2015 Salomon Trail Series - Race 2, Plenty Gorge

-3 degrees C. That was the lowest we saw on the trip to Lower Plenty Gorge on the way to Race two of the Salomon Trail Series. The kids were fascinated by all of the frost on the ground and cars, I got excited when we arrived and it had warmed up to plain ol 0 degrees C.

So if race one started on the coldest Melbourne morning in 10 years, and race two started on the coldest morning in twenty years, I'm tipping snow and the 100 year freeze for race three at Silvan....

Back to the race recap. Of all the mornings to forget a long sleeve top, this morning was not the one to do so. At least it was a great reason to proudly break out the Generation Run singlet that I'd been so keen to race in If you've followed my posts you'll know how much of an inspiration Bex and Steve, the team behind Gen Run are to me, my friends and my family.

After catching up with Bex and Steve, and Colette McShane, AKA The Hiit Mum for some happy snaps and pre-race banter it was time to strip down and warm up.

This time I made sure I was well prepared and commenced my warm up about 20 minutes before the race start. It was some gentle jogs along the car park, followed by squats and lunges and repeat. The jog intensity slowly increased each time.

Phase One:

At 9:12 we were off. My goal was another top ten finish, so my first km was ran at a speed where I pushed down the road to keep the lead runners in sight, but not so fast that I'd fade near the end of the race. Although the graph shows a fairly neutral elevation gain, the severity of the ups and down meant that finding a regular pace was proving to be a challenge. The sharp left hander here just before we hit level ground was a real pinch.

Rocking #GenRun and the Skins A400 #equipmentnotclothing

Phase Two:

We dashed across the plain and as we reached the end of the first real rise the trail flattened out into that beautiful single trail that I enjoyed so much last year. We were ducking and weaving through the trees at a steady pace. Entering the 2nd km took us into my favourite section of this race, a free-flowing single/double trail through some beautiful old and young Aussie gum trees. Although the gradient and trail continued to climb, the pace continued to be hot and the field slowly spread. I played cat and mouse with a few of the other runners for a while before I made a move on the last brief dip down into the gully, and the following climb allowed me to break free from the pack and placed me just behind Mr Skins and Mr Green Fluro. I now had the rest of the race to slowly try and real them in.

Phase Three:

At this point we broke through the trees and continued to slowly climb alongside a wide open field. Everytime I thought I was making up ground, the gap between me and Mr Skins and Mr Fluro widened a touch before I reeled it in again. This was the section that perhaps allowed them to play to their strengths in the straight, I'd catch them on the next hill. Speaking of which, the wide open section you can see was a lovely, steep section of at least -12%. Here I bent the knees a little, increased my cadence and lightly danced down to the turning point. I though I was quick, however Strava's GAP suggests I should have gone faster!

Phase Four:

According to Strava, this is where I lost ground. The GAP compares your actual pace (if it were flat) to their algorithms on how inclines and declines should slow you down or speed you up. If your GAP is lower than your actual time, you are running strongly. If it's higher, you could have potentially been going faster. They do also state that it doesn't take into account terrain. This is good because this section was quite narrow and full of twists and turns - great fun! Maybe I wasn't so slow as I had managed to bridge the distance between myself and Mr Fluro Green and Mr Skins to about 20 - 50m.

Phase 5:

The 5th km was a tough one. The double trail we had been running soon came to an end and we took a sharp turn over a creek and onto a very slippery single trail that gradually rose and rose. It was one of those trails where you felt that one wrong step and you's slide down the gully and into the drink. I pushed as hard as I dared, and had my men in my sights. Through all the twists and turns, rises and falls of the cut backs I had them within 20m as we the trail plateaued and we merged with the long course runners. On a slower day this would have been wicked fun.

Here is where I made my mistake. I should have dug that little harder and pulled in behind them. I knew their was a long single trail section to come that followed the river, but I was hoping to nab them in the final 400m uphill Suunto Sprint. I had however underestimated the number of long course runners and my two marks were lost in the crowd.

Phase 6:

Before we started the fast and furious dash along side the river, we had one last, long descent to tackle. With the sun finally burning through the clouds and hitting you in the face, the narrow track dominated by loose gravel and tree roots, this was where you needed to be a mountain lion. Light on your feet and poised. 

I did pretty well, passing a few runners, hopefully aided by my 'Short course passing' war cry. We changed trails slightly onto a dirt track that was only just single trail, there was no room to pass and I had no idea where Mr Fluro and Mr Skins had got too. I was hoping they'd also got caught up in the mix. Finally the trail bottomed out and widened up again and I was able to pick up the pace heading up the gradual climb before the last little side track I call 'peek-a-boo' rise. 

This is where a number of runners came to a halt, catching a breath before hiking the hill. There was no way I was going to stop and I needed all sorts of high cadence, sidestepping trickery to keep moving past. At the top of peek-a-boo rise you seem to just pop up onto the road that we started on, and the long course runners turn left and the short and medium course runners start the final 400m 'Suunto sprint' up, and up, and up the hill to the finish line.  

Final phase:

The picture above looks a lot longer than 400m, and it felt it. This last climb was gruelling, and after being pinged at the post last year I was not going to slow down. I dug deep and headed for home. No one was catching me, but I think I'd past Mr Fluro Green at the bottom of Peek-a-boo rise, would I see Mr Skins before the last timing mat?

As I surged up the last of the road and turned across the flat to the finish line I saw Mr Skins gasping for air just beyond the finish, perhaps having finished 20 - 50m ahead of me.

I crossed the line in 30:30, good enough to see me finish 6th, 5th male and again, 4th in the huge 20-39yrs division. Bec had run and amazing 28:30ish, just behind the winner and Steve was 4th, also under 29:30. I was stoked to be within minutes of them.

Did you race the Gorge? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the race and how you handled the cold and slippery conditions.

Till next time, Thisfish   ThisFishCanRun@Facebook 

2013 Salomon Trail Series - Race 4 results

Well folks, the 4th of the Rapid Ascent Salomon Trail Series has been run and done. 

I was able to get the family to the 1st of the races in Kew, and it was brilliant to have them come and cheer me home at Anglesea on Sunday. 

I had entered the 'medium' race series with the intention of enjoying the trail racing circuit in a range of new locations and hopefully racing with some level of success. 

Earlier this year I set my racing target of finishing in the top 10% of each race. So far I have hit that goal and more , especially in the Salomon series where I have finished top 35 @ Kew, top 15 and top 10 divisional @ Studley Park and in the top 20 at Silvan. I had set a secondary goal of finishing in the overall top 50 for the entire series, so you could imagine my excitement when the September newsletter hit my inbox and I was sitting 4th in my male 20 -39 division! Woo hoooo! So I was equal 4th with 6th only 3 'placings' behind over the first three races. Things were looking pretty damn exciting! 

So it was with a little in-trepidation that I made my way down to the race expo at Anglesea. How would I go? What would the field be like today? Would the conditions suit me? 

As dad dropped me, off I saw inov-8 athlete and trail racing superstar Brendan Davies making his way across the car park towards race headquarters. Brendan had run in Saturdays Surf Coast Century 100km event, finishing an epic 3rd, in an amazing 8 hours 55 minutes. I was a little bold and caught up with Brendan to say G'day and congratulate him on his efforts in the SCC 100. For such a superstar, Brendan is an amazingly humble and welcoming guy (perhaps the inov-8 wragg and the trailrocs broke the ice). We eased into a great conversation about his run yesterday and what our plans were for today's race (yes, he was backing it up with the 14km race today). I was also lucky enough to meet inov-8s Shona Stephenson who battled out an incredible 55km before having to pull out. Shona was also such a welcoming person to talk to, and she was chomping at the bit to get out and run... I can't thank Shona and Brendan enough for their words of encouragement and the way they the two of them made me feel like I was one of the family. I had to be a groupie and ask for a happy snap!

Ultra elite atheltes - ThisFish with invo-8s Brendan Davies and Shona Stephenson

Well, time had come and I made my way down to the beach for the race start. I caught up with a few of the Dandy runners: Patricia, Travis, Bryan and Lucy (who had finished 2nd in the 100km and was also running again!!!). It was a little quieter down there without CammoMan.

The gun went and we took off down the beach for a 300ish out and back section on the sand before smashing our way through river mouth and up onto the path that lead us along the clifftop beside the caravan park. I settled into a moderate pace and was enjoying the atmosphere, but was soon hit by a bunch of doubts. I was thinking about my pace, was it fast enough, could I hold it, why was my calf talking to me so early and 'what am I doing here?' 

The course elevation and map

After a while we turned off the paved path and onto a gravel track that started the first climb. It wasn't steep but it was constant. I played cat and mouse for a while with a number of runners, mainly Emily who I had raced home in the 3rd race and the leading females. At this stage I was happy to let them pull ahead, but I was always just a corner behind them. The race then hit the trails and the fun factor was ramped up big time. 

If anything, I'm calling that this race was the best 'instinct' running. There were low and fallen trees, massive bush grasses and shrubs trackside puddles and ruts all over the trails. It was truly the time to run on instinct, as when you weren't running through a puddle or sidestepping and angling up the track to avoid the holes and scrub you were ducking a branch or having a near miss with a tree (and I'm all of 5"6!). It was why trail running is dangerous, but also such great fun. 

The trail continued to climb, and the twists took a little of the sting out of it. But damn the legs were starting to hurt. The game of chasey continued as I passed a few and had a few stronger runners pass me. The doubts were starting to disappear as I enjoyed constant challenges being thrown at us by the trails. 

About 7k in we reached the peak and went down this amazing descent through the bush on a steeply raked track that had all sorts of twists and turns. The terrain was quite varied, dirt, rock and a little sand and I don't think there was a stretch that was straight for more than 50m. You really had to be quick on your feet and just hit your mark. This is the section where I felt most at home and was able to make up some ground on the runners ahead. LOVED IT!

The trail flattened out before another climb and I was able to pace really well with those in front. We passed the Hydralite station and after a quick top up started on a short section of gravel road which was really soft under foot. This soon leveled out before it became another risky and fast downhill section. I call it risky as it was a little clayey and extremely rutted. You ran at your own risk - I had a massive smile on my dial. From here it turned into the last of the climbs as we headed back up to the cliff top track. I was able to pace well but could feel the enthusiasm starting to lag. I managed to run with a few other runners and had a bit of a motivational chat as we neared the top. From here it hit the Surf Coast trail path and leveled out a fraction before the most crazy section of the trail - rather large boulders pretending to be stairs with hairpin turns. It was a real high speed high risk section. I remember saying few choice words about this part of the trail and wishing it would end. I just wanted to get out safely

As it bottomed out we ran along some great little boardwalks and the gravel trail again, mingling with the short course runners. A few of the runners I had been running with pulled ahead and I steeled my nerves to try and hang on my placing. My watch said we were about 13km in and I thought it was closer to 15km to the line, so I plugged on, just wanting to see the beach again and that finish line. I dug a little deeper and as we entered the path along the caravan park I figured we were close to the end. 

Finally we turned onto the little ramp that hits the beach and it was game on. I could hear my family in the distance 'wheres daddy? he must be coming soon) and the adrenaline hit. It's amazing what a little voice saying 'there's daddy!' can do for you. From there it was all smiles as I made one last crossing of the river mouth and waved to the kids and my mum and pushed it hard to the big blue flags that lined the finishing chute. 

So the tide was out....

My emotions - relief and excitement. I was relived that I had finished, that I had battled a few demons and made it to the end. I was excited about what I had achieved and that my family were there to celebrate it with me. 

If you know me your waiting for the stats... Well as posted here they are:
43rd over the line, (top 10%!) and 29th in my division. 

When I looked at the quality of the field today I am stoked with my finish. Did I retain that 4th position in the overall standings? I think it was great to see while it was there but... I'm super stoked to finish up equal 7th! Woooohoooo!

The trail running bug has certainly bit me, I've got 12 months to enjoy the Dandenongs and fine tune my technique, build up my endurance and learn to run faster and harder. 

Rapid Ascent, can I sign up for 2014? 

www.barefootinc.com.au - get your Aussie inov-8 gear here - fish10 makes it cheaper!

Salomon Trail Series - Silvan Dam - 2013 Race Three results

Not the trail...

Another race, has come and done, with this post I’ll share the fun!

The week before was wild and windy, cold and wet.

Yet at Sundays start the weather was clear,

So the Fish lined up, his mind all set. 

The gun went off and so did the Fish,

He had a plan, to go out hard and run near the lead,

How long would it last? To the end was his wish.

Now this is where the plan went astray...  

So much for easing the runners in as they hit the first hill,

The Fish ran with the pack, he would ease right in, let others lead the way.

The climb was gradual, the track was tight.

Shadowing those running on in front,

Quick, nimble steps, dodging trees and ferns, a turn to the left and then the right.

The famous saying, what goes up must come down 

(Now he pushed, gave it a crack),

So at the crest an additional burst, accelerate beyond the rise!

The descent began, then another hill, don’t drop back.

At 5ks in the Fish felt good,

All runners kept on moving, past tracks and tanks,

The climb ahead, he understood

Would make or break a runners heart.

His mind not to be deterred by those running ahead,

When the going gets the tough he’d make his move

To run this hill was the plan from the start.

As the ascent went up and the track became more brutal,

The pace now slowed from a race to a crawl.

Some racers pushed on, some held back or kept things in check.

The Fish made his move and gave it his all.

To master this climb you needed light steps and good form,

So the Fish picked up his cadence and attacked to the top.

Taking care with his feet, slippery tracks after the storm.

It was brutal, it was tough.

How long could he push it, picking up a few places,

The mind saying stop it, the legs screaming enough!

As the peak was then reached the Fish was relived.

But from here, the course was yet to ease,

To succeed you push on, was what the Fish firmly believed.

Just when you thought the ascent was done

And a fast descent let the legs get loose,

The killer climb had now begun.

The track was steep and made of mud

Below his feet the slipping, oh what fun,

Grabbing at branches to keep going forward and avoid a thud!

Two more climbs were to lie ahead,

So not to walk a hill was the plan. 

But the degree of difficulty would make you draw breath with dread.

Movement here was slow and steady,

Each new step closer to those in front and the peak.

Breathing relaxed, pushing on and ready.

Finally almost 10ks had gone by,

The depth of the run had be conquered.

Two runners ahead, now the Fish would try.

To reel them in k by k

As the track went down, the speed went up,

That long downhill stretch, the fastest of the day.

The last of the bush was entered with pace,

Another sign here, another turn there.

A runner only just ahead, it was time to race

The single track was was fun, it was epic

Twists and turns, still dodging more trees and ferns

At long last we burst onto the road, finally giving hills the flick.

Medium and long distances combined,

They all hit the road for the short stretch home.

Some passed the Fish, just one more burst could he find?

A final right and a short short track,

Past the car park and to the line.

The Fish dug deep, for one final crack!

Powering on past the longer runners,

Where would he finish?

The elation, no other finish had been any funner!

14kms and some epic hills,

Amazing scenery and a crazy track!

The Fish was lucky to avoid some spills,

To finish 17^th and was a massive thrill.

This run was the most challenging of the Salomon three,

And almost more fun than last at Lower Plenty.

So now I sign off, to prepare for the last
Bring it on at Anglesea!

Get your inov-8s from www.barefootinc.com.au, remember fish10 makes them cheaper :)

2013 Salomon Trail Series results: Race 2

Dear readers, sorry that its been a while between drinks. Since my last post on the Salomon Trail Series race I've been training hard. 

I've also undergone some professional coaching with Sally Lynch from Barefootinc.com.au who is a certified POSE trainer .... 

Why the delay? I've been eagerly awaiting this race to put all the theory and training into practice before I tell you how it has worked out for me. 

Back to the 2nd race of the 2013 Salomon Trail series: 12km at Lower Plenty Gorge. 

It was a blustery and cold morning. I had the trailrocs (A link to my review if you're new) all laced up and was ready to roll. I picked up Steve and we made our way to the gorge. We arrived with plenty of time to park and check out all the tents and to have a chat to the many Dandenong Trail Runners that were entered in the three events: 

The 6km short course, 12km medium course and the 17km long. 

Todays events promised it all: Grueling hill climbs, water crossing points and fast, steep technical descents. I was amped. 

The course outline is below: 

Thankfully Steve was running the short course today, and he would go out to smash it and finish top 5! 

With about 20min before the scheduled start I went through my warm ups, practising my Pose lifts and drops and working on my lean. 

I found a few of the Dandy runners at the start, Cameron and Nick and wished them luck. Nick and I weaved our way to the head of the line and then we were off! 

The first 1km was quick. We headed off along the gravel road and before quickly heading off the beaten path through fields, along fence lines before heading bush.

The tracks were winding under and between trees and you had to keep your wits. We were running a tick over 4 minute to the km pace. I focused on my 180 bmp leg speed and tried to find the Pose lean as I settled within the field, watching Nick creep ahead alongside a younger girl in a bright yellow top and and few guys our age while I sat just behind a young kid and possibly his sister. 

After some ups and downs we weaved our way down to the first river crossing. It was brilliant!

I eased my way across, the provided ropes more a hindrance than help, and also made sure the young lad got across safely.  We walked up the opposing bank and I played it safe by walking up the rocks and track until it levelled out again. At first I was surprised at how heavy the trailrocs had become but they soon drained and the only squelching was the last of the water being forced out of my socks.

The next km or so was a beautiful run through low scrub and bushy trees before hitting that long hill. I enjoyed this challenge and it was rewarding to watch so many people start the long walk as I picked up the cadence and leaned into the hill. 

At the top and the 6km mark I grabbed a drink of Hydralite at the rest station and planned my next attack. Nick was pulling away a little so I picked up my feet and took off again. This was the most level 500m of the run and I eased into the Pose lean and I seemed to just take off. I quickly picked off another of the runners I had been pacing and started to reel in Nick and the girl in the yellow t-shirt and a few runners that were pacing with them. 

Here the trail got tight and technical. It wound its ways through the trees and it became instinct running - my high cadence Pose style was incredibly effective as I just lifted and placed my feet among the roots, rocks, cracks and holes. The pace we were at left no time to think. You just did it. 

As we tackled a few more short climbs then descents the trail began to take its toll. I was almost breathing down Nicks neck when he slipped and fell. I offered him help but was told to push on, so I did. Within the next km I had caught the girl in yellow and a few others. Her running partner was amazing, offering words of encouragement and wisdom all the way. I was feeling strong but willing the end to be near. 

We started our final descent into valley on this insanely steep track of exposed rock bed. This was a great leveller as your speed was restricted to your braveness and agility. I certainly had the agility and was able to reel in another couple of runners. I was however more than a little scared about what could happen if you lost your footing. 

We hit the 2nd water crossing and I flew into it and passed a few of the longer runners who were gingerly picking their way across. 

I looked at the bank where everyone was heading up the single track that was worn into the embankment. I toyed with the idea of skirting straight up the 1/2 meter climb beside them but relished the 30 odd seconds that this near vertical climb claimed as I became a sheep and we single filed it along the track. Next time I would take no prisoners. 

I was at about the 10 km mark and nearing the end. Straight after the river was the start of another long climb. There were some quite steep sections and then more crazy instinct running along a single track by the river. I was hot on the heels of another runner that I had played cat and mouse with over the last km and the leading girl (I found out later) was hot on my heels. There was no time to think, just do! 

We rounded the last corner for one last steep climb through the grass and as we reached the top I turned left and took off. I sensed something was not right and turned back to see that I should have gone right. NOOOOOO!!!!! 

I turned and tried to chase down those last two runners up the hill but I was spent. Finally the track levelled and I turned towards the finish shoot. 

The final surge and I crossed the line in 1:02:26. I was stoked. I was confident I had hit my top 20 goal. But had I? 

I found Steve who was confident that he had finished about 5th. After a quick change I grabbed the phone to look up the results. Thisfish had finished...

13th. Wooo hoooo! Top 20 achieved. 9th placing in my division, a kind of top 10! 

I was stoked. Nick also finished strongly and came over in 15th. 

Once again full Kudos to Rapid Ascent for organising such a great run. It was tough, it was brutal but oh so rewarding. I loved it. 

If you ran this year or last, I'd love to hear your experiences, please leave a comment below.

Cheers, The fish

Grab your trail gear @ www.barefootinc.com.au -  fish10 will help take 10% off your purchase!

2013 Salomon Trail Series results - Race 1

On a crisp 4 degree morning this fish and the family bundled into the station wagon and we all headed down to Studley Park in Kew for the 1st of the 2013 Salomon Trail series races - the 10.8km medium course.

We arrived in plenty of time for the start and I was able to collect my 2013 Salomon trail series shirt, drink bottle and free mag as part of the series entry package. We met B and Steve - the in-law that had been playing on my mind all week. How would this all pan out?



With the inov-8 Trailroc 235s laced up and the inov-8 tee on, number 163 eagerly toed the line. I'd seen a couple of other Dandy runners but as the family had been there part of the warm up routine was entertaining the kids. It was a nice distraction.

As Steve waited for the Suunto watch to find the satellites Camoman did his best to entertain the crowd. 3,2,1 the countdown finished and we were off.

Steve and I had found our starting point at the front of the field and rand together for the first 2-3km. Steve was running well and I had settled into a comfortable 3-2 breathing routine and was enjoying the run.

The first section of the race was around the park and then along the road for a while before turning alongside the golf course. We were both running well and Steve started to pull ahead of me. I was passing a few runners and a couple passed me. I was happy with this as I know that generally once I find my place I run fairly true.

At the end of the golf course we turned off for the trails. We rushed down the first slope and under the bridge before hitting a well paved running track. Not a true trail in terms of what the Dandenong Ranges had challenged me with but very serene and calming. The field was pacing well and there was minimal place shuffling going in.

I was really enjoying just running under the gums and alongside the river. After a short section we turned up a short series of steps to cross a bridge and head onto the other side of the river. The track here was equally as nice, a few rougher sections and you had to watch your footwork but nothing to untoward.

At this point we were mingling with the slower 5km and long course runners so there was a lot of 'passing right' and 'coming through' being called out. Everyone was great about it.

At some stage the track became single file and a lot more technical. It was a real blast. I had a couple of guys breathing down my neck but they were happy to pace with me. It was a lot harder passing along here but everyone running ran well and everyone except the numbats with earphones and music were really obliging with moving out o the way.

This was essential as two steps of the track and it was a 3-5 meter tumble down the banks of the river was an early morning swim...

The track carried us along the river before turning away from it a little. Eventually we hit the 'stairs' which took us back down to the river again. I skirted down the very narrow track on the side rather than going down them. I don't know if this saved time but it felt easier.

Back on the trail and the pace was lifting with the slight descent and again a lot of skill and care was needed on the single track - keeping your pace and footing and trying to navigate the slower runners and the Sunday morning runners as well.

Eventually we hit the second lot of stairs - up them. This threw me a little and I shot past a couple of people. I hesitated briefly for a one step walk but then got running again. We finally hit the top and turned onto the road - The Avenue. This was a minefield.

There were slower course runners to navigate and more Sunday runners to navigate, both going with the flow and against it. I found out the hard way just how many were going against it.

Hoping we were nearing the last few kms I put in a harder effort and started to pull away from the guys behind me and pick a few places (well, it was possible, they may have been long or short course runners...). As we neared the end of this section I pulled out on the left to pass someone as he was running close to the fence and  BANG!! I ran smack right into a Sunday runner. Somehow we both managed to avoid smashing into the parked cars and kept our feet. I looked back and he was on his way and so was I.

We turned back onto the trail for the final stretch home. This section was again mostly single track and was very tight. It had a few good turns and smaller trees that lined the track quite closely so you had to keep your wits and watch your step. People were starting to tire here so there were lots of moments of daring and care needed as I tried to keep up the pace. After one last turn and course photographer who gave us the '100m to go!' spiel I heard the buzz of the timing mats and the crowd so I pushed it hard for the final stretch home. I saw and heard the cheers from the family and the look of surprise as I raced past them. 10m, 5m and the race was done. I had crossed the line in... ???? I forgot to look and had started the watch late!

B and Steve were at the finish line and B was surprised to see me finish so close to Steve. She was in fact amazed at both of our results. Steve had finished in 47 something and she thought I was about 2 minutes behind. It looked like we had achieved the 44-50 minutes that I was hoping for.

I checked in with the family for sweaty kisses and cuddles and tracked down some of the other Dandy Runners who had also been very successful. All of us agreed that running the hills and learning to control your speed and footing on trails was a massive strength.

So how did I finish and what were my 2013 Salomon Trail series race 1 results... Overall time was 48:14, tick. Across the line I came 34th, big tick! I was hoping to run 44-50 minutes. I was hoping to run top 10% and top 50. To finish 34th out of 486 odd runners gave me a massive buzz. And the brother in-law. I should have stuck with him. He finished an incredible 18th. Well done Bro.

The day had been brilliant. Big thumbs up to the 2013 Salomon Trail Series course organisers. The trails were indeed very easily followed thanks to the coloured tags and surveyors tape. The displays were informative and the buzz of the crowd was very cool .

One whinge - Folks, DO NOT WEAR HEADPHONES AT A TRAIL RACE!!!! On tight trails you really need your wits and senses. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the trail and be at one with your running.

Cheers for now, but stay tuned for the photos I hope to put up :) 

Lachie

To keep traction on the trails get your inov-8 trailrocs from Barefootinc.com.au. Fish fans can use fish 10 for 10% discount