Hoka One One Kep Ultra 100 2013

We decided this year after two years of doing the 2hr drive to Northam at 3.30am that we would splash out, go a little crazy and get a hotel room for the night before the race. It was nice to finally do this drive in daylight and see some of the nice landscapes that the area had to show. After arriving in Northam and realising I hadn't had my daily caffeine fix I was pretty keen to attend to this matter as soon as possible so we took to driving the streets of Northam in search of the coffee bean. Northam is a small town approx. 100km northeast of Perth with a population of around 7000 people, so it's pretty safe to say we had to do a bit of searching. Eventually we found a lovely little cafe on the waterfront of the Avon River and only 50m from where the race starts!

I put my name down to do the 100km at Kep back in Feb/March and initially had the intention of making it an 'A' race for my racing year. That soon changed when I realised that we were only going to be getting back from our month long holiday in the US a week before the race. The reason for this was mainly because I thought it was going to be difficult to get specific 'Kep' related training sessions in when in different cities for the first time.

The race started at 7am and for the first time at Kep I wasn't nervous or over thinking things. Whether that was because we weren't in a rush getting there in the morning or because I was doing the 100km this year or maybe because I wasn't sure what to expect as far as my own performance goes. Whatever the reason I was feeling really good standing on the start line chatting to friends and ready for what the day was going to bring.

Early on in the race I kept things really conservative and let good mate James and a few others doing the 75km option take off and do the pace setting up front. They were flying along and I had no intention of trying to keep up with them at all. About 5km in I settled in with a group of 75km runners being good mates Mick Francis, Tim Eva and Sean Coops. It was really cool doing a race in my own back yard chatting along with friends as we were cruising along the heritage trail. The photo's show this well thanks to the fantastic camera work of Steve Fraser. Check out his work here.

At the 19km aid station at Clackline I arrived with only Mick and Andrew Wait who had joined us along the road section just before Clackline. After a quick bottle swap and stocking up on more gels and Hammer Perpetuem I was off again heading for aid station 2 at Wooroloo. Wooroloo was another 24km along the trail and was much of the same kind of trail since the start in Northam. Along this section we passed the infamous Bakers Hill pie shop which is always a favourite for the volunteers and support crew, including Mrs Hawker whom happened to be in the shop when I ran past as I found out from Rob Rob who must have finished his pie quickly to get back out on the trail.

Not long after Bakers Hill was where Andrew made a bit of a gap on Mick and I and was looking really strong and comfortable. Mick made a quick stop at the 34km mark to top up water and nutrition where I then made a bit of a break on Mick. At Wooroloo Andrew took a bit longer than Mick and I as we left the aid after another re-stock of supplies. My plan from Wooroloo (43km) to Mt Helena Aid (61km) was to pick up the pace as the trail flattened out during this section. After leaving the aid and a few words with Mick I started making my way to Helena. This section although relatively flat still had a few ups and downs that I had forgotten about but my goal pace of 4:40min/km was being achieved pretty comfortably. As I had left aid 2 I found out that James and the lead 75km guys were a touch over 15mins ahead of me, so naturally as I was heading for Mt Helena I was asking for time updates as I could. By the time I got to Mt Helena I was only 6min behind those lead guys and had secretly hoped to catch them. The aid station at Mt Helena went super smooth, as they had done all day thanks to  Liz and her sweet aid station skills. I left Helena feeling really good and was really looking forward to the next section of the trail to the Belleview (80km) aid.

Mt Helena to Belleview was pretty uneventful, as I had done all day I was keeping tabs on my hydration and nutrition making sure I didn't forget to take my gels or endurolytes as I sometimes do. I was also continuing to make sure I wasn't overdoing things on the downhills as I knew this could come back to haunt me in the final 20km to the finish. I had a great time running along the Heritage Trail through John Forrest National Park and it was really nice to see so many people out and about and plenty of kids cruising around on bikes along the trail. Belleview aid was short and sweet getting what I needed off Liz including an extra soft flask of water to take as things had heated up as the sun came out for a while. Then it was time for me to tackle the final 20km of uphill trails to the finish line at Mundaring Weir.

Emotions were high as I left the final aid station and headed for the finish. I have wanted to do the 100km at Kep for a couple of years now and it was so great to finally be leaving Belleview knowing that soon I would finish the 100. The whole day up until that point had been such a blast, running with mates, seeing my wife at aid stations and being amongst such a fantastic group of people in this race.

As I knew they would, the final hills of the last 20km started to hurt. A couple of times in the last 20km I stopped and walked very briefly as I started questioning my pacing from early on. These stops were only brief and I got moving well again pretty quickly. During this final section I had one of those unsure moments where one has to decide whether to overtake a fellow runner on the trails or not pending on whether you think you can hold this pace. The fellow runner was a young lady running along with her dog so surely I could make the move right...? I took a few moments to decide and thought I might as well give it a crack. I'll be honest and say I was pretty much running scared for the first time in the race as I really really didn't want to be re-overtaken by a young lady taking her schnitzel poodle pup thing for its afternoon exercise. This in hindsight was really good for me as it took my mind off the task at hand for a brief while and enabled me to get back on track.

As I approached Mundaring Town, approx. 6.5km from the finish I had a new lease of life in the legs and felt pretty awesome. I think this is what some refer to as the runners high, it was freaking  great! Instantly my pace went from 5:10ish to 4:30min/km and dropping. I knew this section of single track so well and was absolutely loving it. I had Bryn Donkersloot following me on bike doing a bit of video footage at this stage which was a nice bit of company. I remember saying to him with about 5km to go that things could get ugly in the last couple of km as I intended on picking up the pace from here to the finish. My final 5km went like a breeze as I was clocking km splits of around 4:30min/km and a final km of 4:05 as I flew up the hill to the finish line at the Perth Hills Conservation Centre. I stopped the clock in 8:17:06 for the win and course record by a touch over 45 minutes.

I was absolutely stoked to take the win and I surprised myself with the time I ran. Our time in the US meant that my training was sporadic at best and nowhere near my usual training volume. I think I might have averaged 40-50km a week in the US which is some 100ish km short of normal.  This definitely helped in some ways as I was much fresher than normal but now I am excited what time might be possible on the back of a good training block.

Thanks to my sponsors Hoka One One and RaceReady for their continued support and assisting me with my running. A huge thank you to Rob Donkersloot and his fantastic group of volunteers and support people who make this race happen. Congratulations to Mick Thwaites for running a 100km p.b and Tim for cracking the 10hour barrier for the first time. Well done to my training partner James who backed up at Kep with a solid 5:51 in the 75km for second place, and also to everyone else who ran in the Kep Ultra!

As always I couldn't do any of this if it wasn't for the love and support of my amazing wife. For those of you who saw us at transitions, we have things pretty efficient and organised, and always time for a kiss ;)

All things going well I hope to be lining up again next year and look forward to see what the 2014 Kep might bring.

There is also some video footage to come soon from this years race! Will post here soon!!

For those interested the gear I used was:

• Hoka One One Bondi Speeds
• RaceReady Active V Notch shorts
• Injinji Performance 2.0 toe socks
• Compressport R2 Race & Recovery Calf sleeves
• Hoka One One run shirt
• Buff Headwear 
• Amphipod 20oz Handhelds
• Salomon Advanced Skin S-Lab belt set
• Gu Gels (approx. 10-12 gels)
• Hammer Perpetuem & Endurolytes

Knowing Liz is always there is a pretty good reason to keep pushing hard :)
Image: Ron McGlinn

1 minute to go
Image: Steve Fraser

And we're off!!
Image: Steve Fraser

Early on, L-R: Me, Mick Francis, Tim Eva, Sean Coops (Easily the most enjoyable part of the run for me)
Image: Steve Fraser

Following the pipeline trail
Image: Steve Fraser

Cruising through WA bushland
Image: Steve Fraser

Me and Mick, trying to keep things steady on the fast road section before Aid 1 at Clackline
Image: Steve Fraser

Just before Aid 1, Mick, Andrew Wait & Me
Image: Steve Fraser

Long section of flat trail before Aid 2 at Wooroloo
Image: Steve Fraser

Me and Mick at Wooroloo aid station
Image: Steve Fraser

Ready for the swap
Image: Ron McGlinn

Final few metres
Image: Ron McGlinn

Crossing the finish
Image: Ron McGlinn

Stoked to take the win in 8:17 and take a touch over 45mins off the old c.r
Image: Ron McGlinn

Truth or Consequences 50km

The Truth or Consequences 50km trail race was something I had been looking forward to since it was first created months ago. 2013 was going to be the inaugural running of the event and it had attracted some of Perth's best ultra and trail runners. The course involved two 25km loops, covering some very technical and, by Perth's standards, pretty hilly terrain. The course had a total elevation gain of approx. 1500m so I knew come the 2nd lap things were going to start to hurt!

Forecast was for cool weather which every runner must have been looking forward to. As we settled into the first climb of the day my intentions for the first lap was to take things as easily as possible but ensure I stayed within contact of the front runners. Not long after the first climb of the day began, my good mate James was controlling the pace up front and I had settled in about 40-50 metres behind. About 6km in was the first aid station which was where the infamous "3 steps climb" commenced. This is a climb that I have done numerous times now but every time it seems to hurt just as much. About 200m into the climb I caught up to James and we ran some of the climb together until it got a bit steeper and we started power hiking which was where I put a bit of a gap on James. Soon after, James caught back up after a bit of a downhill which was where he was making up a lot of ground.

After about 1hr 15min of running we were at the Jarrahdale aid station. It was pretty cool being in a race and being up front with one of my good mates. Throughout the previous 16km I kept on telling James about the awesome 9km of downhill single track that we got to tackle after the aid station. I jokingly said to James just after the aid station to look out because the super quick marathon runner Todd Ingraham might catch us on a brief 1.5km road section. I then looked over my shoulder to see another mate Tom chasing us hard on the road section. I was then pretty keen to get onto the technical single track and try and make a gap on Tom because I knew that he is a really strong runner.

James and I had an absolute blast tearing along the single track trying to stay upright in certain parts due to things being really slippery because of some rain that had been falling. About 3km from the start/finish line I slowly started pulling away from James and ended up completing the first 25km loop in 1:55:xx with James close behind as I heard the crowd cheer him across the line.

I finished the first lap feeling pretty good considering what we had just run and I was confident of running a solid second lap. I soon got into a groove and knew I had my climbing legs on today. The first decent climb hurt a little at the top but I was able to get all the way to the start of the 3 steps climb feeling pretty good. I felt before the race that this was where I was going to push hard on the second lap and make a break. The hills are always my strong point so figured here was going to be as good a time as any. The situation was quite different to what I had envisioned pre-race in that I was out front and after beginning the climb I could not see James, Tom or any others coming down the steep descent to the start of the next climb so I knew I had a reasonable lead.

I kept things really steady through the flat section from about 8km-16km and was rolling off some 4ish minute km's and loving the rolling flat stuff and a few sub 4min km's on the downhill stuff. I was making sure I kept up with my nutrition and hydration plans to make sure I didn't fall apart later in the race. I went back to using GU gels for this race as my normal Perth provider of Hammer Gels had run out of any flavours I had used before. The GU's worked an absolute treat throughout the race and had no stomach issues and maintained pretty steady energy levels throughout the race.

I was really looking forward to seeing Liz at the 16km aid station and had a quick few words whilst I filled up my handheld and then was off on my way. The legs were feeling a bit fatigued by now after covering 41km so I kept on reminding myself about my previous training sessions and that there was no point in doing core strength and speed tempo runs if I was just going to roll over and slow up just because I was a bit tired. And then I hit the single track! My legs instantly felt lighter and I must have looked like some crazy man to the bush walkers I was passing as I was hammering it along tight, technical single track with a big cheesy grin in the rain. I was having an absolute blast running this section and was so happy being out there.

During the last few km of single track I was able to relax a little and really enjoy the trails. I was running along thinking "this is it, this is what it's all about". I was so happy running along through the bush and trails and thinking about what else is to come in 2013.

The last few hundred metres involved a very steep descent down to the valley floor which was a bit hectic as I was sliding down greasy rocks looking forward to hitting the finish line. I crossed the line in 3:50:55 for first place. I was super happy with how the race went and was glad to have put in a solid performance. The podium was rounded out with solid times from James in 4:06:xx and Tom in 4:16:xx. I couldn't believe that I had gone sub 4hrs on that course. Pre-race James and I had discussed a time of around 4:15-4:20 which we thought was realistic. This race felt like a bit of redemption from what happened in New Zealand and I am really happy to have had a good run.

A special thanks to Bernadette and Rolf for putting on such an awesome race that I know everyone loved! I can't wait to see what's in store for 2014!!

I'm now starting to get really excited about our trip to the USA and Alaska where I am hoping to run some amazing trails and see some amazing sights. Especially looking forward to climbing up some mountains in Alaska and also running in the headlands in San Francisco.

I'd like to thank my sponsors Hoka One One and RaceReady for their support and for helping me achieve what I am hoping for in 2013.

For those interested in the gear I used:

• BCR branded Headsweats Hat
• Ryders Eyewear Sunglasses
• RaceReady Tech Shirt and Shorts
• Compressport Calf Guards
• Hoka One One Stinson Evo Trail Shoes
• Injinji Performance Toe Socks
• GU gels
• Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes

Here's a few shots from the race...

Crossing the finish line in 3:50:55

Me followed closely by James just before the sweet single track

Everyone taking off at the start

Me and James leaving the 16km Aid Station

Approaching the 16km Aid Station for the second time

The awesome aid station volunteers

Enjoying some fast flat trail

50km Start

Podium Women and Men in the 50km. L-R: Helen Roberts, Beck Hefferon, Jamie McLoughlan, RD Bernadette Benson, Me, James Roberts, Tom Bakowski.

It's game on!

"If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it."  -Priscilla Welch

The last few weeks training have been brilliant. The start of all this training basically started with a hamstring that wasn't playing game in the Mt Helena 40 mile race on the 1st of April. I was running along really well through 46km less than 5mins behind one of WA's best distance runners in Todd Ingraham and I was starting to close the gap. Flying through the 46km aid station thinking this is going to be an awesome finish. 2km later things took a turn for the worst. My left hamstring started cramping and anytime I got on top of things and tried to lengthen out my stride the cramping threatened to come back. This pretty much went on for about 7km right until the 55km aid station. During this time my running buddy James caught me up after I had made a break after running the first 39km together. He caught me whilst I was walking along having a bit of a pitty party and we then jogged briefly for a few hundred meters before James kicked on strongly and made a pretty big gap real quick. About 200-300m from the 55km aid station turnaround James was already heading back and looking real solid. I took on a heap of Hammer Endurolyte tablets to try and keep the cramping at bay and then headed for the finish line. Things picked up a little on the way back and I got into a bit of a rhythm but the 7km of walking/jogging earlier had messed up any chances of a time I was going to be happy with. I was looking forward to finishing and getting the DNF of Tarawera gone as my last race result. I ended up coming in with a time of 4:56 for the 40 miles (64.4km) and 3rd place, way off what I was hoping for but still a solid hit out.

Training resumed the day after with an awesome run with Liz along the Bibbulmun Track and I haven't missed a beat with training in the last 2 weeks which has been awesome. During the whole "build up" to Tarawera with training I was always taking a less is more approach because of the end to 2012 that I had with injury. My training recently has been more of what I want to do and when I want to do it. The paranoia of something popping up injury wise is now gone and it is an awesome feeling. Mileage wise I had my first 100mile week last week and have backed up this week with another 100+mile week. I feel like this is going to be my "normal" routine from now and am really looking forward to seeing what rewards my training might bring for me. 

The other really awesome things that have been happening of late is how Liz's running has been going. I have dubbed her the queen of negative splits as she has been tearing up the pavement on her way to running two massive p.b's in the space of 7 days. She ran a 50:09 10km last Sunday and backed that up this weekend by running a 1hr48min half marathon on a challenging Bunbury course. Time for a bit of rest for Liz now before doing the Santa Monica Half Marathon in 2 weeks time when we are in the USA. Good mate Grant smashed out an awesome time in the Bunbury 50km today and I ran the final 8km with him which was pretty cool, and also Big Kev tore apart the marathon in 2:43xx with an awesome performance!! 

I have a race coming up called the Truth or Consequences 50km. It's on some relatively hilly and technical terrain so I'm hoping to put Mt Helena behind me and get on some terrain where I feel much more at home. It's not going to be an all out slog fest at the 50km but I do really want to have a satisfying run before we head to the USA and Alaska. 

The last couple of weeks have involved a few cracker runs in some awesome places and here are some photo's from the trails...

Dave K on the Truth or Consequences 50km course

An awesome morning up at Lesmurdie Falls N.P

Are you sure we're supposed to go over this...?

One of the many crazy coloured birds I came across up at Lesmurdie N.P

This must be a bit easier on the legs than running I reckon :)

Panorama of some of the Bunbury course

Big Kev smokin his way along to a 2:43xx marathon at Bunbury

Grant looking really strong in the 50km at Bunbury

Liz cruising along the half marathon course

Doing my speed session around the river 

Beautiful running along with ocean and coastline for much of the race

Getting towards the end of the speed session after running fairly quick into a warm Perth breeze, pretty tired by now.

Just one of those days... Tarawera Ultramarathon

Mixing it up with some of the worlds finest on the start line.

I'm not quite sure where to begin. My four days in New Zealand for the Tarawera Ultramarathon were truly fantastic. From the moment we got off the plane in Auckland it was all go. There was so much hype around this race due to some of the world's best ultramarathon runners coming to NZ for the race including Sage Canaday, Jason Schlarb, Timothy Olson (USA), Vajin Armstrong (NZ), Brendan Davies, Mick Donges, David Eadie (AUS). They were all representing various companies and sponsors so naturally there was going to be a media presence there.

The Friday before the race was quite busy as the elite runners had a media conference at the amazing Te Puia Centre in Rotorua which had some incredible geysers and mud pools and also a live Kiwi enclosure. It was pretty cool hanging out with some of the internationals and them seeing a Kiwi for the first time. The media conference itself was fun, hearing different runners' ideas and thoughts on the upcoming race was invaluable for me. It was a real buzz being part of a group that included the calibre of runners that Paul Charteris and the Tarawera Ultramarathon had attracted.

Another highlight was the Q & A session before race pack pick up at the Rotorua Holiday Inn. It was a relatively informal chat facilitated by Ultra 168's Marcus Warner. The questions asked of some of the elites, and in particular the answers, were great. Not one answer was the same regarding various aspects of trail and ultra running including shoe choice, nutrition, pre race prep, tactics on race day etc etc. This was great for myself to hear and I imagine the couple of hundred people who attended got a great deal out of it as well.

After picking up my Dad and Uncle from the airport we went out for some dinner and then it was back to the hotel for some final prep for the big day.

The big day started really really well! I managed to get a pretty good sleep and was feeling really happy and optimistic about what the day might bring. I knew I wasn't at 100% of where I would have liked to have been with my fitness due to a slow build up to 2013, but I was definitely fit and race ready. After some light early morning drizzle, head torches were mounted and we were ready to rock n roll.

Paul counted us down and I must have looked so stupid with a smile from ear to ear. I was so pumped about running my second 100km race let alone getting the chance to run with some really talented runners. We took off up the trail and soon after I settled into a good rhythm. The first 5-8km went well, only putting in very minimal effort on the hills and climbing really well. The pace I had settled on had me sitting in 5th/6th place alongside Timothy Olson with Sage, Vajin, Brendan & Mick ahead of us. This is where the fun started to fizzle out relatively quickly. I took a gel 42 minutes into the race and instantly I felt something was up, or more the case about to come up. Instantly my stomach felt really unsettled and a k or so later it was hands on knees and the gel was coming back up. A quick  drink of water to freshen up and I was off again and hadn't lost too much ground on Timothy. Soon after we were again cruising along the trail together and running around the side of Tikitapu (Blue Lake).

Happy times at the start line.  Photographer: © Lyndon Marceau / marceauphotography

Just before the big downhill leading into the 19.5km aid station I had another hands on knees bad stomach experience and it was after this one that had me worried. I came into the aid station feeling a bit queasy and glad to see my support crew.

From the Lake Okareka Aid station at 19.5km through to the 37.5km Aid Station at Lake Okareka I had a really rough time. My stomach was getting worse and worse and it seemed that any time I tried taking any gel or fluids my stomach would churn before even getting it to my mouth. I had my last half gel for the day at approx. the 28km mark. At about 25km in to the race Ricky Gates came past giving me a sympathetic pat on the back letting me know he was just a relay runner and to keep the legs going. It was nice to see a familiar face at this point as I was starting to hit a fairly sizeable low. The final few km before seeing my crew were damn rough. Basically the time in between vomiting was getting shorter and shorter enabling me to run less and less.


After Lake Okareka the wheels were well and truly falling off. Pretty safe to say I was in pretty bad shape at the Humphries Bay aid station at 43 ish km's. Marcus from Ultra 168, Bryon Powell from iRunfar.com and Race Director Paul Charteris were all there and all I could do was take a knee and try and get whatever hadn't come out of my stomach yet out. Marcus was a massive help in trying to get me back on board and get at least something down. I ended up sitting in a chair that at that point was way too comfortable for about 10 minutes in which time the first female in the 100km Ruby Muir came flying into the aid station. All I could do was watch her go hoping that I might catch her at a later time. In the end all I could keep down for a short time was some flat coke and half a banana. Marcus advised me that the next section was quite technical and hilly which would enable me to do a little more power hiking as opposed to real running which might help the stomach settle. He was bang on correct and I was sort of kind of happily walking the technical parts. It was in this section that I was glad I had gone with my Hoka Bondi 2's as before the race I couldn't decide which ones to go for out of them and my Stinson Evo's. The Bondi 2's were more than handling the terrain and my feet were probably the happiest part of my body at this point.

I arrived at the Outlet aid station and was pretty happy to see Grant Guise who had been giving me massive support through the race to here. I stayed there for a few minutes trying to keep it together as I had managed to get a little bit of quality running in just before the aid station. After a quick break and another dry reach I was off and Grant had advised me that Ruby had left about 5 minutes earlier. A couple of km down the trail I caught up to Ruby and had a brief few words before carrying along the trail. This 3km stretch from 55-58km was the best I'd had since 6:30am when the race started some 5hrs ago. In this time the top 6 had all passed heading back to the finish line. It soon came to an end and I was back into a relatively well known hands on knees position. The 60km aid station volunteers were so supportive and caring but I still left there feeling deflated and knowing that my race must be nearly over. I was starting to feel really lethargic and light headed which I knew weren't good signs.

The final 5km from Tarawera Falls back to the Outlet were not pretty. I would almost go as far as saying they were the worst 5km I have ever run/death marched in my life. I was now going about 200m before needing to stop and empty my stomach and repeated this all the way to the Outlet. It was here that the Doctor grabbed me and sat me down to do a few tests and analyse me. She gave me some fancy pants anti-nausea tablet that supposedly took 20 minutes to kick in. Geez it was a long 20 minutes. It seemed like just trying to stay awake for that time was hard enough as I had been wrapped in blankets, emergency blanket and beanie to keep me warm.

About 10 minutes into this waiting time fellow Hoka teammate David Eadie came into the Outlet aid station. I thought if I got up now I might be able to hang with David and hopefully bounce back and cruise along with him for a while. So I got up and put my vest back on but it seemed that by the time I was on the trail only 10 metres behind David I was already dropped before my legs even got moving. Back to my throne and some more waiting to see if I was going to have a second chance. This second effort came not long after where I got up and thought "c'mon Scotty, let's give this one more crack". That crack lasted 250m which was where I took a seat just off the trail after a dizzy spell and feeling like my legs were about to fold underneath me. I sat here for a while feeling frustrated and upset that I knew my day was officially over. I slowly picked myself up and dawdled back to the aid station to be greeted with smiles and words of support from the volunteers who quickly wrapped me in warm blankets and clothes again.

It's hard for me to put into words the emotions I was feeling at this point. Part of me was angry, partly upset but mostly frustrated that it all had to happen today. I think the most frustrating part of it all was that despite the situation with my health and stomach, my legs had only started to feel the effects of no fuel or nutrition in the last 7km or so. It seemed that in between vomiting if I was feeling OK I was still running quite strong.

Despite the sad ending to a wonderful trip to New Zealand and the Tarawera Ultra, there is so much that I have taken away from this experience. From meeting and hanging out with some international ultra running superstars and also meeting some of the top Aussies in Brendan, Mick and David and also Vajin from NZ. I learnt that despite whatever efforts and preparation you put into something, it can all turn pear shaped if its not meant to be. If it's not your day, then it's not your day. I also now know and feel that if I had a better day on the trails as far as my health goes then I can definitely match it with some of the best.

The Vibram Tarawera Ultra is a truly world class event and I cannot speak highly enough of Paul and his massive team of volunteers that put this incredible race together and put NZ on the ultramarathon world map. I am excited and already planning for next year's race as I definitely have unfinished business in Rotorua.

Special thanks to Hoka One One Australia, RaceReady Australia and Peak Podiatry for their continued support, keeping my feet happy and making sure I keep this Kiwi tan of mine under cover.

Running around the side of Blue Lake

Concentrating on the terrain early on

Around Lake Okareka

I wish I felt as good as the smile suggests.

Trying to stay focused through a rough patch.

Early on loving the scenery.

Some sweet single track. Photographer: © Lyndon Marceau / marceauphotography

Trying to explain to Liz how bad I was feeling.

It's taper time!

So I now have a matter of days left before we fly out to New Zealand for the Tarawera Ultramarathon next weekend. Since signing up for the race a couple of months ago time has absolutely flown by. The past couple of weeks have been pretty low key, especially after having a really paranoid 2 days where an old injury flared up last week. I think the majority of the "niggle" was mostly in my head as after a massage with Nathan and some acupuncture from my physio Ali, things came right within a couple of days.

The last few days have been busy in patches where I have been in front of the laptop trying to work out a bit of a nutrition & hydration game plan for the race. This period of time for me is almost the time where I get rid of any nerves that I might have for the race. As most who know me well will know, I am generally pretty chilled out and a bit of a clown on race day as I love having a laugh and having fun as thats why I do it, so I get through the serious stuff before the race to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Since my brief encounter with the paranoid niggle last week, I have had a couple of really great runs which brought back confidence after losing a little for a couple of days. I have been speaking to quite a few people lately asking where I think I'll finish and what time etc. Doing my race splits it's kind of hard to get a gauge of where I might sit. All I know is that I am super stoked to be running my 2nd 100km race, in New Zealand and that regardless of what time I my or may not run it's going to be AWESOME!!

We fly out Wednesday night and arrive Thursday afternoon when we will then drive to Rotovegas to make the 5.15pm fun run. I'm really looking forward to seeing Dad and my Uncle who are coming up from Christchurch especially for the race, and its going to be incredible having the two guys who got me into running and motivate me to run there supporting me along the way. It's going to be a massive buzz seeing them with Liz and good friend Sarah at aid stations along the way.

One other thing I think worth mentioning is the Race Director Paul has had to change the course due to fire risk. So now at the 60km mark, we turn around and head back to Lake Okareka which is where the 100km now finishes. This basically makes the run tougher, hillier and more technical. The course change doesn't really bother me too much and I think running on scenic single track beats forestry road any day of the week. Hopefully i'm still thinking that at the 60km turnaround :)

Not many photo's this week, just a couple of nice ones from running with Liz up at Bold Park yesterday as I periodically misplaced/lost my camera for a while there :)

If my Suunto is ready I must be right...?

Not a bad view from Bold Park

Liz and her fancy new Hoka's

An Emu that scared the s*#t out of me on a run last week!