Senses on high alert and head swiveling, I scanned the bush for signs of life. There were animals out here, and I was determined to spot one! ‘You’d have to be really unlucky not to see anything out there,’ an aid station volunteer had told me. Maybe these words jinxed us, because we saw nothing, no matter how hard we strained to see. But we couldn’t really be unlucky, because we were running Ultra Trail Gold Coast, in Australia!
Going for Gold (Coast)
I wanted to visit Australia ever since I was a child. And who wouldn’t? Our media is full of images of animals both docile and dangerous – and landscapes lovely beyond description. Even as a girl, I felt sure adventure lurked around every corner in Australia – and I was determined to find it one day!
But Australia is a truly distant land, not easily combined with its neighbors, not easy to get to, and not cheap, either. And, being so massive, I felt that exploring it warranted a decent chunk of time. That was why I waited, year after year, for the right time to travel there.
I knew I’d found that time when I saw an Australian race as part of the Asia Trail Master series – for the very first time! This was it, I thought, promptly buying a guidebook and looking up flights. Drawing on all my powers of persuasion, I made the big ask. ‘Let’s do this,’ I said to Kent. ‘It’s more than a great excuse to visit Australia: this could be the trip of our lives.’
First, many variables had to fall into place for our trip to get off the ground. Most importantly, we waited (with fingers crossed!) to see if our fall vacation would line up with the race date. I was ecstatic when it did. With one extra day off, we could get to Australia the day before the race. Ultra Trail Gold Coast would then kick off our Australian adventures with a bang. We were going down under at last!
But…where to go? I initially envisaged a full-blown, all-Australia extravaganza. There were hikes in Tasmania I had my eye on, distant desert wonderlands to explore in the Northern Territory, friends to see in Sydney, petite penguins in the south, and the magnetic pull of the vast, little-traveled but wildlife-rich west. I quickly learned that though my appetite for adventures was big, Oz was bigger. Australia is an enormous country: the scale of domestic travel dwarfing some of our international trips – and we only had 15 days.
So we decided to focus on Queensland on this trip: it was the state we were most excited about. Home to Ultra Trail Gold Coast, the Great Barrier Reef and the Tropical North, Queensland had more than enough treasures to fill our two weeks!
Setting the scene
Landing in Gold Coast was thrilling. I swear I spotted a whale from the airplane as we made our approach! A warm climate and a new country greeted us on our early morning arrival. We were in the land of crocodiles and cassowaries.
By mid-afternoon, we made it to the Nerang velodrome, race HQ. The grassy center of the cycling ring was filled with tents encircling a modest starting arch. We hopped out of our little rented home-on-wheels and set about exploring.
The scene was one of hushed purpose. Several of the Ultra Trail Gold Coast events were already underway, with super-strong runners taking part in events ranging from a 100k to the world’s longest non-stop footrace: a 500k! The tents were occupied by the crews taking care of those runners. We had arrived at a quiet time: all of the runners seemed to be out on the course – or napping!
It was easy to locate the race director, as he was wearing a reflective safety vest and surrounded by people peppering him with questions. Stephen Cornelius cheerfully took us to get our bibs and souvenir singlets, and happily answered all of our queries about where to park, shower, shop, etc.
Thus checked in, we headed back east to Surfer’s Paradise. Nerang is a small, inland town (in what’s known charmingly as the Gold Coast hinterland) that’s peaceful in its natural setting. Surfer’s Paradise was a dramatic contrast: tall, shiny skyscrapers obscured any views of the coast, and tourists of every nationality crowded the streets between.
But with this kind of hustle-and-bustle come great eats. We stocked up on supplies at a grocers, then enjoyed feast of burgers, fries and milkshakes at the fabulous, all-vegan Lord of the Fries. It was definitely my most indulgent pre-race meal ever!
Immensely satisfied, we snoozed in the back of our van while waiting out a sudden cloudburst back in Nerang. Later, as we packed our bags and prepared for our race, we heard intermittent cheering for long-distance runners returning to the race base or heading out on the course again.
The format for Ultra Trail Gold Coast was straight-forward: the course was a single 25 kilometer loop with about 900 meters of elevation gain. Runners were to repeat the loop the appropriate number of times for their race distance. For the 50k, Kent and I would run two laps of the course. The handful of 500k runners were working on 20 laps! I sincerely hoped we would meet some of them out on the course the following day.
Ultra Trail Gold Coast 2019
Because we were sleeping about a hundred meters from the starting line, I figured we didn’t need to wake up very early. But I’m incredibly poor with time estimates, so this meant that we barely made it to the starting line on time, despite our short commute.
Still, I was happy, and I had many reasons to feel so. I had somehow drawn lucky number 535, which was the very same bib number I wore in Ultra Trail Mount Jiri in 2016! That had to be lucky, I knew: I could feel it! Getting ready in the bathroom, I’d met a really friendly local and so felt like I already had a friend in the race. And finally, we were about to run in Australia! From my standpoint, Ultra Trail Gold Coast was a raging success before it had even begun.
The race briefing was short and casual. With 46 people in the 50k, it was a small crowd. We stood together in the center of the velodrome and listened as the race director reminded us of the rules and regulations. Then we all stood, our heads turned to the right and our eyes fixed on the official clock. When it read 6:00, we could go. But it wasn’t counting down the seconds, so there was a real sense of suspense!
There were no corrals, there was no gunshot – just a sudden collective burst through the arch and into a run. Despite swearing to simply want a good experience, both Kent and I exploded into a quick early pace that had us running among the leaders. The morning was still cool, and it felt good to move fast: warming up and shaking off long hours of travel.
Exiting the velodrome, we ran a few paces down a paved road, then used a narrow dirt trail to link up with a broad fire road. Tall eucalyptus trees provided shade and the terrain was simple.
Perhaps deceptively simple! I was surprised to find myself struggling early: up three quick hills barely discernible to the naked eye. This time I believe Kent was setting an unmatchable pace, flying uphill. My legs and heart soon hammering, I wasn’t sure I could keep it up for 50k!
The pack thinned out quickly in this speedy race, but we were never far from other runners: there was almost always someone in view either in front or behind. We chatted with some local runners – and it was almost all locals – but these interactions became few and far between as the kilometers ticked swiftly by.
As we ran, we looked into the bush, and listened to the unique calls and cackles of Australian birds. This was a totally new environment. While Kent saw dry, I saw exotic. I’d never smelled a eucalyptus tree before, and I loved how they sweetly perfumed the forest air!
We were able to maintain a good speed on the rolling terrain of the course, despite gawking at the unfamiliar bush. Still, I was surprised by how much I stumbled! There were many sections of soft dirt and even sand, but there were just as many sections made rugged by roots and rocks that I never managed to expect. But we were moving, and moving fast!
In fact, so far we were on track to perhaps set a personal best for this distance. In addition to simply finishing – never taken for granted – and enjoying our first Australian race, setting a top time was our goal. The generally gentle terrain and cool morning air made for excellent running: perfect record-setting conditions!
A PB would require us to run 50k in a time of less than 7 hours and 21 minutes: a time we achieved at The Badlands 50k in 2018. In many ways this race was similar, but we were spared the record-breaking prairie heat wave this time. Kent had his eye on a time in the 5 hour range, and I knew I’d be happy no matter what, so long as we did our best.
Although modest compared to some of our other 50k races, the way in which this race’s elevation gain was achieved provided a new challenge for us. Ultra Trail Gold Coast had no major mountains: the biggest climb, at Heartbreak Hill, was only a hundred (steep!) meters or so. Instead, the course rolled constantly and continuously: it was virtually never flat. So there would be no hiking breaks, just flat out running – for 50k!
There was lots to love about this course, besides its terrain: there were great views across a broad green valley to Mount Tambourine, little green shoots in the aftermath of a forest fire, and one friendly out-and-back section where we got to cheer on the race leaders. I was stoked to see the friendly face from the bathroom: my new friend leading the women’s race!
As I opened my mouth to cheer for her, she called to me! ‘Come on, you can catch me!’ she hollered. I laughed. Such encouragement – from the competition! Of course, there was no way I was going to do that: she was zipping along at a furious pace, probably 20 minutes or more ahead of Kent and I. But I loved the friendly feeling of this moment and cheered all the harder for her.
After running downhill to the timing point turnaround, we climbed back uphill, now encouraging the runners following us. Although we’d felt like we’d opened a sizable gap on the pack at the start, here we realized that the runners behind us were closer than we thought – including several strong-looking women!
A sudden surge of completely unrelated energy had us dashing downhill to close the loop. We caught a guy in a cowboy hat and had a bit of a chat with him when he turned out to be a veteran of the race. The day will be a lot hotter when the sun reaches over the tops of the trees, he promised. We decided to keep going hard while the going was good.
We zoomed downhill, weaving through the scores of mountain bikers now joining us on the trails. Soon we were back in the oasis of the velodrome. We ducked under the shade of the central tent, happy to see that it had morphed into an aid station with an array of treats for us. It was fruit buffet bliss!
During our 4-minute long melon attack, the friendly volunteers assured us we were bound to see wildlife in the national park. Definitely a kangaroo or maybe a wallaby (what is that?! I wondered with excitement), perhaps even a koala if we looked hard enough. I’d been stuffing slices of the delightfully named rock melon (aka cantaloupe) into my mouth, but I paused at this. ‘Really?’ I asked, hope no doubt written all over my face. I mean, aside from running, our other thing is animals. ‘Really,’ he promised with a sincere smile.
We set out for our second lap with all senses on high alert. But instead of animals, we found humans. A steady stream of 50k and 25k runners were headed downhill as we returned back uphill. We even set someone straight: a young 25k runner who was about to accidentally double his distance and run round the loop again.
This time, setting off down the loop ourselves, we were alone. The racers ahead of us must have been way ahead, and the runners behind perhaps way behind. Perfect conditions for animal spotting, I thought! I ran on, looking side to side into the forest.
A rustling ahead turned out to be…another human. But not just any human: a 500k runner! My wish had come true. I sped up to catch – and then slowed down to walk alongside – Ann: a super tough ultra runner already 425 kilometers into her race.
It was a great opportunity to learn what it takes to run such an unimaginable distance – and a great opportunity for me to put my foot in my mouth. After a few minutes of chatter, we sped up again, but not before I told Ann I was rooting for her. I would later learn that ‘rooting’ is slang for sex in Australia. Hopefully she had a few moments of merriment over my awkwardness!
As we continued our dash through the bush, I felt better and better. Far from running out of steam, as I’d worried in the beginning, I felt like I was finally warmed up. But Kent was starting to lag behind. So instead of speeding up, we were ever so slightly starting to slow down.
We stopped at the most remote self-serve water point for a breather and a refill. While we were there, a pickup truck came by to refill the water tanks! It was cool: I had wondered about the logistics of the race and, well, know I knew!
The first lap had us running among mountain bikers and a few hikers. But in the heat of the day on our second lap, it really seemed to be just us out there. Despite the lack of wildlife, I enjoyed the silence and felt like I had enough time and space to appreciate the scenery properly.
We found other racers, once again, at the out-and-back. Compared to the rest of the course, this corner was positively bustling! A fellow from one of the longer distances sat in the shade beneath a tree, tended by his pacer. A couple of 25k walkers were taking their time in conversation. And just down the trail, female champ and future friend Seabastion!
This time, we didn’t see anybody else on the way back up from the timing mat. But Kent was really struggling in the heat. At one point, his calf cramped hard and sent him sprawling into the dirt, poor thing. We decided to take a break from our relentless running and walked up the hill.
Soon heading downhill again, Kent was able to be coaxed back into a run. It wasn’t the near-sprint we’d been at earlier in the race, but we were still going strong. Once again, I was so impressed by his resiliency and grit. Kent may sometimes suffer, but he is made of tough stuff and has an amazing capacity to come back.
Still, every race there comes a point where one of us tells the other one to go on ahead, and this was no exception. Despite his efforts, Kent worried that I wanted to be faster. But teamwork makes the dream work, and we stuck together like we always do. We even managed to sprint the last downhill to the finish line, crossing hand-in-hand.
We ran Ultra Trail Gold Coast in 6 hours and 25 minutes – setting a new PB of nearly an hour! Yes! Thrilled by our accomplishment, I practiced my thankfulness by stretching my hard-working body in the warm sun while Kent rested his in the shade. The fact that it was only noon made me laugh: what a morning well-spent!
We lingered at the finish line for hours, chatting with the volunteers and congratulating fellow finishers – including many long-distance racers (we didn’t get to see Ann finish, but she did – after 140 hours on the trails!) There was even an exciting, down-to-the-wire race for third place woman! I scanned the sidelines for Seabastion, hoping to praise her strength and swiftness. When she emerged from the showers eating a can of chickpeas, I knew we were meant to be friends.
After a long conversation (about life, the universe and everything – and how she saw a 6 foot tall kangaroo on the course!), she had to go, so she prodded the race director into starting the awards ceremony. The third place winner had already decamped the venue, so it was just Seabastion and I. How fun to nab silver on the Gold Coast – and share the podium with a new friend!
The friendly volunteer who’d promised us animals turned out to be our campervan neighbor, and he won Kent’s heart by offering him an ice-cream. It was now late afternoon, and we still had neither showered nor eaten, but we were so glad we’d stuck around. Never more so than when the race director came around and wound up telling us the story of this race.
The story of Ultra Trail Gold Coast 2019
As it turns out, the race itself had a tale far more dramatic and inspiring than my own. Ultra Trail Gold Coast almost wasn’t.
A few weeks prior to the event, Ian Cornelius, the man behind Ultra Trail Gold Coast, passed away suddenly. In addition to organizing this annual race, Ian was a central part of the local running community. His were crazy, inspired ideas: like putting together the first ever nonstop 500 kilometer race and getting Australia on the Asia Trail Master map.
But his sudden departure left the 2019 race in jeopardy. In the weeks leading up to Ultra Trail Gold Coast, some speculated that the race would be cancelled, or delayed at the very least.
Enter Stephen Cornelius, son of Ian and newly crowned UTGC race director. Despite his willingness to step into the fold, Stephen encountered problems almost immediately. To start, he’s a self-proclaimed water guy – running isn’t really his thing. Worse, he didn’t have access to the funds for the race: they were tied up in his father’s estate.
He approached the local running community to break the bad news. But the Australian runners would have none of it. They wanted the event to go on; indeed, they insisted on it. They told Stephen they didn’t need lights on the track and could do without a DJ. The consensus was that the show must go on, whatever it took: that’s what Ian would have wanted.
In the end, it was this community spirit that literally kept the lights on. Runners showed up with their own provisions for the longer distance events. The city offered to keep the velodrome’s spotlights on during the nighttime hours, and Stephen’s lifesaving friends volunteered for first aid duty. Stephen was even able to re-purpose some medals from a cancelled swim meet!
The more we heard, the more inspired we felt – and lucky to have been part of such a special event! Our new knowledge explained so much: the low-key but friendly atmosphere, the lack of photographers but multitude of volunteers and shared supplies. It felt like a community event because it truly was one.
Evening was approaching when we finally said goodbye to these good people and slipped off to use the showers. Finally, we packed up and slapped together some sandwiches for the road. I felt strangely attached to our very own eucalypt above our camping spot, the grassy velodrome and the people we’d just met. It felt bittersweet to leave such a great experience in the rear view mirror so soon.
But there was a big state to explore, and we had new memories to make. So we slipped into our Ultra Trail Gold Coast singlets and hit the road.
Lessons to learn
With a new personal best 50k on the books, we were feeling more delighted than critical about our performance at Ultra Trail Gold Coast. What a perfect start to our trip down under!
However, every race – every run – is an opportunity to learn. And you don’t have to study very hard to see that we’ve got work to do on our hot weather game. As the day heated up, Kent had his usual struggles with cramps. When he first experienced bad cramps, back at CMU 2018, we started doing research and asking for advice. This led us to buy and start using salt tabs.
For a while, we thought they were helping. But now I’m not so sure. Although he’s always able to pull through, Kent deserves to be able to run and race his best in any weather conditions. And, even more importantly, enjoy each run as much as possible!
The trick in testing new strategies is that his problem has proven really hard to replicate in training. Neither Inje nor Qingdao is exceptionally hot or humid. We did a lot of heat training in the sauna this summer, and a lot of our hardest intervals in the midday heat – but neither caused any issues we could then practice solving.
With cooler weather approaching, it will be especially tough to work on now. But we’ll be heading back to the books to look for solutions. We’re also eager to hear new ideas: if there’s anybody out there with severe cramping in ultras – we’d love your input!
Post-Script
Not race-related, but I’ll leave this here as a teaser for an upcoming Australian adventures post:
Interested in joining next year’s Ultra Trail Gold Coast? The race slogan is ‘come for the race, stay for the vacation’ – and let me just tell you: Best. Idea. Ever. Enjoy a single day out with one of the smaller events – or go farther than you’ve ever gone before with one of their epic distances. Choose your challenge on the official race media!