Once More Into The Breech: Light Horse 24hr Ultra Race Recap

This event is heaped in remembrance to those who have served and who are serving. There is an Anzac last post before the event which focuses the mind on the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in the many conflicts over time. This run is about honouring them and when you’re deep in the pain cave thinking about these brave souls gives comfort and encourages you to carry on, knowing what you are feeling is nothing compared to what they felt and what they gave so we can run this, and all, events in the wonderful, lucky country we live in.

Post last post it was time to line up for Light Horse Ultra number five, and my fourth 24 hour run. Conditions were perfect and I was surrounded by friends at the start, looking ahead I could see the run down to the bridge before the small rise (which gets bigger every lap funnily enough) , déjà vu I suppose. I reminded myself how I have retired from this event every year but always seem to find myself at the start line the following year. Runners aren’t the brightest people in the world, I’ve said that a few times.

I had trained well, post Herdy’s, in early March and had put together a good block of four weeks, I was ‘peaking’ at the right time and went into the event confident of a good total. Although this was merely the last long run before Run Britannia in June I also wanted to use it as a confidence booster initially and second to see how’d I’d recover. I was paying special attention to any niggles and also the condition of my feet and toes during and post event. After several zoom calls with the Rat Race crew who run the Run Britannia event it seems injuries were the major reason for DNF’s from the test pilots, the daily distance was deemed achievable.

Saturday afternoon, first few laps. Image: Andrew Yeatman.

Saturday afternoon went smoothly enough, I felt better than last year and was running in the low 5min/km range, even throwing in a few sub 5min/km’s albeit when this happened I made a conscious effort to slow, I was running for 24 hours. Just before the sun set I was probably top five and ahead of last year’s distance, maybe a PB was on the cards, the conditions really were perfect and a lot better than 2022. I put this to the back of my mind and reached for my Audible app on the iPhone and started a new book, this would keep me going through the night when social interactions drop. I had a new Anthony Horowitz book, Moonflower Murders, all 18 hours of it, a perfect length for a 24 hour race. As it was it kept me interested all evening but once the sun rose I needed the kick from a few hours of Taylor Swift (don’t judge me!) and my Lighthouse Spotify playlist, mostly songs from the 1970s and early 1980s, my golden years.

We changed direction every three hours and I would use this as a reminder to change my tops, and then every six hours a complete costume change. I would also target a small rest at these turnarounds to either eat or grab a few minutes in the chair to apply fisiocrem or some massage gun quality time. Rob was there to make sure I didn’t pontificate too long of course.

With the 3pm start the sunset comes quick and before you know it you are away in your own little world cocooned in your little light sphere ahead of you from your head torch. This would be true for most runners but not for me as I was wearing my new Silva Exceed 4XT. The only downside to the Exceed 4XT is the battery is so big I had to wear a small backpack to accommodate it, it’s too heavy to wear in your shorts or on your head. The up side is 10 hours of full 2,000 lumens light, basically turning night into day. I lost count of the number of comments about the brightness of my headtorch, it is a game changer and although expensive I believe worth every cent as you rarely trip over due to bad lighting, a bug bear of mine while night running.

Audible kept me entertained and as the numbers thinned out post midnight I was happily lapping in good times and feeling relaxed. The temperature was perfect, not cold enough to be uncomfortable but not warm enough to over heat you. I kept on shorts the whole night and only added a jacket in the early hours, just before sunset.

Nutrition wise I never really have a plan and just eat what I have or what’s available. I had my go-to food, tinned rice pudding and Weet-bix, but no main meal as such. I managed to steal a piece of vegetarian (?) pizza from Rob around midnight and this kept me going, paired with the odd gu when I remembered. I was also using Bix Endurance Fuel which has 200 calories. This is currently in ‘testing mode’ as the normal Bix tablets are more about replacing electrolytes, and they do that very well, and also recovery. I was hydrated as I would fill a 500ml bottle virtually every lap, well…Rob would fill the bottle for me. The one aid station in the event village was also my go-to for orange and pineapple slices, flat Coke and ‘BK Showers‘ when the temperature rose late afternoon Sundays. If there’s one thing I can improve for this event it’s nutrition, I’m too used to 200 miler aid stations and crew who magically summon up gourmet meals on demand.

Rob informed me I was ahead of last year’s time in the early morning but my old friend fatigue had come calling and my lap times started to increase, with more time spent around the gazebo doing ‘stuff’, whatever that may have been, albeit not enough time to attract Rob’s attention as he snoozed. It’s a thin line when you stop with Rob crewing, you need a good excuse otherwise you are met with a disproving glare as you stumble around the gazebo. I was comfortably in second place apparently with Michael Hooker way ahead. At this stage I was confident I could hold a podium position knowing, with experience, I’d be close to 200km if I kept moving forward, this took away a bit of pressure as this was my primary goal for the event. I was being chased by two ‘young guns’ – Simon Poli and Tom Radonic. Both these guys were capable of running 200km so I knew I’d need to run the full 24 hour to keep my position, great, always good to add more pressure when running for 24 hours.

Thanks always to the TRC for their support. Image: Andrew Yeatman.

Sunrise came along pretty quickly, surprisingly. I’d changed to music after losing interest in the audible book and was pumped with some great tunes. As soon as the sun rises your lap times improve, it’s a mix of the sun and also you can start to see the finish especially when the six and three hour runners join in at 6am. All of a sudden the path is awash with runners and the energy of the event is turned up a notch or two. The event village is then a hub of activity as you have supporters from all four formats (24, 12, 6 and 3 hour options) cheering you on, it makes a big difference. It is also inspiring seeing so many runners taking on their demons for the cause and doing their bit to remember the Anzacs.

The bench selfie on the second lap.

Sunday late afternoon and I was starting to fade; my lap times increased and I found more and more excuses to pontificate in the gazebo. I had been lapped a few times by Tom but was sure I had enough in the tank to hold him off, well pretty sure. I knew Simon had planned to get to around 170km and then anything post that was a bonus, he wouldn’t be getting 200km so my podium place was safe. With this in mind I allowed myself to drop the pace but whenever I did Tom would scurry past at a great rate of knots, looking far too fresh for my liking.

As well as breaking the 200km for the event I also had the goal of a PB, which sat at 207km from last year. Early on I was well on target but I was slipping and this goal was becoming more and more of a challenge each passing hour. At the last turn around, leaving three hours, I knew it would be close, very close. I soldered on, never walking on the course, and encouraging all the die hard runners left stumbling forward towards the finish time. In the last three hours of a 24 hour race you are all deep in the pain cave, testing yourself and asking serious questions and that’s the point.

The 200km photo. Image: Supplied.

I reached the 200km mark and got the obligatory photo with Rob and a few press ups, it’s now a tradition apparently. I wonder if I’ll get there next year? I can’t believe I’m even thinking about next year so soon after this year? Runners, we’re a funny bunch. Rob encourages me to carry on but I knew then I was probably not getting to get a PB and truth be told I was ok with that. The event was a big success, I had managed to hold on to second place, just, as Tom had got to 200km and decided to pull the pin. I did manage another two laps and got to lap 82, the same lap as last year, but couldn’t quite get the distance I needed for a PB, short by about 400 metres. I think the bench selfie really did cost me a PB maybe?

Looking good! Image: Kev’s daughter Charlotte.

So another great event by Ultra Series WA and special thanks to the race directors Scott, Harmony and Karin, and the amazing volunteers, what a great job by all. All that was left to do was to receive my trophy with Tom and Michael, a humbling experience with these two guys, both destined for so much more in their running careers as I move towards the end of mine, albeit kicking and screaming! It was special watching Michael go about his business hitting his massive target with more blue sky ahead and also maybe a ‘coming of age’ for Tom who, like Michael, has a great career ahead of him. On the flip side I’m loving my running at the moment and this event ticked all the boxes pre Run Britannia. I got the distance I was after, post 200km, but more importantly enjoyed the process and came away niggle free. I’ve ran a few times since the event and the legs feel great, the knee ‘niggle’ is gone, after 7 months, and my hamstrings are ‘working’, winning.

So in four weeks today I’ll be lining up at the start of my biggest adventure yet, the 1,000 mile Run Britannia event in the UK. Thirty-one days of running over a 35-day event, averaging around 50km a day. Am I ready? Who really knows for an event this big, all you can do is get as cardio fit without the risk of injury, I feel it’s better to run up fresh as you’ll certainly gain fitness over the duration of the event.