PHILIP MURPHY'S 100 MILE REPORT

Glasshouse this year was shaping up to be a bumper year with a lot of interest well beforehand. What looked like possibly 30 runners entering ended up being 26 starters, still an improvement on last years 24, it’s great to see this event attracting more runners every year. The week leading up to the race brought a lot of heavy rainfall in the area, the first of any kind for a long time. Our fears of dry hard packed trails kicking up copious amounts of bulldust never eventuated. Instead what we were treated to was a beautiful soft and often muddy trail, making for interesting running at times.

I flew up on the Thursday as I did last year to team up with Tim and Whippet at the Mellum headquarters. Upon arrival and after meeting up with Dave, Vegie Girl, Horrie, Blue Dog, MRX and 99 and few others, we were whisked away on a short lived recon of the muddy trails. Travelling in 3 cars it was a circus out there with the trail beating us this time. What was meant to be a few hours of familiarisation quickly turned into an hour at most? Still it was good to see sections of the course again. We even managed a quick trip up Wildhorse Mountain, with its lowly peak almost in the clouds, such were the conditions. That night we dined at the Beerwah hotel and enjoyed some banter over a beer or two.

The following morning we ran sections around CP9 out to CP10 taking note of various track markings. We also checked out Javes’ pool figuring we’d be getting our feet wet the next day. Pasta night at Beerburrum was hilarious, with my blood pressure reading of 173/100! Turned out RMC had an even higher reading!
Gold moment of the night, Virtual mentioning to Ian that he say “ok” instead of “right” at the end of each course instruction.

Back at Mellum, we were contemplating Plan B’s with the conditions not looking good. Sub this sub that, just a finish, everything was considered. Finally we decided to see what the day brought and take it from there. We awoke to heavy downpour around 3.30am, thinking the worst; it was going to rain all day. As it turned out that was actually the last rainfall for the day.

Beerburrum school was buzzing with excitement, drop bags prepared and deposited into their respective bins. Lube ups and lube downs, it was all there to see. Coffee and some breakfast, the canteen was ably manned by the tireless Vegie Girl. Last minute gear checks and a few start line photos and we were on our way at 5:30am. I must admit to feeling a little added pressure this year after posting a good time on debut last year. Now I had a 100mile time to try and beat, and some expectation along with that too. I had a small A5 sized laminated map with my splits from last years run with me. Although the course was changed this year dropping the 12km loop at 7, I could still use them for the first 74km to give me an idea of my pace. My plan was of course to try and beat last years 21.43 by going out just a tad faster for the first half and see what the cooler night running brought. I was reasonably confident I was fitter than last year, but I did have a blinder and lots of things can go wrong during an event of this magnitude.

Base-CP4 (22.2km)

We ran pretty much as a pack to CP1A before climbing over Hamburger hill for the first time. I was surprised to see that was once a singletrack up from 1A was now a cleared and well-graded trail to the main hill. I ran with Paul Every here and we commented on how much better the trail was. At the top I noticed a lot of trees had been cleared too, affording us views across to the other side where we drop back down again. We rolled into base (CP2) and made for the climb up Beerburrum. A short but steep climb, it felt like we were in the clouds at the top, MRX commenting there were angels up there. No hurry coming down, saving the quads for later. Picked up the Camelbak from the ute (after dropping it off there on the way up) and turned for CP3. The forestry track takes us along some pine plantations and then through some natural vegetation along singletrack heading towards Tunbubudla (the twins). I was happy to keep the pace fairly honest with Martin Schott (MRX) ahead and Roger Guard just behind.

We arrived at CP3 in 1.45 exactly the same split as last year. I grabbed some fruit and kept going. I had been nibbling away on fruitcake slices I had stuffed in my back pocket; they were going down very well indeed. We circled the twins before emerging on the Woodford-Beerburrum Rd. I caught up to Hermie along here before reaching CP4 (22.5km). Again just a quick camelback refill and onwards, no point wasting time early on I figured.

CP4-CP5 (29km)

This is the first section of eroded track we encountered and almost immediately we knew it was going to be interesting. The shaded gullies were still very wet and muddy in patches, which made for a slippery rollercoaster ride. I pulled away from Roger here and climbed Weetbix hill in good time. The terrain was extremely slippery in parts and required some concentration picking the right line. I staggered into CP5 along with Martin, feeling the effects dragging an extra couple of kilos worth of mud on my shoes. I slammed down my first tin of creamed rice and had a powerade. Vegie and Davo were doing a sterling job as crew.

CP5-CP6 (35.6km) (Goat Track)

Next up was the infamous “goat track”. I had passed Martin earlier but he simply blew past both Roger and I up this section singing at the top of his voice, he was flying up ahead, a very good hill runner. I was also quite enjoying the mud, you got to laugh else it hurts too much. The downhills were just as much fun. I’d stand at the top trying to figure out the best line and then think damn it, let’s just fly down it and see. I had some scary moments where gravity + mud = joyride.
At one point I landed square on my arse and slid for a good 2-3 meters. Great stuff! It was a cool, albeit humid early morning with the track doing its best to dry up. There were sections where I had to run off the track to avoid losing a shoe but it was drying quickly and with the cooler temperatures, any time lost scrambling through the softer sections could be made up on the flats.

CP6 and 6minutes up on last years split, perfect. I ate another tin of rice and grabbed a muesli bar. It looked like the field was well and truly spread now, with myself Roger and Martin fairly close and the next pack a fair ways behind, while up ahead was Dave Waugh, Adam Barron, Nic Moloney and Darryl Watts.

CP6-CP8 (45.3km) (Powerlines)

I was keen to get through this section fairly quickly and attempt to arrive at the 8 loops before the main heat of the day. First I had the powerlines to contend with. I caught up to Darryl Watts along here and we ran together pretty much all the way to CP8. The powerlines was tough, at times hands on knees and sometimes even fingers in mud tough. The gullies were jam packed with the soft stuff and every so often I found myself going backwards. The upside was the softer descents, where I made good progress. It was also cool and shaded in parts.
At the bottom of some of these hills large pools of water had formed where we would scramble around the edges. Darryl was good company, telling me how he had dnfed here a few years ago at 130km. He was determined to post a finish today. We emerged from the powerlines triumphant, thankful to have it behind us. The long straight section back to CP8 is easy running on mostly flat wide open trail with a small climb before the checkpoint. We arrived there together, now a couple of minutes ahead of last years split in 5.06. It was just after 12.30pm and the sun was now making its presence felt.

CP8A-CP8B (56km-64km)

I dropped the Camelbak and grabbed a handheld for both the 8a and 8b loops. More food and a quick weigh in. Clairie and Tesso were there and reminded us that we had just completed a marathon. Vegie Girl was looking rather pasty, her head cold finally catching up on her. Not surprising given the amount of running around and fussing she was doing for the Mellum boys. Davo too was great, helping out at the CPs. Darryl and I left the checkpoint together for the first loop. We noticed Nic Moloney was about to leave too and would run just behind us on the downhill. I love this loop; it’s cool and allows good running along the flat disused rail bed for the first few kms. The scenery is a nice change from pine plantations with bush on either side of the trail. We ran the whole way to the left turn and first hill, passing some horse riders along the way who suggested we try riding instead of running. After trudging up the final hill back into CP8, I quickly refilled my bottle and headed out for the second 8a loop. Darryl was still at the checkpoint so I was alone now. The second loop is shorter with a steep climb out of the checkpoint followed by a long descent to the turn off. I felt good here and motored down the hill to the gate. Flat running for a few more kms and then the same hill once more returning to the checkpoint. I managed to complete this loop in just under an hour, a lot quicker than last year. I didn’t see any runners behind me so figured I had maybe a 15-minute lead on them?

CP8-CP7 (74.1km)

Back at CP8 and time to throw the Camelbak on. I stuffed more food into my pockets and headed for CP7. I was still alone with Darryl probably 10 minutes behind. I headed north along McConnell Rd, crossed Raens Rd and followed the forestry trail to CP7. A nice opportunity to make good time here I thought, the trail is mostly flat. I resisted the urge to walk instead knocking out a steady even pace. Shortly before CP7, I felt hungry and was looking forward to some “real” food at the checkpoint, where last year we enjoyed a smorgasbord of choice. I remembered the plate of roasted veggies I had there last year. With the 7 loop taken out and thus only one pass through the checkpoint it was not as well stocked as last year. I had no drop bag so just got my number ticked off and left.
It was 8.38 (2.08pm) into the run and I was 16 minutes up on last year.

CP7-CP6 (81.8km)

I don’t recall too much about this section except that I saw Martin up ahead at one point and was slowly reeling him in. Maybe his hill climbing earlier on was catching up on him? I did eventually catch him not long before CP6. I was now in 3rd place.

CP6-CP5 (91.4km)

I remember enjoying this section last year. I didn’t hang around at the checkpoint for too long, as I was keen to put as much distance between the chasing group and myself as possible. A long downhill followed by another up hill, and one last look back at the CP to see what kind of gap you had. Last year I came through here later in the day and recalled the magnificent fading light over Mt Beerwah, a little earlier this year but still just as beautiful. It’s a long haul up and down some rolling hills and then a sharp right into a climb through some natural vegetation. I felt good on the rolling hills but once on the climb it was hard work and I was beginning to feel the pace a little. Just before the turn I looked back and saw a dark figure off in the distance. I thought no way this was a 100 mile runner, he was gaining on me too quickly and I was moving fairly well, least I thought so! It was good to get through this crappy trail back to CP5, being the last of the gnarly stuff for a while. I passed the leading 100km runner here who was struggling a bit.

CP5-CP1A (98.2km)

As I arrived at CP5, Adam Barron was there. He came over to me and shook my hand, a true gentleman. Here he was obviously in some distress, as he was flying earlier, yet he took the time out to come over and wish me well!

I soon realised who the dark figure closing in on me was when I saw John Pearson (FatBloke) rock up. I had earlier seen his wife Vicki out on the trail and figured it might have been him. He was now leading the 100km race and looking strong. I had another tin of creamed rice, a cup of pumpkin soup and some fruit. We all left the checkpoint together. Adam fell off the pace leaving John and I to it. John was good company as usual and we made great progress back to 1A. In fact he was pulling me along at a quicker pace than I would of tapped out alone. Upon arrival he mentioned wanting to break 12hrs for the 100km and so headed straight for Hamburger hill. I bid him farewell, stopping briefly for a biscuit and some fruit at the checkpoint.

CP1A-CP2 (102km)

I checked my split and realised I too could finish the 102km to base in under 12hrs. The 4.4kms back to CP2 went by easily enough and I rocked into the checkpoint in 11.59 (5.29pm). It was a bonus to get the western section out of the way in daylight and I must admit to feeling the course was easier this year as a result of pulling out the 12km loop at 7. I had my longest pit stop at CP2 where we had our blood pressure and weight taken. My blood pressure was still a tad high but not as bad as the night before and my weight didn’t budge from 69 kilos all day. A quick change of socks and another application of bodyglide to the feet, a fresh thermal and tri-top and I was ready to roll. I ate some more soup and creamed rice and had a quick coffee. Run67 and Karisma were there to help out which was great.

CP2-CP9 (116km)

I left the checkpoint with Fatbloke’s words of advice echoing in my head, just consolidate my lead and don’t go crazy for the next 20km. I was feeling superb, knowing I had a reasonable lead on 3rd place and with a fairly flat eastern section to go. I made my way for Hamburger hill for the third time and near the top switched my headlamp on, as the shadows grew longer. I now had an opportunity to assess the gap I had on the chasing pack with the arrival of Martin, probably 20 minutes behind, followed closely by Roger with BlueDog not far behind. I figured a good solid run to CP9 would see me consolidate my position. I ran through 1A, just grabbed some fruit and headed for CP1. Running along the main road I recalled Whippet’s comments about how bloody long this stretch is to the Moffats road turn off. I was actully enjoying the run along here and was rather surprised to see the turn off so soon. I crossed the road and was finally on the eastern section proper, a nice milestone.

Good running to the turn off at the bush, which was well marked too. I was delighted to see a path along some rocks at Javes’ pool where a dry crossing was feasible and quickly negotiated it, followed by a short climb to CP9. It was 116km into the run and 13:53hrs (7.23pm). I dropped my Camelbak grabbed a token and began the climb up Wildhorse mountain straight away. Once at the top I realised the volunteers had given me the wrong token, 905 instead of 915. I made a mental note to alert them to this upon return. The descent was less thrashing than I could remember from last year. I wondered over to the CP where Diane (99) was an angel, looking after my pack and transporting drop bags for me. I had some more soup and then restocked and left for 10. Last year I made the mistake of not eating here and paid for it by the time I got to CP10, not this year. We also had further to travel as the CP was moved north of Hussey’s creek this year.

CP9-10 (128km)

The long trail out to CP10 is a mental battle. It’s flat and pretty boring stuff where you have to really concentrate and not let the pace drop. I had been travelling alone pretty much from 50km and maintaining a good pace required some mental strength.

Soon enough I spotted lights in the distance, it was Dave Waugh and Mike Page on his bike. We stopped and chatted briefly, I asked how the loop at 10 was, to which Tugger replied “kinda confusing”! Shit, I thought it was a simple out and back loop. We bid each other farewell and went our separate ways. I was in awe of the gap he had put into us all, truly astounding.

It felt like forever for CP 10 to arrive. The first set of lights in the distance I mistook for the CP were in fact a bunch of campers. Just like last year there were a few smart arse comments made and shouts of “Run Forrest Run”, hmmm. Finally the checkpoint came into view, I was delighted. I wanted to get some more food in and then get out onto the 7.5km loop as soon as I could. Di was there again, waiting. I figured Martin was not too far behind. I was eating an Anzac biscuit when I noticed a tub full of olives next to another tub full of mulberries. Interesting ultra food I thought to myself. The olives were divine, I couldn’t get enough of them into me. I was pointed to the trailhead and off I went. At this stage I had to revert back to my watch as the Garmin battery had died. My replacement Garmin was in the back of Vegie’s car, doh!

CP10 loop. (135.5km)

This is the added loop to make up for the dropped loop at CP7. I was hoping it wouldn’t be too hard to negotiate but with Dave’s words ringing in my ears and no sign of flagging tape on the trees I began to worry. I guess I ran as far as the bridge with the logs on either side of the road before I decided I might double back and check again at the CP. I decided (luckily) to continue until finally I came to a T-Intersection. Right enough on a tree on the other side of the road was a red arrow, much to my relief. I continued running at a reasonable pace and was feeling pretty good, I like night running. After returning to the straight section about a km or two from the CP I saw a few others coming my way. First was Nic and then Blue Dog, I figured I had at least 40 minutes on them at this stage. However, Martin was already on the loop and I had no idea how far behind. I certainly couldn’t see any lights anytime I looked around so felt I had a reasonable gap on him.

CP10-CP9 (148km)

I was happy getting back to the checkpoint and felt I had run the loop quite well, but glad it was behind me, I didn’t enjoy wondering whether I was lost half the time. I was now on the homeward journey and knew what lay ahead. I felt re-energised in a way running back CP9, catching up with a lot of runners making their way out to CP10 receiving and giving lots of encouragement, such great camaraderie amongst ultra runners. As I passed Andrew, he mentioned Tim was not that far behind and to “gee him up” when I saw him. A short while later Tim came into view. I glanced at the time and figured sub 24 was probably going to be a struggle for him. (I was wrong). Every so often I looked behind to see if there was a headlamp shining my way, I couldn’t see anyone. Sean and Mel on bike appeared next, looking determined. I arrived back at CP9 in 18.00 about 11.30pm. I grabbed my token and made the return trip up Wildhorse Mountain for the second time feeling a lot stronger than last year.

CP9-Finish (162km)

Upon leaving CP9 I was directed to a trailhead supposedly heading back under the motorway. I followed the beam from the checkpoint volunteer’s torch and started running down a hill? I soon realised I had stupidly taken the wrong trail when I couldn’t see any tape in the trees. I was livid with myself for stuffing up. I ended up coming back up the hill only to turn around again and run back down to a road that circled back toward the checkpoint. The staff there saw my headlamp as I rocked back in and asked what was wrong. The same lady pointed me to the same trailhead again but I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. Luckily a guy there pointed me in the direction of the correct trail. Just as I left I saw Martin arrive ready to climb Wildhorse. I was now so amped up on adrenaline; I literally flew up the rise parallel to the motorway and ran like crazy down to Javes’ pool. I figured I had lost a good 10-15 minutes stuffing around getting lost and was not about to give up second spot now.

With my buffer to 3rd place now gone, I knew I had to run the whole way back to base and the finish. I reached Moffats Rd and just kept running, head down, grind away. I was hurting now as the adrenaline wore off but the end was nigh. The turn off at CP1 came up and I ran straight up the rise to Caves Rd. It seemed to take forever for CP1A to come into view. I looked behind once more, still no lights to be seen. As I approached 1A, I decided not to stop instead I climbed Hamburger hill for the last time. Along here I passed Kerrie Hall and a couple of other runners in the 100km. Once on the other side of the clearing I looked back and realised I had 2nd spot in the bag. I ran down the gentle descent and finally caught a glimpse of the lights sparkling through the trees at Beerburrum School only another couple of hundred metres and the turn off for the finish. As I entered the school grounds, there was quite a few people still around, unlike last year. I was directed to the oval and the obligatory lap. A wonderful feeling, I can’t put into words just how one feels at the end of these events. I was absolutely delighted with a finish time of 20.21 knocking 1hr22min off last years time.

Boonargo and Jenny were there at the finish line along with Diane. I had only just finished catching my breath when we noticed Martin and his pacer flying in the distance. A powerful finish by Martin, he was gaining on me rapidly. We shook hands as he came through he finish, great run mate. A short while later Roger came through also finishing strongly. Back at base, I had my blood pressure taken again and this time it was fine 127/80, amazing what a podium finish can do for the blood pressure.

I drank a cup of coffee and all of a sudden started to feel sick, so went and had a quick chuck. I wanted to hang around to watch the other runners come in but with no drop bag and my body temperature plummeting, I decided to go back to the hotel room for a shower and a quick kip. I awoke at 5am figuring I could get back to the school to watch a few sub 24hr runners arrive. As I pulled up into the carpark I saw Vegie. I asked her if Tim and Andrew had finished, she informed me that they both finished in under 24hrs. Fantastic, I was rapt to hear this, especially for Tim getting the monkey off his back. As it transpired we had 10 finishers under the 24hr mark, another 10 under the 30hr cutoff and 6 DNFs.

There were a lot of great runs/stories out there, some of which I’ll mention here: Dave Waugh’s awesome race record win, ‘nuff said.
Mellum boys going sub 24, very nice. (And Dave picking up some bling for his second place in the 100km)
Adam Barron finishing and finally getting that shirt, I’m sure he’ll blitz it one year.
Horrie’s emotional finish, great stuff.
Blue Dog’s impressive debut GH run.
Roger Guard’s impeccable pacing for a huge PB
Martin Schott’s fast finish, also snatching a PB.
Tanky and Tamsin’s debuts.
Watching Ian and Bill finishing together.
10 sub 24hr runs!
Finally all those that entered and ran are all legends in my mind.

Thanks again to all the Glasshouse staff, the BRRC, course markers, aid station volunteers and crew for making this event happen every year. What a magic weekend, I’m already looking forward to next year and a tilt at sub 20hrs.

Spud