UTA100 2019: My race recap — Emilie Tan

Better late than never they say… Here is finally my race recap for this year’s Ultra Trail Australia 100km, which was my third Trail 100km (I did HK100 in 2016 and Tarawera in 2018) and fifth 100km race.

I arrived in the Blue Mountains on the Thursday 16th May in the early morning as I took the Qantas red eye from Singapore. Did not manage to sleep much in there but was happy to be back in Australia and to hang out with my friend Ranell and Kip who graciously hosted me for the 5 days I was in the Blueys.

I did a couple shakeout runs (with a few strides) on the Thursday and Friday, nothing exciting. We ate some great whole plant foods, lot’s of hearty salads, soups, home made bread. I organised my drop bags and nutrition on Friday: basically portioning my Tailwind (Mandarine and Berries, my two favourite flavours) in small ziplock bags.

Mandatory gear checkPhoto credit: Kip Hobson — Mandatory gear check
Photo credit: Kip Hobson

I have been fighting a little cold in the past couple of days but it doesn’t feel like it’s going to get worse. I just have a funny scratchy throat and sometimes need to blow my nose. I load up on Vitamin C and keep on eating well.

On Friday night we picked up my race bib, sat through the briefing, checked my dropbags… Headed back home and went to bed fairly early after a simple dinner.

Saturday morning I woke up at 4am, had a coconut yoghurt with a Cliff bar and a Four Sigmatic Cordycep Mushroom Coffee . We drove to Katoomba (about 45 minutes) and I boarded the shuttle bus to the start line. It wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be. I still decided to wear my sleeves to not get cold, even though I knew I would be taking them off pretty quickly.

Start to Checkpoint 1 (0-11.4KM)

The start, almost 5km on the roadsPhoto credit: sportograf.com — The start, almost 5km on the roads
Photo credit: sportograf.com

6.20am, we are finally starting. Following the advice of my coach, Scotty Hawker, I start comfortably fast to not get caught in a bottle neck when entering the single track. The first 4-5km are on roads, we are going at 4.05-4.15 min/km. It feels pretty easy because the air is cool and I am well tapered.

When we finally hit the trails… I am not comfortable anymore. It quickly gets fairly technical and it feels as if my body needs time to acclimate to the terrain. When we hit some climbs I am happy, it means I don’t have to worry too much about tripping and I feel strong and fit. But on the flat and downhills it’s another story. I get passed quite a bit or feel like I’m slowing down people.

I do fall two or three times in less than 10km haha I start feeling a bit sorry for myself and I think: “why did I choose this race? Remember this is way too technical for you… You’re not a trail runner, your a road runner.” I even ask myself if it would be ok to call it a day. I am also pretty annoyed with my choice of shoes: Hoka one one Challenger ATR 5, super comfortable but not grippy and stable enough for this terrain.

But then I think of a work acquaintance who just died from cancer and I feel stupid to be such a sissi.

I decide to stay positive and take the race checkpoint by checkpoint. I also try and cheer up because the views are so stunning. I am definitely lucky to be here, doing what I love.

I constantly think of an another great advice from Scotty: You gotta feel like the race is starting at Checkpoint 4 (57.3 km). This really helps me relax and feel like the race is still young.

This kind of viewPhoto credit: Sportograf.com — This kind of view
Photo credit: Sportograf.com

Checkpoint 1 to Checkpoint 2 (11.4 - 31.6km)

We arrive at checkpoint 1 pretty quickly, after a good climb called “Golden Stairs”. What will be a trend for this race is me actually getting quite excited when I see stairs as I am actually quite comfortable with them, having trained on the staircases of HDB flats in Singapore as well as a good tune up race in Hong Kong (the Victoria 162)

Because I know the next checkpoint is pretty far, I decide to refill my 1.5l bladder to the brim with more Tailwind. I always find it a bit time consuming to take off my pack and refill the bladder, but my Ultraspire pack makes it fairly easy. On the way out, I grab a couple slices of watermelon and eat them while running.

I mentally feel a bit better after the first checkpoint and I decide to just go with the flow and do my best. The terrain is relatively smooth for a while then we get to some actual ladders that we need to descend. I take it as a little rest.. which is good because the next surprise around the corner is a steep, technical descent. I get passed quite a bit in there but I don’t care. I want to arrive back to Katoomba in one piece haha and I know I will be able to make up for it later in the race.

At some point after this descent we go through a lot of rolling hills but the terrain is super smooth, which I love. I run with two other girls for a while and we yo-yo back and forth with each other. One of them tell me that there is only 4 girls in front of us. I am actually quite surprised because I though I was further back in the field after what I thought was a pretty shaky start.

Checkpoint 2 to Checkpoint 3 (31.6km - 46km)

I arrive to Checkpoint 2 with the two other girls but they leave before I do. I take time to refill my bottle only this time, with Tailwind. I grab a couple more pieces of watermelon and run away.

The next section is actually a very memorable one. We run on a walking track called iron pot ridge which is a out and back section with two way traffic. I can see the two girls in front of me. They have a little gap but I don’t really care. The race is still young and I am in for the long haul. We can see and hear people playing didgeridoo and clapsticks (see here in the recap video at 1:15 ), it’s quite special and reminds me once again that I am so grateful to be running such a stunning race.

The rest of this leg is pretty uneventful, I just plod along and I’m feeling good.

Checkpoint 3 to Checkpoint 4 (46km - 57.3km)

At Checkpoint 3, I get access to my first drop bag. All I need is a small bag of Tailwind, which I stuff in my pack’s side pocket. I only refill my bottle again this time as I know the next checkpoint is only 11 km away. I also have a pack of Cliff Bloks just in case I run out of Tailwind before I reach the next aid station.

I quite enjoy this section as it is quite uphill and my climbing legs are good today. I remember arriving to checkpoint 4 (Katoomba Aquatic Centre) and think ok I’m actually feeling quite fresh despite this last section being quite steep.

I this section, I already caught up on a lot of people who passed me in the technical bits and I am feeling happy.

Checkpoint 4 to Checkpoint 5 (57.3km - 78.4km)

Checkpoint 4 is a checkpoint where runners who have a crew will see them. A lot of people are here waiting. I get my second drop bag and grab more tailwind. I get my bladder refilled by a very helpful volunteer and I grab some watermelon and my first glass of coke of the day. I feel really energised when I run out.

At around the 60km mark we go down a long staircase called “The Giant Staircase”. There are a lot of tourists but they are mostly all super respectful, giving us the way and cheering for us. I actually feel bad when I pass them because I’m all sweaty and stinky haha

I find a good rhythm after the staircase and I am feeling confident. I believe it is in this section that I pass one girl and am now in 6th position.

Checkpoint 5 to Finish!

At checkpoint 5, I decide to only take the caffeinated gel from my drop bags and finish the race with the Tailwind I have left in my bladder and bottle. I also grab my fleece as it is mandatory from this point on. I pray to be finished before the sun set but I am not too confident it will happen. I get told by quite a few people that I am gaining on the girls in front of me and that if I am feeling good, I might be able to pass 1, two or even three girls.

The next kilometres are pretty much all downhill on very smooth trails. It feels really good to see the kilometres tick by quickly. My downhill game is not super strong but my quads are feeling good, I can push ok. At about 85km, I start running with this male runner from New Zealand who matches my rhythm perfectly and we naturally just decide to pair up. We come through the last water station together. To our disappointment, we have to pull out out head lamp as some point as the trail is getting pretty dark. It is also around this point that I pass the 5th place lady. I congratulate her for the effort and ask how she’s doing. She says “I’m really tired”. As she looked super combative earlier in the race, I know that she is most likely not going to pass me back as she seems mentally signed off. But I know she is a strong runner and I will be running scared until the end. I lead the way for the last 10 km. We pass a lot of 50km runner and they all cheer us on.

As I remember the infamous Furber steps from the 50km in 2015, I am trying to prepare myself mentally. I also prepare my companion for it as he is running the race for the first time. Just before we get to the steps, I am starting to be quite loopy. I feel like I don’t have much coordination left. I trip and fall like a sack of potato but my new friend pick me up and tells me “You are almost there!”. He takes the lead and we take on the steps. I have a ok rhythm going on but he is definitely a bit faster than I am at this point. I tell him that he can go if he wants but he insists on waiting, which is incredibly nice. After what feels like a million steps (in reality, “only” 995), we can see the finishing chute. We both ran through it and hug. He was definitely my “trail angel” today and without him I don’t think I could have finished so well.

Then, to my surprise, Emma Rocca, the amazing Spanish runner comes to hug me. She tells me that myself, Fiona Hayvice from NZ, another outstanding runner and her finished within a 4 minutes period. I cannot believe it. Not only did I finish 5th, but I was also super close to world class runners.

I see Kip and Ranell who look super excited for me and I wave back at them. I then chat with the Tailwind Australia rep and she gives me a very welcomed pack of Tailwind Rebuild that I mix with water and drink in one gulp. I then slowly make my way to the tent to get my finish drop bag as I cannot wait to get changed.

I then can feel the adrenaline leaving my body and my legs start throbbing big time. I go to the showers and get taken in charge by the lovely volunteers (this event has the best volunteers EVER!). They sit me down and help me undress. When I finally can get in a shower, the horror:

I realise that due to a bad choice of underwear, I’ve been chaffing in places NO ONE should ever chafe. Anyone who has experienced chaffing before know that the first shower is the devil. And indeed, it burns. But it feels great to wash off the dirt and sweat.

After my shower, I go to the medical tent to get a graze on my knee cleaned and we finally make our way back home where I devour a veg. pizza with no cheese. I take a couple panadols and eventually go to bed. I still can’t believe that all of this happened in only one day!

This race definitely rekindled my love for trail running and my desire to work on my weaknesses. I don’t believe I ever want to race a super technical race like Hurt 100, but I know that I can become so much faster overall if I don’t waste so much time on technical bits.

Next on the calendar is Cameron Ultra 55km in the gorgeous Cameron Highlands (Malaysia) on 27 July. I am already looking forward to get back to hard training.

Nutrition

Tailwind : Mandarine and Berries, mixed in about 3.5 - 4 litres of water.

1 pack of Strawberry Cliff Bloks

2 Cliff Shots, Mocha Flavour (Caffeinated)