Ultra-Trail Australia 100 – Tamara Bucher5
Race Date: May 16th Results: 2021
My first race report – I thought it was worth one :)
Preface
At UTA50 in 2019 while climbing up the Furber steps I remembered thinking: Do NOT sign up for the 100k. So how did this happen?
I had fallen in love with trail running that year, but unfortunately the UTA50 event sold out before I realised that I really, really wanted to run it again! So, on a high after Coastal Classic (Stunning 30k race through the royal NP, South of Sydney) in September, both Stephan and I signed up for UTA100 instead.
From there, things did not quite go as planned. I got plantar fasciitis from that race. I tried icing, rolling, taping, insoles, stretches, physiotherapy, needles, hammering, skipping, running barefoot, you name it. I had to cut back on the running and decided to stay off hard surfaces completely, since the runs on road flared it up most. It didn’t go away, but I was managing it. My running fitness went downhill, and it got more and more impossible to attempt UTA. In February 2020, I finally decided it was time to give up on it and sell the entry (Jordi Bates nearly bought it, but at the last moment realised that it was a 100k entry – not the 50k!). But the problem solved itself – COVID-19 hit the world and I was able to transfer my entry to 2021. My plantar fasciitis finally resolved in September 2020 – a YEAR (!) later. I became hopeful that I could maybe be at the start line of the UTA100 in 2021.
I had fallen in love with trail running that year, but unfortunately the UTA50 event sold out before I realised that I really, really wanted to run it again! So, on a high after Coastal Classic (Stunning 30k race through the royal NP, South of Sydney) in September, both Stephan and I signed up for UTA100 instead.
From there, things did not quite go as planned. I got plantar fasciitis from that race. I tried icing, rolling, taping, insoles, stretches, physiotherapy, needles, hammering, skipping, running barefoot, you name it. I had to cut back on the running and decided to stay off hard surfaces completely, since the runs on road flared it up most. It didn’t go away, but I was managing it. My running fitness went downhill, and it got more and more impossible to attempt UTA. In February 2020, I finally decided it was time to give up on it and sell the entry (Jordi Bates nearly bought it, but at the last moment realised that it was a 100k entry – not the 50k!). But the problem solved itself – COVID-19 hit the world and I was able to transfer my entry to 2021. My plantar fasciitis finally resolved in September 2020 – a YEAR (!) later. I became hopeful that I could maybe be at the start line of the UTA100 in 2021.
Getting to the start line
There was a lot of work to do. I started to slowly increase my weekly running volume. I was very conscious about increasing it by no more than 5 km every 4 weeks, but I also didn’t have infinite time until the event. I managed to get the volume up to about 65-70 km total per week, two months prior to the event. It wasn’t a very high volume, but I made sure that most of it was on trail. It was an amazing summer, full of little morning excursions to Glenrock with good friends and weekend adventures. For me, UTA100 was about the journey to the start line more than the event itself. (I could stop here, but that would not really be a race report)
I had one test race in March (the Washpool 50 km) and two weeks with a higher training volume (100 and 90 km) to see if the feet and my body could cope with a bit more (If you can run it over a week you can run it in a day, right?). The Washpool run and the two big weeks (one of which included the Wooters-not-a-race) went well and gave me a bit more confidence. I didn’t do specific training and just had a good time on trails. I mostly ran with friends and Stephan and was up for whatever happened. I wasn’t sure if I got much faster, but I started noticing that I took less time to recover from big runs or events than in previous years. I think the morning loops through Glenrock during the week were key in my preparation - I’ve probably done half my training as ‘Witch’ or ‘Crocodile’ loop’ - a big thank you to Anna, Mitch, Chris, Maya, Emily, Stephan and many others who have joined me on this one regularly!
The last few weeks before the UTA my life definitely started turning around the big race. I got very excited and also a bit scared. Had I done enough training to be able to make it to the finish? I would have liked to have a few more months to be able to increase the weekly volume further, but this was where I was. I had no injuries and felt good. I kept reminding myself that getting to the start line was the first goal and getting to the finish the second. So I did not set my mind on a time. I had never run further than 50 km and did not know what is beyond 50 and whether I could handle it.
I prepared all the mandatory gear together with Stephan. It was fun - we spent quite some time on optimising it and weighted every item. My pack was 2.1 kg (mandatory gear, vest and poles, no fleece, no water). I tested out some foods I wanted to eat, calculated how much hydration and energy I would need and - for the first time – actually read the race briefing documents. I had asked Chris Gippel to crew for me – he had run Ultras and crewed before and I was sure that he’d be the best crew possible, but most importantly, I really wanted to see a friend out there and I knew he’d tell me to suck it up, if I’d have a niggle that wasn’t life threatening.
I prepared all the mandatory gear together with Stephan. It was fun - we spent quite some time on optimising it and weighted every item. My pack was 2.1 kg (mandatory gear, vest and poles, no fleece, no water). I tested out some foods I wanted to eat, calculated how much hydration and energy I would need and - for the first time – actually read the race briefing documents. I had asked Chris Gippel to crew for me – he had run Ultras and crewed before and I was sure that he’d be the best crew possible, but most importantly, I really wanted to see a friend out there and I knew he’d tell me to suck it up, if I’d have a niggle that wasn’t life threatening.
The race was finally approaching, so I cut back with the running distance and focused on including some stair training. I did not like the taper phase at all. Basically, I slept worse, because I wasn’t as tired as usual, and I felt all sorts of niggles.
Stephan and I drove up on Thursday to get a long race weekend. (Stephan did not feel great, because he caught a cold and was thinking of potentially pulling out. Luckily, he didn’t, but details on this might be found in his own race report).
It was such an amazing atmosphere in and around Katoomba. The entire town turns into UTA village for weekend - athletes everywhere. So many of our friends were participating in the different UTA events this weekend and it was fun to watch the 22 finishers and browse through the stalls the day before. We did the race check in, relaxed a bit and had dinner at a Sushi place. After dinner, I met Chris and handed over the stuff that I might need at the check points. I had 3 bags. One with different food items, one with beverages and one with a change of clothes, socks and shoes and a range of other items. I had surely packed way too much.
I didn’t really have many instructions for Chris, but he told me not to worry ‘I’ll do the thinking, and you just run’. That was what I needed to hear. There were 5 Checkpoints, but only the last three could be accessed by the crew. He asked me, when I would be at the third check point and I said, ‘about lunch time’. He laughed and said, ‘Lunch time is all day in a race’. I had no idea how long it was going to take me.
Stephan and I drove up on Thursday to get a long race weekend. (Stephan did not feel great, because he caught a cold and was thinking of potentially pulling out. Luckily, he didn’t, but details on this might be found in his own race report).
It was such an amazing atmosphere in and around Katoomba. The entire town turns into UTA village for weekend - athletes everywhere. So many of our friends were participating in the different UTA events this weekend and it was fun to watch the 22 finishers and browse through the stalls the day before. We did the race check in, relaxed a bit and had dinner at a Sushi place. After dinner, I met Chris and handed over the stuff that I might need at the check points. I had 3 bags. One with different food items, one with beverages and one with a change of clothes, socks and shoes and a range of other items. I had surely packed way too much.
I didn’t really have many instructions for Chris, but he told me not to worry ‘I’ll do the thinking, and you just run’. That was what I needed to hear. There were 5 Checkpoints, but only the last three could be accessed by the crew. He asked me, when I would be at the third check point and I said, ‘about lunch time’. He laughed and said, ‘Lunch time is all day in a race’. I had no idea how long it was going to take me.
I slept ok that night. Better than the nights before. I got up at 4 am to eat my white bread roll with honey and banana and drank a coffee. It was cold. Four degrees, feels like -3. I decided to wear my merino long sleeve and pack my T-shirt into the pack instead. I could have worn the arm warmers but knew that the merino would work well for a broad temperature range. I would have to take it off at some point and it would be annoying to take the pack off, but what is two minutes in a day of running?
Stephan and I both started in group 2 and so did Samantha Bourke. Sam and I had some great training runs together and also joined the same strength classes. Running with her was so much fun. It made time fly and I hoped that I could run along with her for a bit. Sam is a very strong runner and she was so well prepared for this event! Unfortunately, she had a knee issue that came up at the last moment and the run was going to be a big challenge. I hadn’t seen Sam yet.
Stephan went off to start at the front of the group. I knew I wouldn’t see him again all day. So, I was there by myself among this bunch of tall fit looking guys, wondering how I’d even got into this start group and what I’d gotten myself into. Over the last months people had often asked me ‘why’ I’d wanted to run 100 km. My answer was ‘To find out if I can’.
And the race started.
Stephan and I both started in group 2 and so did Samantha Bourke. Sam and I had some great training runs together and also joined the same strength classes. Running with her was so much fun. It made time fly and I hoped that I could run along with her for a bit. Sam is a very strong runner and she was so well prepared for this event! Unfortunately, she had a knee issue that came up at the last moment and the run was going to be a big challenge. I hadn’t seen Sam yet.
Stephan went off to start at the front of the group. I knew I wouldn’t see him again all day. So, I was there by myself among this bunch of tall fit looking guys, wondering how I’d even got into this start group and what I’d gotten myself into. Over the last months people had often asked me ‘why’ I’d wanted to run 100 km. My answer was ‘To find out if I can’.
And the race started.
The Race
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We first ran out Cliff Drive for a dog leg. It was difficult to keep steady and not to get carried away and run faster. It was going to be a long day and there was really no need for any 5 min/km. After the turn I caught up to Sam and I was so happy to see her running in great spirit. We were heading down the Furber steps and it all went pretty steady. I remembered Will Andrews’ race report and took his advice to slide down the handrails with gloves on and save the knees whenever possible. I was also thinking that I would collect the germs of a thousand people, but for now I was more worried about the knees. We continued along the Federal pass and over the landslide. There was not really much option to pass or overtake, so I just went along with the comfortable steady pace that the people around me were running in. I started a conversation with the lady ahead of me. She had done the race before and was going to go for sub 14 hours, so I figured I should definitely not overtake her. The guy behind me picked up on my accent and it turned out that he was Swiss as well. He had done several ultras and was going to chase the silver buckle as well.
We headed up the Golden Stairs and I decided to take my poles out. I always wonder why people save their poles for later. I want to save my legs for later. |
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On the top of the stairs there was the first check point: 10% done. I ate some watermelon and filled my bottles. This would be the longest gap between water points 21 km. I filled 2 bottles with iso and one with water. I put one of the iso bottles in the bottom of my vest for emergency. I probably wouldn’t need it as it was pretty cold. We were running down Narrow Neck and the views were stunning. We saw Sam’s partner Luke halfway and he took some photos of us walking up one of the hills. I ran with Sam and we chatted for the next 20 km until we reached Tarros Ladder. There was a bit of a wait, so I went around instead. After this there was a technical bush section before we hit a wider fire trail again.
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The time to CP2 (Foggy Knob) passed quite quickly. This was at 32 km and meant that we had almost a third of the distance. However, this was the easy bit, and the other two thirds would take more time. From CP2 to CP3 it was only about 13 km, but there was a steep hill in the way. The sun came out for a moment, and I started to get warmer. I thought this was a good time to take the Merino off and change into a t-shirt. I regretted it almost immediately. I had not realised how cold it actually was and by the time I got on the top of the hill it also started to rain. But the check point wasn’t far, so I decided to just push through and put something warm on at CP3.
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When I ran into CP3 it was about 12.30 pm – Lunch time!
At that point, I had eaten only a cliff bar and a GU waffle, and I knew that I would probably need to get some more energy in at one point. I also drank a bottle of iced tea that I had at the start and a bottle of the Fuel X. I would have consumed about 600-700 kcal on the first 45 km which took about 6 hours. I was so happy to see Chris at the check point! He took a photo that he was going to post on FB, so my family would know that I was ok. He had prepared a camping chair and laid out some food. I ate a bun with honey and most of a cliff bar. Chris helped me fill the bottles with diluted iced tea and I put on a dry merino that I had in my change of clothes bag. I put a dry t-shirt in my pack in case it would get warmer again, but I would not need it for the rest of the day. |
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The path continued onto Six Foot Track. I had run down it, but never up. The next CP was only 12 km away, but it would take some time. I had started feeling my legs a bit at about 40 km, so I was careful not to push this bit too much. I walked the uphills and jogged when it wasn’t steep. I noticed that I passed the 50 km mark. Every step from here was further than I ever ran before and a win. I was also aware that this was half the distance, but less than a third of the elevation.
On the climb up the Six Foot steps I felt my legs and I cramped a bit. I took a salt tablet and hoped it wouldn’t get worse. I overtook a guy who was screaming with each step he took. He had terrible cramps. I offered some salt, but he figured that nothing would help and soldiered on screaming. I arrived on the top and was heading towards CP4 at 57 km.
On the climb up the Six Foot steps I felt my legs and I cramped a bit. I took a salt tablet and hoped it wouldn’t get worse. I overtook a guy who was screaming with each step he took. He had terrible cramps. I offered some salt, but he figured that nothing would help and soldiered on screaming. I arrived on the top and was heading towards CP4 at 57 km.
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CP4 felt like a big milestone for some reason. I was so happy to see both Chris and Louise Rabbit! She was crewing for Stephan, so I got the updates on how he was going as well. I probably had spent some extra time at this check point. They’d asked me how I felt, and I thought it wasn’t great, but probably quite ok for 57 km.
I took the cap and sunglasses off and swapped them for a buff. It was definitely buff time and I think it might have been snowing outside. I had spare shoes and socks in a bag, but figured the feet were still ok and I could swap at the next CP if needed. I ate something but didn’t feel like eating anything of the things I head prepared. I ate some salted crackers, and on the way out, grabbed a piece of watermelon from the food tables. I was on the road again. I knew the next bit quite well. The section looks flat on the map, but actually consists of stairs mostly. For some reason I liked this part. The poles really helped with the stairs in all directions. I felt like a spider heading over them. My legs and knees hurt a bit, but not more than at the 50 km mark. That was a relief in a way. Although there was pain, it didn’t seem to get much worse. It just stabilised and I could go on with it. There was a water point at the 70 km mark where I ate a sachet of salt and swallowed it down with water. That was pretty disgusting, but I didn’t want to take my gloves off to open a pack of chips, as every time I took them off, my fingers immediately turned into white useless sticks. I ate a few lollies from the table and figured that I’d eat something proper at the next CP. |
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The stretch from 70-78 km was one of the longest. It got very cold, and it was about to get dark. I made it across some more stairs and when I popped out at the end of the little Switzerland trail and onto the fire trail, the volunteers were asking us to put on the high vis vest. I took it out of my pack and my fingers immediately turned white. I had to ask someone to help me close my vest again. The volunteer lady asked if I wanted to put on my headlights as well. I thought it was still bright enough to get through the next three kilometres and that I could do it at the check point. Big mistake. After 300 m the path went off the fire trail onto a narrow trail on which I couldn’t see anything. I had to get the headlight out. Which meant taking off the vest and gloves off again to open the plastic bags and put the battery into the light (rookie mistake). Somehow, I got this done but I was really cold. I couldn’t wait to get to that next CP, but it seemed to take ages in the dark.
CP5 was outside. I told Chris that I needed those hot chicken noodles and a blanket while eating them. I forgot to bring a fork or a spoon, so I ate them with a peg that I had on one of the other bags. Those noodles were the best thing ever, even though they weren’t really soft and somehow lacked the spice (Chris later told me he only ever adds half of those spice packets, but I didn’t complain about the lack of taste). I ate about half the cup. Chris helped me to fill the bottles again and he pre-opened a Cliff Bar for me, as I struggled with these kinds of things at this point. I do not know how people without a crew would get through that CP at this point or even later at night. The fleece was not mandatory yet at this point of the day. I had briefly considered taking it along, but I would be warmer in valley and once I got moving again, I would probably be fine. In the worst case, I’d still have a rain jacket. So, I headed off to the last section – 22 km to go.
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I knew what was ahead of me course wise. I had run this section in the 50 km and a few other times before. We were heading down the Kedumba pass. Normally, I really like downhills and they are my strength, but with 78 km in the legs it wasn’t quite fun. Every step hurt but at the same time I knew that I was going forward. It was such a strange atmosphere. It was very silent and there were not many people around me. I was jogging down quite slowly, but every now and then passed someone. I had my head lamp on auto brightness adjust, which is great on normal runs, but quite annoying if there are reflective bands or people wearing high vis vests, as it caused the lamp to dim down to a point where I couldn’t see much.
The 8 km downhill felt endless. When I finally got to the bottom my stomach was quite upset. The cold air helped, but I couldn’t event think about eating or drinking. I had a big walk up some hills ahead and wanted to listen to music since there wasn’t anyone around. Unfortunately, my phone refused to work properly (I think it might have been too cold), so I decided to just walk up in silence. I saw the clear night sky and some stars. Every now and then I passed someone, or someone powered past me up the hill. People weren’t very chatty any more at this point, but sometimes there would be a minimal exchange of encouraging words.
The 8 km downhill felt endless. When I finally got to the bottom my stomach was quite upset. The cold air helped, but I couldn’t event think about eating or drinking. I had a big walk up some hills ahead and wanted to listen to music since there wasn’t anyone around. Unfortunately, my phone refused to work properly (I think it might have been too cold), so I decided to just walk up in silence. I saw the clear night sky and some stars. Every now and then I passed someone, or someone powered past me up the hill. People weren’t very chatty any more at this point, but sometimes there would be a minimal exchange of encouraging words.
It was a strange zone that came with a weird combination of feelings. Everything was hurting, I felt sick, but I also knew that I was going to get there, and it would be fine.
After the big hills there was a Iong and technical section through the forest. It was actually only 5 km, but felt endless. I wasn’t in a rush anymore at this stage and just wanted to make sure not to trip. All of a sudden there were more runners again and I realised that I caught up to the tail end of the 50 k athletes. There were also runners coming towards me! These were 100 k runners still heading out! I could hardly believe it. They would be out there all night and I was very grateful to be near the end.
I was so happy to finally see the turn off to the Furber Steps. My watch told me that I been out for 15 h and 20 minutes and I thought, I could maybe make it in under 16 hours. The cut off seemed very arbitrary though and I did not really care. I would get there - however long it would take me. I went up the steps very slowly, used the poles where I could and pulled myself up the rails. There were a few 50 k runners, which kindly let me go past and we exchanged some encouraging words. Luckily, there was no ‘Train of goodness’. It was nice and silent, and I just took one step after another. And then, I saw the cliff edge and Scenic World. I had made it. I heard the cow bells, people yelling, my friends shouting out and I crossed the finish line in 15.44.58. I felt so happy!
Post Mortem
The 10 hours after the race were probably the most painful – I was shivering cold, couldn’t actually eat or sleep and had a slimy cough. I was sure I’d get a lung infection. But surprisingly, the next morning it was all good.
On Saturday, I thought I’d never do that again, on Sunday I was a maybe, and on Monday I’d started to look at accommodation for next year.
On Saturday, I thought I’d never do that again, on Sunday I was a maybe, and on Monday I’d started to look at accommodation for next year.
