Surfcoast trail marathon
Welcome to the Surf Coast Trail Marathon, a
trail running event offering participants marathon and half marathon runs along
the stunning Surf Coast Walk tracking from Torquay to
Fairhaven on Victoria’s famed Surf Coast, an hour south west of Melbourne. In
the marathon, you can have a crack at the full distance solo, or knock off
roughly half each in teams of two. Or try the half for a taster. In many ways,
this is the perfect event for all runners eyeing the two quintessential
distances. For road runners it offers a first taste for trail, without being
intimidating as a relatively non-technical, non-remote, non-mountainous trail.
For experienced trailites, the route still features stunning wilderness with
coastal viewpoints you won’t believe (and becomes a truly go-fast course with
plenty of good twists and turns). From iconic Bells Beach (yes you run a short
stretch of this hallowed turf) to the clifftops of Point Addis and Anglesea and
on to Split Point lighthouse at Aireys Inlet: this course deserves to be
renowned for the sheer experience of journeying through a unique natural
environment. We thought that a run along its entirety was worth a shot.
Map/Elevation
This year we are
making mandatory at least one water receptacle of 500ml. That can be a
handheld, belt or backpack. This is in the interests of trying to keep a lid on
the cup usage and environmental factors. As the course is signposted and near
civilisation, it is not mandatory to carry a first aid kit or space blanket. If
possible we prefer runners to carry a mobile phone. If you do not carry on,
please ensure you have yours on you and turned on after the race should we need
to contact you. The Surf
Coast Trail Marathon is conducted on the signposted Surf Coast Walk. There will
be both Surf Coast Walk markers and dedicated Surf Coast Trail Marathon signs
and ribbon positioned along the course with sufficient course markings. No, you
won’t get lost. Ocean to the left, head south west.
There are water/aid
stations stations / water points along the race route:
Waves Car Park, just
prior to Bells Beach Car Park (10.7km)
Point Addis Car Park
/ transition (19.6km)
Anglesea River Mouth
(27.6km / 8km)
Urquhart’s Beach Car
Park (34.5km / 14.9km)
Finish, Fairhaven
Surf Lifesaving Club (42.2km / 22.6km)
Aid stations have
some water or Tailwind Nutrition. Plus the regular mix of lollies, M&Ms, chips,
muesli bars and at later stations (Anglesea and Urquharts), some bread,
jam/peanut butter/vegemite.
There will be several
beach sections to run on, and depending on the tides and what time you reach
particular sections, the tide may be high. There will always be sand to run on,
although if tide is high, the sand will be softer and present more difficult
running conditions. Beach sections are:
Fisherman’s Beach (1.5km)
Bells Beach (300m)
Point Addis beach (900m)
Guvvos-Urquhart’s Beach (3.3km)
Sunnymead (100m)
Fairhaven Beach (finish – 200m)
Pre-race
There’s not much to say about the lead up
to Surfcoast trail marathon. I’m part of an ultra runner group on Facebook and
someone was selling a race entry. Even though I had no intention of running at
Surfcoast, it peaked my curiosity. I’ve always said I won’t run on sand
(unstable hips) but it seemed like a fun adventure (I could always walk the sandy sections). Long story short, I
decided the day before race day that I would run… that’s perfectly normal right? The night before I went out for
dinner with friends and didn’t go to sleep until after 11pm. I set the alarm
for 4:45am.
Race
day
I woke early and dressed in long tights,
singlet top, long-sleeve top, jumper, jacket, puffer jacket… you get the idea… I was cold! I also
packed a beanie, gloves and a change of clothes for the finish line. I used my
Kathmandu pack with Nuun tablets. I packed 3 gels, vegemite sandwich and my
iPod (listening to Ultra Runner Podcast
is my mental first aid). I wasn’t too worried about the distance because I
ran 60km at my last event a month ago. However, I was nervously excited about
the sand and stairs. I had very little knowledge of the course, terrain, what
time to expect… and pretty much everything else! I was clueless (and as strange as it may sound that added
to the excitement)!
It was going to be a long drive (over 2
hours) so I quickly got dressed, grabbed my bags and snuck out the front door (trying not to wake my family). Brad
(hubby) agreed to mind our boys while I went running… again! I cranked the car
heater as I began driving down Eastlink and towards the city, over the Westgate
bridge, towards Geelong and continued to Torquay. I turned into Darian Rd and
The Esplanade where there was plenty of parking. I arrived about 7:30am. The
shortest day of the year was only a week ago, so the mornings were still dark
and cold.
I made my way to registration and
immediately saw two friendly faces; Deb and Richelle. They helped sort out the
transfer of entry into my name and gave me my bib. I killed some time attaching
my bib, getting my gear on and visiting the loo. I quietly said hello to a few
people as I dropped my bag and headed to the race briefing. The sun was rising
over the water and giving life to spectacular views at Torquay. The start line
was on the sand. The temperature was fresh but conditions were perfect for
running. We listened to the race director (Chris Ord) give thanks to the
Wathaurong people, traditional owners of the land along the Surf Coast Walk. The
RD mentioned the potential of king tides. Apparently three years ago, they
experienced king tides which made sand section very challenging. The last two
years, the beach sections were easily accessible due to low tides. I’d heard
mixed reports about conditions from previous years therefore I knew the risks.
I had no expectations. I wasn’t stressed. I was pumped!
Torquay (start line) to Point Addis
(21km)
My race began slowly and carefully with 2km
along sand, from Torquay but heading away from Fairhaven (Fisherman’s Beach). I had to run through ankle deep
water after a mere 700m and immediately knew there was no point trying to stay
dry. My feet were definitely going to get wet! After a couple of kilometres, we
turned onto the path and ran back towards Torquay start line. There were people
cheering us on. The promenade is a relatively flat and family-friendly path.
Apart from the first couple of kilometres on the beach, I ran comfortably and
felt good. I was enjoying the atmosphere and ocean views. It took approximately
33mins to reach Point Danger, 6km mark.
From Point Danger the path remained the
same, passing Rocky Point, Bird Rock and Jan Juc (famous surf beaches). We ran along
the path until 10km (Half Moon Bay) where we encountered some boardwalks and undulations.
It was completely runnable and I reached 10km in 55min. At the time, I didn’t
take any notice of my watch (but I always
check Strava on reflection… I’m only human). From Bird Rock we ran along
Bells track, which consists of several lookout points (known as the golden mile
of surfing). Just before Waves Car Park, prior to
Bells Beach Car Park (10.7km) we met the
first aid station however I didn’t stop. I had some fluids from my pack but
held off on gels.
Around 12km we descended onto the sand (Bells Beach 300m). My memory is a little hazy in
sections (I'm completely unfamiliar with the area… plus I daydream when I run). But
from what little I recall it went something like this… sand, dodge waves, sink
into the sand, tiptoe over the rocks and repeat! My feet were soaked! And my
left hip was not happy with the camber. Once we returned to solid ground, there
was some elevation and I decided to have a gel and some water. These few
kilometres splits were slow; 8:30, 6:16, 7:30 and 6:26.
Around 15km (90min) we ran up Jarosite and
Ironbark track. Again my recollection of the trail and surroundings is below average.
My research tells me… “Ironbark Basin is an inland sheltered forest, with grass
trees, rare orchids and hidden wildlife like echidnas and reptiles.” Due to cold
weather, all the snakes were hiding! Also from my research… views are stunning (I admit I probably didn’t look up much
because I was watching foot placement) and… “soil is a rich red colour from
jarosite” (hydrous sulfate of potassium and iron,
formed in ore). You really do
learn something new everyday!
Was it here that we ran over the cinnamon
fungus boot wash stations (which helps prevent the spread of disease that is
destroying native grass tress)? More
learning for you!
The Ironbark track continued until we
reached a bitumen road that climbed to Point Addis. There were onlookers and
participants gathering to run the second half of the marathon (team discipline)
or half marathon. I heard (and appreciated) their words of encouragement. At
the top of the road, I saw the second aid station at Point
Addis Car Park (19.6km). I slowed down to ensure I was still running in
the right direction and came across steps down to the beach. There was a line
of people on the left, allowing marathoners to keep going on the right. I
assume they were heading down to the start line.
Point Addis (21km) to Fairhaven (finish
line)
Point Addis beach
(900m), was just as soppy and mushy as the previous
sand sections. After two hours, my legs (and brain) were fatigued. My next two
kilometres were 8-8:30min. From 23-27km (Anglesea) I lost satellites and it
appears I ran on water! Although I did
become very wet in sections, I did not walk (or run) on water in a very
straight line! I think I had a second gel around this time. At 25km, I set a
goal to run the next 5km without walking (stupid
considering I didn’t know the course at all). I was feeling a little slack because
I walked some parts that were easy to run and I wanted to find a rhythm. I
began running (feeling strong) and soon after I reached a river crossing! There goes my bright idea to run without
stopping! I looked at the water, the volunteers on the other side and fellow
runners. Some were taking off their shoes and walking across. I decided to
leave mine on and just keep walking or in this case… just keep swimming. No seriously… I’m short! I was mid-thigh deep in water!
Once again, I was mildly amused. The cold water was refreshing and I had
pillows of sand in my shoes (which turned into hard lumps afterwards).
On the other side, I stopped at the aid
station at Anglesea River Mouth (27.6km) and
grabbed some lollies. I asked a volunteer to grab my vegemite sandwich out of
my pack. I lost a few minutes here… no
expectations = no worries! I began chatting to a fellow runner as we made
our way up another path. I encouraged her to keep running while I searched
through my pack for my iPod. I was nearly at 30km (3hr 10min). The time had
come for some mental first aid (podcast). I was OK but it was my reward for reaching
three hours. I tuned out listening to Western States interviews on URP. As I
marched uphill, I consumed half my vegemite sandwich. Just after 30km, there was
a big staircase (that went down to
O’Donoghues). I vaguely remember a volunteer instructing me to be careful.
Once the wave passed, I could run down and duck behind the stairs up onto the
higher sand.
Guvvos-Urquhart’s Beach
(3.3km) was on wet but soft, mushy sand! Once again,
the waves were rolling in and washing over my shoes. Further on, I moved slowly
over the rocks and stayed on high ground. At one stage, a
more powerful wave broke and knocked me over. I held onto the rocks to regain
my balance. A girl in front, stood still as the water recoiled from around her…
Remember when you were a kid and waves
would break and water would cover your feet. You would stand still and
watch the water rush back into the ocean. It was a strange sensation, like you
were being pulled out to sea and your feet would sink deeper into the sand… It
was exactly like that. Even though it was a little crazy, I was still having
fun! I’m not an adventure junkie but on this occasion I loved it!
It was interesting watching other runners.
Some people soldiered on seeming light on their feet, while others sank deep
into the water-filled pockets of sand and almost lost their shoes! I was
probably somewhere in the middle. I experimented with different techniques…
small steps-high cadence, tiptoeing, walking, climbing, arms wide… I don’t
think it helped very much but it distracted me from the endless sand! My left
hip was irritated with uneven ground but there was nothing I could do (and I
didn’t let it bother me).
There was another aid station at Urquhart’s Beach Car Park (34.5km) but I have no
memory of that. According to Strava, my splits were slow again (8-8:30min)… so maybe I stopped? Remembering and
compiling a race report is almost as difficult as the race! I tried to
drink from my pack and noticed there was sand all through the mouthpiece… hmmm… crunchy electrolytes!
From Urquhart beach we ran on a
single-track towards Aireys Inlet. The track twisted and turned along the
coastline with oceanic views. There was another small section of sand (Sunnymead 100m). Eventually we saw Split Point Lighthouse
(built in 1891 as a beacon for passing ships). We ran alongside the Lighthouse
stables and tearooms and around the lighthouse (it reminded me of Two Bays and Cape Schanck). Despite getting wet,
our weather conditions were sensational. The trail was fun, undulating and
interesting. And there were beautiful panoramic views. With a couple of
kilometres to go (4hrs 30min), I was feeling positive. I glanced at my watch and knew I would beat 5 hours
(which was good because I was catching
the 1pm bus back to the start line)! I ventured down to the sand for the
last time (Fairhaven Beach 200m) and plodded happily
until I reached the final set of stairs to the finish line. I crossed the line
at Fairhaven Surf Lifesaving Club in 4 hours
47 minutes.
Post-race
With my latest marathon medal around my
neck, I grabbed some oranges and said well done to a few friends. I thanked as many volunteers as possible (we can't run without them)! I found my
bag and headed straight for the bus depot. It was good to sit down! The return
bus trip was easy and gave me a chance to call Brad (and check Facebook of course)! On the drive home, I thought about how
lucky I am! I decided the day before to run a trail marathon that turned into
an epic adventure. The king tides made the experience even more fun.
I highly
recommend this run to road or trail runners, local or abroad. It really does
have it all! The elevation was approximately 1000m however the hills were
rolling. The tides are unpredictable which obviously impacts time (but everyone
is running in the same conditions). The views are second to none. There are
high-energy vibes from start to finish (and I suspect that continued into the
early hours of the mornings for some). For me… I drove home to my family and
soaked in my spa (and recovered in style
with a vino and thai for dinner)!
*If
anyone remembers the order of events differently, please comment because I don’t
trust my own memory!
