by Shane Hutton.  Injured La Sportiva Ambassador


So injury sucks but mostly you can learn a lot from it. 
I have recently been sidelined from running for the best part of 6 months. All bar a small trip to NZ in Jan & clocking up 100km I have done no running. 

It started as Patella tendinitis I guess 2 years ago while training for running around Port Philip bay. I continued to train & just run through it in the hope it would go away. After resting a little after the bay run I trained up & ran the length of Tasmania 672km. 

Throughout that training the pain returned to the extent I was getting bone swelling but hey she`ll be right keep running. Got through the Tassie run & with some careful management trained up nice & solid for my A race. 

The Alpine Challenge Miler. Probably the first time I had a real race goal other than to just finish. I was feeling good except the knee & was definitely running my fastest & strongest ever. The knee persisted & persisted until on my last long hard run it blew up. 

I couldn`t even finish my run or run the last 3km home. It was done. 2 weeks out & I had to drop from the race. I was devastated. I had worked so hard for it how could this be. 

So after an initial rest period & all the usual ice blah blah blah it was time for a scan. Turns out I have worn a hole in my Patella. Didn`t even think that was possible but hey nothings impossible right??

The diagnosis- Simple get a PRP injection ( Plasma Rich Platelet )  into the hole & that will hopefully generate scar tissue to strengthen the surrounding area. Easy fixed. The problem was I needed to have at least 4 weeks off afterwards. 

Trying to fit that in a schedule around Christmas & The Ultra Life trips was proving to be tough. Looks like the first available time would be in April...hmmm... 

After the initial depression wore off & I realized I could still ride my bike things started to improve. Not only did I re discover my love for mountain biking I realized that I could ride a long way in a day & it didn`t hurt like running. 

I could still go camping at Buller & still have just as much fun on the bike. I was also discovering that there was more to life than running. Don`t get me wrong I love running & it has been a difficult time not doing it everyday but there IS more to life. 

I rode my road bike 400km over in WA with no training at all. Carried all my own sleeping gear & food. It was AMAZING. to cover 224km in 1 day & feel reasonably good... Fantastic. ( I did it once running & it took 34hours & near broke me ) 

In the mean time I have discovered Bikepacking. It is similar to Fastpacking in a sense that you pack very light & go to nice remote places. This is something I can do with R. We are now on a trip to America to cycle from Banff to Mexico & beyond should our budget allow it. 

This is something that probably would not of happened if it weren`t for the injury. I would of just bounced from 1 race to the next & continued to set myself ridiculous running  challenges. Don`t panic I have a few up my sleeve. 

I have had the injection & it seems to be going well. I am about to start running again but I am happy to take the next 12 months to get back to where I was, but this time I will be smarter because hey it`s just running after all.  

I`m not sure what I am trying to say here, perhaps just remember that everything happens for a reason, sometimes it`s not clear at the start but you will find it & who knows you might discover things outside of running :D 

Happy Trails 

by Richelle Olsen - She Science Ambassador
Images:  The amazing ones were taken by Bill Robson.  I'll take credit for the happy snaps!

If you have read some of my previous event blogs, you will find a bit of a common theme....enter an event, biting off more than I can chew, fight off inevitable demons of self induced lows during the race, only to come out at the end of the race victorious in my own head, even if I had come last, or close enough to...but well and truly armed with some life lessons.

Sorry to disappoint, but I loved this race from start to finish, and I didn’t come last!!

I’d been following Adventure Junkie events for a few years now.  Maria and Serge have always had some amazing sounding events on the calendar, but for some reason or another, I’ve never been able to make one.  But I saw this Lysterfield Sprint Adventure Race on one of my free weekends, and promptly convinced one of my best MTB buddies, Lyndal to join me, and we became Team She Science.

The event was made up of a 4.5km run/hike, a 8k ish MTB, a 3km kayak, a 1.5km run and finally another 8k MTB.  There was around 60 teams of 2 and everyone is given a map for each of the legs, with checkpoints marked, and you need to work out how to get to them, using tracks, or simply bush-bashing your way through.   

We were pretty slow on the runs (thanks to me who has run twice in about 5 months!), our bike was pretty good (both Lyndal and I have spent a bit of time on the bike of late), and I’ll tell you bout our paddle a bit later, but our local knowledge of the park well and truly contributed to our success with navigation.  Oh and some assistance up and down a steep and muddy mini-ravine by a burly male team certainly helped our cause – thanks guys!  We convinced ourselves we could have done it alone, but we would have taken 10 times as long, and we would have come out looking like we had a mud bath!

The paddle was a bit of a task, definitely the hardest leg for 2 girls who don’t paddle!  Who knew that Lysterfield had current and got choppy!  Visions of capsizing in the middle of the lake and not being able to get back on were pushed to the back of our minds most of the time, but our arms were ready to fall off after about 3 minutes!  But a mid lake break for some salted caramel banana lollies did the trick and sent us back on our way.  Quote of the day -  Lyndal: “The girls in that boat look really uncomfortable, and they both have their paddles upside down”  Me:  “But they are beating us...hmmm”  Followed by fits of laughter!  We were well and truly glad to be back under foot power after that!

After about 4 hours we rode through the big black Adventure Junkie finishers arch, super proud of ourselves, and still smiling like we had been all day!  The smile being even more the wider knowing that there were still a few teams to come in after us!  Wooooo not last!!

This was a super organised event, which was a credit to Maria and Serge and their team of volunteers.  Checkpoints were close enough to where they were meant to be (even if some of them were in sneaky little places like down a ditch!!), and not too difficult for novices like us!  The hamburgers, salad rolls and fruit after the event were definitely a winner for hungry adventure racers!  And what I loved about this event was the range of racers, from the super quick athletes, to the couples where the wife doesn’t even ride a bike, but had been talked into it by her hubby!  And everything inbetween!

Thanks again to Adventure Junkie, and kudos to their sponsors for helping make it happen:  Shotz Sports Nutrition, SoulRider - Spin Studio, Trailmix Lysterfield Park,360 wellness, Peak Adventure.

We will be back next year!!!

PS.  I just saw the results, and not only did we not come last, we actually came 39th out of 53 teams!!  Much to do with the fact its more important to get checkpoints and be a little slower, rather than miss some, and be fast!  Seems having half a brain helps in these kind of races!!  Wooo!  Over the moon!!

by Richelle Olsen, She Science Ambassador

What could we do over Easter in Victoria, that is low cost, close to home, and avoids the crowds?

Packing up the bikes and bikepacking through the Mt Buller region of course! Basically circumnavigating the mountain, using 4x4 trails, a Hut to Hut adventure of sorts.  130+kms with over 3,000m of ascent.

• Starting at our house block at Sawmill Settlement, we climbed up Circuit Rd to TBJ (with a well deserved pit stop at the awesome Epicentre for coffee, coke and cookies!), then down to Pineapple Flat for the night.  32kms.  

• Day 2 saw plenty of river crossings as we made the climb up Speculation Rd, back on the Circuit Rd for a bit, then down Bindaree Rd with a brief stopover at the Falls, before finishing at Bindaree Hut.   34kms.
  

• A visit from the Easter bunny on Day 3 made for an amazing start to an enormous climb up and over Refrigerator Gap, resulting in a dropped lip or 2 from me, and an amazing descent (with some hills thrown in) to Sheepyard Flat and the hoardes of people.  42kms.
  

• And the 4th and final day took us climbing up the absolutely deserted Doughtys Rd, with spectacular views back over the West Ridge of Mt Buller, and the peacefulness of having the whole road to ourselves without being dusted out!  After a sharp, abrupt descent, we found ourselves back on the bitumen, with only a short rather sharp hill between us and home.  26kms.
  

Gear List

Bikes/racks and bags:

Shane – Giant Anthem 29er dual suspension, with a Bike Bag Dude Large Handlebar roll, a Thule Pack ‘n Pedal Tour rack  and 2 hot pink Ortlieb back roller panniers (he's telling everyone they are mine!).  He was carrying around 22kg of extra gear, including water.

Richelle – Trek Fuel eX 8 dual suspension, with an Oveja Negra Seatpost Bag, and a dry bag attached to the handlebars with and occy strap.  She also carried a small Salomon backpack with 3L water.  Mine was around 7kgs of extra gear.

Other gear:

2 spare tubes, chain lube, bike tools,  Jetboil stove + gas, Sea to Summit collapsible bowls and cups, Sporks, cleansing wipes, Ay Up lights, Body Glide. 

Shane’s clothes:

1 x cycling knicks and shirt
OR Helium Jacket 
Patagonia Ultralight Down jacket
La Sportiva lightweight windproof layer
Thermal top and bottoms
Boardies
Thongs
Buff


Richelle’s clothes:

1 x cycling knicks and shirt
Patagonia Torrentshell jacket
Patagonia Nano-puff hoodie
Snowgum lightweight hiking trousers
Thermal bottoms
Nike baselayer top
Feetures Elite light no-show socks 
Shock Absorber Ultimate Run Bra 
Buff
Thongs

4 Days worth of food

Dinners:
Backcountry freeze dried meals 
Deb dried mash potato, with olive oil and milk powder
Safcol Salmon Pouches (Mild Red Chili) with 2 minute noodles
Cookies
Weight Watchers instant choc pudding

Breakfasts:
Uncle Toby’s plain porridge sachets with sultanas, tea and coffee with powdered milk

Lunches:
Air dried salami, Laughing Cow cheese, Babybel cheese, Tortillas

Snacks:
Ginger nut biscuits, Nuts, seeds, sultanas and choc chip scroggin mix, Snakes, Museli bars, bag of small easter eggs

By Richelle Olsen
Adventure seeker, slow runner and biker and She Science Ambassador www.shescience.com.au

On a Friday night in mid January, 4 young ladies stand on platform 9 at Flinders St station, in Melbourne, astride bikes, with packs on backs, and massive grins plastered across their faces.  There may have also been some honking coming from a bright pink airhorn, attached to a bike named Taylor Swift....

5kms down the track we found our campsite, Fairhaven.  With nothing more than a drop loo (and some lovely spearmint infused hand sanitiser!), and a watertank (please boil before drinking), it was a perfect spot to pull up a patch of ground in the protection of the tea-tree, rest the bike against the nearest tree trunk (no bike locks needed here!), and put the tents up.  And it was all done just in time to walk the 10 metres to the most wonderful, deserted, white beach, to sit on the sand with a glass of wine, a sausage roll dipped in homemade relish and a slice of Feather Loaf.....facing west to watch as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon.....
 

The girls were full of praise – pinching themselves (and hugging each other!) that we were there in such a perfect spot, asking me how many times I’d been there, how did I know this spot.  The funniest thing is I didn’t...I had never been there before.  This microadventure was purely the result of making friends with Mr Google!  And if they were chuffed, I was ecstatic that it had exceeded my wary expectations, and that I hadn’t dragged my mates along to some hole of a location!  What a relief!
 

So now's the time to create your own #microadventure  Step outside your comfort zone, lose your excuses, and create your own adventure!   All you need is a little imagination, and a load of enthusiasm.  I guarantee you will not regret it!  

Do get in touch with me via [email protected] or via The Ultra Life facebook page if you need any advice on your own #microadventure!!!

Happy #Microadventuring!!

Richelle

My Gear List:

Trek Fuel EX8 Dual Suspension mountain bike
MSR Nook 2 person ultralight tent 
Mountain designs thermarest
Osprey Talon 33 backpack
Mont Prolight 150 sleeping bag (available from Bogong Equipment)

We had 2 weeks off over the Xmas/NY break.  What could we do?  Shane was injured, so our usual head to the mountains for hiking/running was out, and well we couldn't just stay at home!  We had often talked about riding one of Victoria's rail trails, and had even bought a rail trail book, but like most things, ideas pass, and books go walkabout...  Until now.  Borrowing a friend's railtrail book, I sat down and found the longest one in Victoria, 97kms from Bairnsdale in Victoria's east, to Orbost.  And with no way back from Orbost (you can't take bikes on V/Line buses on that route), it quickly became an out and back of around 194kms.  4 days/3 nights sounded about right.

Done, thats what we were doing.  That was easy.

Shane - none, nada, zilch.  Though he's a long distance, often multi-day, ultra runner, and has done his fair share of road riding and mountain biking over the years, so pain is not new to him.

Richelle - zippo, big fat zero.  I've never done multi-day anything.  Tho i do sporadically ride my mountain bike for 2hrs or so once every few months, and a few years back I did some crazy road rides, including the 210km Around the Bay in a Day.  So I had a slight inkling as to what I was in for - and without an ounce of training, I assumed there would be a bit of hurt to go with it!

30 degrees with a 1pm start (after the 4hr drive from Melb) kept the day short, and Shane was very keen to not kill me on day 1!  He showed he was human too, suffering from a cold, it was time to find some shade and the river.

Highlights:

• Flatish trail, a bit of douche grade (you know the type, it looks flat, but for some reason its a struggle!)
  
• Brand new picnic shelters on the trail
  
• THE most comfortable campsite you could imagine, right on the Tambo River, the Bruthen Caravan Park run by Wally, the hippy caretaker, who gave us both hugs when we met him!  The bathrooms even had pretty floor mats and doilies on the sink.  We have never seen a place so clean!
  
• Laying in the afternoon shade at the campsite, half napping, half listening to the live music coming from the pub across the river.
  
• The Porterhouse from the Bruthen Pub for dinner!
  

So today's intention was to smash me!  Haha!  And it worked!  It was a big day on the trail after yesterday's ease in.

Highlights:

• A very sore bum!  For both of us!  Not a highlight per se, but a lingering theme for the whole trip!
  
• Trestle bridges, 2 of them, just before and just after Nowa-Nowa - so picturesque!
  
• Picnics.  Today Shane introduced me to my hourly picnic.  Like clockwork I seemed to hit a wall every hour or so.....a combo of saddle soreness, heat, my pack is too heavy and I haven't ridden a bike in way too long-ness!  The picnic was a 10 min sit down, feeding me with party mix, muesli bars and water.  In no time I was like a new one!
  
• Shane seeing a massive monitor lizard crossing the trail in front of him
• THE storm!  We watched and heard this one coming for a while, thunder, lightening, driving sideways rain, a drop in temperature by at least 10 degrees for the 20 mins it lasted.  I was riding one-eyed - the left one was getting slapped with the rain, but like drowned rats, we pedaled on through!  Then when it stopped it was awesome to watch the steaming ground around us.
  
• The 10km downhill fun coming into Orbost (put the next morning's return journey out of my mind, and enjoyed!)
• Arrival in Orbost!  Such a sense of achievement!  67kms was a very big day for me!  I had only ever heard of Orbost in the weather on the 9 news at nights, and it always seemed like the end of the earth, but here we were, and we had ridden there!  Also timed it perfectly to meet up with Carley who was passing through at the same time in the car!
  
• Pizza!!  Tucked into a back alley behind the chemist, we found a pizza joint, a hole in the wall, The Snowy River Historic Bakery, featuring a big, long haired pizza chef, rocking out to some punk tunes as he created his masterpieces in front of his wood oven.  This was the best BBQ Chicken pizza Shane had ever eaten, and that's saying something!  Pizzas were $20 each, but they are huge, we couldn't even get through the whole one between the 2 of us!  
  
• Surviving a night in the tent with some massive winds, yay, didn't get blown away!  Tho unfortunately the only caravan park in town is also situated on the main trucking route.  Nothing like feeling like a truck is going to run over your head at 3am in the morning!

Highlights

• Sore bum!!!
• The climb out of Orbost was fine, nothing more than douche grade, smashed out the first 30km of the day feeling great.  But then according to Shane, I blew up!  But it was so fun!  But it then meant that the final 23kms I was the Mayor of Struggletown!
• Burgers at Mingling Waters - delicious, though what cafe doesn't do chips with burgers?  So Shane had to back his up with pancakes!
• More picnics - the only thing that got me through
• Water barrels kindly provided by Snowy River Cycling.
• Bush camping right on the side of the trail.  Perfect setting, unfortunately we happened to camp on top of a mosquito rave party, which meant that far from sitting under a tree reading a book for the arvo, it was a mad dash to get the tent set up, just so we could be held captive by these blood-sucking ravers for the afternoon and evening!  Mental note, Aerogard does nothing, must bring the Bushmans next time!
  
• The serenity - the only thing to wake us up was the birdsong, no people, no cars, no trucks, it was bliss!

Highlights

• Shane attached his sleeping bag to his handlebars to make more space in the bag, a great idea, until the ties came undone on a bushy downhill section of trail, and $700 worth of sleeping bag in a dull grey colour bounced off the trail and down a ravine...oooops!!
  
• Sore bum! 
• 2hr 40 marathon - anyone would have thought I wanted to get finished!
• The end!!!  Still pretty stoked to have covered nearly 200kms over 4 days, and had so much fun in between!!!

The plan was to fill 30L backpacks with our camping gear for the 4 days, and wear them as we rode our mountain bikes.  Shane's weighed around 15-16kgs, and mine 8-10kgs.  So that's what we did.  Shane recommends it, as it removes any excuse from just getting out there.  I'd like to note my thoughts in that heavy packs on backs on bikes don't mix.  They are uncomfortable and dig in where they shouldn't.  BUT, it was definitely doable!!   We were green with envy looking at the panniers attached to all the bikes we passed....sigh... I wish we had panniers!!

In saying that, we were also very lucky that we could be self sufficient with camping gear and clothes for 4 days, and food and water for 2-3 days in just 18kg of stuff.  

Tent - MSR Nook (2 person) only 1.6kgs - many thanks for lending it to us Kylie and Adz.  After being held hostage one arvo and evening by mozzies, I was very relieved Shane and I weren't sharing his 1 man tent!

Rollmats - Shane had his ultralight Exped Synmat UL7M , weighing next to nothing and taking up even less space.  I borrowed a mountain designs rollmat, thanks again K &A!

Sleeping bags - again ultralight and packed small, we had Shane's Western Mountaineering -100 degrees beast  (ok, Shane says I shouldn't exaggerate, its a -7 degree bag, same same - either way definitely overkill for this trip, but you make do with what you have!), and his Mont half bag, again, super light and super small, perfect for this trip.  

Clothes - of course we both took too much.  We were very lucky with the mild weather (well except for the kick ass storm!), so the thermals and the puffy jackets and wet weather gear went unused, but we would still pack them in case they were needed.  I also splurged and brought my fave trackies, space takers, yes, but very worth it!  I ended up tying my clothes bag to my handlebars to move the weight off my back a bit, which was a great relief.

Food - 2 min noodles, Ainsley Harriot cous cous, tins of tuna, muesli bars, porridge sachets, gels (don't take gels, they weigh a ton!), party mix, a packet of ginger nut biscuits, tea and coffee.  We only ate around half of these though, as we did eat out quite a lot on this trip!

Water - We both had 1 bidon on our bikes, Shane carried 1L in his camelback and I carried 2L in mine.  For the most part it was overkill.  All we really needed was the 1 bidon, and maybe 500ml in the camelback, as there were a couple of points to fill up.  The Snowy River Cycling Club very very kindly placed out some water on the trail in marked kegs in 2 spots, so the max between water would have been around 15-20km.

Bikes:  Shane rides a Giant Anthem 29er dual suspension MTB, and mine is a Trek Fuel EX dual suspension MTB.  These were great bikes for the rail trail, though you could do it on a hybrid, or a roadie with fatter tyres.  I wouldn't recommend a roadie with slicks, as the hard packed gravel is soft in parts, and there's also some rougher sections.

by Richelle Olsen

With only 5 weeks to go to the epic La Sportiva Running Wild Alpine Challenge, the 100 mile and 100km runners will now be reaching their peak of training,  and polishing off their race plans.  Either that, or they will be madly panicing about what the hell they have signed up for.....??!!

And if you haven't already, now is the perfect time for you as support crew to start planning your race day with your runner.  Whether you are getting them over the line for a course record, or simply getting them to the finish with all their arms and legs attached, your job is key to them having a successful race.

I'm by no means an expert at crewing, but after crewing my partner Shane Hutton at 2 previous Alpine Challenge 100milers, once at the Leadville 100 miler in Colorado, as well as a multitude of 100km events, shorter ultra runs,a 24hr mountain biking enduro event, and a 14 day epic run from the top of Tassie to the bottom, I've learnt a thing or 2 about the crewing game.  Crewing for the first time is pretty daunting, so I thought I'd share a few of my lessons learned along the way!

1. Eat properly.  Plan your own food intake for the duration.  Think real meals, make up some fried rice or cous cous with lots of veggies, and some protein.  Or make up enough of whatever you are feeding your runner for you too.  Healthy snacks, and plenty of fruit, all in an esky.   Include a couple of treats (especially for the night-time section), but steer clear of eating too much junk.  You are competing in an ultra endurance event too, so fuel you body with that in mind!  I learned the hard way at last year's Alpine that a 1kg bag of cadbury easter eggs is not appropriate crew fuel!

2. Sleep!  Plan when you are going to sleep as much as you can.  Any 1-2hr naps you can grab will help both you and your runner.  I bring a foam camp mattress, super comfy for a kip or two, and don't forget your sleeping bag or doona!  You can even pack a little 1-2 man tent to set up by the side of the car - especially helpful if you have more than 1 crew member.  But remember to set an alarm, you want to be awake and alert for their arrival.  (Otherwise you maybe rudely awakened at Mt Loch carpark at midnight, in minus 5 with galeforce winds by the boot of the car opening and 2 freezing runners jumping in with you under your doona - thats how I woke up a couple of years back!)

3. Bring a gas stove, or even better, a Jetboil  (boils water in under 2mins!).  Something small and easy to use is ideal.  Its November, and its the mountains - at some point its highly likely that your runner (and you) will get very cold.  With a stove you can heat water for hot drinks, soups, even instant mash potato!  You can also use it to heat up any of your meals that you may have prepared (spag bol, fried rice etc).

4. Bring a thermos.  When you do boil up some water, fill your thermos for tea/coffee/hot chocolate/chai/cuppa soup for later.  Way quicker than boiling water everytime you or your runner want a quick drink.  Also, as a lot of this task contains boredom, drinking hot drinks gives you something to pass the time, and saves you from boredom snacking!  Particularly useful through the night.  If you are like me, who loves tea, Ill bring 2 thermos's, 1 for tea only (pours ready brewed tea, rather than fiddling with teabags), and one for hot water.  This is my new fave tip - I'll be trying this one myself for the first time this year!

5. Know where you are going for each of the checkpoints.  Some you can drive into, but others you will need to pull on your runners/boots and hike out to the checkpoint a few kms from the road.  Id suggest  heading out to each of the checkpoints you are planning on meeting your runner at, and familiarising yourself with the area.  In particular those that you will be visiting at night.  In particular, familiarise yourself with the Warby Corner hike in the day time, as, on race day, you will be hiking that before sunrise.  Its a very easy track to follow (around 5-6kms), but intimidating if doing it alone in the dark.  A decent head torch is crucial!  And if you have a fast runner, be prepared to run (or mountain bike) into Warby yourself, you don't want to miss your runner!

6. Break up your driving.  You may need to do the drive from Langfords Gap (top of Falls Creek) to Mt Loch carpork (top of Mt Hotham) at some point late on Saturday.  Google maps tell you its a 90 min drive, it doesn't mention that its a super windy descent down Falls Creek, windy again through Tawonga Gap, and another big windy climb up Hotham.  Its an exhausting drive after being awake for many hours already.  Be careful on this drive (coming from someone who deliriously was pretending to be a racecar driver around the hairpins of Mt Hotham a few years back), and break up the drive.  Stop in Mt Beauty for a break, or take the 10km round trip detour into Bright, stop for coffee, or at Woolworths for supplies.  You will have plenty of time, so look after yourself.

7. Know where you can get food and other supplies at a pinch.  Bogong Village only has a restaurant, Falls Creek may have a cafe or 2 for food or coffee - the supermarket on the mountain will not be open in November.  Mt Beauty has a good small town range of shops, with a bakery and Foodworks, open from 8am-7pm everyday.  Bright is the biggest town in the area with a Woolworths supermarket, open 7am - 10pm on weekends.  Harrietville has a couple of pubs and cafes, and Mt Hotham has The General Hotel, famous for its pizzas.  Call ahead and order, as they get pretty busy, and note the kitchen is only open 6pm - 8.30pm.  They also have a very basic general store there.

8. Only 2 crew per car.  Unless you have a van, between all your supplies, you will still need a place to attempt a sleep here and there.  And no one sleeps well sitting up!  (there's the tent option if you do have a number of crew).

9. Bring a picnic rug, great for laying out your runner's gear on the ground, both at the car, and the hike in checkpoints.  Also great for a snooze in the sun!  Camp chairs are also very handy for lounging at checkpoints, and providing a chair for your runner to take a load off...don't let them sit too long though!  And finally a warm blanket/towels to wrap around your runner when they get a lil chilly.

10. Keep warm, and cool.  Its the mountains, prepare for all types of weather, including heat, snow and rain!  If the sun is out during the day, it can get hot, and you can easily burn.  Keep covered, as there's nothing like sunburn and dehydration to make crewing a miserable experience.  Same goes for preparing for wet and cold - make sure you have wet weather gear with good coverage (I pack both waterproof jacket and pants!), and warm clothes particularly for the nighttime.  And plenty of changes of clothes in the event of rain!  My favourite piece of warm gear is the famous cow onesie!  Thick, and not breatheable at all, it keeps you warm and toasty through the night (just take it off before it gets warm again...did I mention it doesn't breathe!?)

11.  Agree the food plan with your runner.  Kinds of food, backup options in case of stomach upset, estimated calories/food types for each section, how they like their tailwind or hydration mixed.  A quick chat before the race will make things so much easier on the day.  Have food packed ready for them to take from each checkpoint.  It's a good idea for them to leave with a handful of food too.  

Don't offer your runner too many food options.  Now is a great time to decide what they are eating on their behalf.  Of course if they request something specific, give it too them, but rule of thumb is 2 options, otherwise they will become overwhelmed.  In the later stages or the race they won't be thinking too straight, and become a little like children, so there will be some mothering involved.  I've been known shovel food into Shane's mouth.  I draw the line, however at helping with toilet needs....

If you are looking for fast turnarounds: have a spare bladder (water bladder that is!) or handhelds, so you can have it filled and ready for a fast swap over.

12. Plan estimated meeting times with your runner.  Your runner will know best their abilities, and even if plans change, its still a baseline.  It's mountains...20k up a mountain won't equate to the same time across the high plains.  Knowing expected times will help you plan your day (and your sleeps!).

13. Use a friend finder app on your smartphone.  When you link your phone to your runners phone, you can both see where each other is on a map.  Great for seeing how far away they are.  Keep in mind that signal in the mountains is patchy at best.  I use Find My Friends (we jokingly call it Stalk my Husband!) on my iphone.

14. Use Telstra phones - any other phone provider in the mountains is next to useless.  At a minimum your runner should have a Telstra phone, but so should you if you want to have the best chance of communicating if you need to.  I don't have a Telstra phone, but past years I've just bought a cheap Telstra pre-paid SIM (just remember that checking facebook will chew through your credit if you don't get a data pack!)

15. Walkie-talkies - Walkie talkies are a great idea for communication in areas where theres little phone reception.  You can give one to your runner, so they can let you know when they are not too far away within range (and you can start organising their food etc).  Or you can do what I did in Leadville, which is a very crowded event with carparking often a long way from the checkpoint.  I was crewing with Shane's sister Jo, and Jo would run forward from the checkpoint to meet Shane on the way in, would ask him what he needed, and radio his needs through to me at the car.  She would then lead him to the car, where Id have his supplies all ready to go, which saved him waiting around.  Keep in mind that walkie talkies can be fickle things, so do your research before deciding which ones to buy.

16.  Use storage boxes.  I like to organise the boot of the car with clear plastic storage boxes.  1 big one for Shane's running gear (changes of clothes, shoes, socks etc), 1 medium one for food, and another shallow box with dividers (like that in the pic) as a quick reference box.  Each section will contain crucial stuff for the checkpoints, eg.  sweet foods section, savory foods section, first aid section (anti-chafe, bandaids, blister plasters, panadol etc) etc



17.  Pack some surprise snacks for your runner.  Something they don't expect, that you can pull out when they are at their lowest point.  Shane has a special liking for subway cookies, so I'll always pick up a couple in Bright, and have them ready for him when he needs them

18. Motivate your runner!  Nows the time to think out of the box, and prepare some fun stuff to keep your runner motivated as the race goes on.  It distracts them, at least temporarily, from the task at hand, and they are fun for you!  Get creative - crew shirts, motivation posters and whiteboards, glow sticks (don't explode them in the car, they will never come off the car roof!), dress ups, interpretive dance, you name it, have some fun...and most often there won't be anyone watching you being a crazy in the middle of the night!

Do you have any other tips?  Share them in the comments for all to see!!

By Shane Hutton

Well it`s that time of year again. This Saturday will see the running of the 2014 Leadville 100mile Ultramarathon. This race is on a lot of peoples bucket list as it`s one of the granddaddy ultras. It holds a special place in my heart as to date it is the only 100mile race I have ever finished. This year I am thrilled one of my very good friends Dave is competing. It is his first crack at 100 miles & I know he is going to smash it.

I first met Dave back in 2011 at the Great Ocean Walk 100km. We were both attempting the run for the first time & for me it was my second attempt at 100km. We all set off in the morning & Dave & I quickly found ourselves running together with the same goal, to finish was goal 1 & goal 2 to finish around 14hrs.

Dave was great company he is an Englishman so this automatically makes him hilarious & the other thing was he would retch every time he had a gel. This made for a very entertaining day out. We both finished GOW together in 15:22. To this day Dave has remained a great mate.

Dave had entered Leadville last year but after some setbacks decided not to go to the states & race. The race organisers are very forgiving if you get in early enough & he was able to transfer his entry to this year. After a solid build up & many times talking on the phone whilst he has been out on his long runs he has made it to the start line.

I am so excited for him & know he is going to do well. I am sure he will entertain many others as he is running & retching but it`s all a part of his race plan hahahaha. 

Good luck Dave I will be up all night Sunday tracking your progress & celebrating with you as you cross the line. 

You can track Dave's progress on the Leadville 100 Mile Race Tracker, race number 427.

And checkout how Dave intends on getting through the gruelling race (taken in preparation for Bogong to Hotham in 2011):

by Richelle Olsen - slow runner, hiker and outdoorsy-type

Wow, so do I have PLENTY to say about the GORGEous trails we were subjected to for Race 2 of the Salomon Trail Running Series.  In case you didn't get it, it was at Plenty Gorge, just outside Melbourne.

A week before the race, I put it to my facebook friends “Do I bother forking out the cash for an entry into Salomon Race 2, or just be tight and do my own trail run near home?”  After plenty of “Definitely come, I’ll be there”, and “I’ll be there”, “I’ll go if you do”, it was settled….why would I pass up the chance to run with a whole lot of other like-minded trail runners, and my friends?  So I entered the medium course, approx. 12km.

Sunday dawned clear, and I was up and out the door in no time.  Arrived at Plenty Gorge with ample rego and hang around time, time to catch up with friends both old and new!  And before I knew it I’d joined tail end of the buzz of the start line.  I love that moment, so much nervous and excited electricity in the air.  But no nerves for me, I was just keen to get started (and to get warm!)

I’m a pretty slow runner.  I could say I had tired legs, I could say I had and injury, been sick, had a terrible sleep, but no.  I’m a slow runner, and I sometimes/often walk, that’s just the way it is!  So very quickly I found myself at the back of the pack, enjoying my own personal tour of the Plenty Gorge, following the green ribbon.   Well I was kinda enjoying it.  At the same time I was berating myself for coming last again, as I’m known to do.  

Then, suddenly, mid-negative self-talk,  I heard voices, lots of voices!  As I shuffled around the corner, I came across a big line up of people waiting for something.  “Awwww shucks guys, you didn’t have to wait for me!”  I was pretty excited to be back in the pack!  Turned out there was a super slippery, steep downhill section, which involved some delicate footwork that was holding everyone up.  After a few mins of forced breath catching, we were all off again!

This time I kept a few of the other girls in sight for a while, but before too long I was back on my own personal tour.   This was the probably my lowest point.  I was hating myself for coming last, my legs were hurting, and I was over it.  I seriously contemplated turning off at the short course turnoff.  But then I realised that due to their start time, even if I turned there, I’d still be last in the 6km race, as well as dealing with the failure of not finishing what I’d come to do.  Nope, theres more glory in coming last in a 12 km than a 6km,  I was going to finish what I started!

Then around another corner, lo and behold,  another big line up of runners, this time waiting to cross the icy river!  Getting involved in the usual banter of how cold it will be, how much fun running in wet runners will be, I mentioned that I’d heard that some softees were known to take their shoes and socks off before they crossed, how silly is that.  Another runner looked at me and said “well that’s what I had planned to do”  ooops!  Foot in mouth!!!  I must say that aided by ropes and a big strong man in the middle of the river (his feet must have been iceblocks!), the river crossing was a lot of fun!  And to add to my joy, another girl, Kat had come up behind me…I wasn’t last!  Wooo!  We had a chat climbing the bank on the other side, and as we did so, heard another girly voice crossing the river.  What a relief, really not last now!

I kept Kat in my sights till she left the aid station at the top of the big hill, she must have needed water, cause after that she took off!  But that was also the “past halfway point” at 6.5kms, so its all downhill from there!!  Looking behind me every now and then to see if I could see anyone, on I trotted, knowing that the worst of the hills were done, and I just had to get this thing finished!  And as long as I kept going, I wasn’t going to be last!

It was funny that for the last 2kms I would hear the announcements at the finish line, it sounded so close, but was still sooo far!   And I had no idea in which direction it was coming from, such was the sound bouncing around the gorge!

As I rounded the corner coming into the finishing straight, I could see the crowd had thinned considerably, but at least they hadn’t taken the finishing arch down!  And there was one lone figure standing at the finish line, my friend Meleah!  I was soooooooo happy to see her, and that she had waited for me, having finished half an hour earlier!  I even mustered up a “fast shuffle” to finish with!  So happy!

Even better, as I guzzled down my 4th cup of Nunn hydration, then who shows up?  Blyndal!  My great mates Bill and Lyndal had hung about to see me too, aww thanks guys!

So I’ve checked the results today, and I see that I was in fact last.  Not sure what happened to the girl behind me, maybe she was a much needed figment of my imagination!  But you know what I don’t care, cause I beat everyone else who was still on the couch, or tucked up in bed, or struggling with the aftermath of the night before.  Cause I had the pride of finishing.  I had set a baseline time to beat next year.  And I very rightly deserved every moment of my afternoon nap!!!

Thanks to Rapid Ascent for putting on a great trail run, in some awesome surrounds.  And to my friends who were with me out there, at the start and at the end, its great to know you were there!!

When I first met Shane and Richelle a little under 12 months ago, I was blissfully unaware of the amazing experiences that their creative, adventure-addicted minds would have me endure. With open arms they have welcomed me into their world, a world full of enthusiasm, generosity, big dreams and on Shane’s side of things, a touch of masochism. For those that don’t know this wonderful couple, they together engineered the beautiful, selfless creation that is “The Ultra Life”. In leading what they believe is an Ultra Life themselves, this personal project set up by Richelle & Shane enables them to share their love of the outdoors & take people off the beaten track. It`s also a vehicle for sharing their fundraising exploits for The Shake It Up Foundation.  Their most notable fundraising effort­ to date is Shane’s epic 230km non-stop run around the bay.   A gruelling task which required him to hobble for the final 70km with a torn soleus, doing what he does best and suffering miserably for the things in life he believes in most. In this case, his suffering lead to him raising an astounding $10,000 for Shake It Up.

The ventures of this project though aren’t all just pain and suffering on Shane’s behalf. Coupling Richelle’s impeccable logistical organizational prowess with Shane’s mighty big hunger for adventure can only result in one thing- mind blowing experiences that are perfectly organized and run like a well-oiled machine. I was recently lucky enough to be a beneficiary of the culmination of these great minds in what was the inaugural Ultra Life Running adventure in New Zealand.  

My eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when Shane put the idea of this trip forth. I couldn’t help but feel the question of whether I would like to go had a somewhat rhetorical nature… New Zealand? Volcanoes?  Running? The Hillary Trail?  I was practically on the plane before he had finished the sentence.  In the blink of an eye the 3 month wait until our departure date had passed and I was on my way to the airport. 

I was truly buzzing with excitement knowing what awaited me just over the ditch in the land of the Kiwi.  Soon I would be setting foot in some of the most beautiful wilderness that the oceanic region has to offer us deadset trail fiends. After all, knowing Shane, when he describes something to you as ‘epic’ and ‘ridiculous’ there’s no shade of doubt that it’s going to be exactly that. Plus a little, or a lot more.   Upon touching down in Auckland, Richelle’s ridiculously good life skills went to work in getting us on the road, we’d boarded the hire car and we all anxiously awaited our arrival at the pristine (and rather large) Lake Taupo. This would be our base for the first 3 nights of the trip. We stayed in a beautiful little establishment labelled ‘La Vista’, it is a neat and very well fitted out rental home pretty much on the lake itself! The view from the kitchen window was a bit of a tease though, as it allowed us to gaze out at our 2 intended major peaks for the trip.  Standing at 2291m was Mt Ngauruhoe and nestled behind is the bigger brother, Mt Ruapehu- possessing a tantalizing peak of 2797m.  Much higher than anything we have at our disposal here in Australia, this only further amplified our excitement for what lay ahead. 

Friday morning rolled around and with a rather mighty spring in our step and smile on our faces, we boarded Terry (this is what we named our hire car) and set off to the Tongariro Alpine crossing.  The main trail of around 19.5km is quite heavily trafficked and actually holds the title of the most popular in New Zealand.  This was no deterrent for our Aussie contingent though and the masses of smiling faces around us only added to the jaw dropping atmosphere.  The Grand plan for the day was to run from the trail head at Mangatepopo valley, take a detour up Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro then cap it off with the quad busting descent past the breathtaking hot pools to the finish at the Ketetahi car park.  With packs clipped in and shoes tied tight, we set off with enthusiasm pouring from every pore of our bodies.  We were soon surrounded by vast faces of rugged volcanic rock and scree, like nothing I’d ever witnessed before.  It was as though we’d stepped into an entirely different world, a world which I instantly knew I was going to have a serious love affair with!

The trail snaked its way up a short but solid climb past the Soda Springs towards the South Crater that sits at the base of Ngauruhoe. Although very well maintained and easily navigated, the trail held no lack of excitement as it still possessed every aspect that us as trail runners love. We were surrounded by awe inspiring peaks and untamed wilderness, the rock underfoot and zigzagging trail always keeping us alert and guessing what could be next.  Funnily enough, the number of people only added to the fun as we got to bounce around like gazelles from side to side, up, down and across as we continued to buzz by the more slowly moving hikers.

Having reached the Southern Crater in a state that could be likened to 4 young children on Christmas eve, a sharp right hand turn off the main trail took us directly towards our first summit bid.  It just so happened on this day that the summit was heavily draped in some very ominous looking clouds, allowing us no visibility nor giving us anything to aim for.  So we just went upwards! Battling through the deep scree and loose rock underfoot, the terrain wasn’t runnable but it sure as hell was a lot of fun.  With our hands on our quads and mouths gasping for air our hiking legs had to come to the fore.  The pain was dulled somewhat though by the enthusiasm we were able to share in what we were doing, trudging up what seemed like a vertical wall we were as happy as could be. Exchanging smart-arse remarks and endless comments regarding the sheer beauty of where we were really made the 30mins it took us to do 1km fly by!  Yep, there were no speed records being set but maybe a few for crap talked in 1.5hrs….

Nearing closer to the top it became no easier.  Each peaking at our watches periodically checking our altitude, the elevation was quickly rising as the temperature was quickly dropping. The dense cloud allowed no warmth of the sun to shine through on the summit, coupling this with strong winds up high, it was how a local may have described as “a but chully”.  Reaching the top was like landing on the moon a welcomed sight yet so entirely different to anything we’d all experienced.  Validating exactly why we do what we do! With no more than 15m visibility we stood right at the edge of the crater, all keen to catch a glimpse of what our hard work had earned us.  Greeted with deep red rock covered in Ice, with cloud howling through- it was nothing short of magical.  Our inability to see out across the landscape was irrelevant and the harshness of the conditions only added more enjoyment to the experience. It felt pure and refreshing to see it like this, to have the world feel like it had disappeared from around us was truly unique and enchanting. Something that I hope I get to experience again.  Sooner rather than later.

After an abundance of happy snaps, it was much too cold to hang around and so the decent began. What started out slowly, as we cautiously navigated the rocks cloaked in ice, it quickly became an absolutely scintillating express train of trailites bombing downwards on the scree covered slopes. Many odd looks came our way as we trundled downwards making noises reminiscent of a group of overly excited school girls. We were having too much fun to care though. All feeling like little kids again it was full gas to the bottom, shoes and socks heaped with crushed rock, the altitude that had taken so long to gain had vanished in an instant. The fun however, was only just beginning!

From there we ventured to the summit of Mt Tongariro, again we were nothing short of astounded with the incredible views and a much simpler more runnable trail was a welcomed sight. Casting our eyes back to where we’d come from (and with great pride), the summit of Ngauruhoe had completely cleared and was in full sunshine. You know what though, I wasn’t disappointed. Not even in the slightest. The cards we had been dealt on the summit only made it that much more special for us and now we could just enjoy the sunshine on our long, astonishingly beautiful downhill run to the finish!

Focussing intently on the amazing hot springs and breathtaking views across the flatlands, for a few minutes we stumbled rather than gracefully descended, until we again remembered we should focus on the trail underfoot… The last 10km was a long, flowing and smooth descent to the Ketetahi Carpark. I was pleased with the ease of running to finish things off for the day as it really allowed one to just smile and be content with the trail we’d travelled and the many more on our radar…

Ruapehu – the word that had flooded into everybody’s minds by night’s end.   Blissfully ignorant of how to actually pronounce it, the one thing we did know is that we wanted to scale this monster and explore every square micro-millimetre that we deemed safe to do so. 

The Shane and Terry (van) partnership came to fruition once again, this time taking us a little further than the previous day’s escapade.  In contrast to Ngauruhoe - sunshine and clear skies greeted us, filling our spirits with vitality and happiness for the trip to the base of our playground for the day. Planning was done with utter ease, I think Shane’s words were something along the lines of “Let’s just go up… as high as we possibly can”. As expected, this plan prompted no rejections.

Newbies as we were, the decision was made that we’d adopt self- navigation in aiding us to the summit.  Something about scrambling through head-high boulders and clambering upward on icey slopes gives us adventure clad folk some seriously sky-high levels of excitement laced with passionate enthusiasm.  A start point with an altitude equivalency of the Mt Buffalo Chalet was already stupidly cool – however in fulfilling our desired vertical ascendancy to the summit, we’d be required to double this….. plus a little more.

Metres ticked way as we built tight-knit bonds with our barometers. For they showed us the prizes of our labour in every +M we gained. Feeding our souls increasingly in every step, with the vertical ascent came breath-taking (literally) sights, ear pricking sounds and smells of freshness unparalleled by anything my body had ever been fortunate enough to be a recipient of.

The boulders quickly dissipated into scree as we joyfully traversed higher and higher into the sky. Ice was more prominent at the higher altitude and according to locals is a year-round resident on Ruapehu’s slopes. It was a very distinguishing factor having masses of ice to play on in the peak of summer – just another reason I’d discovered to return in future and indulge once again. 1hr 45mins saw us to the craters edge – standing tall above the clouds it was personally one of the most purely euphoric moments I’ve ever had as a person. It’s tough to put into words, in fact I’d say nearly impossible – to describe how reaching a new summit feels. Exhausting, yes – however rapidly overcoming this is the elation of a new peak, a new achievement, a lasting experience that you can hold onto dearly and carry with you in future explorations.  It’s a completely new strength that will carry you to an even higher peak in the future.

The enormity of the summit crater was unable to be truly captured by any pictures we took whilst there, it’s something that has to be seen in person to be able to gain a true respect for its gargantuan proportions.  A little summit fever as they call it, had spread through our quartet like wildfire - around us stood peaks on the craters edge higher than those where we were currently situated, this only meant one thing, more exploring needed to be done! Making the most of the glorious views and uninterrupted sunshine – we scurried across the massive bowl of ice below us, from ridge to ridge, we went in search of the highest point accessible in the minimal gear we were utilizing. Hours ticked by as our energy for adventure only grew – time was of absolutely no relevance at times like those and our day would only come to a close when our appetite for epic-ness (particularly Shane’s) had been satiated.

Countless awe-inspiring views greeted us atop numerous rocky, volcanic plateaus. 360 degree views all so impressive it was as though each vast expanse of postcard-worthy eye candy was trying to out-do the next – it was completely endless landscape induced salivation. After navigating a dark, soot coloured slope leading our noses for adventure skyward – our salvation was found in the highest possible altitude that could be attained on the day. Standing  2735m above sea level – a brief silence ensued, not due to lack of breath but due to moments like those epitomising why we do what we do. It’s the essence of our being as trail running adventurers - true happiness is found in these moments.

What goes up, must come down. Sadly this is true for us alpine addicted, vertical loving, lactic accumulating folk, too. One of the many things that had been learnt on the previous days volcanic indulgence though, was that descending Volcanoes is an extraordinary, adrenaline pumping high paced rush of quad battering bliss. Again our route was decided not by the trail but by our own creativity – so naturally we gravitated towards the monstrous scree slope only a stones throw away. Picture a 30-40% negative gradient – perfectly smooth and draped in an idealic depth of loose but utterly runnable scree heaven,  ahead of you also a panoramic masterpiece that is the alpine region of the Tongariro national park.

Frolicking downward in leaps and bounds at a rate  unconceivable on any different terrain – re-appearing was the bunch of school girls from the day before… I suppose they love the scree, too.  Like one of those crazy-good dreams you don’t want to wake up from we’d soon have to break the lustful relationship that had been formed in the 5hrs we’d played on the mountain. It was a harsh departure, though somewhat softened by a big bowl of chips and some sugary beverages at the picturesque little café where the adventure had begun – and would finish for this particular day.

After much reminiscing, food and wonderful company – the day was closed out with a cosy little adventure film session back at ‘La Vista’, it was glaringly obvious the sheer joy that we all now possessed after an astonishing 2 days of adventure. With enthusiasm amplified ten-fold, keenness for it to continue was heightened, so even on our third day of the trip which was our so-called ‘rest day’, 13km was put on the clock around the pristine shores of Lake Taupo.  We took in the eye-widening views across the lake from the W2K trail, which in its entirety snakes its way a hefty 45km around the lake. Cruisy gradients coupled with a conversational pace was a very welcome change to our tired legs and gave us all a great chance to reflect on days past and plan for the day ahead…. The Hillary Trail.

Re-fuelled, relaxed and raring to go – the Hillary Trail was at out fingertips (or more-so toes). Nestled away on the rugged coastline only a miniscule drive from Auckland, just 3yrs on since its inception this trail has built itself an incredibly noteworthy reputation. With the likes of Malcom Law vouching it for it as one of the best trails he has ever set foot on – it has quickly become a star attraction of the NZ trail scene. Needless to say, this is a day I’d looked forward to since the trip had come to fruition! The head of this whirlwind adventure trail begins at the Arataki Visitor’s Centre – remarkably close to Auckland itself, access and transport to this beautiful specimen is blissfully simple and an utter no brainer. 

Setting off into the wilderness of the Waitakere Ranges along the wild coastline – it was a stark contrast to the desolate volcanic playgrounds to which we’d become accustomed.  An absolute plethora of dense forestry teaming with life, countless shades of green glistening as the sun tried to penetrate through the thick canopy around us – it was made obvious instantaneously that on this day we were all going to experience something spectacular. Weaving through the brush with finesse and fluidity – the Hillary was quite tame in the beginning which gave numerous opportunities to gaze around and soak in the atmosphere without having to worry too much about landing on your face due to a protruding tree root or rock. This was a pleasant introduction and allowed us all to get the blood pumping and warmed up for what was to come…

Opening up onto a brief beach section we were blessed with a tide low enough to enable us a scenic little stint of mellow sand running on a typical magnificent New Zealand coastline. To the right lied an abrupt incline leading to untamed peaks that dotted the coast. It felt like an instinctual urge, drawing us towards the unknown trails we knew sat in wait for us to utilize in feeding our addiction.

No longer was it an easily trodden jungle highway of sorts – large, moss draped, roots peered up to us from every direction and lack of sunlight on the forest floor meant that precipitation was going nowhere fast once it had hit home on the trail. It was the stuff of a trail runners dreams – new sights, sounds and technical trail dictated by mother nature, it could only be described as absolute trail purity in its finest form. 

The fun was enhanced over and over again as the conditions underfoot toughened –Shane’s recent wish of “We better be going up that!” came true – at an alarming rate. We were most certainly “going up that” as the next 1km would have us gain 300m in elevation – for those of you who know a little about distance:vertical ratios – this one was epic.  A far cry from the flat beach we’d traversed earlier - the trail continued to wind along a pronounced ridge containing endless entertainment as we bounced over roots, scaled short steep rock faces and let go and fly down winding leaf littered descents.

The next destination on our Radar was the 21km point where we’d meet Richelle and Cate – this would also be the finish line for Shane’s apprentice Landscaper, Andrew Penaluna, or ‘Penascapes’ as we like to call him. Andrew had proven in our time on the mountains that he was a seriously tough fella – coming from a more inactive background it was Shane’s influence that sparked the fire within him to get out on the trails. It’d be fair to say that it’s one more victim to the addiction of the trail running drug. I’m sure that as his explorations expand he will certainly make quite a swift trailite – an ability to suffer coupled with sheer enthusiasm and an easy going sense of adventure – he’ll be surprising himself and others in no time. 

Approaching our “checkpoint” – the spectacularly mind-blowing nature of the trail only amplified with the overhead canopy clearing into a lower coastal shrubbery perching us on a cliff top reminiscent of those you see in only the most breathtaking movies. It was a very surreal moment and strongly represents the essence of what trail ‘running’ really is – it’s an adventure within ourselves, searching for new places to see, hills to climb and to find the incredible beauty that lies all around the world in places only accessible by using our own human power.  I felt utter fulfilment as we stood together staring out with wind blowing in our faces and rich blue waters reflecting the purity of the blue sky above.

The following 11km of trail from …. To Karekare almost felt like home in some ways – the trail characteristics bared a remarkable resemblance to that of Victoria’s Great Ocean Walk – a trail here in Australia which too, is completely breathtaking and  a must-do! 

Having been outrageously spoilt in our time on this trail – we’d most definitely captured the sense of adventure Edmund Hillary represented. In no way were there any shortcomings to our expectations – it had more so glaringly exceeded them on every level of our imaginations. Sad to see the day end, though pretty darn knackered and full of contentment - a smashing 1800m of vertical, 1000’s of tree roots, countless magnificent views, flowing descents and leg battering ascents were all behind us having reached our exit at 34km in Karekare. 

How to conclude the adventure that had just been endured? It’s much too difficult to paint a picture vivid enough to compare with what I’d experienced. Physically being there and doing what we had done is the only way you can grasp the sheer beauty of New Zealand’s majestic wilderness. From a runners perspective I think part of what makes the experience of running in a place like this so much more appealing, is that It really takes away the whole ‘running’ aspect, truly allowing you to immerse yourself in a mindset of adventure rather than training. Seeking out new sights, sounds, smells, completely revitalising all your bodies senses.  As much as I love to run, to train hard and be competitive, I think that times like these are invaluable as an athlete. Disregarding how long it would take, or how far we were going to go, I was able to let go of anything telling me to ‘push’ or to continue running rather than stopping to take pictures and just enjoy the moment. In being able to do this, it gives a whole new perspective on learning to just ‘be’ in the mountains and on the trail, rather than only ever using them as a training platform…..

So thank you once again Shane and Richelle, for it’s the buzzing hives of adventure activity that is their brains which allowed this rad running adventure. I can’t recommend this trip highly enough!

Something to conclude with-

I think part of what makes the experience of running in a place like this so much more appealing, is that It really takes away the whole ‘running’ aspect, truly allowing you to immerse yourself in a mindset of adventure rather than training. Seeking out new sights, sounds, smells, completely revitalising all your bodies senses.  As much as I love to run, to train hard and be competitive, I think that times like these are invaluable as an athlete. Disregarding how long it would take, or how far we were going to go, I was able to let go of anything telling me to ‘push’ or to continue running rather than stopping to take pictures and just enjoy the moment. In being able to do this, it gives a whole new perspective on learning to just ‘be’ in the mountains and on the trail, rather than only ever using them as a training platform. I definitely feel that in having learnt this, it has greatly improved my mindset going forward with my ‘training’ in the mountains.

by Shane Hutton - 2 July 2014

So the idea was brought my attention in around March this year. There is a group of cyclists that do ridiculous rides all the time but once a year they come up with an EPIC idea that involves something very difficult to achieve. This year they came up with the idea of EVERESTING. Choose a hill & rep it as many times as it takes to complete 8,848mtr the same height of Everest. 

There are a couple of rules:

You must do it in a single push (no sleep). You must return down the same hill or mountain (no loops) You cannot do a hill that somebody else has already done & you must have a bike.  Hmmm....

I thought well why not do it on foot??? Seems possible. Now the challenge was do you go somewhere like Mt Bogong and do 8 reps with the about 92km?  Or do you do something short and sharp Glasgow track with 27 reps but only 52km……ahh the dilemmas!

The Glasgow track is a very technical trail. Covered in loose rock & is very slippery after rain. It also gets to around 45% steepness through a small section. In other words it's STEEP!!

I decided last Tuesday that Wednesday seemed like a good day to go to the Glasgow track & have a crack at Everesting. There was no real training for it & I decided to just go do it when I felt it was the right time. I bought a few essentials, packed my ute with everything I would need & went to bed.

After a pretty good sleep I was up at 5.30am.  Richelle decided she would come down & take some pictures & wish me luck. We arrived at the track around 6.30am & I started almost right on 7am. The first rep was in the dark but it was a glorious morning.

The sun rose slowly & before I knew it, it was light. R said goodbye & went off to work.  I had no great plan, just to power up and not run too hard on the descents. Try to save the quads & knees. I got through to rep 12 I think when my right quad started to put up a bit of a protest.

I stopped & had lunch at 1pm. It was nice to take a load off for a short period of time & just enjoy the sun a bit. I was so lucky it was about 15 degrees & sunny.  There was no wind & it was just a perfect day. I had been checking my phone every 2nd rep & it was great to see all the support I was receiving for such a random act.

I had been told there would be some people coming to join me around 5pm. I kept hydrating & trying to eat but didn`t really have a lot of food.  I stopped & chatted to some people who had come down to do their usual 2 reps & they asked what I was up to.  I think they nearly fell over when I told them.

It was odd my calves didn't seem to hurt on the ascents but I could feel I was slowing a bit. I was on the descent of rep 16 when the first person showed up to say hi. It was Tegyn, he was ¾ way up his first rep. I continued down & he joined me on the following rep. After that my good friend Ian arrived (he is the person who Everested on his bike).  Tegyn stayed with me for a bit but was there to train so he took off fairly quickly to finish off his 3 reps.

Just like that the sun had set & it was dark again. I kept wondering how long I would stay out for but now I had company there was no way I was going to finish up short.  Sam showed up & as ever she brought her positive spirit. I descended quickly on the 19th rep with very shakey quads to find Richelle had arrived & had bought some KFC chips for me.

Yum Yum I devoured those & got started on the next rep. the shakiness in my quads had disappeared just like that. Ian & Sam cruised along with me on the next rep with Ian constantly talking. This was great because it made it easy for me to just stay focused on going up.  

Natalee had joined in on the crewing duties (Ian's fiancé) & it was great to have the 2 girls at the bottom offering support on the completion of every lap.  Another person who showed up was Ross. Ross had heard through Facebook about what I was doing & wanted to come & say hello & join in for a rep to help me along. 

Mike was now here & happy to join for a few reps as well. So we went up as quickly as I could hahaha which was not very quick at all. I was happy to still be running the descents this far in. earlier in the day I had thought it would be cool to hit 20 reps & if my body was hurting too much I would drop.  It seemed odd to get to 20 with just a sore quad so I thought I better go on. 

Sam left after that & along came Ross K.  He arrived at rep 20.  The pizza also arrived at rep 20. I think it was around 9.30pm. I was not concerned with the time at all, it was never really a factor.  This whole idea was to push myself & see how far I could go, so far so good.

So far I had not had any real low spots just a few moments where I needed to sit down to regroup the quads & ITB.  Rep 22 was probably my biggest struggle. I am not sure if it was because I had eaten some pizza & I was trying to digest it or maybe it was just the 7400mtr ascent in my legs....

I pushed through with the help of Ian & Ross K encouraging me along. It was slow but I got there.  We descended & I think this is where Ian decided to take a break.  He had done amazing 7 reps.  His biggest ever, awesome work by him.  I pushed on with Ross K & tried to maintain the short breaks at the bottom just a quick fill of the water bottle & we were off. 

I was on the way back down when my cousin Dan arrived, I think it was well after 10.30pm.  He had never been on this track in the daylight, let alone in the dark & had seen nothing like it. It was steep & very technical loose rocks tree roots & wet.  Dan did so well & stuck right behind me on the descents which is no easy task. It was at this stage that I knew I had it.

It was in the bag just 4 more reps……. then 3. Dan stayed for 3 then left, he had done just over 1,000mtr of vert in 6km a huge effort I was so impressed.  I finished rep 26 & Ian was back on his feet, pumped up on sugar, and raring to go.  It was edging close to 1 am so Ross K, Ian & myself made the final climb. I struggled with some dizzy spells near the top but felt ok.

It was an odd feeling I had done it. My legs at that point decided enough was enough & they would not be going down hahahaha made for a very slow descent.  We got to the bottom I got a hug from Richelle & promptly sat down. Ross took off quickly as he was only meant to be doing a couple of reps with me, not staying out until 1 am...oops! 

I sat down in a slight bit of shock. We had done it. Wow what an effort. I ate a few pieces of pizza a can of coke and had some hydration. I got my warm clothes on & rested for half an hr before jumping in the car & driving home. 

Time: 18hrs 06min

Elevation: 9,126mtr

Distance: 52.4km

Shoe of choice was La Sportiva Anakonda. I could not have chosen a better shoe for this run. They are designed for vertical K races. The superb grip did not let me down all day on a wet & super technical trail that averages 37%.

Track: Known as the Glasgow or Scar track. It is .900mtr long with a 338mtr gain. Averages out to be 37% ( I think) steep, rocky & slippery after the rain we had.

Hydration: Throughout the day I mixed it up with Tailwind & Gatorade berry. 

I want to say thanks to everyone who supported me throughout the day, whether it was through social media or if you came down. Horgos that cup of coffee was sensational mate. It really meant a lot to me.  It was a random act of Adventure.

What surprised me the most was it was not as hard as I had thought it would be. It is very much a mental game if you are willing to get out there & give it a crack you might even surprise yourself. I did this as a spur of the moment thing, it doesn’t have to be full of build-up & look at me kind of thing.  Just get out there & do it.  I was not concerned if I did not make it but at least I had a crack.

I encourage everyone if you have an idea no matter how big or small it is, have a crack make it a reality.

Want to run with Shane (at a more sedate pace!!)??  The join us on the Goldfields Track for a weekend!