BARTLETT’S IRRATIONAL SIDE

The section to Bondleigh Road is relatively easy with an introduction to the first stile and “Walkers Follow Fence”. I take a photo of the stile, and wonder if it would be feasible to count them all. Then begin the ups and downs of the paddocks. 

At Bondleigh I see the second placed runner, arriving as she is leaving. I’d passed Matthew a little while back, so for some strange reason I am in third place. A large man with wild white hair and a big smile offers to help me if I need anything. He says I should just let Katherine know. I ask “Who’s Katherine?” And he explains she is the lady that had just left. His name is Bernie and he is crewing for her. My instructions are to tell her whatever I needed and he would have it at the next aid station. I think that is pretty generous but am not sure how Katherine would feel about taking food orders from another runner during the race!

From Bondleigh to Harrogate the hills get steeper, and as I ascend a really steep hill to a transmission tower, I see Katherine at the top, and she waits for me. We chat briefly as we trot down the other side. I say her husband had made the aforementioned offer to which she responds “Oh, he’s not my husband.” Whoops!

I reach Harrogate ahead of Katherine and am treated to a burrito, ginger beer, some chill electronica trance music, and all these people trying to give me things! Katherine shows up and swaps her stuff over quickly, then calls to me as she is leaving “Doug, come on!”. My mouth is full of burrito so I just wave her on.

My overall strategy included having a decent rest and feed at each aid station, so sitting and eating burritos was an important part of the race as far as I was concerned! Leaving the aid station back up the steep track, I carefully (sheepishly) walk past some concerned ewes and pass Matthew coming down.

The day stays cool with a strong wind, ideal running conditions for the section Harrogate to Tungkillo. After lots and lots of fence lines I reach Tungkillo, just under 80km in 10.5 hours (including aid stops). Nice, but maybe too fast? 

As I arrive, Melissa (lead runner) and Katherine are just heading out. My race plan is working great, so I have a decent break and am not tempted to try and chase the girls (did enough of that in primary school). Matthew arrives and then leaves slightly ahead of me.

The race is starting to become a little surreal to me. I am typically a ‘top quartile’ runner. In 50km and longer races I can be confident of coming in the top quartile of the field, but rarely would I be near the lead. I’m just not fast enough. So here I was, doing my thing, two hours ahead of my own schedule, running comfortably, and juggling positions with lead runners! There was still over two days of racing ahead, and with people having different sleep breaks, paces, bonus kilometres and injuries the finish was up for grabs.

The dark had fallen as I leave Tungkillo for Springton. This is the first of four sections that are over 26km, tough work. After many more “Walkers Follow Fence”, I am treated to our first “Walkers Follow Track”, which really means “Make your own adventure”. Imagine a reflective arrow on a short post, pointing vaguely off to the right. There’s no sign of a track, just lots of long grass and maybe rocks to turn an unfriendly ankle. What you do is trot along in that general direction for a while until far in the distance you spot the next marker. Then you change direction and follow that arrow. It’s pitch black so it’s only you, your headlamp, and the small point of light reflecting in the darkness.

Night time creatures come out to make the night interesting. Walking up paddocks and running down paddocks I am treated to a gorgeous green centipede, and my first two frogs. As my friend Chetan would know, I have a knack for spotting frogs at night. On the Delirious West race I saw loads of them and Chetan, who was pacing for me, didn’t see any of them. So now I make a point of photographing them just to prove it.

Just before Springton, in 15 hours, I pass the 100km mark. This is faster than I can run a ‘normal’ 100km race! Maybe I should run these 200 milers more often!?

Arriving at Springton, I learn Katherine has passed Melissa but they’re both still ahead of me. It’s 10:22pm and while I’m at Springton enjoying scrambled eggs and bacon, Matthew arrives and then leaves. Here I again see Catherine (Jonathan’s partner), and Bernie. Matthew’s crew person has also offered to help me. The aid stations have been amazing. Every time I look up, someone would be there offering to do whatever. I couldn’t even put my rubbish in the bin!

Springton to Keyneton was not memorable: I literally can’t remember it. My fourth place position doesn’t change as I come into Keyneton after 4 hours at 2:58am. My average pace is now slower than my schedule but I’m ahead of time overall.

At Keyneton they’ve got the heaters cranked up in the little hall, and hot vegetable soup. I’ve planned a short nap and attempt a lie down in the larger dark, cold hall, but it’s fruitless: my quads and feet ache intermittently and won’t let me sleep. So after around 15 minutes of lying down I go back to the warm hall and eat some more vegetable soup.

While I’m there, three other runners appear including George in bright rainbow coloured arm sleeves and a pink vest. I’m wearing a brightly coloured bucket hat so I’m in good company. He says he’s just been going for it because he’s feeling good. Well, that’s my plan too! With the sleep attempt, soup, coffee and great food, I take off at 4:15am for Truro.

Keyneton to Truro is another long section at 27.2km, and the night is chased away by grey clouds as I arrive at 8:56am after 4.7hr. Katherine is there, and she and Bernie entertain us with an argument about how many pairs of shoes she has. They’re both as tired as each other so as I’m listening I hope the argument turns out ok. It does. The aid here puts together some magic, with scrambled eggs, chorizo, and a coffee. After 31 minutes I’m on my way, climbing over another stile as the warm sun breaks up the clouds.

Truro to Dutton at last gives reprieve from the grassy rocky fence lines. The course takes us through the Dutton Gorge, a rocky technical couple of small valleys offering some, well, rocky views. On exiting the gorge after a bit of rock hopping, your are drawn to the fence where some flagging tape is hanging. I start down this fence line but it feels wrong, and looking up a steep hill I see a marker in the middle of the rock-strewn landscape. Ahah! It’s another “Guess where the next marker is”! After a little while I exit the fields to cross Sturt Highway, and find Katherine is now behind me. She must have wandered off course!

I pass the 163km mark, 100 miles, in 27 hours. It’s a personal best for me, and I am still wondering how I can be doing so well when there’s another 100 miles to go. Will I last?

The course continues along fence lines, some being made of piles of rocks formed into stone walls. These are kilometres from anywhere, marching steeply uphill into the blue. It is hard to imagine who would have been out here so far from everything, painstakingly (painfully) piling and shaping these walls. The ascents are steep and slow me down.

I get into Dutton at 1:02pm, still 1.5 hours ahead of my schedule, and on pace. My plan was to shower and sleep but there’s no showers. With my fatigued brain I ponder what to do, and decide to have a lie down in the separate little church where cots have been setup. Inside, uneven floor boards reach to timber ceilings providing a termite’s heaven. I manage a brief series of naps but again my legs and feet keep shouting out, waking me up. Back at the aid station, Bernie is willing to take my towel and soap to Eudunda which has showers. During my sleep at Dutton, Matthew, Katherine and George had passed through so at 3:00pm it’s my turn to head off.

The afternoon goes well, and I get into Leakes Pass at 5:42pm still on my target pace and 1.5 hours ahead of schedule. Now I know things are going well. I make this a quick stop, as does George, while Matthew is having a sleep and Katherine carries on ahead. For my part, I can start to smell the finish and just want this to be over.

Leaving Leakes Pass to Eudunda my headlamp is shining bright with a new battery, and so I am bit startled to see a strange pink glowing thing ahead of me in the paddock. It’s not until I am quite close that I make out George sitting there with all his colourful clothes and pink reflective vest. He’s pulled a calf muscle and is sitting there wrapping it up in bandage. He assures me he’s ok and will walk for a bit. So we carry on: up and down the paddocks into the darkness.

Eventually I pull away from George and see some more night creatures: a red snake, a silver snake, and my third frog. I dutifully take a photo of the frog for the record. There are some wombat holes here, and I wonder if a baby wombat would be called a womble.

The trail then approaches a large drain pipe, person high, with the arrow pointing in. This is bizarre! Are we supposed to walk through a drain pipe?? Out the other side, a sign instructs “Walkers Follow Creek Line”. There is flagging on the fence, which is above the creek line. So do I follow the fence, above the creek line, or go into the creek line? The gpx file suggests halfway up the steep bank. So I start following the fence line. I duck under some leaves, step over a log, and run along some fence. Then I duck under some leaves, step over a log, and run along some fence. Then I duck under some leaves.. wait, am I going in circles? I haven’t seen any markers for ages and my mind is going loopy, but a logic check of the gpx says I’m travelling in the general direction I should be. Oh well, step over that log…

The wandering around in imaginary circles slows me down and Matthew passes me before I get to Eudunda at 11:59pm. There the Christmas themed vollies treat me with bacon, eggs and avocado. I just can’t get enough of bacon and eggs on a long run! I head off to have a shower and then another attempt at sleeping. This is more successful, and I get around 40 minutes of sleep.

Heading out of Eudunda it is 2:16am. Ahead, Matthew has sped up and overtaken Katherine, while Melissa is way out of reach. Behind me, George has also stopped for a sleep so I’m back to fourth place overall. Awesome.

A lot of the Eudunda to Inspiration Point section is following roads along a ridge line. To the east, an orange glow creeps over the horizon far away. It grows stronger and stronger, heralding a glorious sunrise. At 6:40am I reach Inspiration Point in the warming sun, and am offered a Fireball Whiskey. Apparently I’m the first person to accept. Don’t the others know that alcohol gives you a ketone boost? Ha-ha! Their loss!

I am now way behind my schedule, which is a bit puzzling, but never mind (back at home I find out that my spreadsheet had a mistake!). I am feeling super optimistic about finishing under 72 hours, so after hiding my food from the dog, and managing more scrambled eggs and coffee, I prep for a warm day and head out.

Leaving Inspiration Point to Waterloo, the trail is now heading firmly westwards as I hobble along. There is under 100km to go, and I enjoy the flocks of pink Galahs wheeling and arguing in the sky.

Suddenly a bee buzzes noisily around me, lands by my ear and stings me! What the? I swat it to the ground and manage to scratch out the stinger. There’s no other bees around. Was it my natural body odour, or all the fruit I’ve been eating? I run slowly along, trying to decide if I should call for help, or just see what happens. I’m not allergic, but who knows how a 240km body is going to react to a bee sting? Well, at least I’m wide awake now!

From afar, I can see the windmills. Before long I am climbing over a stile below the first windmill. And now I’m into another “Choose your own adventure”. This one involves picking the best of the goat tracks to follow while searching for the next marker. The tracks are barely wider than a shoe, rocky and sloping, promising more blisters. After passing the second windmill the trail joins a new gravel road that passes between them to the west.

The pain of the sting has faded, and I step into Waterloo at 11:11am, just on my ETA. It’s a sleep station and I had originally planned a two hour stop, but I’m feeling pretty good so keep going. The next leg will be a long one though: 27.2km and the day is getting warmer. Leaving Waterloo at 12:00pm the sun smiles gently down as I trudge along the endless gravel roads. Low on energy, I try to run the flats and downhills and resort to my 60-30 routine: run for a count of 60 steps on my right foot, then walk for 30. Oh, if only for some nice fence lines to break the monotony of these roads!

I start worrying about water, and sip conservatively as the day marches on until at last I can see Mintaro town ahead. The trail offers a short relief from the gravel roads with “Walkers Follow Fence” for a few kilometres of paddocks.

Arriving in Mintaro at 4:45pm, I’m spot on my ETA. Melissa has remained in the lead, with Matthew and Katherine behind, but probably too far for me to catch her unless something dramatic happens. I’m super pumped about my progress and am happy to keep moving along, heading off at 5:34pm into the gathering darkness.

Mintaro to Penwortham is the second to last leg, and the night brings more paddocks, fences, and lots of steep ascents and descents. Coming down a steep hill I see a car and a light, and there is a man who greets me. He says he’s the owner of this land I’ve just crossed and can he get a photo of me? Sure! Dave takes the photo and wishes me well, promising me this is the last stile on the trail. Thank goodness! The road leads into a small town, which I think is Penwortham, so I’m peering around trying to work out where the aid station is, before realising that I’m nowhere near the aid station. Following up a dark street, the trail turns onto a wide open cycle path and then the fun begins. Imagine a slightly inclined wide trail that goes on and on, disappearing into the black night forever. On a normal day you’d be out there racing along just under threshold. But tonight? Well, I was back to my 60:30, just trying to keep moving above a walking pace. Come-on, legs! Move!

Finally I round a bend and see the Penwortham aid station at 9:42pm. I down a cup of coffee and some potato soup offered by the chatty family, before heading out for the final leg. It’s hard to believe its only 10:18pm and I have only 20.8km in front of me. My schedule says 3.7 hours for this leg. Gosh, I hope so. The trail follows a few roads up and down and there in front of me is a familiar structure. Yep: another stile! The farmer was wrong. The trail leads into a conservation area so now for some nice single track, with an occasional foray across a clearing.

At a few places I find myself falling sideways. The fatigue is getting to me, and I need to keep eating to help stay awake. Away in the forest I can just hear people talking. I noticed this the night before but thought maybe there were people nearby. Now I think I may be hallucinating the voices. Thankfully I can’t make out what the hallucinations are saying.

After a long long time, more roads and single track, I exit onto a street at the back of Clare. At last my legs and feet realise that this really is the last part: I am able to run properly and move quickly along the last three kilometres. Ahead of me I see a torch light, and there is Michelle Hanlin videoing me coming in and doing a running commentary. Literally. It is 2:40am and that last leg took me 4.4 hours, but who cares?! I’m finished in fourth place overall and a whopping 67 hours and 40 minutes. Woohoo!

Thanks to the race organisers, volunteers and runners for making this a fabulous experience.

Photographs – Doug Bartlett.