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Friday, 8 February 2019 Cradle Mountain Run 2019

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Friday, 8 February 2019 Cradle Mountain Run 2019 Friday, 8 February 2019 Darling it Hurts Panorama from our start line. Marions lookout is dead centre of the picture. Cradle Valley. Cradle Mountain Run 2019 Where do I start with this run? So many stories within stories. In the mid-2000’s I was running with a club in Launceston. One of the runners, a talented runner, but mid- pack would be descriptive of him (like me) would always regale us with tales of him competing in this thing called ‘The Cradle Mountain Run’. Me: “So you have a run around Cradle Mountain, from Dove Lake perhaps?” John: “No, the whole length of the Overland Track” Me: “You f%$&(*@ what? Then I’d walk away shaking my head. At that time, as a 5k to 21k runner (road); that distance, on a trail, was inconceivable. But it must have set my mind wondering. Roll forward a decade and in the midst of an ongoing litany of injuries I heard of another friend running at Cradle, and the seed firmly planted in my head. Never told anyone at the time, not even my wife (Nicky). I needed to just get through rehab, get running again and see how I was in a years time. After the final injury in late 2016, I quietly decided to target Cradle as my long term goal. A couple of reasons. Having lived in Tassie I had walked sections of the track with Nicky, knew the beauty of the area, the stunning vistas, and probably not realising at the time, the difficulty of the track. Also, having transitioned to trail running in the last 6 years, it seemed to be the perfect event to aim for. Capped to 60 runners (Parks and Wildlife set the cap), and proudly retaining its status as a run (not a race; no sponsorship, no razzmatazz, no gaudy bling, not even an event t-shirt), this is a much sought after entry. It sells out in around 4 to 5 minutes after entries open, the adrenaline rush of the entry night overshadowing any adrenaline felt on the day! I am reliably informed that I was in the top 10 to enter, a speed never to replicated in any event, ever… It is self-supported, no aid stations, you carry all your food, water (fill up where possible), and mandatory gear in case of an emergency. Cradle is quite possibly the oldest Ultra in Australia, kicking off in 1981 after a couple of local Tasmanian runners decided to find out what it would be like to traverse the Overland Track in one day. 39 events later it holds a special place in many an ultra- runners heart as a wish list item. It is special because of its beauty, the community feel of the event, the friendliness of the runners and vollies, and its remoteness. And it’s hard to get into… The Lead Up Training was going well through November and December. As noted previously in Two Bays account, a cold flattened me at New Years. The subsequent recovery, then the vain attempt to finish the race, meant that I had a sudden loss of confidence and a question mark over my fitness and possibly health. 3 weeks between Two Bays and Cradle meant that making up for lost time was out, and ticking over to make sure I was rested was the only option. In the fortnight leading up to the run I was also conscious of the fact that apart from the 28k at Two Bays, my last long run was 100k at Surf Coast in September. Was I going to have enough endurance in the legs come Saturday? Monday of run week was a public holiday. I took my local running group on the 14k course I’m helping to organise for a local run in Rokeby. It also served as a rest with the new vest and full mandatory gear packed to simulate my run. It felt a bit heavy and unwieldy, but only one soft flask bottle in the front meant it wasn’t at it’s heaviest, but it was also a bit unbalanced. I hoped it would feel better on the day. The start of this week also marked a rise in anxiety about this run. Unusual for me for a trail run. Normally fairly calm and only get the jitters on the morning, probably just wanting to start and get it done. But this was pushing myself out of my comfort zone, running into an area genuinely remote. (Between Pelion Hut and Narcissus there is no other way out except by helicopter). I voiced my fears to a few close friends and Nicky. All assured me I’d be fine. Wish I had their confidence! The Weekend Commences Thursday: Fly from Melbourne to Launceston and stay with a friend, Peter Johnson. Flight delays meant I arrived an hour later, justifying my reasons for not flying in on Friday morning. Having lived in Lonnie, I knew the issues that flights had coming in and out of the state. Settled into bed after Peter and I had caught up and discussed the run at length. I had a lot of information swirling around in my head, but thankfully a clear plan. One I intended to stick to, no matter what. Friday: A bus was organised to take us to Cradle Mountain and our accommodation. Leaving at 12, but mandatory gear check started at 11. I was almost the first one there. #eager Only thing missing was lighter (or matches). Ducked over to Coles and grabbed some bananas, lighter and various other food items for breakfast on Saturday. One by one other runners and run organisers turned up until there was quite a crew on the grass at Brickfields. Meet fellow VUR’s there; Gabor, Kez, Siqi, Kath and Andy. Kath and Andy are long term veterans of this run, combined finishes either 11 or 12 (Andy not too sure on his number of finishes). 12 o’clock we boarded the bus and set off for Cradle, one stop in Sheffield for a leg stretch and grab a bite to eat. I sat by myself and watched the countryside go by, reminiscing about living here 5 years ago. I miss Tassie, but circumstances mean Victoria is our home. And I don’t regret that, having met some wonderful people there. Best of both worlds Possibly… The start. Boardwalk, which is narrow and single file only. Sheffield, and the cafe has no sandwiches left. So pastie and a large coffee it was! Usually a bit more particular with my food before an event, I just wanted calories and heaps of them. I got it, that slightly overfull feeling when back on the bus, on that windy road, all the way to Cradle. Arrived safely (guts intact…) and we transfer our bags from the large bus to 2 smaller 22-seater buses with trailers that would be our transport within the park here. We were allocated rooms at Waldheim and I was to be sharing with Andy Hewat and another runner Lachlan, whom neither of us had met. The first thing we all do is unpack our bags and start sorting gear out for the run. Mandatory gear list was the following; 2 thermal tops, 1 thermal long johns, 1 rain jacket, 1 overpants, 1 beanie, Gloves, Lighter or matches, Map of the Overland Track (1:100,000) Compass with dial size minimum of 40mm, Emergency bivvy bag, and Emergency food to 1800 kilo-joules. In my case a 200g block of dark chocolate. Others used 120g of Macadamias. In addition were food and drink for the run, phone if you wanted to take photos and any other items you deemed ‘necessary’. All clothes in dry bags, or snap lock bags to keep them dry. Useless if wet and you are putting them on when you’re cold. Food in bags and stowed in the main pocket, gels in the side pockets, clothes in bottom pouch, and soft flasks of Vfuel and water in front with phone and bag of food (chopped up Clif Bar). It all looked a bit huge. Andy, Lachlan and I comparing packs, amount of gear, fuelling strategies etc. I reckon for 60 runners, 60 different approaches. Late afternoon sun on the pandani. Cradle Valley. At 5 the buses turn up to take us back to the resort at Cradle for run brief and if anyone wants to eat at the bistro. Run brief was informative, but nothing out of the ordinary. It’s all common sense, but nice to have it fresh in our minds. Always part of this run is an address by a PWS ranger about looking after the park, no littering etc. And of course discussion about fires, and snakes. Always snakes, just to put the wind up some people! Around 6:30 we returned to the huts to prepare for a night of interrupted sleep, as is the norm before an event. A few of us strolled down to the start line to survey the boardwalk, Marions (our first and steepest climb) looming out of the late afternoon light. The chat was lighthearted, a bit of banter, we were all probably a bit hyper with excitement. Saturday: Alarm goes off at 4 after my estimated 4 hours of disturbed sleep. I’d left the phone on charge on the other side of the room, so it was a comical dismount from the bed trying to stay reasonably quiet, whilst banging my knee on the bunk stairs and muttering “fuck” under my breath.
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