stairway down to National Pass. I trot as fast as I

My goal last year was to run hard in all six races of the

inaugural Running Wild trail series. I achieved this,

placing and loving each of the different courses. This

year, after a winter of inactivity due to injury, the goal

was to make it to the start line of as many races as pos-

sible and finish intact. While I finished Race 1, it wasn‘t

exactly pretty. Now, standing here at Wentworth Falls,

at the start line of Race 2 I had the benefit of an extra

month‘s training and felt pretty relaxed. No pre-race

jitters, no pressure - just a run to enjoy and gauge how

much conditioning I‘d lost.

At the starter‘s gun the field headed off for a half lap

around Wilson Park before running through Charles

Darwin Walk arch and onto roughly 3km of single

P A G E 1 2 R U N N I N G W I L D

Race 2 : Wentworth Falls

Race 2 Race report. By Joanne Barton

Wave 1 start

Wave 2 start

more breathtaking scenery (not that I‘m brave enough

to look right now). I reel in another couple of runners.

Still climbing. More stairs. I remember now why I‘m

wearing as much compression gear as I can this time

around.

The runners are so friendly we start chatting about

times and try to figure out how we are comparing to

last year. I reach the Conservation Hut aid station at

the 10km mark and am pretty sure most of the hard

climbing has finished. The course marking is excellent

so I am able to concentrate on getting to the finish

rather than navigation. From here we drop again onto

Overcliff Track. More twists and deep steps make me

wish for a little added height. And now the mud starts.

No avoiding it. Straight through trying not to slip or

trip on any submerged stepping stones.

I know there are lookouts to the right with what must

be more spectacular vistas but now‘s not the time to

admire the view. A left turn and I‘m back to the single

track of Darwins Walk. This is a winding piece of trail

but having paid attention on the way out, I know

there is not much further to the finish. I‘m determined

to keep my position and push hard along the trail and

back through the arch to Wilsons Park. Done! I‘m

chuffed - only 5 minutes slower than last year, I‘ve

maintained my lead and most importantly, nothing

requires icing. I‘ll definitely be back next year.

Joanne Barton

can manage down the 173 steep steps carved into the

sheer cliff face, agreeing with a fellow runner that it‘s a

shame we can‘t linger on the glorious view out to Mt

Solitary. But honestly, these steps are steep and not

the place to lose concentration.

Descending still further to the valley floor and entering

the rainforest section of the course I try to catch up

with some runners ahead. Maybe it‘s because I‘m not

running as hard, but my legs don‘t feel as bad as I re-

membered after the steps last year. More twists and

turns and steps that seem to be an organic part of the

forest and challenge a short-wheel base like myself,

but it‘s so much fun running across the stepping

stones and catching spray from the waterfalls that I

feel like a child in an adventure playground. I‘m sure

this forest is what Tolkien envisioned when he penned

Lord of the Rings.

As I pass Garth

whose marshalling,

he tells me I‘m first

woman. I think I‘d

better put in a bit

more effort and see

if I can keep it that

way. More large

sandstone block

stepping stones

crossing creeks and

waterfalls and it‘s

time to ascend.

Okay, now the

memory of steps is

returning. Did I

walk these last

year? They are

steep and wet and

everyone seems to be walking so I‘m not worried. Up

we continue and onto a narrow path hugging the side

of the cliff face. There are sheer drops to the left and

P A G E 1 3

Race 2 Race report

S E A S O N 2 : N E W S L E T T E R 1

The second snap-shot memory of the morning was the relatively smooth and easy 4km section between the end of Darwins Trail and the start of the National Pass trail. In this section, the focus was on controlling the breathing, dropping the pulse rate down a little to a level that would be sustainable for the next ninety minutes or so, and concentrating on enjoying the run. The cloud covered had cleared and with the

sparsely forested terrain, the mandatory hydration that all runners were carrying was put to use as the sun

beat down.

The steep descent down steps and trails is my endur-ing memory of the race – stunning panorama‘s of the Jamison Valley and gorgeous falls cooled the runners

in a fine mist. In any race that starts and finishes at the same point, a steep descent

is a sure sign of impending pain on the inevitable incline, and as the field spread out and the course reached the head of the Valley of Waters, long climbs up steep and uneven stairs dropped runners into a walk. The views and waterfalls along this section are stunning, and a return visit at a

more leisurely pace is definitely planned.

After climbing out of the Valley, the familiar

Overcliff and UnderCliff tracks led back to Wentworth Falls and the final few kilome-tres along Darwins Walk to the finish. A few runners who had set off a bit hard were struggling in this section, and I picked up a place or two as all caution was thrown to the wind, the throttle was opened up and good running conditions

made for a fast pace.

Upon crossing the line (in 17th

place as it turned out, with 176 finishers in the 16km

long course event and a further 20 running an abridged 10km loop) and catching up with one of the runners who had car-pooled with me up to the race, we began discussing the rather substantial lack of quality of my assessment of course toughness and whether the final member of our party, a Masters run-ner who generally preferred courses without excessive elevation deltas, would mention my rather misplaced

assessment of course conditions. As the BBQ sizzled, the finishers mixed in relaxed, smiling groups in Wil-sons Park and a few brief showers validated the fore-cast, our runner appeared, moving to the finishing line with a determined gait and wry grin. It was apparent

the stairs might get a mention.

"You bastard. I thought you said it was going to be

flat".

"Is there a lot of stairs and climbs in this one?"

Travelling along the M4 as the fog began to lift and a cloudy dawn broke across western Sydney, the con-versation began to focus on the race ahead as the foothills of the Blue Mountains loomed closer. A quick

look at the race course on MapMyRun had led me to the incorrect conclusion that most of the race was on top of the Kings Tableland, an area of short pinch climbs that makes the last 10km of The North Face 100 a difficult affair, but would not present much trauma in

a short 16km race.

"Nah - nothing much to worry about. Few quick

climbs, but nothing too bad".

As the crowds gathered at Wil-son Park at Wentworth Falls, the normal pre-race rituals of warm-up jogs, kit preparation and queues for the facilities were car-ried out under a grey sky, but with the forecast showers hold-ing off. After a short race brief-ing by Running Wild co-founder Sean Greenhill, the first wave of

the race was off on a quick tour around Wilson Park and then onto single track past Jamison Creek. A large turn-out of around 200 runners had resulted in the field being divided into two waves – with a 50 minute 10km time used as the rough rule of thumb for wave divi-sions. With a planned assault on

a sub-40 10km planned for the summer, I opted for the first wave and with a starting posi-tion towards the pointy end, the pace down the board-walks that parallel the creek was quite fast despite the

tricky footing conditions.

Short races don‘t produce the same linear, coherent memories as marathons and longer events. Rather than a product of short elapsed time, the snapshot

memory recollection seems to be more influenced by the much higher pulse rate that these events are run at, and despite some pre-race thoughts about taking it easy to give a slightly battered hamstring a break, the narrow single track and competitive field meant that I was hooning along a quite a clip. The thirty or so run-ners tightly bunched in what could loosely be de-scribed as the lead pack were in a similar groove, with sharp and ragged breathing from all sides competing with the initial stirs of the birds and other wild-life

whose forest home we were sharing for the morning.

P A G E 1 4 R U N N I N G W I L D

Running Wild Race #2 – Wentworth Falls (16km), NSW.

by Nick Weinholt

The Kedumba Valley really is a hidden gem in the Blue

Mountains. For all those runners concentrating hard

on the race, here are a couple of photos of the things

you didn't really get the chance to see, but the com-

mittee did.

This race was the second year of the Running Wild vs.

Sydney Strider Mountain Challenge, with many Striders

keen to take up the challenge.

The race was a huge success and the near vertical

climb out from the valley a big talking point by most

runners back at the finish.

Congratulations to all runners—a fantastic perform-

ance all round, with Sydney Striders taking out 1st

male and 1st female and Running Wild winning the

team event trophy.

Kedumba Pass is well known to local Blue Mountains

runners as a fantastic place to run, especially in the

lead up to the Six Foot Track marathon, as its pretty

good hill training! So it seemed quite logical to make

this beautiful trail part of one of the Running Wild

mountain series races.

Race 3 of the Running Wild series is arguably the

toughest half marathon in Australia, with a long

downhill section, water crossings and a long haul back

up the pass to the start. It was a glorious day for a run!

RESULTS:

Male:

1. Andrew Tuckey (SS) 1.31.56

2. Fabrice Bardy (RW) 1.36.56

3. Andrew Lee (RW) 1.37.26

Female:

1. Georgie Moore (SS) 1.53.45

2. Joanne Barton (SS) 1.55.40

3. Gill Fowler (RW) 2.03.28

P A G E 1 5

Race 3—hoka one one kedumba half marathon.

S E A S O N 2 : N E W S L E T T E R 1

Mt Solitary peeking out from the early morning mist at

the half way point

A monitor lizard hiding from runners up a tree in the

Kedumba valley

Pre race discussions at the start of the Hoka One One

Kedumba half marathon. Photo courtesy of Roger Hanney.

mountain sport.

A 10km downhill like Kedumba should be fast, rela-

tively painless, and a lot of fun. The shoe‘s other design

elements coincidentally work brilliantly for endurance

running.

Inside, the Hoka‘s heel-toe drop is effectively identical

to the Inov-8 F-lite 195. And thanks to a couple of

crazy French men who headed in the opposite direc-

tion when everyone else decided minimal should be

skinny, the shoe employs a superlight EVA, a cupped

design that sits up around the foot, and an outsole

that works like spellcheck for your feet whether the

ground is uneven or fatigue is negatively effecting run-

ning form.

Taking all of these efficiencies and adding a broad sole

with heel and forefoot protection seems to reduce im-

pact on joints, and the need for damaging braking

forces that leave your

legs tired before it‘s time

for on the inevitable

climb that follows any

good downhill.

Sounds like a fairytale?

Yes, I know. See previous

comments about bring-

ing shoes out for runners

like yourself to try on and

play with, for your-

selves : )

Thanks to Phil, Jo, Rod,

Sean and the whole RW

crew for inviting us to

partner with you for

what was a great day

out. Cheers to everybody who came over and had a

look at the Mafate and Bondi and went for a run or a

walk or a bounce in either. It was a real pleasure to be

involved and probably the best excuse I could come

up with for not running the week after my first miler

was to man the stall.

Hoka hope to partner again with Running Wild, later

this season and beyond. Happy racing through

2011/12 everybody – keep getting to those starting

lines healthy, and see you next run!

Drop by www.facebook.com/HokaOneOneAustralia, HokaOneOne.com.au, or come find me – Roger Han-

ney – online or at Cool Runnings, posting as Dirty,

The Hoka One One Kedumba Half Marathon was a

truly Running Wild event. Without getting too soppy it

was an honour to hang our banner with you guys and

the day seemed to hit the spot for just about everyone.

In proper RW style, there was a solid turnout, many of

the usual suspects with a few noticeable absences –

likely off the back of Great North Walk the week be-

fore, and a typical mixture of competitive sledging and

social trotting.

However the trailheads want to play with numbers,

Striders scored a definite takedown. Andrew Tuckey

killed it in 91:56 (even better than the predicted

92:15), showing similar form to his Coastal Classic win

a few months ago. Georgie Moore was genuinely

happy as well to break a string of second places for a

win. Top job also to Jo Barton, Fabrice Bardy, Gill

Fowler and local hero Andrew Lee.

Runners up each receive

a $50 voucher for Sum-

mit Gear in Katoomba or

Glenbrook (thanks Brett

& Summit Gear – West-

ern Sydney‘s Hoka One

One outlet). Both win-

ners get their pick of a

pair of Hoka One One for

slamming downhill or

just running for hours

with reduced fatigue.

Just ask Natalie, Buzz,

Spud, Jane, or Richo.

This, in part, is why we‘re

doing what we‘re doing

– bringing shoes to

events and group runs

and instores for people to try for themselves. Talk is

cheap and feeling is believing. A fat, light shoe that

genuinely looks weird goes against the last few years

of increasingly minimal, streamlined footwear and all

the various assertions about ‗natural running‘ that ac-

company it.

But the two guys behind Hoka – Jean-Luc Diard and

Nicolas Mermoud – have over 30 years experience in

research and development between them. As lovers of

gravity sports – mainly skiing and mountain biking –

and with Mermoud‘s move from adventure racing to

top level ultra running, they wanted to bring the same

joy to descents in running that exist for almost every

P A G E 1 6

Runners Always Welcome at the Mental Hospital.

By Roger Hanney

R U N N I N G W I L D

The course soon turned into dirt road once we were

off the point and this continued for some distance as

the road moved away from

the coast and started to take

us inland. The rolling hills

continued and although

nothing too tough or steep

they were certainly enough

to keep a runner honest and

were compounding when

taking the distance into ac-

count.

The long stretch of dirt road

was scattered with the very

prominent wild wallaby road

kill. The problem is I could

hear the flies or smell rotting flesh before I could see

the carcass. It all adds to the character of the event

and made for interesting running while trying to hold

my breath at the same time.

Drink stations were strategically placed and provided

some great relief as the temperature started the rise.

There were some un manned water stops along the

way which were handy for a top up if needed. There

wasn‘t any sports drink at the aid stations so I decided

to pack my own and make it up as I went along. I car-

ried a 3 litre bladder and pack with my food plus a

600ml water bottle to make up my sports drink. In my

pack I had a rain jacket with a hood, food and some

first aid supplies.

After the long winding dirt road the course then turns

further inland and takes a route which is mostly bitu-

men. The course is open and exposed for all of the

bitumen section and is in the direct sun, heat and wind

with the possibility of showers at any time. It pays to

be prepared for all weather conditions. The views on

this run are nothing short of spectacular with so many

―wow‖ moments to admire along the way.

The roads were long and seemed never ending but

there was something that just kept me going knowing

that I was going to be running the entire length of

King Island, lighthouse to lighthouse.

The locals were so supportive and everyone was ex-

ceptionally friendly. Just about every car waved or

yelled out encouragement as they passed me.

The last 8km of the course is on dirt road and this sec-

tion of the course is very unforgiving and extremely

Having entered mostly trail Ultras in 2011 I wasn‘t sure

what to expect from the King Island Ultra – 78km. The

event was being run in conjunc-

tion with the 150th Anniversary

of the Lighthouse at Cape Wick-

ham, located on a small island

just off Tasmania. I was drawn to

the uniqueness of this run and

the lure of a long weekend away

from the hustle and bustle of Syd-

ney was certainly appealing.

A quick trip to Melbourne and a

connecting flight to King Island is

the only mode of transport to get

to this race. Upon landing I soon

found my hire car company rep-

resentative (a car is essential as there is no public trans-

port on King Island) and my accommodation contact,

they were both waiting for me on arrival.

The accommodation was just breathtaking, sweeping

ocean views with nothing between the front deck and

South America. There are so many fantastic things that

I could say about the accommodation and surrounds

but this is a running race report after all.

On the morning of the start a few runners gathered at

the post office in the township of Currie and we were

taken to the start which was at Stokes‘s Point Light-

house, the southernmost point of King Island. Before

long we were on our way. There were some walking

teams that had started half an hour before the run-

ners. The runners were made up some solo runners

and a few relay teams. The first seven kilometres was

on a semi trail like track that was scattered with shale

like rocks and sharp stones on rolling hills.

P A G E 1 7

King island ultra.

By Natalie Jennings

S E A S O N 2 : N E W S L E T T E R 1

was on the microphone and announced that I had

completed the event in 8hrs and 22mins. I was elated

to have been a pioneer in this event and to be part of

the Cape Wickham Lighthouse

150TH

Anniversary celebrations.

Ian did a fantastic job organis-

ing this event and has taken on

board a few suggestions for

some improvements for next

year. Anyone thinking of enter-

ing this event I would say DO

IT! King Island has so much to

offer for the whole family from

pristine beaches, crayfish pies

and let‘s not forget the amazing

King Island dairy, yum! There is

some amazing Maritime history

associated with this Island and I

would suggest that a stay of at

least three days would be just

enough to see and do every-

thing this little gem has to offer.

exposed to the elements. The heat was bearing down

and the pesky hills were starting to bite as I neared the

back end of the 78km course. With all of the Light-

house celebrations going on

there was a constant stream of

cars heading in the same direc-

tion to take part in the festivities

of the day. This made for a

dusty final 8k and this is where I

spotted my first snake which

sadly had been hit by a car.

As with most events when I

know the end is near every kilo-

metre seems like three when all

I want to do is just get there.

What seemed like forever, I fi-

nally had the gorgeous tall

white structure in sight. I man-

aged to pull myself together

and run the final 800m along

the car lined track towards the

green flags which was the fin-

ish line. I decided to take the

final little hill and ran up to

touch the lighthouse because

after all it was all about her and

not me. Ian the race director

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King island ultra

Volunteering AT RW EVENTS

If you find yourself unable to run, or are injured, we

are always looking for volunteers to help us at all

events. Volunteers are always in high demand and we

really appreciate any help you can give us.

Volunteering can also be a really rewarding experi-

ence, plus an eye opener as to what happens on the

other side of the race. Go on, volunteer, you will be

pleasantly surprised.

Turn point location at the half way point of a race 3.

Great place to spend a few hours volunteering!

R U N N I N G W I L D

ONLINE REGISTRATION:

All short course series will now use an online registra-

tion system. Members can still register on the day, but

online entries are preferred.

MONEY RAISED AT HOKA ONE ONE KEDUMBA HALF

MARATHON:

As you were aware, Running

Wild was raising money for

Lisa-Maree Major, who

passed away on the 13th

October 2011 aged 38 years.

Lisa was a wife, a mother of

2 beautiful children and was

well known as an enthusias-

tic runner. Lisa loved trail

running, the peace and

beauty of these runs and the

challenge of competing in

running events in the moun-

tains. Lisa is sadly missed.

Running Wild would like to say a huge thank you to all runners who donated. On the day, $750 was raised and Running Wild will donate a further $250 to make this up to $1000. This will make a huge difference to

Lisa‘s family in the lead up to Christmas.

RW/NORTHSIDE RUNNERS GLENBROOK MARATHON

The Running Wild, Northside Runners Glenbrook

Marathon has been re-organized for 18th December.

Entries have already re-opened and we hope you have

been successful in securing a place second time round

if you missed out origi-

nally.

For those of you who

didn't see the photo of

the causeway on the Sat-

urday morning of the

original race date, here it

is. Perhaps we should

have changed the race to

a swimming event in-

stead!

See you on 18th Decem-

ber when hopefully the

causeway will not look

like this!

NEXT RUNNING WILD NEWSLETTER:

Running Wild is keen to expand the newsletter with

many more race reports from our members. Reports

can be from any trail events, not just Running Wild

events, in fact the more the better!

Please send your articles to us at:

runningwildnsw@gmail.com.

Please include photos, as everyone loves to see photos

and it makes us feel like we were there with you!

several at this time of year.

If you know of any events that you would like us to

add to this section, please contact us with information.

Note: For full details of all upcoming events, please

refer also to the race calendar held at coolrun-

ning.com.au

Running Wild would like to say good luck to all run-

ners competing in any events in the coming weeks, in

particular to Running Wild members (including many

of our own committee) who are running. A couple of

these events are listed below, but there are no doubt

many more.

The KEPLER CHALLENGE or the LUXMORE GRUNT

(3rd December)

COAST TO KOSCIUSZSKO (9th December)

Plus multiple fatass style events, of which there are

P A G E 1 9

Other Running wild news and information

Upcoming events :

S E A S O N 2 : N E W S L E T T E R 1

About Running Wild:

Running Wild was formed to fill a perceived void in organised, quality trail running experiences for athletes in NSW, with the goals of staging low cost trail runs and to foster, encourage

and promote the experience and enjoyment of Trail Running.

Running Wild is keen to provide NSW runners with opportuni-ties to regularly run on trails and where better than in the Blue

Mountains National Park. The park covers a huge area and is already known for great races such as the Woodford to Glen-brook, the Six Foot Track and The North Face 100, but there are many other excellent trails out there, just waiting to be run. Our vision is to bring new and exciting trail races to all runners, which is also good for us, as it gives the committee a really good excuse to get out on the trails and run more, to

find even better trails to share.

To be allowed to run these stunning trails, we also strive to also build positive long term relationships with key stake hold-ers, such as National Parks and Wildlife Services and the De-

partment of Lands for the benefit of all users.

Ultimately, our aim is to organise to the best of our ability, un-surpassed trail runs that cater for all levels of runners, from elite runner‘s right through to those who just enjoy a great

day out running on the trails with likeminded friends.

Our events are a great way to meet a fantastic bunch of like-minded people, as well as enjoy some of the best trails in the Blue Mountains. Come along to some runs and experience it for yourself. After each race, there is usually a BBQ where you can get excellent food and then sit back, relax and share the

stories of your run with your fellow runners.

It is our hope to see many of you at one of the Running Wild

Trail Association events coming to a trail near you.

See our website for all Running Wild information:

(Note the NSW as part of our web

address). Or contact us at: runningwildnsw@gmail.com

Runningwildnsw

.com

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