Southern Highlands Challenge (SHC) : 50km, 30 August 2015

This event appealed to me from the beginning of the year for a number of reasons. Firstly it is run in the Wingello State Forest in the Southern Highlands of NSW and I was lucky enough to complete in the Wingello Trail Classic in 2013 & 2014 a trail event (no longer held) over about 25km. Blog post from last year is here: http://runforclaritydoug.blogspot.com.au/2014_06_01_archive.html

This SHC event is in its second year and is held on that same Wingello course for the first 25km and I still rate that section of the course as one of the true and best trail tracks there are around. It’s not overly technical like parts of GNW and TNF or from what I hear some other crazy races like Buffalo Stampede, Glow Worm and Hounslow, but for a very fast runnable trail with loads of single track, creek crossings, switchbacks inclines and declines, it gets my vote every time.

Organised by April Palmarlee and with Keith Hong assisting, you know the logistics are spot on and a crowd will be attracted to such an event. That certainly applied here as Kathy Madden, Ruth and I drove into the Wingello Forest on Sunday morning to see the cars building up Sydney peak hour style on the dirt roads. We managed to park a fair way from the HQ of the event but got there with about 10 minutes to spare before the scheduled 7am start. Bag drop, amenities and then ready to go in the slightly chilly conditions (not as bad as -6 with wind-chill in June last year) we wandered over to the red and black start line.

This SHC race day consisted of 5 events. (a) Green : Children’s 1km dash (Dave Madden and the little champion Andres were entering this one), (b) Blue : 6km sprint on fire trail, (c) Yellow : 19km on undulating fire trail, (d) Red : 25km on mainly single track, (e) Black : 50km (Red, Yellow and Blue trails combined in that order).

At the start area, I caught up with Suzi and Danny W and Samantha. Orla and Leigh were also competing but I didn’t get to see them at the start as I was up near the front line waiting for the gun to go. Just prior I was chatting to Phil Balnave whom some of our fellow NRGers know recently, as he has been competing in many races, running in bucket hat, sandals (flip flop Phil’s) and even casual shirt and casual shorts ! Amazingly fast runner though, so I said to him looks like Dave Byrne (winner of Six Foot last year and former World Junior track runner) is not showing up so you (Phil!) should be good for the win. Famous last words as Dave turned up a minute or so later and April did the right thing by delaying the start by nearly 10 mins as there would have been many runners still parking cars and getting to the start line by 7am.

Gun went off and the lead runners were taking off sharply, particularly those in the shorter red race. The ultra and red runners started together as both events cover the same course before the ultra-competitors make a detour at the finish line to go on their merry way for 25km of further fun. Danny and Suzi breezed past on the early fire trail bit before we entered the single track of switch backs and it followed this type of terrain for a while mixing it up with brief fire trail section every now and then.

I hadn’t put a lot of thought earlier on how to run this event but I was trained up very well and had done plenty of speed work along with long runs (in readiness for the GNW…oh I’m shivering just typing those three letters now!). So at the start line I said its time to go reasonably hard and try and hang on. As I had done the red course twice before, I knew what to expect and hence I felt I was in my comfort zone the whole way of that course. Probably running at about 85% effort, the course allows you to recover in some sections. I moved through some of the field in the red course section, it was mainly the red runners I had passed but possibly one or two ultra-runners. I knew Dave Byrne, Phil and a few others would be way too fast for me so I tried to hold my position in that particular race. It was hard to ascertain exactly where I was in terms of positions during that first red course. I caught up with Danny on one of the hill climbs after about 16km and he was doing well after recent illness and a mountain bike crash. A couple of kms later I surprisingly passed Jo Brischetto who I thought was the second female at the time (assuming Suzi was out in front for the NRG girls in the red race). I wanted to maintain my pace to get to the 25km mark, refuel with water there at the checkpoint and do a quick wardrobe change (thermal top to be removed then replace with race singlet and bib). The red runners end their race at that point under the finish arch whilst the ultra-runners went left and headed out on the fire trails and dirt roads. I approached the checkpoint and was told I was in 4^thspot overall for the ultra, but I thought I might have been a spot or two lower than that. Turns out I was right as the splits had me at 6^th I later found out. I then started to question maybe I shouldn’t have gone out that hard but it was too late to worry about that.

It was still coolish even though the thermal came off but I was running with a head buff and gloves so it was comfortable enough. I don’t think I was drinking enough fluid even though it was cool, but one thing I know I hadn’t done was eat enough to the 25km point. I think I had about 3 pieces of a Cliff Shot Block by the checkpoint. Given I was running at a reasonable hard effort in race mode, I found it difficult to eat but I tried to snack on a muesli bar and have a further piece or two of Shot Block during the next 4-5kms. I knew in the back of my mind I wasn’t eating enough but I felt trying to stomach it all in was very hard.

The ultra-runners were now on the Yellow Trail that consisted of 19km of undulating fire trail. We dropped some 100-150m in elevation and then of course had to climb back out. At about 30km a nature break called and then as I began the ascent up the trail, a youngish runner by the name of Jason caught up with me and we had a chat as we were slowly ascending. It was his first trail ultra but he had done Canberra 50km on road in 3hr50mins so I knew he had some talent there. He skipped ahead and we got to the top of the climb for the next aid station where I was out of water but I had just tried to consume a gel so water was high on the want list to wash it down. I stopped at the station and asked which container had water in it as both had Tailwind stickers on them. The attendants said none, as they were both full of Tailwind. That took me by surprise and I was a bit annoyed - since when do you have an aid station with no water but a calorie substance instead. Anyway, I have had Tailwind before so I took some to refill the front pack bladder and looking back I should have been thankful as my calorie intake was almost non-existent to that point and combining the Tailwind as a liquid was probably what I needed anyway.

The trail kept undulating but it seemed to be going up more than down and we got to some exposed areas where the forest had been cut down. The sun was out but not very warm so I tried to keep the pace going but the legs were getting rather stiff and heavy. Two more runners passed me about here and I just hoped that the gap would not widen too much with those runners. Then at around 35km, the fire trail turns into more like a farm dirt road passing some homesteads. A gradual hill climb was in front of me, when as always around this point in a race, the adductor leg muscles cramped up. So I went into immediate remedy or shut down mode and began to walk backwards up the incline. This occurred for close to a km but surprising the pace of that km was still around 7mins per km, so I had to be happy with that.

When the rise was completed I turned in a forward facing direction and took off again but cautiously now as I knew any faster running would end in further cramp issues and maybe a DNF. Of course the usual demons enter your mind at this stage, stupid GNW – who are you kidding, let’s just stick to the 25km-30km races hey! Yeah, good idea Doug.

I got closer to the 40km mark and started to feel slightly better and saw a friend of mine, Michelle marshalling on the course and then Gavin Evans a km or two further on. Gav told me to run faster and I told him to go somewhere. Finally I got to the HQ area for the second checkpoint which meant 44km gone and 6km to go. I was out of water so I refilled, again I couldn’t eat but the cheers from the NRG crowd of Orla, Ruth, Suzi, Danny and Leigh were loud and gave you an instant pick up – thanks troops, always appreciated and welcome !

So the last 6km was on more fire trails but less undulations. 2km into the Blue Course, and a mountain biker comes up to me and said I was about to be ambushed by the blue runners. I looked back and saw a pack of very fast runners coming towards me and sort of expected Brendan Davies to be leading the bunch but then I remembered Marty Dent (recently retired Olympian) was entered in the 6km and he flew past me in no time. Then current national athlete Victoria Mitchell was only just behind him. They were motoring. So the last 4km I was battling it out with the blue runners and it sort of helped you get through the final stages as they had fresh legs and were fast. I probably quickened up a little there but I know that pace couldn’t be maintained any further than the 50km as I crossed the line feeling like those leg cramps would have started again any second now. So I crossed the line in 4hr 31min 23sec. Very happy with that and maintained 9^th overall in those final 15km.

Kathy Madden did a super job finishing as the 3^rd female and inside the Top 20 overall. Well done Kath, thoroughly deserved for all your hard work and the Ultra168 website got it right when they mentioned you were one of the runners to potentially podium.

Samantha did a fine job with a 5^th female result but I think she was in a bit of pain during the run I hear so no doubt she would have caused some rumblings up the leader board on a good day. Leigh pulled out of the ultra at the completion of the red course but it was good to see him have a go, back into it after some time off.

In the red run (25km), Suzi got 2^nd, a fantastic result. I thought she had first position but I don’t think either one of us saw Emma Rilen (fiancé of Dave Byrne) take off from the beginning. Ruth continues to excel in these trail races and finished 5^th female (Top 20 overall), nice work and Orla was only two spots behind as 7^th female. Danny was 15^th home overall, great work in his comeback.

Now a couple of weeks tapering before the torment of GNW100miler (apparently 109) begins!