If I’m honest, my desire to run this event stemmed from wanting to have a year off from running the Gold Coast Marathon. What a great decision it turned out to be. This was a magical place to run. One to consider for 2024.
I was intrigued straight away by the uniqueness of this event. Running through 17 private properties along the Queensland and New South Wales border. An opportunity to run where no one normally ventures. It gripped me.
Preparation
I’m a novice when it comes to ultras and racing in the trails. My only previous ultra experience was the Gold Coast 50 in December 2022 and the Noosa Ultra Trail 80km in March this year. While Gold Coast went mostly to plan, the same cannot be said about Noosa.
You learn a lot about yourself when races don’t go to plan. Crossing the finish line at the Noosa Ultra Trail is probably one of my most satisfying moments in running. I lost the battle in my mind many times that day, but in the end I fought back every time. I managed to see it through and finish.
When preparing for the Untamed Border Run I reflected a lot on my lead up to Noosa. One glaring issue stood out. I did not push myself in training as much as I could have. I decided I needed to race more, so I signed up for the GC30. I’d also signed up for the half marathon relay at the Moreton Bay Running Festival and the Brisbane Half Marathon. When you increase the intensity, you not only push yourself to run faster, you test your minds ability to dig deeper when the pain sets in.
Race Weekend
Mum arrived from Scotland, the kids had finished up for school holidays and we set off for a weekend in Warwick.
Arriving on Friday afternoon, we checked in to our accommodation, headed out for a quick bite to eat and settled in for the night.
It was cold that first night. All I could think about was how am I going to survive in these conditions tomorrow morning. This coming from a Scotsman as well!
On the morning of the race Alice accompanied me for the short drive to Killarney. The car windscreen was frozen. I didn’t account for this! Fortunately it cleared within a minute or so.
Along the drive we encountered patches of freezing fog. Alice was taking a photo of the temperature gauge every time it changed. The lowest temp was negative 2!!
Arriving at the race precinct, Killarney Showgrounds, I headed straight for registration to pick up my race bib. I kissed Alice goodbye and wished her a safe journey back to Warwick. She’s heading back to bed and I’m getting ready to run! I’m pretty cold, but excited to get going.
The Race Begins
We boarded the bus at the Showgrounds and made our way to the start line. The race director went through the briefing on the drive. Arriving with about 20 minutes to spare I took the opportunity to snap a photo of the sunrise before having a light jog and then removing all my surplus clothing.
The start horn goes off right on 7am. On the start line I got chatting to Oskar and Andrew and it’s the three of us who make our way to the front. It’s a quick pace with a downhill to begin.
We run for 1km before turning off road for the first time. Throughout this first kilometre I can hear the sound of bagpipes. Later the organisers had told me they didn’t let on before the race to keep the surprise factor in it. I must add this wasn’t specifically for me although it did make me feel right at home. The bagpipes and the cold fresh air. What more could a Scotsman want while out running in the countryside!
Be wary of the cows
As we approached the first aid station at the 14km mark, we entered onto a road with fields of cattle on either side. Oskar by now is the outright leader, but I can see him up ahead. I’m feeling good and running well. I keep reminding myself to eat and drink. I’m going to need the fuel now for later in the race.
A few hundred metres up the road I encounter a stray cow on her own. She looks startled and begins to run down the road towards me. Now I’m not sure if anyone has ever had a cow charge towards them, but this was new territory for me and I was certainly a little panicked. I slowed down to a walk and one of the event coordinators has witnessed what is happening and is driving his Ute in the direction of the cow. This does enough to move the cow back up into the fields and I settle back into my running again.
A course of two halves
There was lots of opportunity within the first 29km of the run to open the legs up. I’d put a lot of work into strength training in the gym, while also running a decent amount of hills throughout my training block. I was running free. Not concerned about pace. I could feel the effort was easy, especially on the downhills.
The back half of the course was far more technical. Running through cow fields and water crossings. I was careful to watch my foot placement so as to not roll an ankle. It was a good challenge.
Oskar was still ahead of me, but only just. As I said earlier I'm a novice when it comes to ultras and the biggest piece of advice I had received from those more experienced was to know when to conserve energy. I knew I had to be smart and walk the hills.
I passed Oskar around 34km and I held the lead from here until the finish.
The run for home and finish line!
We had the toughest climb of the course around the 41-42km mark. This was a hike up and down. It was a short and sharp climb, but still I don’t think I could have run this on fresh legs, let alone having already run a marathon! From here it was mostly downhill to the finish line.
Cramps were setting in, but I was able to keep them at bay with the constant changing of my gait. Although tired and sore I was feeling pretty strong. A time goal hadn't entered my mind until the final 3km of the race. I glanced down at my watch and realised I could sneak in under 4 and a half hours and that I did.
Crossing the finish line, it was amazing to see Alice with my mum and the girls. A very special experience.
Kids Fun Run
The day was capped off with Isabel taking part in the 2km fun run. Who knows maybe one day she will be back to run the 50km!
What an awesome event. Thank you to everyone who made it possible.
Paul
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