A
slight flashback to begin with. Despite my blog quietness, I've already raced a
few times this year. Here is a quick
debrief on what I have been up to race wise. Firstly in January I raced Two
Bays as a substitute for a cancelled Bogong to Hotham. I had a tummy bug that
hit me at the 20km mark, so the race turned really crappy (quite literally). My
first race of the year and a DNF, not a good start! The next step for 2015 was
a trip to Hong Kong, with a fortunate opportunity to be invited to race at the Asian
Sky Running Championships. The MSIG Sai Kung 50km was a great experience and
Hong Kong is a wicked place. I had a reasonably good run which got me into 4th
place on the day. This was a much needed little confidence boost over what was
a deceptively hard course!
Sunday began
at 5am, clothes went on, coffee and breakfast in, excess baggage out, and
off to the start Stevie, Michel and I jogged. I always love the hive of
activity that the race start area provides. There isn't much that can match the
energy radiating from the runners, theirs friend and family in the minutes
leading up to the gun going off, it's a huge melting pot of emotions. A vast
contrast to what the little town of Bright is all about!
At
this point although I was happy with how I was moving, I was also very
concerned. Why? Well, Mr Dent behind me is an Olympic marathon runner with a PR
of 2:12 and we were approaching the fastest section of the course.
I
hit the Chalet in exactly 70mins and still felt like I had some good legs left.
Whilst they were hurting, I still had energy to give and my nutrition and
hydration was working perfectly. At this point I let myself have the thought of
possibly winning the race. I downed a cup of coke (sorry Darryl and Steph) and
carried on for the 7km loop at the top of the mountain. Whilst short, and the
elevation gain isn't high, the trails up top are fairly technical. With a tired
mind they can be a laborious task, especially having to climb through the
Chalwell Galleries. For those that aren't aware, you actually climb through
this section, and the hole in the rocks isn't very big at all. Even a midget
like myself still has a hard time... I'd hate to be the size of Michel!
For those of you that are interested in the data my Movescount is: www.movescount.com/members/blakehose
Strava: www.strava.com/athletes/8474065?utm_source=top-nav
Onto
the most recent of events though, the Buffalo Stampede. Last year I raced the
Ultra and as many of you may know, I pushed too hard and found myself sitting
in a creek at the bottom of Clearspot unable to walk. I was eager to test
myself and didn’t respect the difficulty of the course and my own limitations.
It was a real kick in the guts to be 8kms from the finish line in Bright and
unable to reach it. It was a massive
learning experience for me!
With
my sights on Transvulcania as my goal race for the first half of this year, I
decided I would race the marathon as a perfect build up to get some good
conditioning into my legs. It would've been nice to do the Ultra and actually
finish it this year; however, I felt it would be too much of an effort to
recover from. Being such an awesome event I am sure it will be around for many
years to come. I look forward to tackling that beast soon!
After
the inaugural event last year, this race has already become a must-do race for
die-hard trail runners around the globe. The quaint and beautiful little town
of Bright is the perfect host to outdoor and adventure minded individuals. The
surrounding terrain harbours some seriously wonderful and wild elements of
nature. The social aspect of the weekend is looked forward to almost as much as
the run itself. I was incredibly lucky to be sharing a house with the other
Salomon athletes, some of which I know well, and others I had just met for the
first time. Acting as a chaffeur for Stevie (US athlete) and Michel (French
athlete) I had plenty of opportunities to annoy them with my Aussie accent.
Unfortunately I failed in my role as ‘tour guide’ for Stevie as I wasn’t able
to find her a koala, just some lousy kangaroos.
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| My weapons of choice. |
Now
on with the racing! Matt Coops and Lucy were kicking things off and both raced
the 32km Sky Race on the Friday, both finishing 5th place on what some say, km
for km, is the hardest course of the event. The big show was looming though,
as Saturday's event laid claim to countless quads and toenails. Tom
Owens was to step out of his comfort zone over the longer distance, whilst
Landie was right in her element, traversing the gruelling 75km course, holding
over 4500m+. Both endured the suffer fest and went on to take convincing wins.
The post-race comments on how steep some sections of the course are was pretty
comical, especially Landies descriptions of her crawl up Warner's Wall.
It
was my first time following a full race that day, and I genuinely had a blast
being able to watch the race unfold. Feeling those nerves as I waited at the
checkpoints for Tom and Landie reminded me of how much a true fan I am of this
sport, beyond purely racing myself. And what better inspiration than watching 2
friends win the day before your own run, too!
Nerves
ensued as I began to prepare for the Sky Marathon the next day. Following the
Ultra was a blessing in disguise, as it let my mind wander away from the usual
pre-race jitters. I don't really understand why I get so nervous before races.
I know it’s just a race and I also know that I had trained and prepared to the
best of my ability. Being a very competitive little bastard though, I have a
big fear of failure.
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| Descending Warner's Wall. |
The
race began fast. Michel, Samir and Marty were the first onto the introductory
climb of the day, Mystic. Going up a trail specifically created for downhill
mountain biking is generally somewhat painful…. and this was no exception. The
pace being set by the front 3 guys was pretty hot, so Scotty Hawker and I just
hung back in the distance ever so slightly to see how things would progress. At
the Summit, Michel was off and blazing with Marty Dent in tow, Samir had
drifted back a little, which saw himself, Scott and I pretty much hit Mick'
track as a trio. Ahead there was a trail of dust as Michel gave us a lesson on
how to go downhill, watching him descend ahead was completely ridiculous. There
was none of this pansy side-to-side movement, it was just a full tilt B-line to
the bottom of Micks track!
Beginning
our ascent up Clearspot, we'd now caught up to Marty and so there was a train
of 4 chasing the big Frenchman up ahead. I was feeling really good and very
content with the situation, we had Michel in sight and I was climbing with 3
runners that I knew to be fit and in form. After the quad(?) burning
lactic-bath to the summit, I'd moved ever so slightly ahead and was running in
2nd. Again, Michel went ballistic on the downs and I couldn't see him until I
got to the top of Warner's Wall where I caught a glimpse of him already at the
bottom and beginning his charge into the Buckland Valley.
|
My
own speed on that specific type of terrain is the best its ever been, only a
fool would back themselves against someone like Marty! So I ran like a scared
little child through the whole valley in hope that the climbs had dulled his
legs a little, and tried not to look behind too many times! I was still feeling
great coming into Keating's Ridge and still had Michel in sight, ever so
slightly. It was a huge boost that after 20kms of racing I hadn’t been caught
by anyone. I tried to take this climb a little easier, as I knew that saving a
little bit over that ridge would mean having a little extra in the tank for the
Big Walk ascent on Mt Buffalo (I had learnt from last year!).
3
climbs down and 1 to go. The grand daddy of the course was sitting boldly in
front of me as I coasted down into the Checkpoint at Eurobin. The huge granite
face of the mountain is an imposing figure on a boy-like man with legs that are
beginning to get a bit tired. Thankfully I knew the climb, and so there were to
be no surprises lying on the trails in front of me. Cowbells and people
screaming encouragement could be heard from afar as Michel made his way through
the checkpoint. With course knowledge to my advantage I knew this meant Michel
sat around 1 minute ahead of me. Generally, I'm not one to work off splits in a
race, I always prefer to run to feel rather than be dictated by my watch.
However, having ran the route before, I knew roughly what time I was expecting
to be at certain points throughout the course, all things going well. My watch
as I left the checkpoint read 2:06, which was a bit faster than I'd
expected, so I was praying that my legs would hold up heading into the climb!
Thankfully, they didn't let me down.
 |
Leaving the Eurobin checkpoint at 25km with my
good friend Mick Donges.
|
After
2 kilometers I could see Michel just ahead of me on the trail, as I clawed back
a little time on the steep, lower slopes. Whilst it gave me a good kick of
confidence, I couldn't help but be a little doubtful too and started to be
concerned that I may have been climbing a little harder than what was
sustainable. But I just rolled with it and kept moving forward at a rate that
felt comfortable for me. By kilometer 3 I had moved past Michel and into the
lead, I let him know that the climb is much easier after the first few km's and
that the gradient tapers off for most parts.
With
a myriad of runners now behind me, my race had really kicked into gear and I
gave myself a kick in the arse. I sat at a tempo I was happy with, and my legs
just kept ticking. At this point in the race I didn't expect to feel very good,
but it turns out that the skinny little dude who won the 32km Sky Race, and
ended up 2nd in the marathon, really knows how to get you fit. With Mr David
Byrne as my running coach and receiving strength & conditioning training
from Mathieu Dore my legs felt amazing. I had started a lap to track my
progress up the climb, and at Mackey's I knew I was moving well. I figured that
if I could run the ascent in around 70mins then I would maintain any distance I
had on those behind me at the bottom by the time I reached the top, but in
these races, you never really know.
 | ||
Coming
through the Galleries I saw fellow Salomon Australia runner and 2nd place in
the Ultra, Beth Cardelli and her partner. They were great support out there
when the going was tough! As you'd imagine, my legs were becoming pretty shot
by this point. With only about 4km to go, and no other runners in sight, I was
nervous without knowing how far ahead I was. If they were on the same
little loop as me i'd never know, as the bush is dense and the trails are
tight. However I knew that if I got off the loop and saw the runners there,
that I probably had a big enough gap to hold on until the finish.
With
3 km left to run, I saw a friend out on the course and I anxiously asked
for a time gap to 2nd place, "14 minutes" he said..... Wait, 4
minutes? I replied, thinking that he surely couldn't be right! "No, 14
minutes when you hit the Chalet". My stomach went into knots, as I
couldn't believe what I'd just heard. Rounding the next couple of bends, I came
across 2nd place and all round good guy, David Byrne. Dave
won Friday's 32km Sky Race and was backing up with a ridiculous run
on the Sunday. He is a very incredibly fit and race smart individual. He
is also the man that has been helping me for the last few months with my
training, and it seems to be working well! Next I saw Michel, about 1min behind
David, he was in great spirits but unfortunately had some stomach problems on
the penultimate climb of the day...
About this point I realized that, barring disaster, I was on
for the win. Possibly meeting the prediction of the 1st place runner going
under the 4hr mark. I backed it off a bit and tried to relax as much as
possible heading back to the finish, my legs were toasted but I had a smile
from ear to ear approaching the Chalet for the last time. Emerging from the
single track and onto the finishing shoot was the most amazing feeling ever. I
probably looked like a bit of a douche because I got so ridiculously excited,
but I don't win often, and so for me it was a very special moment. Lots and
lots of training goes into being the best we can be in a demanding sport like
trail running, and it's indescribable when it all pays off and you can enjoy
the fruits of your labour.
.jpg) |
| Sweet relief and satisfaction. |
Our team of athletes for the weekend consisted of Michel Lanne, Stevie Kremer, Tom Owens, Landie Greyling, Matt Cooper, Gretel Fortman, Mick Donges, Beth Cardelli, Jarad Kohlar, Lucy Bartholomew and myself. Other than those of us running, we all owe a HUGE thank you to those that kept us clothed and fed for the weekend. Everybody at Salomon and Suunto Australia, plus our import for the weekend, Claire from Salomon France!
As
always, thank you to all of my friends and family that
make even participating in these events possible! Salomon, Suunto, Shotz Sports
Nutrition & SwissEye, Mum & Dad, my brother & sister and the rest
of the wonderful people that make this sport what it is! I look forward to
running this event again as I truly think it will be bigger and better year
after year.
Next stop, La Palma!
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| Tom very reluctantly hugging a sweaty, dirty me. |
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| Left to right, 2nd David Byrne, Myself, 3rd Michel Lanne. |
For those of you that are interested in the data my Movescount is: www.movescount.com/members/blakehose
Strava: www.strava.com/athletes/8474065?utm_source=top-nav
