Give it all you’ve got! And do it with a smile.

On Saturday, I learned that I really love to run and I love to dance.

I also learned that it is possible to do a really long run and still have fun. It is all mental. Well, the long run part is! When the going gets tough, think happy thoughts, smile and boom…you are home! (Well maybe not that quick).

My Saturday started at 5am. I showered, dressed and headed down for brekkie. Had a quick ‘cup a jo’ with my Trailblazer buddies. We were all pumped for what the day entailed. Headed off on the bus to the Scenic World and soon met the rest of my fellow 50kers!

This wasn’t my first time at this start line. I felt ready…and I felt good (last year’s attempt at the 50k was a blow out. I ran too fast to start and clumsily fell 14ks in, twisting my knee. Kedumba was a great ol’ laugh going down on one leg!). This year was going to be different. Not only was it my 12^th race in 12 months (I’ve mixed some trail races with some triathlons), but I had a feeling it was going to be my best race! I had done a 1/2 Ironman on May 1, so I knew I was a little fatigued yet fit (not trail fit)…but to be honest with you…I was very excited. Not so much that nervous-excitement. Just hyper-excited. I love the Blue Mountains and I love TNF/UTA. I did my first 100k in 2011. I swore I would never do it again, but I came back for more in 2012 and 2013 - 3 x times too many! So, in my mind, 50k was a ‘reasonable’ distance.

Some of the TB crew

Now, at the start line, I took a nice kick-starter gel, had a little dance, posed for a few (heaps) of pics, and then hugged my buddies…and off we went, chasing after Start Group 1. In the lap section, I managed to count roughly 30+ girls and I knew I had a chase ahead of me. My buddy Al stuck with me and helped me maintain a steady pace (I tend to panic on single trail and run too fast for fear of holding people up). This time I was cool, calm and collected. Hold up! No, I wasn’t…I was on a caffeine high and rearing to go. So, Al and I played a bus game to keep me on track. He would pass me, then I would pass him and this continued for the next 6 hours.

Let’s get another thing straight here. I can’t do a trail race without a stack of some sort. Back in March at the 6ft Track marathon, I was exiting Nellie and her Flippin’ Glen, and stood on a not-so-stable rock and rolled my ankle quite badly. I finished the race well and with a gigantic thing the size of kiwi on my ankle (it healed nicely in time for UTA).  This time just before the Fairmont, low and behold, I hit the deck! I-Ate-Dirt! I was thinking about falling/not falling, and BOOM…down I went. As quick as I went down, I was back up…but not happy!

I plodded along cautiously for a few k's and finally made it onto the road to the QVH or now known as the PACE Athletic check point/aka Party Central. I’ve been seeing a lot of PACE crew (Will, Stu and Olly) recently, so I was excited to see them. As I came in I couldn’t help but jump for joy. It may not have been the finish line, but it felt like home to me. The boys quickly reminded me that I had 22kms to go still! I quickly filled up but reluctantly left!

Happy at 28k - PACE!

I caught up to Al on the downhill, and the bus passing game continued all the way down Kedumba Valley, over Jamison Creek and all the way back up. We trotted on into the last Aid Station where we stopped to refill our water flasks. The crew there had music pumping…and I just busted out some more dance moves. Al just shook his head. The volunteers must’ve thought I was mad.

Off we headed on the last stretch home. I knew was going to be tough. It was getting very hot. I was envisaging the hills ahead, but all I could think about was the finish line and a nice cold beer. I had a time of 6:40 in my mind…I knew I could achieve that.  As we hit the hills, Al and I stuck together. We didn’t have to say much. Just enough words to distract away from any pain. As we got within 4ks of the finish, Al asked me to pass him which I reluctantly did. I gave him my water and I trotted on to the base of the Furber Stairs where I was pleasantly greeted by a tv camera and some supporters. This gave me the boost I needed to approach the stairs. I am unsure what happened next, but I started to run up...the lactate was burning in my legs, but I found momentum and knew that if I kept powering through I would eventually reach the top. I kept my mantra going, "I love Hills, I love my Quads...I love Hills, I love my Quads"...over and over again. I had to remain positive and grateful that my short legs had gotten me to this point.

Put your hands for UTA!

I summited and realised that I was sitting on 6hrs 31. I struggled a bit to get my groove on but soon fell into a run. As I came around the corner I could see some of my friends and their kids. I was so pumped, that I ran as hard as I could and jumped over the finish line- a classic 'Air Morley'. It was all over. 6hrs 32 and 15^th female. I was happy. Really happy. But I was sad too, that it was done and dusted…for another year!

The caffeine (I had 2.5 packets of Cliff Shot Blocks, 1lit of Tailwind and 2lits of H20), was still in my system long into the night…but that didn't stop me - I just kept dancing, drinking beer and cheering my friends and strangers on. 

Well done each and every one of you who got to the start line. There are a few of you who did not achieve what you set out to achieve on Saturday, but look deep down and see that signing up for an Ultra and training for an Ultra, is as much of an achievement as completing an Ultra.

Thank you also to Tom and Alina and the entire UTA crew and volunteers! You guys are amazing.

Over and Out for 2016.

See you all in 2017

Nikki

Happy

Ps I’m not a great dancer, but can’t have been all that bad. I won a couple of pairs of socks. Great Success!

Me & my bloody elbow

Brook, Me & Pia

Ryan asked for a pic with me!

The NorthFace100 2012- The Race

Hi Everyone,

Here is a 'little' recap of my recent 100km run - The NorthFace 100 - an ultra marathon in the stunning, World Heritage listed Blue Mountains.

Months of indoor and outdoor training - squats, lunges, hundreds and hundreds of burpees and endless chants from Sol and Leonie (and a few good 50km runs thrown in for good measure) brought me to this moment, that I had been waiting for (dreading the more operative word) - the start of yet another very long 'Walk in the Park'.

I was a lot more confident going into the race this year knowing what to expect but then worry began to set in; Had I done enough running?; Was I going to beat my time from last year?; And the 'What Ifs'...What if I roll an ankle?; What if I have another groin injury? I had completely forgotten how incredibly hard this race was, both mentally and physically!!!

Over the course of the race, we covered a grand total of 4000m - almost half the height of Mt Everest!
 

Of the 1001 runners registered, only 638 finished. I managed to finish for a second time. Here is my diary of the event.

Hope you enjoy the read.

Nikki

The NorthFace100: The premier 100km trail run on the continent sees first runner powering through to the finish line in an astounding time of 9hours, 19minutes and 06 seconds!!!