Last year’s inaugural Cape to Cape miler was just brilliant but its brilliance was a mixture of the scenery and the weather.  ( https://www.cape2capeultra.com.au/ ) The scenery was stunning, as we all knew it would be, but the weather was so bad it was good, as weird as that sounds. We were treated to a complex storm, which is like a normal storm but on steroids in layman’s terms.  On the bright side we had a tail wind and it’s really a point-to-point race, so we were pushed to the finish. If it had been a head wind it would have been brutal.

Reads all about here , ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2025/06/26/perth-marathon-sub3-mission-week-three/ ) at the time it was week three in my Perth marathon training block, but this went out the window after running the Cape to Cape after I finished and just stagnated for about three months before injuring my ankle running the Transcend Ultra in August. When Perth came around in October, I think I had run five times in three months, not ideal. Anyhow I digress, another reason the Cape to Cape was so good was the company. I ran with my good mates Andy, Glen and Matty virtually the whole way and we just had such a great laugh. Great company just makes the miles disappear; it truly does. Andy would set the pace and we all hung on, of course any sign of weakness and you were ejected out of the back of the bus with the assumption you’d get back on sometime down the line. There was no slowing, Andy sets the pace and just grinds it out like a metronome, he is the white diesel van of ultra running.

This year Glen is one of the Race Directors as he hasn’t fully recovered from a nasty man-cold/chest infection that skuttled his 2026 Delirious race, I’ve not heard from Matty so hope he just turns up like last year as the pre-event dinner.  We’ll pick up a few more runners along the way I’m sure.

Unlike the Feral Pig Ultra ran later in the year, ( https://www.feralpigultra.com.au/ ) with a midnight start and serious elevation and heat, the Cape to Cape is virtually flat with ideal running conditions. You don’t worry about finishing as you’re having so much fun exploring the beaches, as you move along the course, and then just as you think you’ve seen enough beaches the course snakes its way through pristine forest, again pretty flat. Then of course more beaches. I don’t remember any time last year when I didn’t enjoy my surroundings and I feel it will be the same next Saturday when I tackle the event for the second time.

Fitness wise I’m in better condition than last year running an extra eleven laps at Herdy’s backyard Ultra in March (top ten finish from a world record field) and finishing the Delirious West 200 miler four hours quicker a few weeks ago.  (good for a second place overall) I never really race 100 miler’s as I feel I’m more competitive over the longer distances, i.e. 200 milers. A 100 mile is more suited to the younger runner who actually sets a time and get their head down, missing all the beautiful trails. At my stage in my running career, i.e. at the end, I enjoy breathing in the course and taking loads of photos and just spending times with my mates on the trails.

I’ve only ran two 100 milers, the Feral Pig, which I’ve finished four times, and inaugural Cape to Cape 100 miler last year.  The contrast in these two events is massive. Feral has some serious elevation and is held on the Bibbulmun track in November, ( https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/ ) when it’s seriously hot (usually). This race really does test you and although there is excitement, it’s what we do right? ,   there is also some trepidation. A finish is never guaranteed when you race the Feral Pig, you just do the best you can and hope you’ve done enough. Last year racing the Cape to Cape I never even thought about finishing, I was having too much fun with the boys and the conditions. I’m hoping for more of the same in a few days and the weather report seems to indicate we’ll get some rain and that normally means there’ll be wind, let’s just hope it’s another strong tail wind.

Post Cape to Cape miler I have a completely free schedule bar the Montane Winter Spine in January 2017. This is a race that I am very, very nervous about but at the same time incredibly excited. It will be my longest race ever coming in at two hundred and sixty-eight miles, over one hundred kilometres further than the Delirious West 200 miler. ( https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/pennine-way/ ) Add in more than double the elevation of Delirious and the extreme conditions, extremely cold conditions after training in a Perth Summer, and this will be an incredibly hard challenge. It is rated as the hardest race in the UK and the UK has its fair share of hard ultras. Training wise all I can do is try and get as ultra fit as possible and then hope that the proper clothing will protect me from the extreme cold, albeit a lot will depend on the conditions at the time of the race. I’ve watched videos of horizontal snow, wind that was blowing runners off their feet and visibility so poor you couldn’t see the hand in front of your face. This is daunting but at the same time why I’ve chosen this event, to test myself, go deep into the pain cave , curl up into the fetal position and just stay hard. Can I dig myself out or will I fold in a heap. Looking at the DNF rate it’s normally over 50% and I’m sure a lot higher if conditions go against you.  This one really is me against the elements. Add in no support, severe sleep deprivation, possible -15c temperatures on the higher areas, limited aid stations and unforgiving terrain and you have a real test of your ability to finish, forget chasing a time.

Of course there are options for other event before the Winter Spine. Probably Transcend Ultra in August ( https://transcendtrails.com/ ) to make up for my incredibly slow time last year after spraining my ankle in the first two kilometers. Then the last Lighthorse 24-hour event in September where I’m hoping to add to my five in a row podium finishes. ( https://lighthorseultra.com.au/ ) November of course if the Feral Pig miler for the sixth time and looking for my fifth finish. ( https://www.feralpigultra.com.au/ ) I’m also tempted to try shorter distances but am always wary about possible injuries given my vintage. I ran a 39.55 last year and it would be good to keep the sub 40 streak going. There is also Bibra Lake running festival first week in July but not sure how the legs will have recovered post Cape to Cape? ( https://raceroster.com/events/2026/108936/bibra-lake-runningworks-festival ) I feel the last few months I have neglected any speed work, even selecting the easier 10k option at Yelo every Thursday morning when back in the day it was a gut busting fourteen progressive. It’s a balancing act switching between ultra events and quicker, shorter distances.  Training and running ultras, generally, can keep you injury free for longer. As soon as you add pace, you’re rolling the dice, for us mature runners. Maybe target the Bibra lake half, the course is flat and three loops so it would be a good chance to break 90 minutes, maybe? I could always step up for the marathon and just try and get as close to three hours fifteen minutes as possible, make up for my disaster of a Perth marathon last year when I really did fall into a big heap, albeit I’m blaming the Puma Nitro shoes, and my Transcend Ultra injury. We’ll see, let’s get the Cape to Cape miler put to bed first before starting my next training block. Tally ho.

 

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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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