Wild Horse Crit 55k
So, this past weekend was meant to be Tour de Brisbane bike ride. BUT…the ol Vid went and stuffed those plans! With the event postponed and still the weekend off, I decided to register for the 55k trail race at Wild Horse (which was postponed from Easter Sunday). A weekend away with dad, hanging out, running shops, good coffee and food, with some relaxing thrown in was in order. So, on Friday arvo, off we went.
The lead up was actually good and I went into the race having already done 105k that week. It was only intended to be a solid training run in my build to UTA100 anyhow! So, in the early hours of Sunday morning we drove from Brisbane (where we were staying) to the start line to kick off at 3am. A small group of about 20ish runners were assembled and before long we were off into the darkness for some adventure!
The race started pretty routine with a group of about half a dozen of us leading out, taking it easy and working our way through the overgrown trails, mud, HECTIC water crossings and undulating terrain. The layout was five by 11km loops and having sussed the first loop, it was going to be a case of – stay smart, don't get injured, stay upright and embrace the mud, water and fun ahead! After about 8km I found myself in the lead and reminded myself to take it super easy. A long way to go.
At the end of the first lap I needed to go to the bathroom and dropped about five positions. No worry. Plenty of real estate to make that up. I head back out with my good mate Ricky who I invited to do the race with me on a whim as he needed some motivation to get back running proper after Ultra355 five weeks ago. We chatted, moved nicely and made up some positions. The first two laps we completed in about 1hr 10min each and we were looking at around a six hour finish. A little longer than I had hoped but in the conditions, not bad.
As the sun came up, we started to move a little quicker but Ricky had to go bush again and told me to continue on. I lead the field through the third lap and enjoyed ticking off the k’s and feeling amazingly good! Throughout this race I can honestly say it is probably the closest I have felt to flow state in a long time. At times the running felt effortless. Like I flowed with the trails, was present with nature and even melted into the surrounds like I truly belonged there. It honestly was beautiful and remained constant the entire race. Something I will remember and treasure for a long time!
Some time at the start of the fourth lap, Ricky caught me back up and we continued running together. I recall a moment where we were running on one of the few forestry roads where we could relax and not concentrate for a minute. We looked at each other, smiled, laughed and commented how incredible it was that two buddies were running together, at the front of a race, feeling so good, shirtless, hair flowing, loving life. It was a great moment! We discussed what would happen if we were still together at the end but moved on from the conversation after I stated there would be no hand holding! Ha!
Quickly came the last lap and I was still feeling great. Ricky took the lead at this point and decided to start laying down some five minute k’s with some dipping under. On trails that were solidly technical, sloppy and challenging, it was moving. I hung with him for as long as I thought smart but around 4-5k through that loop I determined the pace a little hot and dropped to 5:15-5:25 pace. Ricky slowly pulled ahead but I was still feeling great. At one point I saw him only about 50-100m ahead and I thought I might catch him. I was pushing, but at the same time not wanting to blow and ruin a great race thus far. With about two kilometres to go I rolled my ankle bad, shook it off and then stacked it pretty alright for the first time in this race only 700m from the finish. I ran out of space and time to catch him so second place was my gift this day. Ricky ran a strong race, was the better athlete on the day and deserved his result. Finishing only 1min 28sec behind him with a time of 5hr 27min 48sec, averaging under 6min pace on that course as a ‘training run’ I was more than happy.
It was an absolute honour to share the course with all the athletes that day. The highlight though was to spend time with my brother, push each other athletically and have a hell of a time doing it. It honestly was one of the most fun, well executed, gloriously compiled events I have ever done. The vibe was high ALL day, stoke levels off the charts, course SUPER fun and challenging and a race that will be in my memory bank for a long time. SO SO rad and an incredible experience!
Many thanks to AAA Racing for the event, my dad for a top weekend away, Altra Running, Fractal Headwear and Coral Coast Physio for your ongoing support. I am so grateful to be able to race, have experiences like this and commune with other runners in our beautiful world. This one was special. For that, I am truly thankful. Until next week, have a super week friends. Much love!