Skyrunner Australian & New Zealand
ben Duffus
From a buffalo explosion to third at world champs
vert or volume
what training do the elites do?
running essentials
race previews
the ultra easy & the hillary
Ruth Croft
taking on the mountains in taiwan
skyrunning just got real! the oceania series has arrived
TIMOTHY OLSON
Latitude: NORTH 45째 48' 55.01" Longitude: WEST 6째 51' 58.62" Elevation: 5124 ft / 1562 m Photo: TIM KEMPLE
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Skyrunner Australian & New Zealand
issue one. December 2014.
features
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09 10 12
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editorial a note from skyrunning ANZ
news the latest from around the trails
running essentials gear to make you go!
The oceania series Skyrunning in ANZ just got real!
race preview: The ultra easy don't let the name fool ya!
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45
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Ben Duffus a runner on the rise
TRaining: Vert or Mileage? what option is best for you
2014 World Champs Team anz did us proud
race preview: the hillary conquer your everest
ruth croft from nz to taiwan
series calendar and points put these dates in your diary!
www.Skyrunninganz.com
100km 4,000+ D 24th January Wanaka, New Zealand
theultraeasy100.nz
a note from skyrunning ANZ:
welcome aboard! Welcome to the first edition of the Skyrunning Australia and New Zealand magazine. Through these pages we hope to capture the essence of what is Skyrunning, how it is changing the sport of mountain running and why so many athletes globally want to run a Skyrace in 2015. We plan on offering insights into how the elites prepare, offering a voice to you, the running community and bringing you the latest gear and gadgets to help you get over the finish line successfully. I have just returned from a week travelling around the South Island of New Zealand checking out some of the courses and I left with feelings of excitement and a little trepidation. I am excited because I genuinely believe we have some of the best races on offer not only in Australia and New Zealand but good enough to share with the rest of the world. I am also filled with some anxiety. At heart I am a runner and I intend on running as many Skyraces as I can in 2015. The challenge is being fit enough to finish them! By bringing together 13 races over 8 unique weekends including 4 brand new race venues we hope, not only to find out Oceania's most accomplished male and female Skyrunners, we also hope to take you to places you have never been before both physically and emotionally. Personally I would like to thank our race directors, committee members, athletes and sponsors for getting behind the series and making this happen and most importantly I look forward to meeting many of you out on the trails in the coming months as we all aim to test ourselves in some of the most stunning scenery on the planet. Marcus Warner President - Skyrunning Australia & New Zealand
6 Skyrunner
Skyrunninganz.com 7
news While the Big Red Run may not be a Skyrun, running for a cause is always a good thing to support. For participants, the rewards of doing an event like this are multiple. Apart from giving back to those that need a hand, The Big Red Run is about pushing your limits, meeting likeminded people and experiencing a part of Australia few ever take the time to explore. It’s for these reasons that we thought readers of Skyrunner ANZ should be made aware of it. This is an adventure mixed with a party, where after a day of traversing the dunes and trails, you relax by a campfire and enjoy some entertainment and talk of the day’s toil. It’s a really social affair that creates camaraderie and lifelong bonds between participants. The Big Red Run is a 6-day, 250km stage race that starts and ends at the iconic Birdsville Pub, kicking off on Saturday June 27th. There’s plenty of time to get an entry and start training, but don’t leave it too late! www.bigredrun.com.au
In 2015 the Skyrunner® Series goes global, which means more events and more places to run! Twenty-seven races in nine countries stretch across five continents. Africa, Australia and China make their first appearance on a global scale, together with the rugged mountains north of the Arctic Circle in Norway. Benefits in the Series and Championships include 1,700 race slots, 450 free entries, 250 accommodation and 80 travel slots. The Series final $25,000 is redistributed and additional prizes – not just for the winners – are on the way. More info: www.skyrunning.com
The Hounslow SkyCamp Looking for a great gift for a runner? SkyCamp could be it! SkyCamp provides 3 days of total running goodness (Feb 6-8 2015). The weekend includes run sessions on the Hounslow Classic course, workshops on improving your running, as well as seminars on all the other stuff - nutrition, gear and how to make the most of your training. The camp will be hosted by the very best coaches we can find - Andy DuBois, Matty Abel and David Byrne. Best of all, it’s set in the beautiful Blue Mountains. Get to know the course, meet fellow runners and have a fun weekend in Skyrunning paradise. www.hounslowclassic.com.au/skycamp-2015-2/
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running essentials.
Hammer Perpetuem The perfect Ultra Running fuel “Perpetuem”. Used to fuel Brendan Davies in all his Ultra events. Full of complex Carbohydrates (no simple sugars), and small amounts of Soy protein and Lipids (fat source). The complex carbs sustain the energy, the protein helps manage the muscle tissue repair and breakdown. Whilst the added lipids help your body recruit their own fat stores, which combined with the complex Carbohydrates to stabilize your blood sugars. The end result is a rock solid consistent source of energy with no highs or lows.
The North Face Ultra Trail Offering lightweight performance and superior protection for the toughest trails, the Ultra Trail is engineered with CRADLE™ GUIDE technology, an Ultra Airmesh upper and a trail-specific Vibram® outsole. Lightweight Flashdry™ upper keeps you dry and comfortable and also features breathable and protective Ultra Airmesh. Also, 3M® reflective tape on upper for visibility. Average Weight/ Pair: 492g *based on Men’s size 9 RRP AUD $190.00
Camelbak Ultra 10 Vest
CamelBak introduces the most technical run vest. Designed and tested with professional endurance athletes, it includes features and storage for ultra-events: expandable cargo, stretch overflow storage, sweat-proof phone pocket, trekking pole attachment, external fill and reflectivity. Capacity: 8L + 2L reservoir. Weight: 550g.
Outdoor Research Helium II
Built for flash-storm protection, the 100% waterproof, super-breathable Helium II Jacket weighs an incredibly light 6.4 ounces. An ultra-compressible piece you’ll never leave behind, it’s so light and packs down so small, you’ll forget it’s clipped to your harness until you throw it on to ward off a sudden mid-route downpour. Compressible to the size of a granola bar, the Helium II keeps you completely protected from unfriendly weather on the trail but doesn’t waste space or add more than a feather’sworth of weight to your pack.
La Sportiva Bushido The Suunto Connected Family with Ambit3 offers you the ultimate package for tracking and sharing your sports and adventures. It is Suunto’s first Bluetooth® Smart compatible product family. Full route navigation, long battery life, heart rate monitoring, accurate speed and distance measurement, plan and analyse your training with Movescount.com and monitor both your training and recovery.... all through your watch!
With performance driven design, the Bushido is perfect for technical terrain and provides added stability over stones, roots and branches on the trail. The "STB Control" construction utilizes a TPU frame that wraps under foot to provide maximum stability, responsiveness, and reduce overall weight. Internal slip-on construction fits the foot like a sock without causing excessive pressure. Outsole lugs have rounded edges and wrap over the midsole to provide added traction and enhance stability on off camber terrain. www.mountainrunning.com.au/ category/products/
Suunto Ambit3 Skyrunninganz.com 11
the oceania series has arrived
“You can gua be offering th
arantee that race directors will he hardest most insane courses they can find”
The launch of the Oceania SkyRunning Series is an exciting development for the sport in our region. It provides an opportunity for people to experience this unique form of running, and by having events that vary in distance and terrain means each race will have its own personality. For the elite athletes, having multiple events on home soil is a very exciting prospect. Caine Warburton: “Having Sky Running in Australia is very important to me. I really believe it’s the next level for trail/ultra running. Having our own domestic series will greatly improve our local runners and help entice more people to seek their next challenge in running. I’m really looking forward to the tough courses that the series will bring. You can guarantee that race directors will be offering the hardest most insane courses they can find, which will only help raise the level of trail running in Australia. More Vert = More Fun!” Brendan Davies: ”It gives more options for athletes with a preference for big mountain running to really focus and specialise in this discipline. The regularity of the races here and in NZ also offers athletes a series for which they can focus on for the whole year. Their calendar is set out before them if you like and as SkyRunning races contain similar characteristics, it allows them to really sharpen their training and skills towards these events.” Scott Hawker: “Having a series is definitely motivating me to race a little more locally in 2015. The races listed in the series all have massive appeal for me and I look forward to competing in some of them in 2015. I'm most looking forward to the Hounslow Classic in October. As we are moving to the Blue Mountains from Perth in April it will essentially be a home race for me. After spending some time in the Blueys in April this year in the build up to TNF100 I fell in love with the area so suggested to my wife Liz that we look at relocating. We're both really looking forward to the move and I can't wait for the challenge that The Hounslow is going to offer!”
Getting to this point has been a labour of love for Skyrunning ANZ President Marcus Warner. “The journey started back in 2012 when I was invited to a couple of Skyruns in Europe. They were the iconic Transvulcania on the island of La Palma and Zegama in Spain. Two completely diverse but equally exciting races. What struck me is that while being run over very different terrain, from the volcanic heat and dust of La Palma, off the coast of North Africa, to the snow and ice of Zegama in the foothills of the Pyrenees, the same level of excitement, spirit of competition and simplicity of running came through loud and clear - both from the athletes and spectators. While we were in Spain I also met with the International Skyrunning Federation and they were able to share with us how the sport first came about in the early 1980's when the likes of Bruno Brunod and Matt Carpenter were taken to some of the most remote and dramatic mountain ranges on earth and left to race to the top and back. Even back then without the advent of social media, use of drones and the accessibility of YouTube the footage was dramatic to say the least.” Marcus’ passion for the sport is clear, and it has been somewhat infectious, drawing in athletes from the trail, road and ultra community to tackle the challenge of big climbs. When quizzed as to how Skyrunning differs from say mountain running or ultras, Marcus was clear that it’s quite a different sport. “There are a couple of guiding
principals in Skyrunning which makes it unique from other forms of trail or ultrarunning. Firstly, the race has to be held in mountainous areas that can only be described as steep and high. In most parts of the world this means runners will frequently exceed altitudes above 2000m bringing with it the challenges that the thinner air creates. Secondly, the courses need to follow as direct a route to the top and back as possible, minimising the use of road, fire trail and away from urban areas. And finally there are a number of fixed disciplines that allow athletes to benchmark themselves against other runners. These include very short but sharp vertical kilometers, Skyruns up to marathon distance and Sky Ultramarathons up to 100 miles.” The first officially sanctioned Skyrunning event in Oceania was The Buffalo Stampede in April this year. Now, less than 12 months later, we have a series of 8 events across 2 countries. Pulling the calendar together was a painstaking process that involved Race Directors applying to have their events considered for inclusion in the series. They had to meet a number of criteria set out globally and locally to ensure races stayed as true to the global Skyrunning experience as possible. Skyrunning ANZ also looked at finding a balance of events to allow athletes to test themselves across different states and nations and over varying distances throughout the year. Finally, and arguably most importantly, the events all highlight the true beauty of
“The courses need and back as possi trail and
the oceania series has arrived
d to follow as direct a route to the top ible, minimising the use of road, fire d away from urban areas.�
Skyrunninganz.com 15
the oceania series has arrived
Dakota Jones in the 2014 Buffalo Stampede
“Never before has a series of trail races in this part of the world exposed runners to so many World Heritage areas and places of outstanding natural beauty.�
Australia and New Zealand, allowing runners to see their own backyard in some very unique parts of the world. For Marcus, it’s the varying locales and spectacular landscapes that excite him most about the series. “I think it is the diversity of the runs themselves. Never before has a series of trail races in this part of the world exposed runners to so many World Heritage areas and places of outstanding natural beauty. Whether it’s the imposing 5 hour climb up Mount Pisa during the Ultra Easy 100 in New Zealand, or the incredible flora and vistas encountered on the Hillary. From the stunning Victorian High Country to the downright vertigo-inducing Mt Barney and Mt Difficulty Ascent races, the series has something for everyone.” As for the competition to take out the series title, it’s going to be an interesting battle. Trans Tasman rivalry is sure to light a few fires, Scott Hawker certainly agrees! “I should bloody hope so! It's no secret that Kiwis like beating the Aussies and vice versa, so I'd expect nothing less. I'm really hoping some kiwis can make the trip across the ditch to take part in some of the Australian Sky Running races so we can claim SkyRunning ANZ supremacy. I think the healthy rivalry is
fantastic!” Marcus takes a less passionate approach to how he assesses the series will unfold. “I think this will become one of the talking points of 2015. We’ve heard so many elite runners looking to target the series so it’s going to be hard to predict the overall winner. We’re also expecting a large presence from our global colleagues who want to come Down Under and test themselves against the best on offer from ANZ. In the last few weeks I’ve had conversations with the likes of Vajin Armstrong, Anna Frost, Caine Warburton, Matt Cooper, David Byrne, Blake Hose, Gill Fowler and Beth Cardelli all looking forward to racing hard and fair against each other. The big trail running brands like Salomon, La Sportiva, Inov8, Compressport, Ultimate Direction, The North Face, Suunto and Hoka One One are all aiming to send their best athletes to contest the series, so we expect the pointy end to go down to the wire in November 2015.” Without a doubt, the coming year of racing will be challenging and quad busting. There will be disappointment for some and elation for others. But no matter where you are in the field, getting to the finish line in a Skyrun is one of the most rewarding experiences you’ll ever have.
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the ultra easy
Race one in the Oceania SkyRunning Series takes us to New Zealand for 100km of mountain trails. It’s a sensational way to start things off and sets the stage for a year of stunning courses, competitive races and memorable experiences!
Skyrunninganz.com 19
the ultra easy
“There is no faking it on this course!”
The Oceania SkyRunning Series kicks off on January 24th 2015 in the spectacular landscape of Wanaka, New Zealand. It’s a part of the country famed for sweeping vistas, gorgeous waterways and serious mountains. But one not so serious race director decided to play a bit of a trick on unsuspecting runners, when he hatched an event called The Ultra Easy. “It all started innocent enough. I had an idea for just a ‘Fun’ MTB race and the name BIG EASY was perfect because it was BIG (riding over a 2000m mountain) but because you started at a ski resort (Snow Farm) at 1500m the effort over the whole distance was quite easy, because of all the downhill. Then a friend of mine asked if he could run it. I thought that was a dumb idea ‘cos I don’t like too much downhill running. The rest is history. The other thing 14 Skyrunner
I really like about the name is that it harks back to the old days of good, dishonest Kiwi humbleness. All my heroes are chronic understaters of how awesome their achievements are. So with the advent of the 100k it was glaringly obvious – anything over a marathon is an ‘ultra’ distance so Ultra Easy it was.” Knowing now why the name came about, we asked Terry Davis (Race Director) what inspired him to create a race in this location. “I’d like to take the credit but the reality is, it was Grant Guise who inspired (berated) me into setting this course up. The visual splendour speaks for itself. Anyone who’s met anyone who’s been to Wanaka will be able to wax lyrical about how beautiful it is here. But there are several other significant factors that make it an ‘ideal’ location for a race. It’s a logical loop, noncontrived. Just get out there and
run a big circuit. No double backing. No loops. Grant really likes that. As an organiser it has good access over most of the course for getting marshals out there and for safety/emergency scenarios. We also have a great climate here. Yes you can get a wee southerly storm blow through, but at this time of year they are very brief and energising!” “Energising” and “Wee” aren’t generally terms associated with storms. But hey, if he puts them like that, they actually sound quite pleasant. After all, it’s New Zealand, not Australia. Nothing in NZ wants to hurt you! But it’s Terry’s description of the course that proves there actually are things in this country out to do a little harm. “There is no faking it on this course! After the fun of the 3am start and running through Wanaka (where everyone else will be asleep) your first major
Skyrunninganz.com 21
climb op Roys Peak track is 1200+meters of gain in just under 7km. there are no little down and back ups – it’s probably the longest continuous climb in the series. Then the second major climb up Criffle is even steeper. At first you’re happy because it’s not as high, but then you have about 25k of undulating (mostly up) to the top of the course and potentially it could be getting into the 30’s (Degrees Celsius) at this stage. The jubilation of the downhill doesn’t last long as you really have to watch where you put your feet and it gets quad wrenchingly steep before the end of the down too. The course actually finishes with a truly beautiful wee 12ks of flattish river trail, but runners will be in so much pain they’ll be hating that part too!” There’s that term “Wee” again. And what does “Flattish” mean to a guy that earlier spoke of understating things? I guess it’s all relative and when there’s an early climb of over 1,000m vert in just 7km, flattish probably equates to a descent climb to the average punter. But other than the epic mountains there’s plenty more for competitors to look forward to. To begin with, we’ll disregard Terry’s sadistic highlights that included the very early start, quad burn and knee pain. He did however point out some pretty awesome things about the event that everyone will remember. “The twinkling lights of Wanaka form Mt Iron. The sun coming up as you crest Roy’s Peak. A few yummy surprises at the aid stations and a beer at the finish!” So there you have it. The Ultra Easy looks like it will be starting the SkyRunning Oceania series off with a bang. It has a fantastic mix of epic scenery, community spirit, challenge and reward. With series points up for grabs it will attract a top class field, including local legend Grant Guise, fellow NZ runner Scott Hawker, and Australian competitors keen to put it to their Trans-Tasman rivals. It’s going to be a cracking event and not one to miss! 22 Skyrunner
the ultra easy
RAZORBACK RUN I 22/42/64km I Sat 14 Mar MOUNT BULLER SKYRUN I 22/36/45km I Sun 29 Mar WILSONS PROM 100 I 44/60/80/100km I Sat 02 May LAKE MOUNTAIN ALPINE MARATHON I 10/24/42km I Sun 25 Oct ALPINE CHALLENGE I 60/100/160km I Sat 28 -Mon 30 Nov OFFICIAL SKYRUNNING EVENT
ben duffus Ultra running is an old man’s game, right? Well so it seemed up until the last few years. It was always said that you cut your teeth on the short stuff and then when you’re older and wiser, with thousands of kilometers in your legs, you’ll be ready to step up to the plate for your first ultra. This was the trend, right up until a couple of years ago. Today, there are plenty of young bucks keeping the ‘experinced’ campaigners honest, and one of the best is Ben Duffus. So we took the time to pick his brains about Skyrunning, his approach to racing and training, and to get some tips on what makes him so darn good!
What is it about Skyrunning events that draws you to them? I really love the general ethos that defines Skyrunning. There is something very satisfying about reaching mountain summits, and then running back down creates a thrill similar to that of skiing! Skyrunning events seem to place an emphasis on the courses making “geographical sense”. Rather than focusing on reaching some arbitrary distance that looks nice in the base-10 metric system. Instead, many Skyraces will simply take the most efficient route to reach a series of summits and valleys. Quite often this will
involve steep and/or technical terrain, but such sections are not included simply for the sake of making the course more challenging, but because that is the most logical route. You have a mountain running background, but what made you start doing the longer races? I always preferred running cross-country compared to track when I was in high school and was also intrigued about the concept of ultramarathons after reading books such as Ultramarathon Man and Born to Run. Before reading such stories I was under the impression that
the marathon distance marked the physiological limit of the human body and so I became curious whether I would ever be able to actually do something as physically challenging as running 100 miles. I had always been more “comfortable” on hilly rather than flat courses, so I decided to try to qualify for the Australian Mountain Running team as a Junior in my first year out of high school. I ended up qualifying for the team and it was the resulting trip to Kamnik (Slovenia) that really ignited my passion for the mountains. Although I had a terrible race (I had a stress fracture in my
The North Face 100 Australia - Aurora Images
“I still like to dabble in some short, fast races because they are a lot of fun, but it is the longer ones that really drive me.”
26 Skyrunner
foot at the time!), I made up my mind that I wanted to explore beautiful mountain ranges like those I had just visited and set my sights on one day running iconic mountainous 100 milers such as Hardrock, UTMB, Le Grand Raid Reunion, etc. I still kept to the shorter races for another year so I could compete at the World Mountain Running Championships for a second time as a Junior, but after that race in September 2011 my focus has been on the longer stuff. I still like to dabble in some short, fast races because they are a lot of fun, but it is the longer ones that really drive me.
At the Buffalo Stampede earlier in the year you had a dramatic end to your race. Tell us how the event panned out and what you think were the main reasons for the result? That course certainly humbled me and I am looking forward to going back in 2015. I had a minor issue with my Achilles tendon that forced me to sit out Bogong to Hotham in January and as a result my training leading up to the Buffalo Stampede (in April) wasn’t ideal. I also placed way too much emphasis on training for the steep section between Mystic Mountain and Baker’s Gully
(part of this was because hiking steep hills was easier on my Achilles than running up more gradual ones), even though this only makes up approximately 10km of a 75km course. As a result when I reached the flat road at the 15km mark, I was working way too hard as I simply didn’t have the necessary flat speed...clearly I should have backed off and run more conservatively but by then my ego had come into play. I also wasn’t prepared for the relatively runnable grades of Keating’s Ridge and Mt Buffalo, so by the time I got to the bottom of Mt Buffalo at the 50km mark,
ben duffus
my legs (in particular my hamstrings) were shot. After ten more painful kilometers my shuffle had turned into a stumbling walk. When the gradient underfoot turned sharply upwards to Warner’s Wall, I tripped over my own feet but didn’t have the strength to get back up so started crawling instead. Eventually my arms gave out as well and I found myself face planted in the dirt. I certainly learnt a lot that day about the importance of “running your own race” and ignoring what everyone else is doing. I think I did a much better job of staying in the
moment by concentrating on my own physical state in my next couple of ultras and as a result had fairly evenly paced races. What event in the Oceania series are you most looking forward to? Obviously I will be looking to redeem myself at the Buffalo Stampede next year, but I feel an even stronger attachment to Barney’s Bluff since it’s being held in my favorite playground, south-east Queensland’s Scenic Rim. Although it is almost a 2 hour drive for me to get there, I love spending as much time as possible on those “trails” (if you’re wondering why I used the
Shotover Moonlight Marathon - Matt Wong Photography
“Eventually my arms gave out as well and I found myself face planted in the dirt.”
28 Skyrunner
inverted commas, come check them out for yourself!), so I’m really looking forward to sharing that experience with so many others...and there is always a little bit extra to race for when it’s on your home turf. You had a great start to 2014 that included a sensational third place at the World Skyrunning Champs. Did you think you were capable of placing so highly? My first running coach (Dave Smith) always told his athletes to never to be intimidated by other competitors as when stripped back to the core, we are all the same with “Two feet
and a heartbeat”, so “if you want to win, you have to train the hardest”. I knew my coach (Andy DuBois) had prepared me well, so I certainly never placed any mental limitations on how high I would finish. Having said all that, going into the race I really had no idea where I would finish, so the end result was a pleasant surprise! What’s your most fond memory of the race? I have lots of fond memories from that day, but the one that stands out would have to be descending from Col de la Terrasse with my good mate Caine Warburton. This was the
first time either of us had raced in snow and to any onlookers, it probably showed. Limbs where going everywhere as we did what we could to remain upright, unable to decide whether it was better to attempt to “ski” on our shoes or to take long loping strides, or simply slide on our packs. Regardless, we got down fairly quickly and unharmed having been bumping into each other and laughing the whole way down. What do you do for recovery after racing? I eat...A LOT! Sometimes it can take a couple of hours for my appetite to return, but
when it arrives, it does so with a vengeance! I’ll usually find myself craving protein, fat and salt, having spent the whole day sipping on sweet drinks. I will also use Compressport gear for at least the 24 hours after a race and elevate my legs to reduce swelling. Typically I’ll take the day after an ultra off, but to get blood circulating again I’ll go for a light jog the day after that. I think one of the best things I do for recovery isn’t after the race, but is instead wearing Hokas during the race - they really make a difference! What does a standard week of training look like?
ben duffus
Andy DuBois does a good job of ensuring that no two weeks of training are identical, so that is a difficult questions to answer. The specifics of the race I’m preparing for and the time until that race determine exactly what I’m doing, but a rough outline would be: Monday: Strength work and bike Tuesday: Undulating tempo run Wednesday: Hilly easy run Thursday: Strength work and bike Friday: Hill reps Saturday: Longest run (done in the mountains and may include some tempo work) Sunday: Long run (done in the
mountains and may include some tempo work if none was done on Saturday) I know that description is fairly vague but the variety between different weeks can be enormous. What do you have on your racing calendar for 2015? As I mentioned earlier, the iconic mountainous 100 milers really drew me into ultra running and so I hope to kick off my dream of competing in those events next year. Of course, I also will be focusing on a few Skyrunning events. With that in mind, the plan for 2015 is: Transgrancanaria (125km) -
March 7th (Canary Islands) Buffalo Stampede (75km) April 11th (Australia) Australian Mountain Running Championships (13km) - May 31st (Australia) Tromso SkyRace (45km) August 2nd (Norway) Barney’s Bluff Ultra SkyMarathon (53km) - August 15th (Australia) Le Grand Raid Reunion (172km) - October TBA (Reunion Island) So building up towards my first 100miler will be the main focus of the year, but as you can see there is still a bit of variety in there.
ben duffus
Scott Hawker This year my coach has had me predominantly focussing on vertical gain in training in general because of my race calendar. Other than the Tarawera Ultra in NZ I purposefully chose races with plenty of vert - HK100, TNF100 Australia, Lavaredo Ultra, Ice Trail Tarantaise, UTMB etc. I love climbing and I’m a sucker for punishment when it comes to hill repeat sessions, so I don’t see much changing in 2015. Living in Perth, WA for the last few years has meant a lot, and I mean a lot of hill repeats, stair repeats and the like. The longest climb I have relatively close to me (30min drive each way) takes a mere 5mins to get up. I think training like this is tough because of the repetitive nature of the sessions required but
TRAINING: vert or volume?
some athletes like high mileage, others head for the hills. What works best to make a Skyrunner is different for everyone. So we asked a few of the top of the trail scene to get their opinions on training and what they like to get p to on their weekly routine.
I also feel it has mentally prepared me for my races this year. Forcing the 24th repeat up a set of stairs in 38deg heat takes some motivation at times so I try to remember the benefits that I’m gaining when the quads are screaming and the mind is saying stop. Downhill training and conditioning your quads to run long descents is absolutely essential and even more so when racing in Europe. I reckon that if your legs can’t handle the 15km downhill you probably aren’t going to get over any big climbs all that efficiently. The descending at the Lavaredo Ultra Trail and UTMB this year was a real eye opener and I will be focusing on this even more in the build up to those races in 2015. Skyrunninganz.com 33
What type of training do you prefer for races with high amounts of vertical gain? I’m quite lucky as I live in the Blue Mountains, most of my training runs, even the ‘flat’ ones contain quite a bit of elevation gain. In my base or aerobic building stage I would say there is much more emphasis on volume than vert. However, the closer to the event, the principle of specificity must be applied and I’ll invest a lot more into collecting vertical. These vertical training sessions give me the strength and conditioning required for SkyRunning events. How do you find a balance between high amounts of mileage and adequate vertical gain training? I will collect quite a bit of vert on my easy and long run training days during the initial phase of my cycle and together with one hill session a week that is plenty. I don’t overdo the vertical, until the end stages of my program otherwise fatigue sets in and impacts on the quality of my speed and faster sessions. Towards the end, when the emphasis is on hill strength and conditioning, I’ll decrease the aerobic training and push out more downhill or climbing sessions and target the specific quality of the race, eg, hiking uphill, stairs etc. For those that live in a city or flat area, is there an alternative to running mountains? Of course, there are many ways to skin a cat! Try some stair repeats or just collecting the vert by using whatever hills you have. If you like cross training, a treadmill or an elliptical trainer are great at simulating gradient. But at the end of the day, it’s going to be cardiovascular fitness that has the biggest influence on your race day success, so that should always be given the greatest emphasis, so getting out the door running is always going to be the foundations of your training. 34 Skyrunner
Brendan Davies
like to space out the quality and the quantity. Like I said earlier, some weeks it is about lots of quality hill training and less mileage. Other weeks I run relaxed over the hills even for recovery and use this time to refine my technique. Finally, in some weeks I know that I need the volume and the confidence that comes from mileage so the quality might be reduced but the mileage is very high. I personally believe and find for myself that it is hard to mush the two together. After a while my body tells me that it’s had enough. For those that live in a city or flat area, is there an alternative to running mountains? I think that strength training can teach you a lot, especially trying to get really strong through the glutes, hamstrings and hips. Plus, tempo running over rolling, smaller hills and hill reps up and down shorter hills are fine too. After all, the shorter the hill, the less recovery you get when you turn down and run back to the bottom again. My clients will often do sets such as 1min/2min/3min/3min/2min/1min hard uphill efforts with float back recoveries. I promise you they know they have worked hard by the end of it! Then I think you need to plan escapes to the mountains. They don’t have to be every weekend but it is important for the body and the psyche to know you have had some quality time in the mountains.
TRAINING: vert or volume?
Volume or Vert? I am actually neither. I go by time and quality of training. I believe that to be a healthy athlete you need to mix in cross training, especially non-weightbearing recovery activities and strength training so I measure all my training in time. This way I get an accurate representation of everything I am doing, including running around with clients on camps etc. I then have weeks where the focus is on ramping up the quality of the training so I determine time spent in desirable HR training zones. Other weeks I am looking to get more mileage into the legs. I also believe to be a good mountain runner you still need to be able to run quickly and efficiently over the flatter terrains, and even the road. What type of training do you prefer for races with high amounts of vertical gain? I haven’t had a huge amount of background in the large vertical gain races although it is an area that I am keen to become more involved in. I currently believe in being a very efficient runner on the flat and then transforming this onto the hills. I love to run lots of hills and believe you can never have too much of them. I also really believe in being strong so strength training plays a large roll in my preparations for hilly races including trail running and orienteering. How do you find a balance between high mileage and adequate vertical gain training? I
Hanny Allston Skyrunninganz.com 35
TRAINING: vert or volume?
Ben Duffus What do you prioritise, Vert or Volume? I guess that partially depends on whether you define “Volume” as referring to time or distance. Personally I see the actual distance covered as being fairly irrelevant when in the mountains. If it’s steep and technical then of course I won’t be covering too many kilometers per hour, but that doesn’t mean I’m not working hard! I’ll usually look for routes that allow me to cover as much Vert as possible in a given period of time. So even though there is an emphasis on long runs, my typical weekly mileage wouldn’t 36 Skyrunner
be particularly high (not that I count it anyway!). When accumulating Vert, do you think single big climbs are best or reps? If given the choice between the two I would always prefer a single big climb. Unfortunately, such climbs can be hard to come by in Australia so I do a lot of reps. I think the answer to that question also depends on what you are looking to achieve. If you want to explore somewhere nice then personally I think a big mountain would be most satisfying. If you are looking to improve your speed uphill then some shorter
reps might help. Is steeper climbing requiring hiking better than more runable hills? That depends on what the most logical route is! There is always a trade-off between how direct the line you take to get to a summit is and how quickly you can move along that line. I think it’s important to balance those two aspects if you want to reach the top of mountains quickly. The fastest route may involve some hiking and it may also involve some running (and if you’re lucky, some scrambling as well) - neither section is “better” than the other.
june 13th 2015 Mt Difficulty - Cromwell New Zealand
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2014 world skyrunning champs
The 2014 World Skyrunning Championships saw the Australian and New Zealand Skyrunning Association send a team that mixed experienced campaigners with youthful exuberance. The squad was determined by recent race results and future potential, including the winners of the Buffalo Stampede Marathon and Ultra getting automatic selection. There was a certain amount of uneasiness from team captain Marcus Warner ahead of the racing kicking off. But when the weekend came to an end, his worries were abated as the results across the two main events we supported showed the right decisions had been made. The championships were held in the adventure sports hub of Chamonix, France. It’s a picturesque part of the world and home to the most famous ultra on the planet – Ultra Trail Mt Blanc. Across the three days of racing there was a vertical kilometre, a Marathon with 2,511m of vertical gain, and an 80km race with over 6,000m of ascent and descent. Team ANZ had its sights set on the longer races, with Anna Frost, Ruby Muir, Jo Brischetto, Jacinta O’Neill, Lucy Bartholomew and SarahJayne Miller representing the women, and Ben Duffus, Caine Warburton, Dave Byrne, Matt Cooper, Blake Hose, Vlad Ixel and Jonathan Wyatt in the men’s.
Anna Frost showed why she is regularly one of the top women in the sport. Her comeback to form in 2014 was remarkable!
The team was also supported by Marcus Warner (Manager), Sean Greenhill (Support crew) and Phil Murphy (Light entertainment!). But across the time in Chamonix plenty of others, such as Ian Corless, lent a hand through advice and support on the course. Race One: The Ultra A cool morning saw competitors rugged up with headlamps on, as they milled around the starting area in the middle of town. Watching the huge field depart is a pretty amazing thing to see. Thousands of small lights bob
into the distance as even more thousands of people cheer them on. Some two and a half hours later the sun rose, just as the front of the field were summiting the first major climb. Team ANZ had Anna Frost, Ruby Muir, Jacinta O’Neill and Lucy Bartholomew in the women’s, with Ben Duffus, Caine Warburton, Matt Cooper and Blake Hose in the men’s category. Anna was one of the favourites and ran confidently from the start, always in pursuit of the fast starting Emelie Forsberg from Sweden. It remained this way throughout the day with
Emelie victorious in 12 hours 38 mins, some eight minutes ahead of Anna (12:46:52) who was a further twelve minutes clear of Poland’s Magdalena Laczac in third (12:58:51). Leading the rest of the ANZ women’s team home was Jacinta, placing 19th. The men’s race saw a battle for the win between Spain’s Luis-Alberto Hernando and Francois D’Haene of France. The incredibly tough 80km course seemed relatively easy for these two very experienced campaigners and they quickly gapped the rest of the field. In
2014 world skyrunning champs
the end Hernando was a clear victor (10:25:52) with D’Haene second (10:29:33). Little did they know that behind them something pretty special was unfolding for Team ANZ’s Ben Duffus. After a slow start he was building his way into the race and as the kilometres ticked over and the mountains were summited, he moved through the field, until the final descent where he passed fourth place (Clement Petitjean) to climb onto the podium (10:52:33). What’s also remarkable were the performances of the men’s team as a whole, with Blake Hose in
6th and Caine Warburton 9th. Three in the top ten put ANZ Skyrunning on the map! Race Two: The Marathon
The morning weather was wet and cold. With snow falling at 2,000m race organisers were forced to adjust the course to make things safe for participants and officials. This alteration had minimal impact on the event as the 42km still covered serious terrain. Being shorter means the intensity is higher, and from the gun a lead pack of men formed with a group of the top women
also gathering further down the field. Eventual winner Kilian Jornet seemed unaffected by the vertical kilometre the previous day and sat relaxed within the front group. It’s a tactic he regularly employs, whereby he plays it cool until he decides it’s time to run for home, making a move on either a technical descent or steep climb. In this instance he pushed for the win on the final climb of the day, gapping the small pack of 5 that remained. From here Kilian was uncontested as he dropped into the valley and ran through the streets of Chamonix, high
2014 world skyrunning champs
fiving the cheering fans as he crossed the line in 3 hours 23 minutes. Two minutes later Michel Lanne of France came in for second with Great Britain’s Tom Owens hanging on for third (3:27:41). The women’s race unfolded in a similar way to the men’s, with a lead pack gradually being whittled down before Elisa Desco from Italy ran away with the win (3:53:33) after a strong move in the final kilometres. Team USA filled the next 3 places with Megan Kimmel in second (3:54:51), Stevie Kremmer in third (3:55:36) and Kasie Enman fourth (4:03:14). The ANZ contingent ran brilliantly, with all the women surpassing their pre-race goals. The most exciting result was provided by Lucy Bartholomew who took out the Junior title. Yep, she’s the World Junior Champion! A huge thanks needs to go out to Ian Corless, Sean Greenhill and Phil Murphy for their support.
42 Skyrunner
21 November 2015, Oxford, Canterbury, New Zealand
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42km SkyMarathon 3607 D+ Oceania SkyRunning Series Final
80,34 OR 16KM RUN ON THE LEGENDARY HILLARY TRAIL
“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”
The Hillary Trail traverses the Waitakere Ranges on the west coast of New Zealands largest city - Auckland. Named in honour of New Zealand’s Sir Edmund Hillary, the trail sums up the sense of adventure and personal achievement that Sir Ed himself championed and was renowned for.
Stunning views, rugged beaches, magnificent native bush including the hundreds of year old native Kauri trees. Past large waterfalls, along clifftops and through sand dunes and marshlands – something for everyone.
Come along and Knock The Bugger off!
www.thehil ary.co.nz
the hillary As far as scenery goes, you’ll struggle to find better! The Hillary may only be in its second year, but there’s no doubting it will quickly become one of the most iconic events in New Zealand. We had a chat with larger than life race director Shaun Collins to get the lowdown.
Skyrunninganz.com 45
What inspired you to create The Hillary? The Hillary is in the Waitakere Ranges which is basically my backyard. I train there a lot and when the council decided to string a bunch of existing walking tracks into one epic trail I had to do it. I was first with a mate to run the trail a week before the official opening and fell in love with it. The trail covers so many different terrain types and offers so much varied scenery that you’re never bored. And not to mention the physical challenge, cause there is gnarly technical trails, steep ups, some sand, wicked downhills....It's
the hillary 46 Skyrunner
trail running porn and I wanted to share it with the world! How would you describe the course? There’s heaps of details by clicking here, but in summary the Trail follows a variety of terrain and scenery – many claim a magical pull of the trail and keep coming back for more. Stunning views throughout the trail, rugged West coast beaches, magnificent native bush including the centuries old Kauri trees. Large waterfalls and sand dunes, cliff tops and marshlands – there is something for everyone. Named the ‘Hillary Trail’ after
pre-eminent mountaineer and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary. It officially opened on 11 January 2010 & connects a network of existing regional park tracks & basic backpacker campgrounds. There’s no denying, this is a tough challenge – mentally & physically. With 3,700m climb, the current fastest time is 8 hours 38 mins. Many would think this is a long time for 75km but those that have done it would agree – this is no ordinary 75km. The 80km course follows the Hillary Trail from the Arataki Visitors Centre West of Titirangi all the way to Muriwai, via Huia,
“It’s trail running porn and I wanted to share it with the world!”
Whatipu, Karekare, Piha and Bethells. The event adds approximately 5km extra to the official Hillary Trail with a loop at the start, some extra distance at the end and a detour at Pararaha to avoid the beach section into Karekare as this is a scientific reserve as such no events are allowed on it. The 34km course follows the Hillary Trail from Piha to Muriwai and the 16km course follows the Hillary Trail from Bethells to Muriwai. What’s one of the key highlights of the event? One of the key highlights to me is coming down into Whatipu (pronounced phat-a -poo :) ) about 23km in. You pop out of the bush into a little clearing with a massive sweeping view down to an aid station at Whatipu and the mount of the Manukau Harbour - Awhitu peninsula and if you look carefully, Australia! You continue down the ridge and end up running along the top of some massive cliffs that drop straight down into the harbour. You arrive at a seat on the high point and if you look north you can see all the way up the coast to Muriwai in the far distance - which is your finish! After soaking that up you scurry down a rocky face to the second aid station of the 80km at Whatipu. One of my favourite parts of the Hillary Trail and the first runners will do this section just as the sun is rising, so it’s just an amazing sensation and reminds you why you love what we do!! What excites you about being part of the Skyrunning Oceania series? I am so excited to be part of the series because it means that more people will get a chance to experience the HiIlary, which is why I'm putting the event on. The Skyrunning Oceania series will mean more people will be aware of the event and have the motivation to enter to score point is the series. Because the event is only in its second year in 2015 the plan to Skyrunninganz.com 45
promote and raise awareness in Australia was always a 2nd and third year goal, but now its going to jump start this promotion. On the competitive side, being part of the series means we'll have some top class runners and it’s always a goal to see what the fastest people can run this beast in and see what they think of it and how it stacks up internationally! Who are the ones to watch in your race? The race is only in it's second year and with council approval and the announcement of our inclusion in the Skyrunner series still pretty fresh, anything can happen - We await the guns entries! The time set in the 2014 event by Quentin Stephan (8hrs 38) was pretty quick. Quentin is a sponsored runner from France and said it was the best trail run he has done, which is such a compliment to the area! He wasn't racing against the top New Zealanders though and I have heard a rumor that one of our best, Vajin Armstrong is looking to race in 2015. Vajin has run the Hillary Trail (not in an event) a year ago and held the fastest time for a bit so knows the trail and enjoyed the terrain. In the women’s, Joanna Johansen fresh off a win in the 2014 Tarawera Ultra has set a sharp looking time of 10hrs 04. For visiting athletes, what is there to see and do outside of the race? The race is in Auckland, which is New Zealand's largest city. Within Auckland there’s lots to see and do. The islands to explore, a forest mountain bike, water activities and plenty of cool trails to check out. Or with a bit more time you can head down country to explore the central volcanic area (national park), amazing running and mountain biking in Rotorua or further afield the amazing scenery of the South Island. New Zealand is just a big playgound with a lot of options, so get in touch and I'm more than happy to make suggestions based on time available. 46 Skyrunner
the hillary
Photo: Stewart Aickin
La Sportiva athletes Gill Fowler & Stephen Upton on Mount Feathertop Photo: Stewart Aickin
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ruth croft
Scouring through the 2014 SkyRunnning World rankings, looking for AUS or NZL beside any names, we found something intriguing. Sitting proudly at number 20 in the ladies rankings was New Zealander, Ruth Croft. To those that know her, this may not have been a surprise, but for many in the trail running scene of Australia and New Zealand, it’s a name that doesn’t often get spoken about. This is largely because Ruth now lives in Taiwan, however we might see her compete Down Under or in her home country in 2015.
Photo By: Lloyd Belcher. Event: MSIG Taiwan 50 [Action Asia Events]
You started out as a track and cross-country runner. What got you into Skyrunning? When I lived in New Zealand I always did track, cross-country and mountain running, but I always preferred both crosscountry and mountain running. After high school I decided to take up an athletics scholarship in the States. Over these four years in the university program I didn’t have the opportunity to compete in any mountain running or longer trail races. After I graduated I decided to move to Taiwan. The move to Taiwan for once in my life was not based around running. At university I had four years of injury and disappointing performances, therefore in moving to Taiwan I had no intention of running. After a couple of months I realized how ingrained running was in my lifestyle so I started going to the odd hash harriers. In the first 6 months I missed out on signing up for a lot of races. Running has really exploded here and races fill up quickly, you need to be on your computer as soon as registration opens. Originally I wanted to run The North Face 15km but it was already full, the 50km was the only one still open, so I entered that. I also had some friends who had done the Mt Fuji Ascent the year before, which I thought sounded like an awesome way to combine running and travelling. From then on it has been a progression. After finding my feet in Taiwan I started training more and seeking out similar races to this in Asia. I have been doing the training and races that I have
wanted to do, and I have got back the passion that I once used to have for running that I had lost for a long time. What have been your most memorable ultra or trail races? My most memorable race would be the Tenzing Hilary Mt Everest 60km Ultra I did in Nepal this May. We hiked for 12 days to Mt Everest Base Camp (5364m), acclimatizing a long the way. Normally the race is suppose to start from there and go to Naamche Bazaar (3440m), but two days before the race we got an usual amount of snow for that time of year. We stayed one night at base camp and then got moved down to Gorakshep (5164m), and the race started from there. It is not like most races where you just show up at the start line and run, here you had 12 days until the day of the race, so getting to the start line in full health was the main aim. It was amazing to have the opportunity to run in this scenery/landscape and also at that altitude. In the last 30km foreign participants had a local Nepali Sherpa run with them. It was amazing at such ease the Nepali were able to run at that altitude, wearing jeans, hiking boots and carrying an umbrella might I add, while here I was struggling to even walk up the slightest incline. It really reaffirmed to me why I run, it was more than a race, it was an amazing opportunity and experience that I was able to share with others who have the same passion for running. What is it like training in Taipei? Most people think of Taipei as another populated Asian city but Skyrunninganz.com 53
ruth croft “Just being in nature is what inspires me. You also see places you most probably would not have experienced if it weren’t for the race ”
54 Skyrunner
for a city this size the mountains and trails are rather accessible, the trails here have shorter and really steep inclines opposed to other places like Hong Kong etc. If you are able to make it to central Taiwan the trails and scenery are something else. Of course the summers are hot and humid which can sometimes pay a toll on your training but you learn to deal with it. I have a great training group (三重箭歇 團), which I contribute a lot to my improvement over the past year. They have been my Taiwanese family and a big reason why I am still here. As I mentioned earlier running has really taken off here, there are at least half a dozen road races you can sign up for every weekend, and as for trail races they are slowly on the rise too, at the moment there are not too many. What does a standard week of training look like for you? My mileage can range from anywhere between 100-160km really depending on if I have a race coming up or how my body is feeling. I used to be really fixated on mileage and would often not listen to how my body is feeling. Now if I am tired I will back off and get in the pool if need be. I train six days a week. I do one track/speed workout. During the week I do two long hill runs. The other days I will double up morning and evening. On the weekend I will get in a good longer run. I also go to the gym and do strength work 2/3 times a week. What’s your favourite session? A long run in the mountains…
ha-ha. I don’t like speed workouts but I am starting to learn to embrace them as my friend, and I now realize how beneficial they are to my training. What plans do you have for the Oceania Skyrunning Series? At the moment I am just focused on Tarawera 100km. I definitely want to get to Australia at least to run the Buffalo Stampede, but of course that depends on financials. I will more likely head to Hong Kong in October to do the skyrunning race there, as it is a lot closer, I will just see how things go. What piece of equipment or gear is your ‘Must have’? When it comes to gear I keep it simple, carry the essentials and don’t get too caught up in it. What do you use for nutrition during training and racing? Over here I am big on the nori rice ball and sweat potato for longer races. For the shorter races I use Pocketfuel and Clif. I’m not big on taking supplements I try to eat real food instead. If there was one race on the planet you could do, what would it be and why? After doing the race in Nepal I am definitely more interested in doing the extreme ultras and stage races. Further down I would love to do the Antarctica 100km or the Jungle Ultra. Why do these interest me? It is the experience you get from these sorts of races, as I already mentioned with the race in Nepal. The mental and physical challenges that they bring, than say your local 10km road race. Just being in nature is what inspires me. You also see
places you would most probably not have experienced if it weren’t for the race. What advice do you have for newcomers to the sport? The advice I have is to get yourself in the right running environment. Whether it is with friends or with a training group. At the end of the day, yes, running is an individual sport but if you can share it with others that have the same passion for it as you, I think that’s when you make progress. It is always good to have others to bounce ideas off about training, and to keep you in check when you start getting too carried away, or start slacking off haha. Choose races you are interested in and just enjoy, don’t get too caught up in it, at the end of the day it is only a race, and there will always be another one. Ruth is sponsored by The North Face Taiwan. Photo By: Lloyd Belcher Event: MSIG Taiwan 50 [Action Asia Events]
ruth croft
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Series calendar Date Race Location January 24th The Ultra Easy Wanaka, New Zealand March 14th The Hillary Auckland, New Zealand March 29th Mount Buller Skyrun Mount Buller, Australia April 15-16th The Buffalo Stampede Bright, Australia June 13th Mt Difficulty Ascent Cromwell, New Zealand August 15-16th Barneys Bluff Mt Barney, Australia October 10-11th Hounslow Classic Blackheath, Australia November 21st Sky Rock n Run Canterbury, New Zealand skyrunninganz.com.au
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