You Yangs Trail Running Festival
Background
You Yangs Trail Running Festival is one of the more complete, and full weekends you can have on the trails. Held around the You Yangs Regional Park near Little River in Victoria, it encompasses runs from 5k, right through to an old fashioned miler (yep 100 miles, or 160 kilometres, or 32 parkruns; take your pick!) All but the miler start on the Sunday morning, and follow similar courses that go through a common point at the start/finish line, at The Turntable. So, being a focal point for the 6 different events, gives it a real festival feel. Like a rock festival perhaps; except without the loud music, the mud, and the drugs...
You Yangs is the last in a 3 race series of Mountain Trails that the organisers, Trails+, put on each year. In terms of trail, and elevation profile, the 30, and 50k events are the easiest on theses courses. But don't be fooled, easier means less hiking/walking steep sections, and more running. Quick times over the 30 and 50k events are the order of the day. It was with this in mind, I ventured back, after having a stellar race in 2014. Fresh from a PB at Traralgon half 4 weeks previously, I was primed for another PB, Would I get it?
Adding to the mix was that I knew people running in every event (except the 5); social media has a lot to answer for!
Lead-in to the Race
Week after Traralgon, I took it easy. Easy paced runs, no target times, just make sure I recovered. That I did, then the next week was week 1 of a 16 week marathon plan heading towards Melbourne in October. Slight blip in week 2 of mara plan, went skiing at Falls Creek for the week, only managing 2 runs of 5k after dark around the town where I was staying, but the legs got a pretty good workout on the slopes! The following week (3rd week or plan) was race week. Depending on whether a race is going to be a target race or not, determines if I taper or not. Given the previous weeks drop in mileage, I decided to train through, only holding back my usual Thursday run for a shorter version. |
| Trying to nail down a parkrun PB! One way to do speed work, in prep for a race. |
My wife was away for 2 weeks, with this weekend falling right in the middle. In preparation, I had asked my son if he wanted to stay over at a mates place on the Saturday night. He would be fine to leave at home for the day, although I was slightly uneasy that I would be away most of the day. He never made plans, I decided I was racing anyway and threatened to get him up at 4:30 to come with me. 2 days out he suddenly thinks it's a great idea to stay overnight with a school mate! Problem solved....
Race Day
Early start, 4:30am. Quick breakfast and out of the door by 5:10. First thing I noticed was how cold it was. Sub zero in South Gippsland, I could only hope that it wasn't as cold at the You Yangs. Some of the milers would be still going, and having to have contended with that overnight. It was dark, all the way in to Highett, where I grabbed a list with fellow DTR, Cameron Baillie. Talk on the way up was invariably about the race, the milers (and specifically a friend, Oliver Mestdagh, and his progress) still plugging away whilst we slept overnight.
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| First glimpse of the You Yangs Regional Park from the car. Sunny day, but bloody cold outside. |
Arrived at 'Race Central' just after 8:30, missing the start of the 50k event. Event directors of Inverloch and Sale parkruns, Tony O'Connell and Bernie Larsen were heading off for their first ultras. Also there was Lysterfield Trail Runner buddy, David Boulton. David had rolled his ankle 7 weeks previously at Macedon 30, moving heaven and earth in an effort to get the ankle rehabilitated. Fitness being his only worry. Standing around the start line I met heaps of people (most of whom I've met through social media). I was, once again, very relaxed and very late getting warm clothes off, and race kit on!
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| !5k runners: Danny Burgess, Ali Moxham (yes hard to recognise by the handstand, NOT), and Susi Viete |
Race brief from Brett Saxon (follow the markers, don't get lost etc., etc., and have a great day...). Final handshakes, pre-race mind games, then we were off. As like last year, some people treat this as a parkrun, like shots from a gun they fly up the first rise! I was running what I thought was a conservative 4:45 in the first 500 metres, and getting left for dead by heaps of runners. Having raced here last year, I knew what was on offer later on, time to hurt towards the end of the race, not in the first 5!
Still frost on the ground, at about the 2k mark we started passing 50k runners returning to Race Central. Not for the first time that day, my name was called out by a fellow runner, and it took me a long period of time to put a name to a runner. Apologies to anyone I might have appeared to be a bit vague with (probably half the field!).
The first 3k's climb up to the saddle, then is a long fast descent to to the eastern boundary. This is where I probably went a bit hard last year. Thus I thought that being a bit conservative would help later in the race. That was the theory. I even thought I had done as planned (until I looked back at the kilometre splits). If anything, k's 3 to 10 were faster than last year. Not by much, but enough to know that it was why I struggled once again beyond the 24k mark! They say live n learn, not learning much....
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| The 30k runners: Top row - Kris Harris, Kate Atkinson, Libby Williams, Mathieu Dore, and Cameron Baillie. Bottom row - Steve Bullock, Chris and myself, Brett James, and Chris Spano. |
As with last Trails+ race at Macedon, Kris Harris and I ran together over the opening stages. As the first part was downhill, we had the chance to chat a bit; discussing parkrun (Kris is an event director at Churchill Island), fellow runners not joining us today, and plans for ultras in the future. Had a few other runners come past us, but in general we kept close to, and passed a few runners who had started out hard.
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| The 50k runners: Dylan Perera, Warwick King, David Boulton, Bernie Larsen, and Tony O'Connell. |
Caught them as we turned off the road, onto a indistinct track (Branding yard Track). I make that observation, as several runners in my race would miss that turn, get lost and either run an extra 4 or so k's, or DNF! Poor bastards. Steve and I had a brief chat as we started the worst of the climb. This was the only section in the first 15 that walked last year, and was prepared to walk again. The woman who would eventually win our race, passed me here, running slowly, but efficiently up the steepest sections.
Crossed the saddle, and headed back to the start/finish line. Photographer alert: mug for the lens! By now, one of the 3 runners (who I later found out was called Chris), was running with me. chatting along the way, both worked out we were heading for Wonderland 36k in late August, and speculating on the difficulties that race presented compared to this one!
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| The hardcore 100 milers: Oliver Mestdagh, Simon Roberts, and Michelle Shannon. |
15k runners were passing in the other direction, always good to get a shout out form a few friends. Entering the start/finish area was like entering as carnival, lots of people milling around, marshals etc., all giving us encouragement as we turned to head up to Flinders Peak. This climb is tough for several reasons. Firstly, the stone steps are not placed such that you can easily match them to your stride length. Secondly, it is hard packed, with stone, murder on the feet and lower legs. Lastly the descent is one you think you can make time on, but at risk of smashing your quads!
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| The 80k runners: Ashley Bennett, and Stephen Rennick, 2 loops down, 2 to go. |
At the bottom of Flinders I was joined by Chris again, having got away from him on the descent. Heading back out for the final 13 odd k's, we met another runner stooped at a track junction, asking us which was was our course. The mischievous bugger in me was tempted to go "right", when in fact it was left!, But, being a trail brethren, I just got him to follow us.
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| Kerry Clapham powers along to yet another ultra. |
This part starts the downhill to Sandy Creek, and the 24 k mark, where we then climb slowly, but relentlessly to the finish line. It enters a section of forest, weird in the extreme. Tall straight eucalypt tress, zero under-storey, it really is Blair Witch Project territory. I kept a nice even pace down here, although the first signs of fatigue were creeping into the legs. Hit the aid station, bumped into a 50k runner and friend Kerry Clapham, and stopped for a quick chat (to be sociable, to recover the HR, and to down a few squares of chocolate, the first food of the run). By now there were 3 of us running together, chatting in between huffing n puffing as the trail started to climb back to the finish. The climb is minor in gradient terms, but is hard having pushed a pretty good pace from the start to here.
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| Blair Witch Project territory, if ever there was! Must have be fun at night.... |
Came up behind another runner in the 50k, David Boulton. David, despite keeping an eye on the cut-off, was not worried about a finishing time. Brief chat to see how each other was going, then I went on, trying to make up ground on my 2 running companions. Caught them at the start of the mtb zig zag tracks, a section designed to finish you off mentally. Steep cambers, mountain bikers flying downhill to meet you head-on, the feeling you were running for ages and making no progress, this section was just relentlessly tough on the confidence.
After what seemed like an age, we exited the mtb tracks, hit a road with yet another climb to get to the last aid station. Along here I had a 2nd walk with Chris, whilst our companion pushed on. Quick stop at the aid station, grab a final piece of choccy, then I took off for home. Last year I walked about 2 to 3 sections from here, the final 3k's. This year I made a pact to run the lot, regardless of how I felt. And run it, I did. The last finishers in the 15k race were also making their way to the finish line. Made a point of giving them as much encouragement as I could muster. I may have run further, I was fitter and stronger, but I wasn't hurting any more than they were. Hopefully I got a few of them over the line just a bit quicker than they had hoped!
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| Gotta give the punters something at the finish line! |
Caught up with the 2 other runners I had shared the final sections with. Tom in front of me; I was catching in the final k's but never quite got there. Chris had stopped at the final aid station, and cramped severely. I thought he was right behind me. If I had have known, I would have stopped to help him.
It took me a while to gather my senses after the finish, I had really put in over the final 6k's, and it had taken it's toll. managed to catch up with a few of the milers I knew, Michelle still to complete her final 20k's, Oliver having just finished his. Post race massage courtesy of Ross Kinsella from Freedom Sports Medicine (happy to plug, it was a freebie!), coffee, as much food as I could stuff down my throat, then Cam and I headed back to town.
Reflections
Training is going well, I am pretty much near, or exceeding, where I was this time last year. Marathon in October still the main prize, but these races along the way serve to remind me what racing is all about, and also provide a social context to my running, so great to meet so many wonderful runners of all abilities. Doing trail races as lead-up events is probably as unconventional a method as any, but it makes me tougher, and correspondingly, is fun! I genuinely enjoy the racing, and the camaraderie of the trails. |
| Race bib, and bling! The spoils of war.... |
Until next time...
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