TWO ULTRAS FOR TWO RUNNING WIVES: WTF AND PEMBY TRAIL FEST

Contributed by Julia Mackay-Koelen, AURA member

WATEROUS TRAIL ON FOOT 50mi, DWELLINGUP (WA), 24 September 2022
PEMBY TRAIL FEST, PEMBERTON (WA), 14-16 October 2022

Kylie and I signed up for WTF 50 miler with our other wonderful running wife Melinda (Mel) who was booked to do the 50km event. We headed out for our girls’ trip down south and seemed to have enough gear to supply everyone in the Lodge!

Up early for breakfast, coffee, gear checks, more coffee and Leg 1 was great – creek crossings, not too sunny, beautiful foliage, a river, bird sounds – it all felt very civilised and do-able. Some hills – when in doubt, a trail ALWAYS goes up but with yummy titbits in my drop bag and some encouragement from the Aid 1 fellow (and some coke and ginger beer) we conquered two laps of said hills and headed back to Aid 2 (The Lodge). Unfortunately Mel was having knee issues so she decided to call it quits rather than risk more damage, which was a very wise, but tough decision as us ‘crazy’ runners do like to push on…..

Encouragement from all the amazing aiders at Aid 2 was a much-needed boost as well as a loo break on a proper porcelain loo – never to be underestimated is the power of a decent toilet. Leg 2 was loooong and I more or less found the place where I stacked it in 2021 that resulted in a big DNF at about 55 kms which I was so determined would not happen again this year. I think one DNF in an event is quite enough. Seeing all the great folk at Aid 3 the first time was fantastic but seeing them all after finishing the never-ending loop was magnificent! It is important to note here that the ever-incredible Michael Hooker flew past us on his second lap but still had time for a quick hallo. Tea, garlic-free gnocchi, hugs, banter and encouragement fuelled our depleted energy stores and we tramped off for The Lodge and the end of Leg 2.

Back at The Lodge and a clean shirt, some deodorant and a dab of essential oils was on the cards. A little Ylang Ylang can do wonders for a sagging spirit, much like nice chocolate. A big hug from Mel was soul food as well as a delicious cup of tea, familiar faces and cheers of encouragement from folk, and Kylie and I headed out for Leg 3 – neither of had done this leg so we were looking forward to seeing something new. It was dark by now so headtorches shone a bright light over our path. We were in good spirits but tired – nothing new for running wives who have clocked a fair number of kms together over the years.

Most of this leg was covered in silence, not for nothing to say but more from a conservation of energy perspective as we trudged on in the darkness with but an arc of light showing the way over track, gravel road, logs and rocks. Bumping into Bill returning from the turn-around-point was uplifting, however his brutal honesty about how far we had to go was, well a tad hard to hear. He said ‘well, you still have a fair way to go yet’ but I would rather hear that than someone say ‘not too far’ but hours later there is no sign of the turn-around-point.

Much to my dismay I had three equipment failures all around the same time and while we were still heading to the turn-around-point. My Garmin died at 65kms, my head torch died then a few minutes later my second head torch died. Clearly I used the wrong essential oil at The Lodge and the Patchouli God was punishing me for using Ylang Ylang. Luckily Kylie had a spare headtorch so with equipment rearranged we pushed on. FINALLY, after what seemed an absolute eternity and after a couple of missed turns (my fault as my watch died and my direction finder in my head malfunctioned terribly) we found it. Nothing special, some water bottles and a witches hat but for me it represented bells and whistles, there as might as well have been unicorns and rainbows for what it represented and we turned around and head back!

We were both feeling exhausted and very cold. Kylie had me in absolute stitches when she announced that was going to ‘move to Darwin, Bali, anywhere in Africa where it’s hot’ as it was so cold and despite us both wearing multiple layers, the tendrils of frost seeped through to the core.

Drained, depleted, frozen and shattered we both started crying when we got to the gate that signalled we were nearly home. Arms around each other and in lock step we finished the last few hundred meters and made it. Once again, the amazing folk at The Lodge rallied around and we got hugs, a warm fire, and the best cup of tea from Ashley Slocum! An overall incredible event and a beautiful wooden medal. Kylie’s watch indicated we had done 91 or so kms so it really was an epic run and another ultra under our belts. 

Pemby Fest

The week after WTF Kylie and I participated in the 100km Great Relay with Carolin and Kathy – so we were still a bit stuffed from WTF but this is what crazy runners do right??

Pemby Fest came around quickly but Kylie and I headed off on another girls’ trip down south with as much, if not more, gear than we had for WTF. The Friday night 7.7 kms run was done dressed as Sugar Plum Fairies and it’s such a beautiful event. Saturday was an early start but luckily the coffee van enable my caffeine addiction and after about 6 shots or so Kylie and I were ready for the 50 kms-ish. We had set out to do this event in 2020 but unfortunately missed the cut-off point by 20 mins so we were determined to make it this year, tired legs notwithstanding.

The track was amazing – so many birds and beautiful bush and we both felt alright given that we had run WTF then a week later the Relay and only had a week’s rest before Pemby. Stack 1 for me happened early on – about 5kms in and I was traversing a puddle when I fell over my feet and landed on my right side, right ‘bad knee’ and face first into the mud. However, never miss a good photo opportunity on a trail so Kylie got some great pics of a very dirty face and, like a true running wife, she gently wiped the dirt off my face.

We trudged on – always mindful of the dang cut-off. A lot of runners were heading back (just a little soul destroying when we weren’t even at cut-off but such is the mindset of a Tortoise Runner that it’s ‘good-on-em to the ‘Hare Runners’ and we stick at Pole Pole (Swahili for ‘slowly and slowly’) speed.

Stack 2 occurred at 20 kms so still not at cut-off and I fell over my feet, landed on my sore shoulder but luckily the ‘good’ knee. A quick ‘anything broken?’ from Kylie and a ‘nup’ from me and it was very much a case of ‘get up, get on with it’. What a sight when we saw the cut-off point manned by Alan and a Running Wives hug cos we had made cut-off’ so we were elated! At this point I realised that the lid on my hydration pack had exploded off when I fell and water was pouring down my back but Alan very thankfully put the seal back on and there was enough water to last until the Aid station.

Kylie and I were ecstatic that we had made cut-off but we had depleted our stores and the next few kms were covered at Pole Pole speed with no capacity to go any faster. Encouragement from so many runners heading back was the elixir we both needed to keep going. We were a bit disappointed that the only wildlife we saw was one kangaroo – not even a spider was encountered – and several Kowz (it’s a thing Kylie and I do…) but the landscape was lovely and there were no snakes!!

Getting to the turn-around-point felt about as tough as WTF and the longest 7.5kms of my running life but we got there! The two gentlemen at the Aid Station were magnificent even if one of them spoke like and ‘Old Warrant Officer – oh because he IS and Old Warrant Officer’ so it was great having a natter with him about army stuff and the God-like power of ‘Old Warrant Officers’. Kylie and I ransacked our drop bags, filled up with water and bid our farewell two the Old Warrant Officer and the other great aid fellow who is also ex-army!

Kylie and I headed back at sub-Pole Pole speed as we were totally spent but there is nothing like the determination of two Running Wives to finish what they started. Alan was magnificent and while it must have been challenging to sweep two Tortoise Runners, we were both very grateful for his presence and his patience. Kylie and I knew we were last but that’s OK because Tortoise Runners usually are. Our Team Trail Tortoises for the Great Relay finished with 27 seconds to spare.

Seeing the oval with the finish line was a beacon pulling us gently to the finish – except that there was no finish line because everything had been packed up! But a finish line is not just an electronic mat that records hours, minutes and seconds of an event – it is fantastic folk (Wiccus and Linda, Jessica etc) waiting for us with hugs, cheers and a beautiful Pemby medal.

Back at the hotel I collapsed on the bed and pondered the last few weeks. Kylie and I had run more kms in the last three weeks than we had ever run before in that time frame and we were beyond broken. However, a shower, dinner (Kylie makes the best ever toasted sandwiches) and a sleep saw us more or less refreshed for another Pole Pole 5.6 kms on Sunday to round out Pemby Fest.

Resilience is something I talk about a lot in my role as a psych, and military psych in particular, but I have learnt more about resilience through my trail running and Ultra’s than anything I have ever encountered before. The friendship of my Running Wives, our determination, stubbornness, humour, encouragement (as well as the odd tanty) and philosophy that ‘Tortoise Runners might be slow but we damn well get it done and finish’ is for me, the embodiment of resilience. The support of absolutely brilliant running tribes is without a doubt, a huge part of this experience.

On to the next adventure which for my Running Wife Kylie and I is Feral 50 miler – good grief!!