Spotlight On: Julie Steel

FAVOURITE RACING OR RUNNING DISTANCE

My favourite racing distance is 100 km on a trail because anything shorter is simply too fast for these slow-twitch legs. I am gradually warming up to 100-mile events, although they require a completely different level of training and nutritional strategy to complete! As long as the course is spectacular and I am ahead of the sweepers, I am delighted to keep plodding forward.

WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND YOU GETTING INTO ULTRA RUNNING?

In my mid-40s, I became involved in Masters Athletics at the local track because my son was participating in middle-distance events. After trying a variety of track and field events, I focused on steeple chasing because it was one of the longer events that provided a novelty aspect to break up the boredom of repeated laps of a track. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and athletics community, my favourite part of each training session was the cool down, when we could relax on a longer run outside the constraints of the track. Noticing my love of longer runs, a friend suggested I try a half marathon, so I entered the Blackmores Half Marathon in 2014. Although I happily completed the event, I couldn’t understand the point of training so hard just to run on bitumen further or faster. Hearing my concerns, the friend suggested I enter the local 29 km Coastal Classic in the Royal National Park in 2015 (pre-boardwalk). 

Despite being exhausted by the experience, as soon as I struggled across that elusive finish line, I knew I had found my passion – running along challenging but spectacular trails. In 2016, amongst several shorter trail runs, I completed my first trail marathon across the Polar Icecap in Greenland. In 2017, at 57 years of age, I savoured my first ultra-event – the 62km Tarawera Ultramarathon (TUM) in NZ, a distance unfortunately no longer available. I have since gradually increased the distance I run, completing my first 100 km run at TUM in 2020 and my first 100 miler, the inaugural Unreasonable East, in 2022 (62 years of age). 

Having retired from work at the end of 2020, I now have the luxury of time to train for each event without the stress of a demanding job – a ‘full-time athlete’ sponsored by my superannuation.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE ULTRA RUNNING EXPERIENCE SO FAR?

One of my favourite experiences was running the inaugural 2021 Simpson Desert Ultra, organised by the ever-smiling and energetic Birdsville legend, Jenna Brook. You knew this event would be special when Jenna titled herself "Fun Creator, aka Race Director". The course was brutal but stunning - think crystal clear night skies covered in blankets of stars, with distant dingo howls and sand dunes as far as your eyes can see. The race was physically and mentally challenging with a unique twist whereby we had to choose our start times. The emphasis throughout the event was focused on the adventure rather than the outcome, with each participant who completed the course receiving a metal mug hand-painted by local indigenous women. My husband and I had to hire a 4WD with a rooftop tent to travel to this remote event, making the race a 26-day outback adventure. The whole experience affected us so much that we purchased our own 4WD ute + slide-on camper to continue travelling to remote trails around Australia.

IF YOU WOULD WANT ANYONE IN THE WORLD TO PACE YOU AT AN EVENT, WHO WOULD IT BE? 

My dream pacer would be Courtney Dauwalter. Having paced her mother, I know she would have the patience to get me across that elusive finish line. However, her trademark broad smile, incredible sense of humour, love of all things sweet and the fantastic stories she could tell would make a Courtney-paced event extremely memorable. 

WHAT ARE 3 THINGS WE WOULD ALWAYS FIND IN YOUR DROPBAG?

1.    A cup of diced peaches in juice in every drop bag. Diced peaches are a fabulous sugar hit that are easy to digest without being sickly sweet. I look forward to reaching every drop bag just for the peaches!

2.    My "repair kit", with pre-cut strips of Fixomull and tape, and other items required for those emergency repairs.

3.    A toothbrush and toothpaste in the latter drop bags to fight that dreaded flavour fatigue.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE FILM OR BOOK ABOUT RUNNING?

A running documentary that profoundly impacted me was Chasing Pounamu. The 30-minute video documents the inspiring struggle of 58-year-old Adrian Henry as he desperately tries to complete the Tarawera 100 miler. The reward for finishing the miler is a hand-carved pounamu, which holds incredible significance in Māori culture. Tradition dictates that it should be gifted to the wearer for significant milestones as a symbol of respect. Once I had watched the documentary, with a tear-stained face, I had no choice but to try and chase that pounamu, so I entered the 2021 TUM 100-miler. Unfortunately, COVID-enforced New Zealand border restrictions prevented me from attempting the miler that year and the event was cancelled in 2022. Earlier this year, it was the third time lucky. I finally reached that elusive start line and completed the TUM 100-miler despite last-minute radical course changes because of weather-induced landslips. My husband and son offered to buy me a pounamu, but I knew I had to earn one despite having no Māori connections!

RECOVERY IS IMPORTANT – WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE OR BEST POST-WORKOUT/RECOVERY STRETCH OR EXERCISE?

I typically follow each workout with a large glass of chocolate milk, a handful of nuts (refuelling), a warm shower, and a recovery "nanna nap" if it has been a long run. Much of my weekly training also includes daily beachside walks to accumulate low-impact time on my legs. The walks are also crucial for training those walking muscles I use frequently in longer events and to maintain mobility. Before going to bed each night, I perform ~15 minutes of gentle mobilisation and rolling activities to keep my body mobile – at my age, activities to maintain mobility are crucial!

WHAT’S YOUR DREAM RUN OR EVENT?

I have already run in some of the most spectacular parts of the world, including across the Polar Icecap in Greenland, around volcanoes in the Atacama Desert in Chile, across the Faial Island in The Azores, and down from Everest Basecamp in Nepal. I have traditionally targeted smaller boutique events where the run has been a welcome excuse to explore other parts of unique countries. However, my dream event is the Western States Endurance Run – an iconic event with so much history. I have finally qualified, so I await the lottery outcome to see whether I can participate in 2024. I appreciate that my chances of succeeding in the lottery are incredibly slim, and completing the event at my age will be exceptionally challenging. However, like everything in ultra-running – you just keep dreaming and exploit that superpower of stubbornness!

If you would like to be featured in our Spotlight On segment, email ultramag@aura.asn.au with your interest!