Last year I managed to log just over 5200 kilometres and completed nine ultra marathons and two marathons. Highlight’s were my fifth Lighthorse Ultra podium on the trot with a 190 kilometre total in the 24 hour race, a three hour four minute marathon at Bibra lake and a four hour five minute top ten finish at the 6 inch ultra (my 15th time on the trot for this event.)  Throw in another Feral pig finish, one of the hardest 100 milers in Australia and a reasonable Delirious West 200 miler and it was a great year.  I was buzzing after my 6 inch ultra trail result and ran daily as well as hitting the Pilates reformer and some weights , I was ready for a massive 2025.

2025 started well enough with the 24 Park Runs in 24 hours ( https://www.ultraseries.com.au/24-parkruns-in-24-hours )  ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2025/01/15/24-park-runs-in-24-hours-2025-edition/ ) and then the following week the True Blue Ultra 100k, ( https://trueblueultra.com/ ) a spur of the minute decision resulting in me paying the RD the entry fee , cash , on the start line. Luckily I had saved Ron’s life many years previously and he owes me a favour or two on the back of that.  I think it was 2009 and we’d all set off for a recon of the 6 inch trail ultra event. Ron had gone alone and got well and truly lost. We’d returned to our cars and noticed his was still where he left it . We’d left him many hours previously as he turned  early.  I got in my Prado and drove up goldmine hill where we found a very deshelled Ron staggering around near the top.  He’d got lost, ran out of water and ended up wandering about aimlessly until I saved his life. Truth be told he could have rolled back to his car but it’s a great story and never let facts get in the way of a good yarn. ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2025/01/20/true-blue-ultra-2025/ )

Post True Blue I kept to my 10k a day run with a gym visit chaser , and a long run with the BTRC crew to prepare for a 48 hour attempt at Herdy’s backyard Ultra. ( https://www.herdysfrontyard.com.au/ ) This would be my 12th BYU and I was mentally ready to finally push through and get to 48 hours. Unfortunately a week out I sprained my calf and went into the event underdone mentally. I had a scan to make sure it wasn’t a calf tear but even though it came back clear I couldn’t give 100% as I was high on painkillers and hobbled around like Ron in the previous paragraph.  I pulled the pin vey early, 19 hours , and scuttled home to lick my wounds and prepare for the Delirious West 200 miler four weeks later. ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2025/03/13/herdys-backyard-ultra-number-5-in-a-row-for-herdys-and-byu-number-12-why-wouldnt-you/ )

Delirious was a struggle but managed to bring it home in a reasonable 72 hours , ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2025/04/22/delirious-west-200-miler-2025-part-1/ There’s a whole load of posts on my fifth attempt, start on this one and work your way through them, it was 200 miles!) good enough for a 7th place finish. ( https://www.deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) I feel it was around this time I began to drop the ball. I had a couple of ten kilometre races lined up and I ran just over forty minutes for Fremantle and then just under forty minutes a few weeks later at Joondalup. I backed this up with a 90 minute half at the HBF Run for a Reason but I could feel the legs weren’t quite right. I did manage a few big weeks before my next event , the inaugural cape to cape 100 miler.

We ran the Cape to Cape in a ‘complex storm‘ , a term for a really windy and wet one I think ? From AI

A complex storm, often called a multicell storm or mesoscale convective complex, is a large, organized system of multiple thunderstorm cells grouped together, rather than a single isolated storm. These systems, like squall lines or large clusters, feature cells in different stages of development, allowing the entire system to last for hours, producing severe weather such as heavy rain, strong winds, hail, and sometimes tornadoes

The race itself was brilliant with the conditions adding that extra challenge which, as the wind was mainly a tailwind, actually made the event better. Being blown along the beach with good friends is a great experience, highly recommended, albeit if the race had been in the other direction it would have been a real bastard, excuse my French.  What I think done the damage was at some point during the event I had a real ‘funny’ turn where I had to sit down , feeling quite faint. The lads had motored on, in an ultra unless it’s life threatening you’re left where you drop!, and I just sat down and munched on a protein bar diagnosing an empty stomach. I did eventually come good and caught the guys up but I feel that may have been my body telling me you’d reached your limit and time to back off. Of course I ignored the warning, as you do. ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2025/06/18/cape-to-cape-miler-because-too-much-is-never-enough-right/ )

Post Cape to Cape I managed a run once a week for maybe two months before racing the Transcend Ultra in August.  This was on my bucket list of events I needed to do in WA as I heard so many good things about it. Needless to say it didn’t disappoint but I was terribly under done and this was compounded when I sprained my ankle two kilometres in. ( you can read all about it here https://www.runbkrun.com/2025/08/20/transcend-ultra-2025/ ) I managed to limp to aid station two, get my ankle strapped and rammed down some strong painkillers,  I was good to go (don’t judge me)

Again post Transcend Ultra  I had another break due to my ankle , looking at Strava five weeks of zero running before five trails runs to prepare for my 49th marathon, was five too many ? The Perth marathon is one of my all time favourite events , being a Perth local, and this was to be my fourteenth time taking on this beast of an event. As it was I should have strapped my foot and underestimated the pounding it would take in a pair of Puma Nitro R3’s , a rookie error with hindsight. I made it to twenty eight kilometres before the wheels fell off in a big way and the camber of the road took out my ankle in shoes with no support. I died a slow and painful death as I stumbled to the finish, and I mean stumbled, I couldn’t really put any weight on my right leg, I looked a state. ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2025/10/14/perth-marathon-2025-deja-vu-it-is/ )

Luckily I had another 100 miler in four weeks post Perth so no time to feel sorry for myself !  The Feral Pig is , in my view , the hardest 100 miler in WA and probably top five in Australia. This is down to a few factors, the midnight start , the heat of a WA spring and the terrain, unforgiving at best. ( https://www.feralpigultra.com.au/ )  Again I went in undertrained , I seemed to have type those words a few times in this post?  On the bus to the start I was nervous which was unlike me as normally I’m excited ! Needless to say I got my head down and finished but jeez, it doesn’t get any easier !  ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2025/11/14/feral-pig-2025-race-report/ )

So that leaves me with just the 6 inch trail ultra to finish on 21st December for  my ‘down year’.   ( https://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com/ ) I may have entered a reasonable number of events but my overall total of around three thousand kilometres is my lowest since I started to record mileage , from 2008.  I have been walking the dogs a lot and hitting the Pilates reformer in the gym but running has taken a back seat, this will need to change in 2026 and beyond. Personally I feel I need the challenge of new events possibly in a new country to reignite the competitive fire, familiarity does breed contempt it seems?  As I do nearly all my racing in Western Australia I’ve ran ran most races multiple times and its the community that keeps me coming back for more but eventually I feel you need to spread your wings and meet other like minded people, there are so many good races on this planet and my time competing is of course limited by my old mate Father Time.

(https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/12/20/how-do-you-keep-the-fire-burning/ ) Maybe I need to reread my post from the 6 inch last year when I had a stella run for a top 10 finish, at 58 !

It seems like yesterday when I ran my first sub three marathon, then in the blink of an eye you’re suddenly old with 112 marathons (inc. ultras) behind you and looking sixty square in the eye, how does this happen? Keeping the fire burning has been difficult post Cape to Cape but I feel there is still the urge to compete , I just need different races to challenge me I think ? Writing these recap posts always inspires me as I recall all the great memories each race finish creates and all the wonderful people I’ve met along the way, this is why I keep doing what I do I suppose. I still love the racing , it’s just the training has taken a back seat to life.

Personally I feel I’m in the transition period from running daily to running less and smarter, I know this is what runners of my vintage do but that’s not to say it’s an easy transition. I miss my days of double days being the norm and hundred plus kilometre weeks being so easy to knock out,  week in week out. Spending time with the BTRC crew , who are all younger and chasing times I have already achieved,  you can sometimes forget how old you are and try and compete, be that pace or weekly totals. It is achievable but not sustainable.

So what’s the answer ? At the moment I don’t have one. I’m just concentrating on the next race, 6 inch ultra in a weeks time. I’d like to enjoy the event and try and finish strong in a time close to last years effort but I’d be happy with less than five hours given my latest training runs. You never know with the 6 inch marathon, it’s been such a special event over the years and I know it so well that I can normally pull a good result out of the hat, maybe back to the well one more time. ?  After that it’s 2026 and I really have no idea what’s next ?  With all my girls completing school Karen and I have the opportunity to maybe travel and/or even more to a different country. There are so many races in the UK that I would love to complete and also Europe, and then the Triple Crown in the States. I have a large bucket list of events I need to start ticking off.

Not matter what happens I’ll keep posting about it on the blog, it keeps Mum busy reading them…

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Big shout out to fisiocrem , this product is just incredible for tired and aching legs. I use it daily and have noticed a vast improvement in recovery.

Bix hydration is just ace, a product brought to life by Vlad Ixel a professional ultra runner who knows a thing or two about hydration. ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/ )  The best thing about Bix is it tastes good with many different flavours and you never get sick of drinking it, this is a big plus as Maurten and Tailwind (both great products)  can be difficult to digest later in the event.  From the website :-

As an Australian elite multiple trail running champion, with wins in over 40 ultra-marathon races across Asia, recovery from training and races has always been my top priority. 

In searching for a solid recovery and hydration supplement, I recognized that critical vitamins and minerals – both in diversity and quantity – were missing from almost all supplements on the market. I had the feeling that in an effort to maximize their bottom-lines, companies in the hydration space, failed to deliver a product that could meaningfully assist athlete performance. 

In order to address this, I began the development of a hydration product. After two and a half years of development alongside a leading German sports scientist, BIX Recovery, an advanced, high-quality recovery drink was born. 

BIX boosts 12 active ingredients scientifically balanced to replace lost electrolytes and assist in immune function. It’s designed with quality vitamins and minerals, in quantities that work! 

BIX is a recovery solution for everyone, that will get you to the top of your game!

What can I say about HumanTecar,  ( https://athleticus.com.au/ ) it looks great, smells great and is awesome for recovery or even pre-run/workout. Read about the science behind it first and then try the products. The compression bandages are just magical after a long event. Put these on and the next day you are recovered, I have used them on a number of occasions and they never fail to astound me albeit the family poke fun at me as I look like a ‘mummy and smell funny’ !

Fractel ( https://fractel.com.au/ ) have your performance headgear covered. I love the colours and the functionality of these hats, I guarantee there is one model you’ll fall in love with.

Shokz headphones, let you keep in touch with the world around while losing yourself in quality tunes or podcasts. ( https://shokz.com.au/ )

T8 running apparel is the best you can get, second to none. Designed for the ultra humid Hong Kong conditions the owners live in.  It is light and does away with any chaffing worries. T8 is the name given to the highest typhoon warning in Honk Kong,  storms and typhoons with gusts exceeding 180kph, which explains the branding. ( https://t8.run/)

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