You only live once. So I wish for my life to be filled with love, friendships, adventure, testing limits and seeing amazing beautiful things……. Bring on the UTA100 2022!
Kevin Dodd is the brains behind the planning and organisation of the run (just thinking about running 100km was enough to start my panic attacks!). Unfortunately, his careful planning was thrown into chaos just days before the event. With a new course and only one supported aid station at 87km, Kev did a fantastic job planning fluid and nutrition for the drop bags and organising and packing ALL the mandatory gear – which included a Fleece, much to everyone’s surprise. I couldn’t have even started the race if it wasn’t for Kev!!
Our amazing crew of Mark Scarborough and Nicole Scarborough arrived to pick us up from our accommodation at 6.45am and we were both trying to swallow our peanut butter and jam toast amid the nerves and excitement. Hefting our massive packs – complete with the much-maligned fleece, we walked to the boggy start line at KCC oval. Ours was the last 100km wave (wave 7) at 7.54am and the atmosphere at the start line watching the previous waves was equally exciting and terrifying! My uneasy relationship with running and some horrible recent training runs were forgotten.
Starting to cheers, cowbells, smiles and adrenaline we started uphill – my legs wanted to run! We spotted our friend Tracy Watson up ahead, so I put in a brief uphill sprint to say Hi! We seemed to fall into a bit of a groove, running and chatting and enjoying the early atmosphere –it felt like being a celebrity with the cheering and running back past the start line – that was really cool!
I lost Tracy somewhere along some boggy single track as she ran strong ahead, so I settled into a comfortable pace to wait for Kev to catch up. I then came to an unexpected stop on some narrow single track going down into a gully. Hundreds of runners were waiting, and I didn’t know why or how long we’d have to wait! I spotted Kev in his bucket hat across the valley – I pointed him out to the runners around me and we all tried shouting to get his attention! He replied bellowing across the valley with “raise your hands if you’re sexy!!” – which cracked everyone up! After that we filled in the next 30min doing the wave before finally making it to the creek that cause the bottle neck.
I climbed out of the valley and made it to CP1 (18K). I refilled my bottles (even though I hadn’t drunk much Kev had told me to make sure my bottles were full – thanks Kev!) grabbed a banana and waited for Kev. After waiting a few minutes, I realised that Kev was probably another 15-30min behind based on the time I spent at the bottle neck. I decided to keep moving and eat my banana, hoping Kev would catch up.
Maybe it was the banana, because for some reason I felt really, good! I was passing loads of people – mostly the 50 runners. At one point I was worried I was somehow in the wrong race because I couldn’t see any other 100 runners. I hit CP2 (31km) and saw Tracy who was just getting ready to leave. I quickly filled my bottles (I knew Kev would kill me if I didn’t and it was so lucky I did, because it was about to get really hot and water was about to get really scarce!). I quickly grabbed some suncream from a volunteer and ran out of the CP2 with Tracy! I was still feeling inexplicably, really, really good! Apparently, my skin was a nice shade of red and I may have been a little manic – but I was feeling good! We headed along the Andersons out and back – the out being mostly downhill. As I was feeling so good I ended up running ahead of Tracy and down to the turnaround (that didn’t have any water, much to some others bitter disappointment). Tracy had been told to use poles coming up from the Anderson’s turnaround, so I followed that advice an pulled out the poles. I’m new to poles and so far, the poles and I have not been friends. But from here on in – I love you poles!!
On my way out from Andersons turnaround I saw Kev!! He said he was good, but hurting – he said I should keep going, so I did! I fell into a rhythm of walking up hills and running down them – sometimes I kept running when I didn’t notice an uphill. It was hot. Really hot!! Lucky I was carrying that Fleece!! Lots of runners around me seemed to be struggling and complaining about running out of water, but I was doing OK. My nutrition strategy was alternating between a gel and cliff blocks/jelly dinosaurs every 5km and I had a little sip of water to mark each Km completed.
Excitedly I spotted the blue and pink UMROC colours and the red beard…. complete with crusty salt marks – Brendan Codrington!! Us rangas have a mutual admiration society going and it really lifted my spirits to hear words of encouragement!!
Nearing CP3 (58km), the first of the drop bag CP’s, I knew there was orange Powerade waiting – that stuff is magic for me. I concentrated on just getting to CP3 and not thinking about what lay ahead. The aid station was chaotic, but I managed to grab my drop bag to find my craved for powerade. I changed my shirt but not my shoes. I think I should have really changed my shoes…. – lesson learnt! Leaving CP3, my heart started to race!! I think my body thought I was finished and was protesting running again! I took some selfies with the lake and tried to calm down and start again.
I got back into the running/walking groove again figuring that I would get to see Kev soon…and there he was. I lost track of time, so I told him he was almost at the CP…apparently, he still had quite a way to go…sorry Kev! He told be not to wait, so I kept going!
Nearing CP4 I noticed the sun was setting…. When did that happen?? The native flowers on the side of the trail were suddenly stunning. But where was CP4? – it seemed I would never get there!!
Finally, I made it to CP4 (78km) and this time I went straight for the Coke!! I changed into my long sleeve shirt because it was starting to get really cold and a volunteer helped find my light (because I’d forgotten to take it out before I put on my pack and reflective vest…doh). A brief stop at the port-a-loo (I really needed that – it’s a bit harder for us girls to pee in discreetly in the bush) and I walked off into the night.
Suddenly it hit me – what lay ahead…hours of stumbling through muddy trails, alone in the dark. But I new that Mark and Nicole were waiting at CP5, so I kept telling myself just 10km to Mark and Nicole….you can do that…you can do that…
My feet really started hurting on this leg. There were some road sections but also some gnarly rocky steep down hill trail. Every step causing pain…but it got worse. The trail led into the forest and to the never-ending stairs! I found myself catching a group of guys who were trudging silently on like zombies. Out of habit I started calling obstacles like the low overhangs that appeared suddenly out of the dark to decapitate us and the guys ahead stopped, let me through and told me to go first because I knew what I was doing?! If only Kev could see this!! So I found myself leading a group, in the dark, up the steps to CP4 – not my strong point!! . I just have to mention that spiders started coming – great big black ones out of Harry Potter!! I pointed them out to the guys behind, who started swearing, which was pretty funny. I knew we were passing all the pretty things like the views and the waterfalls, but I couldn’t see anything in the dark and I couldn’t help thinking how ridiculous this was!
Finally, we made it to CP5 (87km) and I saw Nicole and Mark and they were fantastic!! They took me inside to a chair. Mark filled my bottles while Nicole got me coke and soup. My brain wasn’t functioning properly so I’m so grateful they were there to make decisions for me! I was shocked when they said Kev was 1.5 hours behind me but stoked to learn that Brendan had almost finished!
Nicole walked me out of the checkpoint and down the road to send me on my way…then it was all up to me again.
This leg was the hardest for me. I think I spent too much energy leading the zombie guys up the stairs. I was exhausted and my feet were really sore. Running felt more like hobbling and the trail kept going into the forest with the spiders, demented owls and stairs…..so many stairs….Every Km took forever. It’s at this point where all the layers of myself – mum, partner, employee, ball juggler, runner, getting older…… were stripped away and it was just me, the real me, determined to put one foot in front of the other.
I was putting my poles up onto the stair above me and then pushing myself up. This worked well until the pole slipped and smacked me straight in the face! I guess I deserved that after hating on the poles in training!
I could hear the bells and cheers from the finish line and I knew I had to be close….but cruely, back into the forest the trail went and down the stairs. Every step painful because I new I had to climb back out…finally I reached the last set of stairs and I suddenly felt great, because I knew I’d almost done it. I climbed up to scenic world and started to speed up….i couldn’t wait to get to that finish line! I saw the Gunrunners and Mark and Nicole cheering for me and I crossed the finish line! 16 hours and 54 minutes after I left this morning.
I was presented with my bronze buckle and its almost embarrassing how much that meant to me. I then went to gear check and presented my buff and hi vis vest. Inside the finish tent the volunteer got me to have some soup before I left. Leaving the tent Mark and Nicole were waiting! And I was so happy to see them! Somehow, I’d missed Tracy who finished right behind me…but I had no idea she was there! 
Nicole Drove me back to Blackheath…through the potholes of death, the dodgy spooky, narrow laneway, and the bizarre clifftop parking platform, in the middle of the night for a shower. During the whole car ride, I couldn’t stop talking! I was so happy I had finished and the runners high was in full force! I was so happy! Poor Nicole…. Sorry!
One of the best bits was sitting in the stands, waiting for Kev and then, all of a sudden, the announcer was calling his name! I was so stoked to see him finish and knew he must have made great time in the last leg of the course. We did it!!
It’s the full journey of the ultra-marathon that has impacted me the most. From feeling nervous and apprehensive at the start and not really believing that I could do it. To building in confidence and strength through the run. When it got hard, I had to dig deep to keep pushing myself though the dark. Finally, the incredible feeling of the finish line!! I am so proud of myself, Kev, Tracy and Brendan for finishing! Our friend Lindsay Hamilton finished in an amazing time and I had loaned her my spare fleece (stupid fleece!!) - now it’s my lucky fleece because it can run faster than I can!!
But it’s the people who have made this special. From the other runners to the volunteers and the supporters along the way. And to my people – Mark, Nicole, and the Gunrunners cheer squad, I couldn’t have done it without out you! Nicole and Mark: thank you
. The hugs the next morning at Echo point were just the best!!
UTA100: my body is spent, my feet are sore but my heart is full.
