Great Southern Endurance Run (GSER)

13th November 2021

In the lead up to the GSER 2021 I was filled with excitement to be back in the mountains and weighed down with anxiety, concerned for how this race was going to play out compared to my 2019 effort.
I can say with the utmost confidence I left all my worries in the mountains and now trust my capabilities.

Watch the video I created, here.

As I walked through a field of runners the start line felt tranquil, as if it was a calm before the storm. Slotting myself at the front of the group I smiled ready for the day ahead.

Race directors Megan and Matt spoke up, welcoming everyone to the Great Southern Endurance Run 2021 and explained race details. Due to the weather forecast for snow showers the 28km, 50mile and 100mile courses had been altered from an out and back in the mountains to 24.5km loops. Meaning three loops for the 50mile and six loops for the 100miles with an extra out and back to make up distance. This loop climbed up the North West spur to the MUMC hut on to the Federation hut and then down the Bungalow track all on Mt Feathertop.

The altered course was upsetting at first, not having the opportunity to embrace the Victorian mountains fully. However, I reflected on my last three months of training with midnight marathon training sessions or six hour hill repeats and then thought “I am so prepared for this race’s course adjustments.” But, I digress…

I stroll up to the start line with Jin Kato all while race director Megan counts down to our start, “3..2..1..go” she shouts. My watch beeps as I start recording and my legs begin moving. I run the first 5km section on foot paths along the Great Alpine Road with a small group, they stick close to Jin and I at our 5:00min/km pace. I begin chatting to a few of these runners and one speaks up, introducing himself as Alex Ramsey, Alex was the previous FKT holder for the 143km Canberra Centenary Trail. Our chat was brief and empowering.
As we reached the trail head for the Tom Keen track, Jin and I burst forward feeling the energy from the trails shouting “Woooooooo!”. As I delve deeper into this single track a rainforest scenery begins emerging all around me with vibrant green ferns brushing against me as I run by and tall trees spanning my entire view. With a big smile on my face I follow the single track winding through the rainforest scenery then take a sharp switchback to the left, jump down a few rocks and approach the river crossing. A large log spanned from one side of the river to other and with Jin close behind me I immediately jump on to the log and grab the guide rope.

I shout out to Jin, “Can you pull me up?”. He gives the rope a tug and no luck. The photographer on the farside of the river was giggling and snapping photos at the scene in front of her, most likely bewildered as to how I am still holding on. Alas, I surrender to the world and release tension on the rope.
My right shin collides with the log and both feet submerge in the refreshing river. With my shoes, pack and ass now soaking wet I climb out of the river and shake off any thoughts of negativity, telling myself “oh well, this will help me cool down”. I press on and begin my climb up the North West spur of Mt Feathertop yelling “Woooooooooooooo!”.

This was my first time climbing the North West spur, it is tough and should not be disrespected.

I caught up to the tail end of the 28km race which started one hour prior to the 50 miler race. With these runners being sparse and possibly running their longest run I speak words of encouragement as I pass, recieving smiles and encouragement in return.
As I pass the tail end of the 28km I notice one 50 mile runner in close pursuit of me and to my surprise it was not Jin. With the gap closing between us I climb a little faster and was matched by this other runner. I quickly pull back from my attack feeling the intensity of the North West spur and am met with Andrew, the close second place runner who is not letting me out of his sights. We briefly chat exchanging hellos and I find out this is his first trail race! I exclaim “This is your first trail race and you are up here with me? You must be doing well”. With the niceties over I offer for Andrew to pass me as he looks strong, he declines and I continue forward. As the scenery changes loosing the density of the rainforest I pass several more 28km runners, feeling a surge of energy I shout another “Woooooooo!”, happy to be alive.

With Andrew close in tow my passing of Ri is only brief and with the renewed energy from Ri I press on forcing Andrew to follow suit.

I feel a breeze which sends chills along my arms and I recall the discussions at the race start about the freezing temperatures between the MUMC and Federation hut. Without skipping a beat I unclip my Nathan 12L race pack, swing it to my front, pull out my fleece top, swing it to my back, clip it back up and tie my fleece around my neck like a cape in preparation for the cold at MUMC hut. I reach the MUMC and see this green bubble like structure and am hit withcold winds. As I pass the MUMC hut I unclip my pack, slide on my fleece, clip my pack back on and pick up the pace. My first climb of the North West spur is done.

The rainforest scenery quickly changes into an alpine dream, trees are sparce and the trail underfoot turns more rocky. I recall the section between MUMC hut and Federation hut being around 3km, with this in mind I thought to push hard on the little climbing I had left in an attempt to leave Andrew behind. I look onward and I am certain I spot the last climb, which means it is only a long section of downhill from there. Hands on my knees and my legs complaining about the fist climb I reach the summit of the last climb and can see 28km runners along the side of Mt Feathertop. I don’t miss a beat as I the terrain flattens and I open up my stride, sinking my shoes into the muddy puddles everywhere along this trail.

I feel an abundance of energy wash over me and I push onward, not letting my pace slow, not knowing where Andrew was behind me. As I reach the junction point between the two huts I clearly see the Federation hut and I smile big thinking of all the memories I’ve made here. These memories give me more energy and I draw on that to turn up the pace. I wave hello as I pass the small group of volunteers at Federatoion hut and immediately turn onto Bungalow spur and hit it hard. This section of trail I’ve run several times and feeling confident in my ability to run down technical trails I wanted to give myself as big of a lead as I possibly could.

One of my challenges with running fast down technical trails is I am unable to focus on much else. With my fleece still on and running 4:00-4:30 pacing downhill I was heating up way too much and had to take the fleece off, but I didn’t want to pull back from my pace.
It was a sight to see… blasting down single track holding my pack with one hand while I pulled off my fleece, then attempting to push it back into my pack with no luck. I opted to instead tie my fleece around my neck which made it look like I was wearing a black poncho. Hahahaha, i couldn’t help but laugh at myslef as I ran down Bungalow spur.

Somewhere along Bunglaow spur the Eventurers were hiding, waiting for the moment each runner came racing over this small creek. I was certainly surprised as I sped past. I pass several more 28km runners along this section and encourage them along. I keep my pace strong as I run through trail head onto the bitchumen road and into the Harrietville park, this being my first checkpoint and signifying the completion of one lap. I give out a loud “Woooooooo!” as I enter the checkpoint and am met by Greg Shallard another close friend from Victoria. Greg gives me a hand exchanging everything I need from my drop bag, bottles of tailwind, spring energy gels and savoury rice balls. I spend a brief four minutes at the checkpoint and quickly head out along the Great Alpine Road.

I spot someone running towards me on their out and back section finishing their race. To my surprise it was Tom Dade, the leader of the 100 miler race. Tom is a young, determined and commited individual who has run several 100 mile races and other ultra marathons. We exchange a hi five and hello in passing.

Running along the Great Alpine Road a second time was solitary, just me and the cows in the passing fields. As I turn of the main path and head towards the Tom Keen track I bump into another 100mile runner, Dean Mayer, and his pacer Sam on thier last lap. I say hi, walk a minute or two with them and wish them all the best on their last lap.

I reach the Tom Kneen trail head and instantly feel the heat rise as I delve into the jungle like terrain again. I think back to my first checkpoint and realise I did not change out of my long sleeve shirt… “This is going to suck” I thought to myself. No sooner later my energy drops drastically as the heat hits me hard. I chug down my tailwind and instantly grab one of my Awesomesauce Spring Energy gels. The North West Spur climb starts as soon as I cross the river for the second time, no falling this time. The heat increases, I roll up my sleaves and throw my hat off in an attempt to cool down. I dig deep and push onward up the muddy single track while sweating buckets.

Along this second climb I spend it mostly in my own head thinking about my placing in first, the possibility of winning my first major race brings a plethora of emotions to the surface as I feel tears welling up in my eyes. I quickly stop rise my right hand and slap myself hard in the face. I speak outloud to myself “what are you doing? This is no time to think about winning, you have no idea where anyone else is and you have another lap to go. So much can happen in 25km. No one is going to hand you a win, you need to work ass off for it.” With this refreshing thought process I push any thoughts of winning away and I focus moving forward. My internal thoughts are very loud when I run and are mostly interrupted by other runners. Thankfully I bump into a few runners to help break my interal thoughts. One in particular I remember being Scott Beam, he was running the 100miles for his birthday.

Reaching the MUMC hut a second time the wind was chill, I throw on my fleece as a chills run down my body. The terrain turns into alpine with dead trees and small shrubs all around, the views open up and i can see more than what I could this morning with all the clouds. I reach the final peak with my energy levels at a serious low, thankfully I have experienced this low before and I am able to push through along the alpine ridge sloshing in all the muddy puddles. I pass the junction point on Mt Feathertop and blast it down to Federation hut. I reach the hut wanting to lie down and snooze, the volunteers offer thier support which was gadly taken. I refill my bottle with water, take a packet of lollies and greedily shove them both down my throat. Near instantly I feel my focus return and the fire in my body relight, with this I let out a loud “Wooooooooooo!” and push down Bungalow Spur. On this descent I ran past Damien Stewart, another Ultra Mediocre runner who is running the 100miles, on his 5th lap Damien was looking strong and determined to finish.

As the terrain changes from apline back to a rain forest jungle I know I am getting closer to the checkpoint. With my mind on the checkpoint my footing slips and I roll my left ankle, pain shoots into my ankle and up my lower leg. I slow right down but continue moving forward, taking several steps I could tell this wasn’t a bad roll and I could push through it. So I shrug off my mistep and keep the focus on my foot placement and having strong feet.

After a while I emerge from Bungalow Spur and onto the bitchumen road. I slow my pace allowing my body to catch up after such a slong downhill. I roll into the checkpoint after crossing the small bridge at Harrietville park where I am greeted by Greg Shallard and Monika Holmwood. I find my drop bag, sit my ass down, start chugging my red bull and gladly take Greg’s offer for help.
Greg pulls off my dirty shoes and disgusting socks as he hands me clean fresh socks, putting on fresh socks half way through a race can be the difference in how you finish. I restock my bottles of Tailwind, Spring Energy gels and grab a Revvies caffine strip for later. Once my shoes were back on I finish the red bull burping several times, say goodbye to everyone around and head off for my third and final lap.

My third run along the Greart Alpine Road was filled with more faces, one in particular was David Eadie, we chatted for a while and shared several smiles. The caffine from the red bull kicked in after our chat and I reach the Tom Kneen track in what felt like no time. I hike along the undulating section of the Tom Kneen track feeling the fatigue set into my legs. I cross the river carefully, my thoughts reflect back to the first crossing earlier today and I chuckle about my stupidity.

Passing the river I begin my third and final climb up the North West Spur. The ground beneath me turning into mud the further I climbed, I guess the sheer amount of runners who climbed this track earlier combined with the rain from the night before had loosened all the dirt. Climbing up the muddy track with fatigued legs was proving to be a challenge, yet it still felt better than my second climb. My thoughts continued to focus on my first placing, the possibility of wininng my first major race and consequently how close second place was to me. With these thoughts consuming my internal monologue I refused to let up my pacing, hands on my knees, power hiking up the North West Spur. I pass several runners along this section congratulating them on their efforts and encouraging them to continue. Half way up the climb I bump into Greg Plier, a 100miler runner on his sixth and final lap. After a hard climb my energy levels are taking a big dive so I take this time to chat to Greg and let my body catch back up. Greg summed up this race in two words, “bloody brutal”, I agreed with him. Running hill repeats on the North West Spur is one of the gnarliest challenges I have faced. After several minutes of chatting I realise I have spent way too long enjoying these chats, I say goodbye to Greg and wish him strong legs to finish his race.

Looking around I realise I still have a fair amount of climbing to go before I reach the MUMC hut. I respond to this by drinking gulps of Tailwind and eating another Sping Energy gel, I then grab the Revvie caffine strip and place it under my tounge to disolve. These caffine strips are still relatively new to me but I have found they give a great boost without the need for added sugar, though they do taste horrible.

Upon reaching the MUMC hut I was feeling sluggish and tired, probably the drop off from all the caffine. I take this time to check out the MUMC hut, walking in I briefly look around and walk back out into the brisk air of the Victorian alps. I slump infront of the hut pulling my pack off and attempt to pull on my arm sleeves, which was proving to be a challenge with my arms covered in sweat. As I sit on a rock pulling on my arm sleeves David Eadie comes bursting out of the bushes, he spots me and says “there’s no time for sitting mate, get going”. My foggy mind instantly jumps back to the present and I realise I am sitting down while in first place in a race! “What am I doing? Fuck the arm sleeves and lets go!” I think to myself. I immediately jump into action and push onwards up the single track to my final climb for the day.

Now running scared second place might catch up to me just like David, I refuse to look back. With my hands on my knees I push up the final rocky climb with all the energy I could muster. I crested the final peak where the single track dipped, narrowed and turned into a sloshy muddy track. I didn’t care about avoiding puddles anymore, my mind was entirely focused on reaching that finish line as fast as I could. My HOKA Speed Goats fill with water as they sink deep into mud and my toes slosh around in my water logged socks. I reach the junction point with the biggest smile and blast down the last single track before Federation hut.

I let out a loud “Wooooooooo!” as I roll up to the Federation hut, I pass my soft flask to the volunteer to refill and grab a packet of lollies. I spare no time here and begin pounding down Bungalow Spur. Thoughts of crossing the finish line now flood my mind and I well up with emotions. “This is it, you’ve done the hard work. Now stay present and show the world who your are.” quoting Rich Roll to myself. This last descent was long, it was hard and it hurt. I rolled my left ankle for a second time and pushed the pain to the side, repeating my assessment from the second lap. The descent takes its toll as I pass the Bungalow Spur trail head. With fatigue setting in I shove lollies into my mouth to find any source of energy. I cross the bridge into the Harrietville park where the start/finish is and I know there is only a small out and back left. I pull out a soft flask, fill it with coke and rush off to finish my 5km out and back section.

As I pass the local pub people enjoy a meal and drinks, and cheer me on. “Keep moving, you can stop for a beer at the finish” I told myself. My legs and feet both wanted to stop but there was no way my heart was going to let that happen. In an attempt to work myself up I say “You haven’t come this far to only come this far.” I shuffle along what feels like a fast 5:30/km pace. I reach the turn around point and now know 100% that I have won this race. I attempt to pick up my pace to a 5:00/km and quickly pull back as fatigue hits my body like a truck. As I approach closer and closer to the finish I spot race director Matt waiting at the pub, ready to run me into the finish line. Emotions are flooding in, tears well up in my eyes and I find this all new source of energy. My pace quickens from a 5:30/km to a 4:50/km. I reach Matt and he yells out “let’s go mate!”. I quicken my pace again to a sub 4:00/km as I hold nothing back, Matt running along side me until the finish chute where I blast over the finish line in 11hours 7minutes and 6seconds.

I collapse in a mixture of fatigue and overwhelming joy. Looking up I see race director Megan with my medal and a finishers towel. This surreal feeling was all around, I won my first major race and it happened to be the race of a dear friend who ran this same event back in 2019 where we both took over 22hours to finish. Friends gathered around me, tears were shed, hugs were shared and a beer was gladly taken.

To say I am ecstatic about my outcome is an understatement, I have no other words to describe the overwhelming sense of accomplishment I felt. The hard work I have put in, the early mornings, the tedious plannning, the midnight marathon sessions, it has been fruitful and it is worth every bit of hardship.

If you have the courage to fail, you have the courage to succeed!

Challenges

• My desire to socialise battling against my desire to win.
• The sheer climb of North West Spur was challenging. For similar events in the future I will train more on this sort of incline.
• My internal monologue gets quite loud when running in solitary, it takes a lot of mental energy to keep it focused on pushing towards the right goal.

Wins

• Winning my first major ultra marathon is certainly my biggest win.
• Halving my finish time from 22 hours to 11 hours.
• Being responsive to my energy levels and not ignoring my body’s needs.