Rollercoaster

Morning mist shrouds the lights of the start line at Skyhigh. (Photo credit: Erwin Jansen, Dandyrunner.com)

I'm at the highest point of the run, my heart rate is starting to rise and the nerves are on edge. But wait, it's not the middle of the race, we haven't even started yet! I am standing at the start line on a cool and foggy Saturday morning in late March. The race has been held up for a few minutes whilst the organisers wait for the light to improve, and I am contemplating what I am about to attempt. One of my friends says something to me which I don't catch. Shit, hope it wasn't something important!

Because of the delay we had plenty of time to chat before the start. I wasn't as nervous as I'd expected to be. Probably because I was not rating myself to do anything other that just get through. Having run this as a brisk (but not really fast) training run 6 weeks previously, I thought that a 2:30ish finish would be an ideal time to aim for. Mentally I was prepared, physically I was sure I was underdone; meaning a smart and tactical race was the plan.

Chris and I before the start; fresh, full of energy and blissfully unaware of how much pain we were going to put ourselves through. (Photo credit: Cheryl Martin)

I was still chatting with my friends Chris and Cheryl, when "3,2,1....", we were off. The start line is on grass, flat, soft, and welcoming. It is just beyond this point that the race becomes like no other.

Rollercoaster Run in the Mt. Dandenongs is a very different kind of race. It starts at it's highest point, then descends over the next 5 kilometres from 620 metres to 295, a cool 325 metres that includes sections of -20% gradient. Run down here too hard and your legs are cooked for the nasty surprise that awaits you at the 5.5k mark, Dodds Track. This is legendary in Mt. Dandenong running folklore. It rises 200 metres in just under 1.5k's only to descend another 270 metres over the next 4.2 kilometres. Are we getting the hint as to why this run is called Rollercoaster? This is only the first 11.5 kilometres, still another 10 to go to return to our start point.

Chez and I barrelling down Kyeema Track towards Zig Zag.

We started bunched up, down a descent that was tricky with so many runners. Cheryl found a path through the pack, whilst Chris and I resorted to going round the outside of some runners; a dangerous ploy in dim light conditions. In no time at all we turned a sharp left on to Kyeema Track, and finally the congestion eased. I eased into a nice pace and found myself alongside Cheryl as we started the trip down the side of the mountain. The first 4k's of the descent can be where a lot of runners do damage. You have lots of energy, feeling good and hustling downhill at a fast rate of knots. Several sections of track (appropriately called Zig Zag) twist and turn at the bottom of several steep sections. The ability to run fast AND stay on the track is a required skill here, or just slow down!

Chris just behind us on Kyeema Track.

At one point I got ahead of Cheryl and found myself just striding very easily. My aim was to run as fast as possible on the downhill (within reasonable safety) and the flat parts. I must add 'relatively' flat parts, because buggered if I can remember much flat at all, bar the start/finish area! At the bottom of Zig Zag track Cheryl caught up with me and we ran past Doongalla aid station together. We knew we were approaching Doongalla, the shouts and calls of the volunteers (henceforth called vollies) as runners came by could be heard nearly a kilometre away. Dressed as clowns (the general theme of this run), they were a bit scary if you disobeyed them, as somebody was to find out later on!
Just beyond Doongalla, the real race started. As mentioned before, Dodds Track presented itself as the first major climb, and the first major decision as to whether to run or walk. I elected to walk major sections, and was thoroughly vindicated later on when I was able to pass runners on the final sections. The climb over Dodds (7 kilometre mark) was the slowest split for the entire race for me. 10 minutes and 5 seconds of steadily increasing gradient, with all bar one person in front of me walking it.

3D representation of the climb up Dodds Track from Doongalla Road to Basin-Olinda Road crossing. (Courtesy of Velowviewer.com)

 The stats for Dodds are fairly compelling.

• Distance - 1 kilometre
• Elevation gain - 147 metres
• Average grade - 14.5%
• Maximum grade - 31%
• Rated as a category 4 climb (1 being the absolute hardest)

At the bottom I had said goodbye to Cheryl. Well, actually, I was just struggling for breath and she ran on whilst I walked to recover! On the way up I passed as man wearing a schoolgirls uniform! Was I hallucinating? Thankfully it was a friend, Richard, raising money for Oxfam Trailwalker.
Once I reached the peak I started a slow jog to get the tightness out of the muscles, then slowly picked up the pace. I was feeling okay, if a little lacking in energy here, and breathing pretty hard as well. Thankfully, I noticed, so was everyone else.
The run through here was really pretty, tall stands of eucalypts were still shrouded in the early morning mist, and the smell of the forest floor was rich and strong. I was really enjoying this section until we crossed the Basin-Olinda Road again to enter the Banksia Track. Lovely track, but with a really nasty surprise of a hill right at the 9.5k mark of the race!

Passed a photographer (think I looked okay!) and we continued down towards The Basin in Boronia.

Cheryl, Christian, myself, Chris and Richard, enroute to The Basin. (Photo credit: Erwin Jansen, Danndyrunner.com)

Narelle and Kai also enroute to The Basin, but this was loop 1 of 2 past here. (Photo credit: Erwin Jansen Dandyrunner.com)

By now the field was really spread out and it was easier to concentrate on just running your own pace. I tried to keep a few runners ahead of me in view so that I could measure my own progress through the bush, and it helped. Beyond The Basin we turned back east and run beside Doongalla Road before crossing it, heading off on another track before rejoining Doongalla Road for the final section to the aid station.
Running along the road here I started to catch up with another person in a Two Bays singlet (I was wearing a Two Bays shirt), and he had a white peaked cap on. It was only later that I realised that I had nearly caught up with Christian Day, a runner who I would have suggested should be much further ahead of me. If I had realised at the time, I would have freaked!
The aid station was full of clowns, literally. Just the aid station vollies dressed up and cheering us on as always! It was here that I had a minor technical issue. Leading up I had felt a little fatigued and decided to have a carbohydrate gel for energy. Hands slippery, I couldn't rip the top off, so resorted to putting it between my teeth and trying that. No go. Runners were streaming past me. No panic. Looked pathetically towards one of the male vollies for assistance and got a "No way am I @&%$*& putting that in my mouth after you!". Fine, no problems... Female vollie; "Give it here" and she proceeded to wash with water, wipe down and also have a crack at it in between her teeth. No luck also. Meanwhile I have discovered the assorted boxes of different flavoured Shotz gels on the table and am dithering over which flavour to take; for all the world like a shopper at the Vic Markets who can't chose between the Apple Tea Cake or the box of Chocolate Brownies! Finally someone, don't know who said "got it", thrust the opened gel back into my hand before I downed it, shoved spare gel into pocket on the fuel belt, and I was off. Another bloody photographer; look sharp!
It was here that it paid not to piss off the clowns! There is a famous line in the movie Apocalypse Now that states, "Never get out of the boat", in reference to the trip up the river into enemy territory. The same applies at Roller Coaster Run, "Never get off the course"! Twas here my friend Cheryl, head down, striding along, didn't see the turn through the gate towards Stables Track. The following photo is worth a thousand words....

Don't piss off the clowns, clowns bark at wayward runners! (Photo credit: Christiaan Williams)

By now some of the 43k runners, who started several minutes behind us are actually catching us. As amazing as that seemed, it spurred me on to keep going. Beyond here, Stable Track and later Bills and Edgar Track, the path was a little rougher. Rocks mainly, loose or stuck in the ground like crazy cobblestones. Came down hard on my heel a couple of times, but rolled along trying to ignore the pending fatigue and general lack of energy from such a draining run.

By now I was running alongside (or within easy distance) of about 4 runners. They would push along the relative flat sections, fly down the hills, but I would catch them on the next hill. We spent the next 3 k's doing that until the 'How Good Is This' aid stop along Singleton.

It was here (15/16k mark, can't quite recall) the track started it's inevitable rise back up to Skyhigh. We are running along a track that, at the 17 k mark, is about 290 metres of elevation. By the 21.5k mark we will have climbed to 620 metres. Doesn't sound much, until you realise we had already gained 750 metres in elevation up to this point. The course is tough, make no bones about it. As I started the climb the early elevation was just enough to make me work really hard, but go very slow. Eventually I was reduced to a walk. There was no embarrassment, anyone else nearby was doing the same. Between the 17.6k mark and the 20k mark I reckon I walked all bar 400 metres, and that run was broken up into 3 parts. I caught up with a 43k runner and we had a chat as we both walked up Singleton Terrace. We mainly talked about trail runs, trail runners and our expectations of time on this course. I later found out he missed his goal time considerably, probably underestimated the toughness of the course. For the record he was #552 Andy Turner, and a big shout out to him, the chat helped me considerably through a very dark period.

Getting to the top at Doongalla was a relief. Sharp turn right, pass the final aid station complete with carnival fair music blasting from the car parked nearby, and on to the final inglorious bastard section called Trig Track. This is a single path, very technical section. Trees to go around, roots and rocks to jump over (ouch, my quads) and then a final climb that I think we all forgot about. It was the only time of the day where I stopped dead, hunched over sucking in the big ones. People were slumped against trees, hunched over, generally wasted with the effort. It looked like a seen from a disaster movie. At the top of this climb the track opened up again, with more climbing until we rejoined the Kyeema Track, and the last surge for home.

The finish line in the late afternoon light, the day before. A sight we were glad to see at the end of this race.

Surge for home lasted about 300 metres before we turned left to climb directly up the hill to Skyhigh. Once again I walked, conserving what little energy I had left for the final run across the finish line. As I turned into the road towards the finish line (200 metres tops) I peeked behind me, another runner coming up, bugger, gunna have to haul arse! I mustered all the energy I had and ran as hard as I could. As I got to within 150 metres I saw Andy Turner heading back down for his second loop having run up to the start//finish line. Seeing him head down (thanks for the hoy, too!) I had nothing but immense respect for him and all the other 43k runners. They had just done what I had, and were going out again. Maybe mad, maybe insane, but I have the utmost respect for them, all the same.

Because I hadn't used the race timer on my watch I had no idea what time I had been running. I was then very amazed to see the time of 2:20 on the race clock as crossed the line. Name called as I crossed the finish line, I was exhausted and thought for a second my legs were going to give way. Thankfully they didn't. Some kind soul draped the finishing medal over my neck and I went off in search of liquid and food.

Christian (354) and myself (245) with the all important finishers medal. (Photo credit: Cheryl Martin)

Cheryl at brunch with THE medal. (Photo credit: Cheryl Martin)

The first person I saw once I recovered sufficiently was Cheryl. She saw me and huge smile lit up her face, as I'm sure there was a huge smile on mine. We'd both had stellar races, and couldn't believe how well we'd done. She'd run 2:12 and finished 4th, only a minute behind the third placed women. I'd finished in 37th place and beaten my goal time by 10 minutes. Also there was Christian, having come in at 2:16, drawing away from me after Doongalla, and beating his previous result on this course from 2013.

21.5k results.

43k results, 2 loop legends.

3D graphic of a single loop of Roller Coaster Run. The reason why my legs refused to work for a week, and I ended up walking like John Wayne. The colours are very appropriate; blood red for the uphill, black and blue for the downhill. (Image courtesy of veloviewer.) For a nifty interactive experience, look at the profile here, http://veloviewer.com/route/2147483985

You'd be forgiven, reading this report, that I would never do this again. And there were times during the race that I would doubt my ability to complete such a hard race. But sitting here, a week afterwards, and I can't wait to have another crack next year. Confidence is high that I can tackle Melbourne again, knowing that I have that ability to tough out a hard race.

Until next time...