You could smell the salt in the chilly air as we lined up at the start line for the first Great Ocean Trail Ultra. The last time this race had been run was 5 years ago, back when it was called GOW100 and with new Race Directors and a new name, it was the same stunning coastline and sweeping views. The GOW100 hiking trail is 100kms of stunning coastal trail, usually hiked over 5 days, that takes you from Apollo Bay to the 12 Apostles. Whilst the Great Ocean Road is well known for its beauty, this trail takes you off the road, down onto the beaches and through the Otway’s ranges showcasing the best of the forest and the best of the coastline.
I was feeling very relaxed at the start line, perhaps even too relaxed. My whole week had been relaxed, or perhaps I just hadn’t had time to really think about the weekend with a lot of life filling my days. My friend, Sam was crewing and she even mentioned I was far too relaxed the night before as I had homemade gnocchi for dinner and a wee glass of wine. I had slept well – poor Sam had to listen to the snores from the bed next to me – and whilst I wasn’t feeling as fit as I would have liked, the body was feeling strong. Illness had taken a lot of running from me throughout the year. Things like iron levels crashing, thyroid disorders flaring up and Covid and the Flu containing me to bed. I had cancelled far too many races this year with illness and whilst I had been coughing out balls of phlegm only weeks before, I was determined to enjoy every step of this adventure and immensely grateful to have made it to the start line.
I love the start line of a race. The new runners, nervous about their first ultra, nervous about tackling 100kms for the first time. The overly confident runners talking about their goals and those, like me, that have been doing it a long time and have a wry smile on their face, knowing that anything can happen out on the trails. Mother Nature can throw anything at you on the day and you cannot plan for it, just be prepared for whatever is thrown your way and roll with it. Adapt, smile and be grateful to be surrounded by such beauty.
As the countdown began to 5am, we all trot off, the fasties at the front and me somewhere in the middle. We jog along the foreshore of the beautiful town of Apollo Bay as many still lay in bed and soon we are running through the Marengo Holiday Park, runners quiet to avoid waking the holidayers in the park. The body was starting to warm up and we started to leave civilisation behind and drop onto single trail weaving its way along the coast with green rolling hills to our right. I could hear the ocean crashing below me from the top of the cliff and I eagerly awaited the sunrise so I could also see its incredible beauty. I could taste the salt in the air, and I could tell it was going to be a stunning day. Whilst there was a slight chill in the air, my thin gloves soon came off and I was comfortably warm.
As the sun broke over the horizon, it felt like she was smiling at the runners below weaving along the coastline. I noticed I was moving West and the sun was behind me, rather than on my right like I had hoped, so I kept turning my head back to catch a glimpse of this incredible sunrise. Colour spread over the ocean, with promises of a stunning day, and I soon had my head torch back in the pocket of my pack.
The first section was 22km and saw us do a short run along Shelley Beach, the waves lapping at our ankles before we turned inland for a few kilometres of stunning bush, the trees giving us shade and a cool breeze and providing a stunning backdrop as the runners started to spread out, find their groove and find their pace. I purposefully dropped back a little, letting a few runners overtake me so I could be alone as we weaved through the forest. I would occasionally trust my feet to do their job as I glanced upwards, looking for koalas nesting in the nooks of the gum trees.
We soon came to Blanket Bay and after a short stint on the sand again we were coming into Aid Station One and I could see Sam sitting on the steps up from the beach waiting for me. I was content with sand – nothing will ever be as bad as the sand that I experienced in a race in 2022, and I climbed those stairs with a big smile on my face as John Farnham’s ‘The Voice’ played on the speakers. Singing along, I had a banana and a Turkish Delight, and I was off again in minutes thanking the volunteers and smiling at the music.
With more beautiful single trail through the forest, and then more sand along the beach the sun was climbing high into the sky, and it was starting to get very warm with little shelter to offer shade. I slowed my pace and regularly took in a sip of water, focussing on just moving and it wasn’t long before I was coming through the carpark of the Cape Otway Lighthouse. Sam was sitting in the back of her car and threw some watermelon into my hands as I smiled and kept on moving.
With stunning views of the raging ocean below, I danced along the clifftops above, with soft sand filling my shoes when I dropped to meet the waves on the beach. I was soon turning away from the beach and following the river inland slightly to Aire River West Campground – the next aid station. Sam was already set up with watermelon and ginger beer for me and we took a selfie as she shoved more watermelon into my hands! I was really enjoying the whole day.
It was a short stint into Johanna Beach with Aid Station #3 at 53kms and I enjoyed myself in the sun, looking around me at the beauty of the ocean and the incredible nature around me. Coming into Johanna Beach I felt so good – I felt like I had just hit my sweet spot in the run which was good news as I knew I had the toughest section to come. I changed my shoes, dumping a truck load of sand out of my socks and grabbed my poles to help me through the climbing to come. With a belly full of potatoes, and bread and watermelon I left the aid station with a mouthful of ginger beer and a big smile. Could this day get any better?
We moved away from the ocean view and into sweeping rolling green hills with cows and their calves eyeing me suspiciously and sending the odd ‘moo’ my way often. I called back to them ‘Moo’ and laughed at myself. It was a steep climb up a road, boring and hard work in the rising heat of the day but I put down my head and just focussed on moving forward, one step at a time. As we finally left the road we dipped into the single trail of the bush and the air just disappeared, leaving me struggling to cool down. For the next 20km+ I reminded myself to eat, despite not wanting to – mainly because of the heat, and rationed my water with small sips to keep me going. When we popped out at the road about 6kms from the aid station I knew that I was cutting it fine with my water intake and I was going to have to really ration it. Suddenly the volunteers appeared with a tub of water at the intersection of road and trail, and I was so grateful! A few runners had pulled out there, struggling in the heat, and they were waiting for a lift home. I ignored their moods and just topped up one of my bottles and plodded along, sucking some water into my dry mouth. A little adventure greeted me as we left the road, climbing over an electric fence. The climb was easy but also easy to feel rather unbalanced after nearly 70kms in the legs! I made it over the fence in one piece and shuffled off, back on the beautiful trails. I felt great in the last 6kms of the toughest section, overtaking a few runners, and I knew that my strategy in the heat had been smart. I had slowed down, taken on small sips of water often and also forced myself to eat. Sometimes that meant taking a third of my vegemite wrap, rolling it into a ball and throwing it to the back of my throat to swallow whole. Not ideal, and not overly tasty, but it got food into me and food = energy.
Coming into aid station 4 at The Gables I could tell people were struggling from the heat. I passed a lot of people who had slowed down and some in the aid station didn’t look well. Sam had some noodles waiting for me a warm coffee. The coffee was both gross and amazing at the same time, and Sam giggled at me and took photos of me eating noodles to send to Hubby back home. I changed into a new top as the sun was starting to drop and I didn’t want to get cold as night set in. I was feeling amazing. I had hit the point in my run where my body had given up complaining to me, I was full of energy thanks to eating well throughout the day and taking in strategic caffeine. I was buzzing with how good I felt, and I was probably annoying other runners with my high energy as I skipped out of the aid station. With head torch ready to put on I skipped past other runners for the next 10kms coming into the last aid station, Princetown, with even higher energy. It was now dark, I was running single trail by headtorch light and I was having the best fun. I could hear the ocean crashing below me and I was relishing the joy of being out there. As other runners struggled to get out of the last aid station, I danced with joy at the bbq, grabbing grilled potato and lollies and singing with Sam. “See you soon” I called as I headed down the road with her joking she was going to come and catch me. I ran comfortably out of the station and back into the single track of the bush. With a big smile on my face, even kicking a large rock and stubbing my big toe couldn’t bring me down. I cursed, checked the toe was still intact and kept moving. As I ran through the underpass of the main road, I knew the finish was around the corner. I could hear the crowd at the finish line and as I came around the corner to the finishers chute and all the lights, part of me was quite sad it was all over. What an incredible adventure, an incredible run where everything just went well. I ate well, I hydrated well and everything I experienced was experienced through a lens of absolute joy and awe.
As Sam drove us back to the accommodation in Apollo Bay, I snacked on left over food in the car – well aware that I needed to recover well as after a couple of hours sleep, I was heading home to play cricket, including being the wicket keeper for 20overs! We chatting about both of our adventures for the day – As usual Sam had done a stella job of looking after me – what an incredible friend and crew member!
Another adventure and one that was pure joy!
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