Over the next 18 weeks I’ll be documenting my build to the 2025 Perth Running Festival marathon. ( https://perthrunningfestival.com.au/ ) . My main goal is to try and break the age group record for the event, 55- 60,  which sits at just over two hours and fifty nine minutes, bar that I’m chasing my elusive thirty third sub 3 marathon.  Last year I was on track for a good sub3 at Perth after a 3:04 at the Bibra Lake marathon in July.  Unfortunately I was distracted by a Back Yard Ultra in August and never recovered.

Post Birdy’s backyard ultra in August I dropped the ball big time with four weeks of little or no training, culminating in a 12k race where I managed to pull a good time out of the hat and reignite my sub3 goal but in the end I ran out of time.  Two good weeks and a down week wasn’t enough for another sub3 attempt and at Perth I paid the price hitting the wall badly at 32k, truth be told my race was over a lot earlier !

So this year I have a full race calendar , ranging from a 5k to a 100 miler , to prepare for Perth 2025 and redemption.  Looking at my Excel spreadsheet I have a 100 miler in 11 days, ( https://www.cape2capeultra.com.au/ ) then a half marathon two weeks after that. Two weeks later I have a 10k and then a 5k two weeks after that. Two weeks post the 5k I have a 67km trail ultra ( https://transcendtrails.com/ ) then a five week block to really get into marathon training before another 10k and then a three week break before the big dance. Sounds good right?

I understand its not the normal build to a marathon but I love my ultra races as much as racing marathons and at 58 I’m running out of time so try to fit as many events in as possible. Luckily I seem to rebound well from most races albeit never really hitting my true potential due to the racing calendar, this is a sacrifice I’m willing to make for racing multiple times.

Right lets discuss week one of the road to redemption.

Monday was two 10k’s at around 5min/k average. The first run with friends , and great coffee and conversation afterwards, the second run alone and around my favourite 1.6k (1 mile loop) six times,  for another 10k total.

Tuesday was another double day with both runs local , leaving from my house and turning left when I hit the coast for my first run and right in the evening.

Wednesday was another 10k in Bold park with a bit of elevation. Another reasonable paced run.  Bold Park is the one of largest parks  situated in a major city, over 442 hectares. Some seriously good trails and elevation.

Thursday started with our weekly Yelo run, anything between 10-14 kilometers , depending on how you feel.  Lately I’ve been running the fourteen kilometre option which starts slow and builds to a progressive albeit these days I seem to plateau at around 10k, not ideal. I had a couple of stops this week but overall was happy enough.   My second run was another local loop.

Friday was back into Bold Park for a eleven kilometre loop, the weather had been testing all week, unusually so for Perth, but I was lucky to get a good window for this run, even pulled the top off.

Saturday I was lead bike for the Perth Ultra 50k where I used the Elliptigo and kept Dean Menzies honest as he set a new WA record for the distance and sixth overall in Australia of two hours fifty five minutes. I’d bite his hand off for that time in the marathon!   Decided to have a day off running and feel more refreshed for my long run on Sunday.

Sunday , two hour long run, just over twenty one kilometres but over 500m’s of vert , which was the real target.

So for the week I managed 107km’s, 9 runs (including three double days) , over 1,600m’s of vert and a two hour long run as well as a reasonable tempo run Thursday. All boxes ticked for week #1.

Lessons learned from week one. I have a long way to go and will need to keep focused, no ball dropping this year. My speed work needs to improve but I’ll wait until post Cape to Cape Ultra to look at that. I also need to improve my Yelo tempo run on Thursday and complete the fourteen kilometes without stopping. Distance will come and with distance,  and increased fitness,  the pace work will take care of itself, that’s the plan anyway.

Finally a bit shout out to Bix nutrition and Vlad for getting onboard the BK SUB3 freight train with BIX products, these products are , in my view, the best on the market and I’m stoked to have Vlad in my corner.   Do yourself a favour and get onto the website and indulge yourself… ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/ )

Follow me on

or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/

 

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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I’ve ran thirty two sub3 marathons and was on a twenty nine in a row streak before missing out in Melbourne in 2022.  Last year I put in a reasonable marathon training base before Bibra Lake marathon and ran a three hours and four minute race. The course is dead flat and a six lap loop,  around a lake funnily enough , as if the Bibra Lake marathon didn’t give that away ? I wasn’t feeling the love for the race from the start and was working far too hard maintaining marathon pace early on, to my credit I managed to hang on the sub3 bus until about sixteen kilometres from the finish. I then lost the four minutes which tipped me over the three hour goal.  Full race report here if you’re interested. ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/07/09/bibra-lake-marathon-race-report/ )

This should have been a stepping stone to the Perth Marathon in October but unfortunately I had the small matter of a backyard ultra between the two events, in August. This should have been no problem but I just seemed to drop the ball post the BYU (backyard ultra) and basically didn’t do enough training. Of course with a marathon you get found out pretty quickly and in my case around ten kilometres in I was in trouble, not good with thirty two kilometres ahead of you.

Perth was only the second time I have really hit the wall in a marathon, on marathon number forty eight. The first time was my first marathon in 2002 when I knew nothing about long distance running.  Funny how twenty two years later and I’m repeating the same mistakes albeit in my defense I ran a 3:14 compared to a 3:52 the first time.

Worth reading the race report for this one , a tale of woe. ( https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/10/08/perth-running-festival-when-marathons-go-bad/ ) On the brightside I did win my age category but only because my good friend Micky cramped in sight of the stadium with victory in his grasp, cheers Mickey.

So here we are again in June with the Perth Marathon in October but before then we have  a 100 miler in June ( https://www.cape2capeultra.com.au/ ) , Bibra Lake half in July, the Transcend 65k ultra in August ( https://transcendtrails.com/ ) and a couple of shorter races inbetween.  It’s looking similar to last year but the difference will be I’ll train for the Perth Marathon as my A-race with all other events there to keep me honest and because I just love racing.

To help me in my quest I have invested in the latest best super shoes, well best as of June , the Puma Nitro R3’s . Albeit last year I brought a pair of Saucony Endorphin Elites two and a pair of Nike Alphafly two’s , and both failed to deliver albeit lack of training wouldn’t have helped their cause.  I managed to get the Saucony Endorphin Elites 2  at a reasonable price but the Alpha’s and the Nitro R3’s both cost around $350 AUD each. ( I hope my Wife never reads this post ! )

I have also roped in Bix nutrition and Vlad Ixel, the founder, has agreed to supply all my nutrition for this sub3 attempt.  I’m a big fan of all bix products and have been behind Vlad and his company from the start.  You really need to follow Vlad on his Youtube channel (

) and his products are available here ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/en-au )

The Bix active recovery electrolytes tabs taste so good, you have to be careful not too overdose , great flavours as well. The Performance Fuel mix is also fit for purpose and again my go-to when I need some help, finally the 40gram carbohydrates GU’s just give you more bang for your buck, i.e. more carbohydrates delivered in a liquid form that is digestible on the run. Vlad is an elite trail runner and has been at the top of the trail running arena for many years based initially in Hong Kong and now in Perth albeit he competes regularly around the world, supported by his great company of course.  I’m looking forward to seeing how fast the bix and Puma combination , together with serious training, can make me in October when I put it all on the line for sub 3 number thirty three.

Follow me on

or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/

 

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/)

Follow me on

or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/

This was the 15th time HBF have put on  their ‘run for a reason‘ event and the first time I have entered the half marathon.  Not sure how I missed it so many times as back in the day I would have loved to run this course, looking back it must have clashed with some other event ? Entering now , my first half since 2020, I was in no shape for anything but a sub 90 minute attempt. With my 10k result the previous week , 39:55, according to race predictors I was in with a chance.  The weather was atrocious for the start with a squall coming through just as we counted down to the start, it made the start testing as my Saucony Endorphine Elites are incredible racing shows but have no grip and I felt like I Bambi charging down the slope with twenty thousand runners behind me. On the bright side the first kilometre was quick with gravity as my co-pilot.

Unfortunately once I got going I realised pretty quickly I was on heavy legs far too early in the event to have much chance of a sub 90 minute finish.  It was a similar feeling to running the Fremantle 10k three weeks prior where the legs just felt heavy and I struggled to keep the pace needed for my goal finishing time.

I held the pace I needed for the first eight kilometres but was working far too hard to hold on for the full twenty one. The ninety minute bus ran over the top of me around this time and I watched it disappear ahead of me as we ran onto the freeway and through the tunnel. At eleven kilometres in I had my second Gu (I had one before the start) and this helped me get back onto race pace and even start to drop the gap between me and the sub ninety bus. I even started to believe I was in for a chance of catching the bus.  I always seem to find a second wind around the sixteen kilometre mark but not enough this time it seems. My final final five kilometres were on race pace and in the end that minute I lost in the middle of the event cost me a sub ninety minute finish.

So was I disappointed ?  A little I suppose, but to get so close when I was realised I was  finished so early in the event was a big positive.  A fast finish also gave me some confidence that I can gleam a few minutes later in the year probably at the Bibra Lake half which is a fast course.  That’s three races in four weeks and I now have a four week break before a hundred miler, Cape to Cape Ultra, at the end of June. ( https://www.cape2capeultra.com.au/ )

With all three races I have either just got my goal (Joondalup 10k) or just missed it (Fremantle 10k and the HBF Half) which is a positive albeit the goal has been way slower than previous times but this is where I am. This year alone I am well over a thousand  less training kilometres than at the same time last year, you can’t hide from not enough  training, running is a honest sport.  If I’d ran those missing thousand plus training kilometres the racing  results would have been a lot quicker. I’ve have been distracted by Pilates and my two new dogs but distraction is not an excuse for missing motivation and that’s the real problem here.  At fifty eight  I’ve been training now consistently for nearly twenty five years, my first marathon was Perth in 2002 as well as a half ironman the same year, now with forty eight marathons and fifty seven ultra marathons completed hitting the same training kilometres is proving difficult. Getting up at 5am for the pre-work 10k , which was the norm back in the day, ain’t going to happen now and double days are a thing of the past. With the decrease in training comes the increase in race times, add in aging and things can go south very quickly.  (I google the ‘go south‘ meaning.. Deteriorate or decline, as in The stock market is headed south again . This expression is generally thought to allude to compasses and two-dimensional maps where north is up and south is down. However, among some Native Americans, the term was a euphemism for dying, and possibly this sense led to the present usage. )

Moving forward I know what I need to do and will target the Perth marathon in October and the 6 inch ultra in December as my two ‘A’ races for the year. Of course I still have a couple of 100 milers to play about on and three 10k’s, one 5k and a 7.5k to race so I can try and win my age group for the WAMC. Entering races is as easy as it’s always been, it’s just the racing them that seems to have got harder. Go figure?

Maybe I should have followed a half marathon training plan , like this one from Hal Higdon?   https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/half-marathon-training/advanced-half-marathon/

HALF MARATHON ADVANCED IS FOR VERY EXPERIENCED RUNNERS: individuals who compete regularly in 5K, 10K, half-marathon and even marathon races and who want to improve their performances. You should be capable of running 30 to 60 minutes a day, five to seven days a week and have a basic understanding of how to do speedwork. If that sounds like too much training, and this is your first half marathon, you might be more comfortable training using either one of the novice programs or the intermediate programs.

The runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and sometimes Fridays or Saturdays are designed to be done at a comfortable pace. Don’t worry about how fast you run these workouts. Run easy! If you’re training with a friend, the two of you should be able to hold a conversation. If you can’t do that, you’re running too fast. (For those wearing heart rate monitors, your target zone should be between 65 and 75 percent of your maximum pulse rate.)

Stretch & Strength: Mondays and Wednesdays are also days on which I advise you to spend extra time stretching–and do some strength training too. These are actually “easy” days, so don’t overdo it. It’s wise to stretch every day, particularly after you finish your run, but spend more time stretching on Mondays and Wednesdays. And don’t forget to stretch while warming up for your hard runs. I can’t emphasize this strongly enough: Advanced runners need to spend more time stretching than novice or intermediate runners! That’s because you probably run faster and train harder, which can stiffen the body. And don’t forget at least some strength training, which could consist of push-ups, pull-ups, use of free weights or working out with various machines at a health club. Runners generally benefit if they combine light weights with a high number of repetitions, rather than pumping very heavy iron.

The training schedule dictates workouts at distances, from 3 miles to two hours, the latter which (depending on your ability) may actually take you further than your half marathon race distance. Don’t worry about running precise distances, but you should come close. Pick a course through the neighborhood, or in some scenic area where you think you might enjoy running. Then measure the course by your GPS watch. As an advanced runner, you probably already know the distances of many of your courses. When the prescribed workout (as on Sundays) is in hours rather than miles, forget distance entirely.

Rest: Rest is as important a part of your training as the runs. You will be able to run the long runs on the weekend better–and limit your risk of injury–if you program some easy training before and after. Be realistic about your fatigue level–particularly in the closing weeks of the program–and don’t be afraid to take a day off.

Some hill training will help strengthen your quads and build speed. Look for a hill between 200 and 400 meters long. Jog or walk an equal distance between each repeat. I prescribed only three hill sessions, all in the first half of the program, but if you want to do more hill training, be my guest. You can substitute hill repeats for any of the interval workouts, or even in place of a Tempo Run or two if you want.

Speedwork: If you want to race at a fast pace, you need to train at a fast pace several days a week. The training schedule begins with 400-meter repeats, but also includes 800- and 1600-meter repeats in later weeks. Walk or jog between each repeat. You can do the 400 and 800 repeats on a track, although you may want to do the 1600 (mile) repeats on the road. For more information on speed training, see my book, Run Fast.

Warming up is important, not only before the race itself, but before your speed workouts above and pace workouts below. Most novice runners do not warm up, except in the race itself. This is okay, because they’re more interested in finishing rather than finishing fast. You have a different goal, otherwise you wouldn’t be using the Advanced program, so warm up before you run fast. My usual warm-up is to jog a mile or two, sit down and stretch for 5-10 minutes, then run some easy strides (100 meters at near race pace). And I usually cool down afterwards by doing half the warm-up distance.

Tempo Runs: This is a continuous run with a buildup in the middle to near 10-K race pace. A Tempo Run of 40 to 60 minutes would begin with 10-20 minutes easy running, then accelerate gradually for 20-30 minutes near the middle, then 5-10 minutes easy toward the end. The pace buildup should be gradual, not sudden, with peak speed coming about two-thirds into the workout. Hold that peak only for a minute or two. I consider Tempo Runs to be the “Thinking Runner’s Workout.” A Tempo Run can be as hard or easy as you want to make it, and it has nothing to do with how long (in time) you run or how far. In fact, the times prescribed for Tempo Runs serve mainly as rough guidelines. Feel free to improvise. Improvisation is the heart of doing a Tempo Run correctly.

A lot of runners look at my training schedules and ask, “What do you mean by ‘pace?’” I mean “race pace,” the pace at which you expect to run the half marathon. Some workouts are designed as pace runs to get you used to running the pace you will run in the race. In Week 10, for example, I ask you to do “5 m pace.” Hopefully that is self-explanatory. You might want to do a short warm-up before starting each of these pace runs.

Long Runs: As an experienced runner, you probably already do a long run of around 60-90 minutes on the weekends anyway. The schedule suggests a slight increase in time as you get closer to race date: from 90 minutes to 1:45 to two hours. Don’t get hung up on running these workouts too fast; forget also about how many miles you cover. And, yes, you may actually find yourself running further than 13.1 miles when you run two hours. Run at a comfortable, conversational pace, except on those days where a 3/1 run is prescribed. A 3/1 run is one in which you run the first three-fourths of the distance at a comfortable pace, then accelerate to near race pace over the last one quarter of the workout. (You should finish refreshed, not fatigued.) The schedule below suggests doing your long runs on Sundays, and while you can do them Saturdays or any other convenient day, you will generally find it easier to run the long runs the day after the pace runs instead of vice versa.

Normally I don’t prescribe cross-training for advanced runners. That’s because you’re usually more focused on pure running than novice or intermediate runners. But if you find that cross-training helps you prevent injuries, or if you enjoy it, feel free to substitute cross-training on one or more of the easy days. Notice I used the word substitute. Usually it’s not a good idea to add cross-training, particularly hard cross-training, to an existing workout under the mistaken belief that it will make you stronger. It may actually cause you to overtrain, which can have a negative effect on performance, because you never get a chance to rest. What form of cross-training works best? It could be swimming, cycling, walking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or even some combination that could include strength training.

Juggling: Don’t be afraid to juggle the workouts from day to day and week to week. If you have an important business meeting on Thursday, do that workout on Wednesday instead. If your family is going to be on vacation one week when you will have more or less time to train, adjust the schedule accordingly. If this means running hard on successive days, so be it. Program in an extra day of rest to compensate. Be consistent with your training, and the overall details won’t matter.

Most experienced runners enjoy racing, so I’ve included three races during the training period: one every third week, building from 5-K to 10-K to 15-K. There is nothing magic about those particular distances, and there is no necessity to race. Plug in whatever races look interesting from your local area wherever they fit in your schedule. (See “Juggling,” above.) You can use races to test your fitness and predict your finishing time in the half marathon and what pace to run that race.

Here is your half marathon training program. It is only a guide. Feel free to make minor modifications to suit your own particular schedule. Feel free to make minor modifications to suit your work and family schedule. Also, consider signing up for the interactive version of this program available from TrainingPeaks for more detailed information on what to run each day and tips for your training.

Follow me on

or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/

 

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/)

Follow me on

or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/

The last time I raced shorter distances was 2019 when I won the West Australian Marathon Club age group , 50-55. I’ve won this award on numerous occasions over the years but 2019 was the last time I ran the required eight events to qualify. 2020 I lost my running mojo and then COVID hit and before I knew it I was an ultra runner and avoided all the shorter distances. This year I decided to throw my hat back in the ring and try again for an age group win.  So I had to find eight races on the calendar to enter and hopefully do well enough to take out the age group win. ( https://www.wamc.org.au/programme )

The first event was the Fremantle Harbour Masters 10k, a four lap event with many twists and turns and a nasty headwind as you ran up the pier. Needless to say with little , by little I mean ‘none‘ , speed work and coming three weeks post Delirious West 200 miler, I was not set up for success.  I aimed for a sub 40 minute finish as I hadn’t run over forty minutes for 10k since the Aberdeen fun run in the late nineties, yep, for all the young readers of this post , that was last century !

I was 50-50 to even turn up to the start line as I really wasn’t feeling the love the week before the event. My training this year has been minimal , at best, and you can get away with that in ultra marathons as you’re operating in the lower gears, albeit for a long time. Unfortunately your top end pace disappears quickly, use it or lose it type scenario. I was about to find out what this felt like very early on.

I warmed up alone and the legs felt heavy, not a good sign. Mentally I think I was already beaten but this would be confirmed early on in the event. I set off at the required pace, sub 4min/k , and the first kilometre felt pretty good. Briefly I thought maybe I could get away with this, briefly.  The headwind on the second kilometre put all thoughts of a sub forty minute to bed. Runners started to pass me and I knew then I was in for a long time in the pain box, a long time. Hitting the wall before the third kilometre is not a nice place to be and by the time I finished lap one I knew I’d made a big mistake.

Mark , Shaf, John and Adam had turned up to cheer me on but the verbal encouragement can only do so much when the legs are misbehaving and the mind is urging you to stop this silly behavior. Begrudgingly I set off on lap two and dug myself deep in the pain cave with no exit in sight. Lap three was more of the same as my splits continued to rise steadily.  I did find some redemption on lap four and held my own for a 41.22 finish.

Post event , eating a banana crepe swimming in maple syrup, I made big plans to put this right in two weeks at the Joondalup 10k. These big plans were unfortunately , I use that word a lot in this post, just that, ‘plans’  . I did get out for a 19k long run with the Ben Tay Running Club (BTRC) and a couple of 14k Yelo runs but minimum distance.  Certainly not enough to rock up to the Joondalup start line with any confidence.

Joondalup had the same feel about it as Fremantle. Yet again I was 50-50 to even turn up, worried that I’d once again blow up early and find myself deep in the pain box for eight kilometres. I talked myself into going and arrived 90 minutes before the start questioning my life decisions. After I picked up my bib I got changed and started a four kilometre warm up. Conditions were perfect and unlike Fremantle my legs felt good and I was able to hold a reasonable pace. I bumped into Chris Shaw , who was pacing the 90 minute bus for the half, and we chatted about my goal as we both finished our warm ups and prepared for the event.

I watched the half start and then just about got into the start corral in time for the 10k start, by a few seconds. Before I knew it we were off and yet again I was racing.  As with Fremantle I settled into a sub 4min/k pace but this time managed to hold it without feeling my head gasket was about to blow.  If you aked me before the event I would have taken any improvement on my Fremantle time but as I continued to hold sub 4min/k pace I started to think maybe I was on for a sub forty finish.

The course is a an out and back north and then an out and back south, so a 2.5km stretch four times, similar to Fremantle but flat and no head wind, with only two turns.  Halfway I was feeling good and in a small group of runners who started to pull away. I wasn’t concerned , for me this was all about a finishing time, race position was not on the agenda, this time. I got to the last turn around at 7.5km and knew I was in with a good chance. I had 10-12 seconds up my sleeve, assuming the course was measured correctly, and all I had to go was dig deep and hold my pace.

Surprisingly, a better word than unfortunately,  I was able to do just this and finished in 39;55 , which even allowed for the ninety or so metres of extra course , a factor I hadn’t really accounted for so was lucky I didn’t drop off early thinking the job was done.

So mission accomplished, a chalk and cheese run compared to Fremantle and with little training I’m stoked I managed to pull it off. A 5% improvement in two weeks is reward for having a go and turning up when it would have been so easy to just DNS. I have three more 10k’s planned for the rest of the year and will attempt to keep improving and see if I can get into the high thirty seven minutes ?  Albeit I will need to train for this unfortunately, there’s that word again?

Here’s a post I wrote after I podiumed, my last one, at the Peninsula 10k early 2019 with my good mate Jon Pendse , who was the club accountant at the time.

After the Darlington half last weekend I was buoyed and ready for another race to continue my comeback from the year from hell that was 2018. Seven months of no speed work what so ever had certainly taken it’s toll but the Elliptigo commuting ( http://www.elliptigo.com ) had kept my aerobic fitness and running around like a headless chicken in Kings Park has also helped, albeit on trails and as slow as Jon Pendse running Darlington with a hangover!

Rocking up to the start of the Peninsula I decided that, unlike last year when I set off like a scolded cat,  this year I would try and hang onto the leaders and work my way into the race, hoping the time on the Elliptigo would give me enough cardio base to finish strong. I had tried this at the Point Walter 16k last year and it seemed to work, from what I remembered. Looking at the splits below it does look like we went out too fast but at the start of the race I was running within myself and I’m surprised the first kilometre was so fast. There was a 5k runner taking point but it was obvious he was not in the longer race,  so ignored. At about the 2k mark the different race distance part ways and I was disappointed to see three runners ahead of me take a right turn indicating they were racing the 10k like myself.  That put me in my least favourite position, 4th, the first person to win nothing (assuming the top 3 get medals , which in this case they do.) Worse still one of the runners ahead was a 12 year old running prodigy and who had never beaten me and I had boasted to the boys on many occasions that no runner less than 13 would ever beat me, was today going to be the day I ate my words, again !

Right, 3k in and fourth position, nestled a 100m’s or so behind the leading pack of three runners. Things took a turn for the worst when another runner over took me and I was relegated to 5th place, with the thoughts of a medal disappearing fast. It was at this point I decided to roll the dice on my fitness and put in three fast kilometres to try and get back into medal contention. The game plan was to establish a buffer for the last 2k which would be used to hang on to 3rd place. Digging in from the fifth to the seventh kilometre achieved this and I was confident the gap was enough, assuming I didn’t blow a gasket, to get me to the podium.

As it turned out the plan worked perfectly and the last two kilometres , although still very ‘trying‘ (and that’s putting it nicely),  were do-able and there was no time blow-out as such. That’s not to say it was easy and that is the point of this post.

 

What is the best way to run a good 10k ? First of all I believe you need to either race quite a few 10k races, on a regular basis, to nail them or in training put yourself in the 10k ‘pain box‘ once a week and continually improve your time. This could mean starting 2-4 minutes outside your PB time but getting to within a minute in training, once a week,  on tired legs. Thus when you get on your racing shoes (I assume you’ll have the Nike Vaproflys 4% ?) and you’re rested , together with the racing mentality of a bib on your chest or training chip on your shoe. you can produce the time you need. As with all things running experience and practice play such an important role. The more you run 10k the better you will become at running 10k, it really isn’t rocket science. (I’ve lost track of the number of times I have said that .) This , of course, goes for all distances.

Looking at my ‘regressive’ splits above you’d be right in thinking that today was probably not the best way to run a 10k but I was more interested in the medal,  not the time. At 52 years old my days of getting on the podium are probably limited and I treat every time now as the possibility it may be my last, especially at the shorter distances.  Today I worked very hard to get that third place but I was always have that reminder in my medal collection and it will bring back all the happy(?) memories of the race. (Well I enjoyed the last 100m’s ?)

You can break a 10k down into three stages, the first 1-5k you should be able to maintain your desired pace, if you can’t the second 5k ain’t going to be pretty. The hardest part of the 10k is then upon you, maintaining your race pace through kilometres 6-8k, this is where the 10k is won or lost in relation to reaching your required time. The last 2k you can normally find something and the mind will release the last bit of energy left to get the job done, bye bye fatigue , hello ‘sprint to the finish’ and vow never to do this again. !

Why is the 10k so hard ? A 5k is a hard race but worst  case scenario, you won’t hit the wall until 3k so only have to hang on for the final 2k. In the 10k this can be double that distance. So many runners set of , full of beans, at their 5k pace. The one problem with 5k pace is at 5k you suddenly realise why it’s 5k pace. Your body reminds the mind that 5k pace is good for, well, 5k ? Not surprise there, leaving you with maybe 1-2 kilometres to digest this information from body to brain and then unfortunately  four kilometres to reflect on your mistake , deep, deep in the pain box. To compound your mistake your body starts to remind your mind that its time to shut down vital bits to survive your earlier exuberance, starting with your legs , lungs and eventually mind. Trust me it ain’t pretty.

Is a 10k harder than a half marathon ? Yes, because for a half you’re a tad more sensible. No 5k pace for a half and also no 10k pace because a half isn just too long to fall apart before half way. The same for a full marathon, these are planned and people are usually sensible enough to set a goal pace and stick to it, at least for the first half of the race. Of course the marathon is a 10k race in itself , albeit with a 32k warm up ! Anyhow the half and full lend themselves to sensible pacing.

So whats the answer to run a good 10k ? As I said earlier practice and this can be either run a 10k race once a month or try and run within 1-2 minutes of your 10k PB once a week. Another option is running a park run every Saturday because if you can get to the end of a 5k and still feel fresh you can certainly last a few more kilometres before hitting the wall. Also if you can get to 8k you can always find something for the last 2k, surely ?

 

 

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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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Herdy’s Frontyard Ultra 2025 was to be another attempt at 48 hours (laps) having coming so close in 2021. That was my second backyard ultra and truth be told I haven’t come too close since. An assist to Phil Gore at the Hysterical Carnage event in 2022,  at 38 hours,  was as close as I’ve come which with hindsight was a mistake as I was fresh enough but had promised my daughter a trip to Adelaide so pulled the pin early. A 36 hour PB at Birdy’s in 2023 was another race where I could have gone further but an incoming storm was all the excuse I needed to scuttle off to my car and a well earned sleep.

Unfortunately a week out from Herdy’s I’d pulled up lame running my usual Sunday morning long run with the BTRC (Ben Tay Running Club) About 12km into my run my calf tightened to a point I had to stop , hobble to the nearest cafe, order a coffee , and call my mate Rob to come and get me.  This gave me less than a week until Herdy’s and I was gutted. Calling our tame Doctor I got a referral that evening and got a ultra-sound Monday afternoon , confirming no tear. Great news, Herdy’s was still on but I couldn’t run. Lots of foam rolling, strong anti-inflammatories and a good dry needling from Rob had me at Yelo the day before the event for a test 10k. I got to about 500 metres before hobbling back to Yelo, my tail between my legs.

Not one to give up easily and also a no refund policy , I took more drugs (don’t judge me) , more foam rolling and the calf seem to come good early Friday morning, just in time for a 4pm kick off.  Was I mad to attempt this less than three weeks out from the Delirious West 200 miler? Probably, but that’s how I roll, love competing and especially love competing at  Herdy’s.

So I got to the start line for the fifth time, keeping my streak of not missing an event, starting with an assist in 2021 in the inaugural event. (2021) I Wasn’t sure how far I’d get as the calf was untested since the Yelo run the previous day. I did tape the calf , add compression socks and took more anti-inflammatory drugs. Funnily enough for the first three laps I was running smoothly with no issues with the calf but this soon changed from lap four onwards.  I was soon unable to run freely and started a hop, limp gait to get through the laps, not the best look but managed to come in around the fifty minute mark. My targets changed on the hour, initially my 48 target was halved to 24 hours, then 100 kilometres (15 hours) and eventually double figures , 10 laps.

Herdy’s was yet again the largest backyard ultra in the world with over four hundred starters, beating the previous years total by around fifty runners. Pretty cool to run the biggest backyard ultra in the world, around one of my local haunts surrounded by my good friends, love Herdy’s. Shuan Kaesler, the owner of the Ultra Series WA has created a monster of an event. (The website of ultra running in Western Australia https://www.ultraseries.com.au/ )

Heading into the night after three laps I was struggling to stay motivated, coming in towards the back of the pack and also not eating or drinking enough. I was determined not to overdo the electrolytes which had derailed me the previous year but over compensated by eating and drinking very little. Of course this is unsustainable for an ultra runner and I could feel my fight ebbing away, on the hour ,  every hour. The only thing that kept me going was great conversations with fellow runners out on the course, that’s a thing with a backyard ultra it is so sociable, with a bit of running thrown in for good measure.

Shaun had chucked in $500 for the best themed gazebo this year and Simon and his family were determined to win it. Every lap you would return to the gazebo and more decorating had been added,  giving the affect of a Roman temple. The judging was at 11pm and this was another reason why I couldn’t drop out before that time especially when I saw the A4 laminated description of Simon and I , so funny. (and a little bit true of course?)

As you can see from the background of our Gazebo we were a shoe in to win the $500 for best themed gazebo, which we did of course. There was so much more but I didn’t get a photo of the finished gazebo albeit one point Simon was getting fed grapes ‘Roman emperor’ style in-between laps.

Right back to the event.  As seems to be the way for the last three or four backyard ultras my appetite deserted me , no pun intended. Without food you eventually just grind to a halt and I was close to this point many times during the night. What kept me going was the 100 kilometre , 15 hour, carrot dangling infront of me, it would be a backyard ultra personal worst but I could finish with some sense of pride. As it was the two laps post sunrise were probably my best and I managed to eat some weetbix and finish a nice cup of sweet tea, my go-to combination when all else fails. Thanks Nancy Shaw for coming down with the weetbix, milk and tea, the three laps Nancy crewed for me were my best.

The forecast for Saturday was brutal heat, unusual for Autumn in Perth.  Lap 18 was difficult and I was really beginning to struggle to arrive before the hour mark. I think I was middle fifty minutes for lap 18 and I knew then I didn’t have many more left in the legs. I stumbled out for lap nineteen but soon realised the goal would be to finish this lap , there would be no lap twenty. I came in as the two minute warning sounded in the corral and made no effort to reach the start line, I was done and dusted. This was the right decision as a large total was probably off the cards and in the back of my mind I needed to keep something for the Delirious West 200 miler in a few weeks, this was my A-race. The heat went from ten to eleven in the next lap and I was very happy with my decision as I dozed in the chair post shower.

 

Herdy’s 2025 was a disappointment but with the calf injury coming into the event I think it was doomed to failure from the start. I got out unscathed , I think, and with Delirious early next week it was the right decision to pull the pin at 19 laps, of course doesn’t make it any easier.  This was backyard ultra number twelve and , as is tradition, I retired from the format. Fast forward a week later , two minutes into registrations opening , and I’m in for Herdy’s 2026 with a new crew, my Wife Karen. Yep, I’m bringing out the big guns for my last attempt. It works for Phil Gore so it can work for me, I hope. ?

Finally a big shout to my mate Grazer who ran 24 laps and redeemed himself after dropping out on the tu-tu lap, 22, last year. He had targeted a return and was determined to make the 24 hours, which he did.  It wasn’t pretty sometimes but he got it done with the BTRC crew there supporting him. Love your work Grazer.

Follow me on

or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/

 

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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or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/

I first ran the 6 inch trail ultramarathon as a ‘fat ass’ (no entry fee and totally self supported albeit I think there was one aid station?) in 2009. Bar one year, 2019, when it was cancelled due to extreme temperatures’ and fire risk, I have ran it every year since.  It has morphed from a family weekend away with young kids to a boys weekend due to all the kids growing up and totally not interested in spending time with parents in small Australia towns.  Undeterred we’ve embraced the new format and all the boys look forward to the weekend when we all become eighteen year old versions of ourselves without the alcohol.

If you read all the posts on this event you know it’s all about the traditions and we make a big effort to continue them. First is the photo leaving Perth and then a photo outside the Truckers Lounge at the Baldivis service station. The last two years we also ventured into the truckers lounge for another photo.  Luckily the lounge has always been empty.

Next is the top of Goldmine Hill photo, tick.

We then scurry to the Forrest Centre in Dwellingup where we book one of the family rooms before a excursion and then dinner. The excursion does change on a yearly basis albeit this year we all went to the Scarpe Pool and had a great time so that may be added to the tradition list for future years. The water was actually quite warm and laying on the hot rocks afterwards was invigorating. Its not often I post images of elderly men topless on my blog so I will apologise in advance if anybody is offended.  (Apparently you need to do  that these days ? )

The night before there is a talk at the Forrest Centre and a last chance for a bib pickup before the morning of the event.  I’ve been on the panel a few times over the years but this year I was going along as a member of the audience until Michael Carroll decided to message Dave he was running late. Always happy to talk about all things running Dave added me to the panel as a stop gap.  In the end Michael turned up so the four of us talked about all things running. In the end it was a pretty good panel with Michael  grabbing second, Milan fourth, Petra eighth and ninth for me, four of the top nine.

Right after very little sleep , another tradition when you share a room with three other people, we set off to the start line at Goldmine Hill for the 4:30am start.  As this event is a Perth summer you need to start as soon as the sun peaks it’s head over the horizon, or in this years case a few minutes prior. (Hence the darker than usual start line photo.)  Luckily this year we were blessed with perfect conditions , the days prior to the event we’d seen very hot temperatures but , similar to last year, we got lucky with a dip in temperatures for the Sunday of the race.  Not sure how Dave, the Race Director, does it? Another bonus was the local Council had graded the biggest hill of the event, the infamous Escalator,  (You know the hill is bad when it gets its own nickname!) It is normally heavily rutted due to four wheel drive damage and unrunable, sometimes only just walkable.  This year it retained its steepness but the surface was a lot more forgiving and most runners ran the downhill section, albeit gingerly.

Right, to the race itself. I had set myself a goal of finishing around the four hours twenty minutes,  after a four hour thirty five minute finish the previous year. I was in better form with a lot more racing under my belt in 2024.  The only worry was a four hour thirty five minute Sandman 50k four weeks prior after a 100 miler two weeks before that. Had my legs recovered ? In the weeks prior I had ran 10k a day but no more and rather than do a double day went to my local gym and did a Pilates Reformer session and some weights. Would this help or hinder my endurance running ? There really was only one way to find out of  course.

As with all races within our local Yelo group there was banter, I assume this is the norm for any group of people doing any sport together, be that running, tennis or non contact tiddly-winks?  This year Adam, Andy and I were all thinking around the four hours twenty minutes while Mark was aiming for his first sub four finish ,  after a good Sydney marathon , and training block, confidence was high. Scotty was just wanting to enjoy it without blowing out too much and Bartsy just wanted to finish, and anything sub six hours would be a bonus. We all had our goals but there was also the added bonus of a ‘ bum tap; if you went past anybody. Rob was doing the half so did not partake in the ‘full marathon’ banter, this also resulted in his exclusion from a number of photos.

Goldmine Hill  starts the 6 inch ultra and it is a seriously nasty piece of work. Long and steep when you are not even warmed up is not a good combination for a hill.  I’ve said it many times this hill has ruined many a good runners race even before it’s started. You need to start slow and build into it, do not go out too fast and blow up in the first three kilometres.  After fourteen previous events I know this hill very well now and have raced it, walked it and jogged it over the years. This year I was going for the jog option but went out quicker than planned trying to keep Mark in view.  I also had Andy for company initially but never saw Adam after the start.  Scotty and Bartsy took it very easy and dominated the back of the pack, mainly walking, I wouldn’t see either of these two again on the course.

Once I got halfway up Goldmine Hill I decided to try and keep Mark and the sub four bus in view, so picked up the pace ignoring all the alarm bells in my head. My Hoka Mach 2x road shoes felt good and the nylon plate was giving me a little bounce , even though they were well past their sell by date carrying over 500 kilometres in them. I didn’t consider the 6 inch worthy of a new pair as it wasn’t really an A race as such. I was more worried about the shoes letting me down but bar one stumble they performed very well.

I lost sight of Mark and Andrew after Goldmine but kept up the pace and was running 19th at the first aid station and feeling pretty good. The first half is harder than the second in this event so as I quickly refilled my water bottle at aid station one I made up my mind to roll the dice for the second half. I break the race (something I recommend everyone does for all races, smaller achievable goals rather than the complete start and then finish race goal ) down into start to aid station one, about 23km , and then a 15k section to the top of the Escalator Hill before a 9k run to the finish.  I was confident in my ability to hold a reasonable pace even if I blew after aid station one so moved through the gears and started to push the heart rate up.

I bumped into my old friend Stephen Stockwell just before aid station one after first recognising his running style before recognising him. Stephen and I go back decades but I’ve not seem him race since the Perth half in  2020, I hardly recognised him with a full beard.  He mentioned his daughter was a good way ahead so I set off to catch her, at the time Kathryn probably had ten minutes on me. The half runners start at the bottom of the Conveyor Belt hill and they had started about five minutes before I arrived so I was faced with the back markers initially and then, as I moved through the field, faster runners.  This made seeing, catching and passing full marathon runners difficult as all the bibs were different colours (Dave was reusing bibs from previous years?)

Between the first aid station and the escalator was probably my quickest splits. There’s about two kilometres from aid station one to the bottom of the Conveyor Belt hill which is a good climb taking you to the highest part of the course. It’s very runnable if you have something left in the legs and I did. The best bit is after you summit there is a glorious few kilometres of quality downhill to recover.   I was now passing the half runners and this kept you on  your toes and also gave you a lift as my pace was so much quicker than theirs. I continued to pass runners right up to the top of the escalator, really feeling good. I even managed to pass a few full marathon runners and I was closing in on a top 10 finish (I was 19th at halfway) . The good thing about the escalator is it’s an out and back loop so you get to see your competition on the way in , and on the way out. Of course this works both ways but I was feeling good enough not to worry about runners behind me.

As I scaled the Escalator I bumped into Mark near the top , just after Rob sped past on his way to the bottom at a good pace, Mark didn’t look great and was well behind his sub four hour finish pace.  This was noted as I continued to the top where I found Andy playing with his Shokz headphones, again I had not seen either of these guys since the start and now I had two bunnies to chase, which is what I do.  I rushed through the aid station , just filling up my water bottle and downing a Bix Gu, I had runners to catch ! I was pumped chasing Mark and Andy, I would have expected both to beat me quite easily when I started, now it was a different story and a couple of good ass-tapping’s  ( if you run past a Yelo runner you are obliged to tap their ass, just to let them know you are the better runner, it’s all fair in love and war.) were there for the taking and I would move heaven and earth now, this is why you race!

The final stage of the 6 inch is a about nine kilometres with one nasty hill about the forty kilometre mark, this one is a kicker and if you’re not prepared, coming so close after the Escalator, can derail you and leave you stumbling to the finish. With experience I know this bad boy is coming and caught Andy walking halfway up the hill (it really should have a name ?) , a quick ‘ass-tap’  and a few words of encouragement and I was on my way, I now had Mark well and truly in my sights. I caught him just before the 42km mark which is a nice right hand turn with a lovely downhill section, this is one of the final markers where I can really start to think about the finish.  There is a final aid station around the 43km mark but I never stop here , just cruise past, this then leads to some really good single track where with about 500 metres to go I passed Rob, another ass-tapping, my cup was full !

After passing Rob , with the finish line in sight , I sprinted to cross the line with the biggest smile on my face, just over four hours and five minutes, a time I thought beyond me and my fastest finish time since 2018. This one was special, managing to sneaking past Andy, Mark and even Rob was just out of my  wildest dreams and finishing with such a good negative split and a top ten finish, I was ninth, was like a dream. Incredible, just incredible, typing this post I’m still smiling like a Cheshire Cat who just won the best smiler competition.  All there was to do now was wait for the other runners and get a good finish photo, it is a tradition.  The Yelo crew did very well. Andy grabbed 14th overall in 4:13, a massive PB by about forty minutes plus, Adam snagged 19th in 4:21 and Mark finished off the top 20 in 4:28.  Four runners in the top twenty, not too shabby.

All that was left to do was get the ‘head in the esky’ photo, a long standing tradition and the boys at the finish line before the final shot of the boys in the finishers shirts. All long standing traditions.

So that’s a wrap for the 6 inch trail ultra 2024 and the racing year. It has been a beauty with nine ultra marathons and two marathons. There have been many highlights but most importantly I’m as excited about 2025 as I have even been about any running year ahead of me. My times and distances are still slowing or decreasing , of course they are, I’ll be 58 in February  but the first thing I think of when I wake up is my daily run and what it will entail and normally the last thing at night I’ll start to contemplate tomorrows run. The fire is still burning and I still love what I do and,  as I always say,  that’s the point.

I can’t wait for 6 inch 2025 and I hope to write a post detailing the event with all the photos and traditions that that will entail, after all, as I ask many times, what else is there ?

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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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2024 has been a good year for BK racing , I’ve so far ran eight ultra marathons and two marathons as well as a podium on a 12k, a runner for all distances and seasons.  The racing year started in January with 24 Park Runs in 24 hours and what a start to the racing calendar albeit this was more surviving rather than racing. The format is simple, you run a Park run every hour for 24 hours, while driving between locations cocooned in a mini-van with six other runners sweating your body weight hourly.  Luckily we probably picked the hottest day in the year to run this bad boy peaking around 44c at Carine PR in the middle of the day. I’ll never forget opening the car door and being knocked backwards by  the force of the heat, it was brutal turned up to 11.  The post is here https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/01/15/running-in-a-furnace-for-a-great-cause-24-park-runs-in-24-hours/

The following week was the Australia Day Ultra, a flat course with a midnight kick off, due to the heat. This year it wasn’t too bad albeit the top came off towards the end of the event.  Considering I’d ran the 24 Park run event the previous week I managed to do reasonable well picking up a podium for a second place finish. You can read all the gory details here https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/01/24/once-more-into-the-breach-australia-day-ultra-100k-on-tired-legs/ I was hoping to give the AURA 55-60 age group record a crack but missed out by forty minutes.  It’s on my radar for 2025 but I love the 24 Park Run event too much to miss it so will probably rock up to the start on tired legs again. It’s how I roll.

A few weeks after the ADU 100k it was February which means my all time favourite event the Delirious West 200 miler.  Continuing with the heat theme this year was scorcher for Delirious, the first day was over 40c and at times you had nowhere to hide from the oppressive heat.  I’ve written five posts on this event, it was 200 miles a lot happens. The first one is here https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/03/01/delirious-west-2024-post-1/ the rest are in the March 2024 link on the sidebar.  I started quick and worked my way back through the field finishing in just over 72 hours for a top 10 finish.  Another incredible adventure.

In March I took on Herdys Frontyard Ultra for the fourth time.  Coming weeks after Delirious and with a humid and hot opening day this was always going to be a challenge. I over compensated for the conditions and over dosed on electrolytes, effectively killing my appetite.  With an ultra you need to keep eating and drinking or the fuel tank runs dry and you stop.  This is basically what happened to me . I managed to struggle through 24 laps but in the end I was unable to make the lap times  and finished with a miler under my belt.  The full story is here https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/03/31/herdys-frontyard-ultra-2024/ In the end an 11th place finish from the biggest field in BYU history (nearly 400 runners)

After Herdy’s I threw myself into marathon training with the end goal being a sub three marathon in Perth in October. Before then I would use Bibra Lake as an indicator race to see how I was coming along.  Ran a three hour and four minutes race which was more than I imagined I could, fantastic result. It was good to be running around in loops with mates on the sub three bus before I was ejected with 16k to go. https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/07/09/bibra-lake-marathon-race-report/ This gave me hope for a sub three hour marathon in Perth, my 33rd sub3,  but unfortunately I had another BYU before then, this proved a mistake with hindsight.

Post Bibra I tapered for Birdy’s backyard ultra, my fourth time racing this event. With previous bests of 22, 28 and 36 laps I was hoping to go deep and maybe even nudge 40 laps. Unfortunately, (I seem to use this word a lot in this review post?) come race day my heart wasn’t really in it . Maybe it was a throwback to Herdy’s earlier in the year when I had an issue with food intake and didn’t really enjoy the event. Either way I got through the night but pulled the pin after the tu-tu round, lap 22. I really struggled after maybe ten laps and my head really wasn’t in the game from the start. This is rare for me but I suppose everybody has off days ? The title of my post sums up the event https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/08/07/backyard-ultras-an-exercise-in-masochism/

Next it was back to Bibra lake but this time for a 12k. The local council puts on cash for the 55+ age group so myself and the Yelo crew all traveled down and took home the coin.  Great event and it was good to race shorter distances. This was my first time racing anything smaller than a half marathon for five years, where does the time go ? Held it together and ran a well paced race for a sub 47 minutes finish and a podium win for the age group. Stoked.  https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/09/11/fun-run-not-sure-about-that/

As I mentioned earlier in the post things fell apart after the Bibra Lake marathon bar a reasonable run in the 12k fun run ( it wasn’t fun!)  After Birdy’s backyard Ultra I pontificated for a few weeks, running very little and eating too much. I wasn’t happy with my performance or mindset at Birdy’s and just fell into a hole.  When I did eventually put in a few weeks of training it was too late and you cannot kid a marathon. I was hoping with my 12k time I was still in with a shot of a sub 3 marathon time and invested nearly $400 on a pair of Nike Alphafly 3’s (albeit I don’t need much encouragement to spend money of runners?)  The shoes didn’t help and I was again ejected from the sub 3 bus but this time around twelve kilometres , where as at Bibra at least I got to 26 kilometres before being asked to leave.  After that my race went downhill quite fast, unsurprisingly given my lack of marathon specific training, culminating with me hitting the wall at 32k and limping home , literally.  Snuck in just under three hours and fifteen minutes. Ouch.  https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/10/08/perth-running-festival-when-marathons-go-bad/ I did manage an age group win only because my good mate Mickey Murray got cramp a kilometre from the finish line.

There was little time to rest post Perth marathon as the Feral Pig 100 miler was coming into sight quickly.  This event is brutal and it didn’t disappoint albeit wet and cool conditions helped but in the end my quads seized and I struggled home in 30 hours, good for a 9th place finish. Great time out on the trails with good friends, what not to like ?  Well four thousand plus metres of elevation is a challenge and my quads gave up with around thirty kilometres to go.  I have vowed never to go back but I’m sure in November next year I’ll be back at the start line, what else is there ?  https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/11/06/feral-pig-100-miler-surely-my-last-time-surely/

The final race so far this year was the Sandman 50, a 50k race on hard sand between two jetty’s under a full moon with a 2am kick off. This was just brilliant. Loved it, albeit two weeks post Feral Pig my legs were yet again cooked from the start. This does seem to be a recurring theme funnily enough.    https://www.runbkrun.com/2024/11/17/sandman-50-the-best-race-youve-never-heard-of/

Follow me on

or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/

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/)

Follow me on

or follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/