CREHAN CLAIMS 4TH AT UTA100

Contributed by Matthew Crehan, AURA member

Ultra-Trail Australia, 13-16 May 2021, Katoomba NSW

I was a bit of a late entrant for this year’s UTA, and was wondering whether I was coming in a bit overcooked with a rather enthusiastic race calendar. I had raced the Margaret River Ultramarathon two weeks before it, and the 100 miler at Alpine Challenge two weeks before that. I was still feeling fit and ready to race, but a little apprehensive about how I might go in the second half. After all, 100km is a long way!

I arrived around lunch time the day before the race and was instantly surrounded by the buzz and spectacle that is the Ultra Trail Australia. By far the biggest trail running event in the country, and with the current global situation, possibly the biggest in the world this year! So many runners in town, so much excitement and anticipation in the air! I did my pre-race check in and headed to the La Sportiva tent at the expo. Good to see so many familiar faces, and to meet quite a few more. Without sounding too cheesy an event like this really does feel like a gathering of the tribe. It’s worth noting here that I picked up a pair of La Sportiva Jackals from the expo and wore them straight out of the box for the race. I wouldn’t really recommend this strategy, but I’ve had a couple of pairs of this model so I was confident they’d be alright. Not one blister, or any hot spots or issues with them. Can’t complain about that!

Race morning came about in a flash, and all of sudden I was at the start line standing shoulder to shoulder with some of the best ultra runners in the country. Gees it was cold! But the collective nervous excitement was enough to keep the blood flowing. The lead pack took off really fast. I knew it would, and I was keen to keep them in view just to watch how quick it went off, but was quickly swamped by many runners looking to get up the front. After a bit of ducking and weaving I found myself where I wanted. Not right up in the front, but in a decent size pack just behind. I was surprised how long this group stayed together, it seemed a comfortable pace but pretty quick for the start of a 100km race. I think we went through 5km in a little over 20 minutes, but my main concern was not getting held up when we hit the single track. I think everyone had the same thought though, and there was a bit of conga line as we headed along the single track between Furber Steps and the Golden Stairs. It was a little frustrating at times but was fun chatting with Matt Dunn and Joe Dorph, who said he had achieved his race goal of ‘coming between the two Matts!’ 

Checkpoint one came in the blink of an eye and soon after Ben Duffus, who had stopped to fill his bottles, caught up and we ran for a little while together. He congratulated me on Margaret River and I was pretty chuffed that he knew who I was to be honest. He soon pulled ahead, and it was impressive to watch his lead grow and grow. I found myself running solo for the next little while along the wide gravel roads along the Narrowneck Plateau. I quite enjoyed being able to get into my own rhythm and take in the spectacular views through this section. I was also pleased that it meant no hold up at Tarros Ladders.

I had heard voices approaching from behind that seemed to be getting closer along the fire trail, but through the single track after the ladders I seemed to pull away again. This was another section that felt really good to flow quickly through, while being technical enough to occupy the mind and stay in the moment. 25km ticked over in a little over two hours, and I couldn’t believe how quick the time had gone. This was a good sign, although unfortunately didn’t last too long. By the 30km came around, I was starting to have a little bit of a low patch. The voices I had heard earlier caught me and it turned out to be Vajin Armstrong and another runner who’s name I think was Joe (sorry if I’m wrong Joe). It was great talking to Vajin, he has a lot of experience and came across as being very calm and in control, and full of wisdom. It takes many miles on the trails to build that up, and it was just what I needed as he dragged me out of my low patch and into Checkpoint 2. 

A quick water refill and I was on the move. Said a brief g’day and chatted about Margaret River to Michael Dimuantes as he powered past me up the hill. He said he was a bit inexperienced, and I wondered if pushing hard up that climb would come back to bite him, but he proved me wrong and managed to hold it together for a great race. The out and back along Ironpot Ridge is quite a spectacular part of the race, and with the addition of live traditional Aboriginal music, it really is spine tingling.

It’s also a good chance to see who’s ahead, and I was able to note that Vlad Shatrov and Morgan Lindquist were only three and a half minutes ahead. That surprised me, and I wondered how far ahead of them Ben was. I kept ticking along by myself for a while, passed here by eventual winner Matthew Pellow, although he didn’t have much to say. At around the 40km mark I passed by Vlad Shatrov, who had slowed down substantially. He seemed determined though and kept pushing forward despite not having the day he had hoped for.

Once again running along gravel roads, I next came upon Morgan Lindquist. He also wasn’t having the day he had hoped for. I asked if it was an injury from that morning and he said, ‘no I had a baby a few months ago and haven’t slept since!” I wished him good luck and ran on towards Checkpoint 3. 

As I pulled into the check point, I saw my training partner Matt Dunn standing outside the competitor’s area, with his jacket on. I had expected him to be not too far behind and it was a bummer to hear he’d had to pull out due to injury. Seemed that a lot of people weren’t having the day they were hoping for. Up next was Nelly’s Glen. I lot of people seem to fear this section, but I’ve got to admit I kind of like it. Yes it’s steep and yes it’s slow, and yes, the stairs seem to be never ending! But it’s the same for everyone through there, so I find if I just keep my head down and move forward (and upward), those stairs do eventually end and it feels good knowing you’ve pushed all the way up.

Maybe those repeats on Donna Buang have paid off in the long run. After popping out up the top it was just a short run through the streets of Katoomba to the Aquatic Centre and Checkpoint 4. 

I left the check point feeling good, but after five or so kilometres I started to go through another low patch. I think the deep fatigue from previous races was starting to catch up to me. Before long I ran out of water and it seemed to take forever to reach the next water point at Fairmont Resort. I was told I was in sixth at that point, and given rough splits to the runner ahead, but even those relatively small numbers seemed insurmountable at that point. I kept pushing forward, was rewarded by a beautiful rainbow over some iconic Blue Mountains cliffs and was reminded how lucky I was to be running out there.

A lot of track maintenance and upgrades have taken place on the trails through this section, and there was a lot of new sandstone steppers, which I found really hard to get a good rhythm over. Too far apart to take them two at a time, but too close for one step on each. I ended up sort of doing a mix of the two, but at a frustrating pace considering it was so flat. I guess they’re not designed for running, and really can’t complain with the amount of work that goes into making these stunning landscapes more accessible. I passed through the Echo Point tourist area and continued down the steep stairs down into the valley. Along here I bumped into Ben Duffus and he said he has also dropped out due to injury. What was happening today?!

I felt bad for him, and wished him all the best, but also thought that might mean I’d snuck into the top five. I kept at it, despite my legs screaming in protest, and as I approached Checkpoint 5 saw another 100km runner up ahead.

This gave me another boost of energy and I managed to reel him in a couple of hundred metres out from the hospital, making sure I kept the foot down in hope that he wouldn’t stick with me. At the check point I got a rev up by Matt, telling me Brendan Davies was not too far ahead. I had a really good section down Kedumba last year, so hoped I could do it again. Legs were definitely more fatigued than at this point last time though. I gave it a push, and managed to pass him about half way down the descent. I think that put me in fourth, but couldn’t be sure.

If you had told me I’d be coming fourth at this point before the race I would have been over the moon, but it’s hard not to get greedy when it comes to competition, always wanting to go that little bit better. Just one more and maybe I can get onto that podium! By this point though, my legs had other ideas. The last 10km is just about all up hill, and I just couldn’t move as quick as I wanted to. My focus shifted from catching the guy up ahead, to just hoping to keep in front of the guy behind. I kept chipping away for what seemed like forever, my sub 10-hour goal slowly fading away. Eventually I reached the bottom of Furber Steps.

I found Majell Backhausen there and he helped clear the way and attempted to get a few legible words out of me on his Go-Pro as we climbed. I mumbled something about being cold all day and he left me to finish the climb. Despite the steps, this last kilometre actually seemed to pass quicker than the few before, and after accidentally photobombing some 50km runners nearing the top, I popped out into Scenic World and ran through that glorious finish shoot in 4th place in a time of 10:16.     

All in all, I’m really happy with how the day went. I had two goals leading into it: to try and go under 10 hours, and to try and break into the top five. I fell a little short with my time goal but was really pleased to come across in fourth place. I had quite an enthusiastic race schedule leading into UTA, and I do believe that came back to bite me a little, especially in the second half. Perhaps it cost me a place on the podium, but there too many what ifs in racing to even venture down that rabbit hole. And given how much I have enjoyed racing recently, I don’t think I would change it even if I could.

Well done to everyone who ran over the weekend. No matter the distance, those trails are amazing, and everyone should be proud to have tackled them. Thanks so much to La Sportiva Australia and Bogong Equipment for their support and helping me get to these races. One thing I know for sure is that I will certainly be back next year, for the annual gathering of the tribe that we call Ultra Trail Australia!

Pictured: Matt Crehan at the finish line after completing the UTA100. Photograph – Supplied.