RHEAULT SMASHES BTU100MI

Contributed by Noelis Rheault, 1st Male finisher of BTU100mi and AURA member

Brisbane Trail Ultra, 3-4 October 2020 in Brisbane, Qld

Brisbane Trail Ultra 2020, what a humdinger! After finishing my first miler in BTU 2019, it didn’t take me long to verbalise that the lure of such a tough miler was going to see me come back in 2020 as my A goal race.

It wasn’t just that it was a recent addition to the running calendar, in my hometown that was also positioned conveniently mid-year with accommodating weather, but I genuinely like the fact that it was a hard race. The terrain was tough but the constant elevation changes with steep ascents and descents were what made this course so challenging from the start right through to the final segment.

I saw some familiar faces at the start line precinct and wished Kieran O’Brien a good day. Before long we were off, and I instantly wished I had my headlamp out of my running vest as we were on a small technical trail on the side of a creek for 2km. I tried to stick to Kieran and Ryan Crawford’s heels as they were both carrying a light. After navigating this section, I fell in behind the front runners as we hit the undulating climb on Mt Nebo Break towards McAfee’s lookout. I settled into my own rhythm, admittedly a bit disappointed that I didn’t hold with either of them for longer.

Pleased that I wasn’t completely dropped too far I saw both Kieran and Ryan at the first CP. Kieran was leaving as I was arriving, whilst Ryan appeared to go the wrong direction and then run back through the CP as I was filling up my bladder. I slotted back in behind them as we travelled through Hell Hole and across to South Boundary Road and surprisingly, I caught up to Ryan.

I was eagerly looking forward to just getting through the first 30km without incident and I smiled when I reached the turnoff for Jolly’s Lookout around 32km. From here there is a gorgeous out and back single track with a small loop at the lookout. Unfortunately, despite the perfectly clear day, I didn’t have time to take in the scenery as I knew I was within 500m of Kieran. Passed by Andrew Hay who went on to win the 110km race I caught up to Kieran along the single track.

We ran into CP2 together and here I had an early highlight. I saw a bright and bubbly bunch from my crew as well as my two daughters and other family members. Seeing my kids out at a CP always brings a smile to my face. Especially as my youngest daughter wanted to be picked up and ask questions about the day.

After exiting the CP Kieran and I ran together for around 20km to CP3 at Maiala Picnic ground. We’d both done this section together in training and knew this section well. There is a long downhill which can really smash your quads followed by a solid uphill at a gradient that constantly makes you wonder if you should be running or hiking. We mostly stuck to a strong hike and knew that the race wouldn’t be starting until 80km mark.

Maiala at Mount Glorious lives up to its name and filled with palms and strangler figs and is a delight to running through. This scenery change also proved a welcome break from the strong sun that was beating down. We could both feel the temperature rise and had both stopped at a water stop between CP3 and CP4 to wet our hat and buff to try and stay cool.

I caught back up with Kieran whilst climbing Side Break, a brutish 2km climb towards CP4 at 85km. I was slightly worried that I came into CP4 feeling strong last year but fell in a hole as I had forgotten to continue to take on enough calories for the upcoming hardest section of the course. This time around I tried to learn from past mistakes and kept drinking in such hot conditions.

The layout of the course and the CPs meant that I could collect a pacer at 85km, or the next option was at 120km. I opted for the earlier CP and Rob joined me here. After another good CP stop to address the heat and refill my bottles, we remained in second place shortly behind the leaders. Over the next 36km, we saw them intermittently at two water drops along the way, often departing as we arrived.

This section of 36km is the hardest of the course, unrelenting steep climbs and uneven footing. After a couple of small sections where I was overexerting myself, Rob reminded me to stay steady and to not try and spike my efforts.

As we ticked off the kilometres Rob set a goal to pass through Township Break without needing our headlamp. Pleasingly we just sneaked this through as the last light was dipping behind the D’Aguilar Forest range peaks. It was the small goals and acknowledgement of these accomplishes which differed from my previous two 100-mile races. I became happy with what I achieved along the way and kept my own mental state on a happy keel.

We made it into CP6 at 120km as Kieran was leaving and feeling really content with that past 4.5 hrs. We moved well, with purpose and without unnecessary strain.

I was again treated like a king by my crew, thanked Rob and collected Cam who was pacing me through the last 40km. As we took off, I mentioned to him that I was feeling good, but worried about falling into the bad habit of running at an uneven pace and then needing small breaks. He plainly told me to move up the hill straight out of the CP for the next 15 minutes and then we would assess at the top. This proved critical advice. When we reached the top my running legs returned, and we took off at a pace that surprised myself. Despite the obvious fatigue, I felt that I could continue. We passed several 110km runners gave them a smile and wished them well and eventually saw Kieran and Mick ahead. We were moving quicker than they were and not knowing if they wanted us up ahead as part of some cat and mouse game Cam and I decided that I wouldn’t change our pace and kept moving through as we headed past Gap Creek Reserve and up towards the second last major climb, Kokoda Track at Mt Coo-tha. Just a head down and grind type of feeling.

There was still 25km to go but as Cam led, I was able to remain stuck to his tail. We called ahead to our crew and let them know that I wouldn’t be doing anything unnecessary and would not be making a shoe, sock and shirt change. Instead we wanted some Tailwind flasks, a glass of red bull. A sub 2-minute last CP stop was all we needed and on we went for the last major climb. Again, a strong hike and run in the legs kept us moving along. The difference this time was I didn’t know where Kieran was, and I was now the hunted.

Through Mt Coo-tha, across to Kulgan Circuit for some unnecessarily technical single-track with 150km in my legs, I tried my hardest to remain upright and to not fall over. I knew that Cam had checked on the live tracker, so I asked how we were tracking but when I asked when we were on Kulgan circuit how we were going he simply told me to ‘keep moving’. I dutifully followed my instructions.

Cam forced me to drink some Coke which proved extremely beneficial 10 minutes later we were running along Bardon and towards Latrobe Terrace.

After seeing a few more 110km runners we made it down to the Brisbane River when Cam slapped me on my back and gave me a big smile.

I knew what this meant but I wanted to stay focused for the last 4km. We kept up the hustle but by this time the smile I had whilst running along the river was immense. I thought of the early morning hill sessions and the obvious sacrifices made by myself and those around me for this protracted training block. My wife, the pillar of our household, and a great supporter was there as I came around the final bend and crossed the line in 20:36. The smile on her face along with others who had selflessly offered their support and time to help me along this race made the entire journey worthwhile.

There has been much personal growth over the last 12 months and in part, it has been because of the outward showing of faith in me by those close. Kind words of advice from Mick, Cam and Kieran at various stages have been warming to the soul. The ongoing support and drive from my wife, children and family have proved beneficial.

So on to 2021 BTU 100 miles…not sure I might need to bask in this warm glow a bit longer before I make that decision, but 3 gold buckles sounds pretty cool.

Pictured: Noelis Rheault at the Brisbane Trail Ultra. Photograph – Supplied/Noelis Rheault.