Hadley takes 100 miler to a new limit

By Kate Dzienis

In WA, despite the stormy weather on Friday, September 22 and the 100kms Oxfam trail walk cancelled due to forecasts for a weekend of wild conditions, the Runningworks WTF 50 & 100 Mile Trail Ultra stayed on course for 51 registered participants – 26 in the 50mi and 25 for the 100mi.

The ultra is held along the Munda Biddi mountain bike trail with a start line at Dwellingup, tracking all the way to Jarrahdale and back again for the long distance, while the shorter run heads up from Jarrahdale to Dwellingup. Generally held on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in WA, it proves great timing for participants who can take an extra day to recover on the Monday.

There was some astonishing running early in the race for the 100mi. Despite freezing temperatures when the bell sounded, AURA member Nathan Fawkes kept everyone on their toes as he took front position for the first three-quarters, staying at least 30 minutes ahead of fellow AURA runner Andrew ‘Felix’ Poli by the time he reached Kingsbury Aid Station in the first lap.

“I felt amazing for the first 50k, and I started to think it would be a good day,” he recalled.

“At about 134kms, I had a gel and it instantly made me feel sick; I doubled over but managed to keep it down, however this was the beginning of the end.”

Fawkes revealed his usual nutrition for long distance was Coke, gels and a Clif bar but when he hit that 15-hour mark, nothing sweet could sustain him and he realised he wasn’t getting the calorie intake required. Despite dropping his lead, Fawkes pushed on in the rain and absolute cold, crossing the finish line in a little over 22:32:00 in sixth position.

Keith Holt took over the lead and claimed top spot with a time of 19:11:59 with trail runner extraordinaire Poli coming in second at 20:44:51.

One of the strongest performances seen on the trails at the weekend was that of Henley Brook runner and AURA member Margaret Hadley, who took a well-deserved first place for the women’s division and second overall in the 100mi.

What made her race even more significant was that she set a new record as the first woman to finish the WTF 100mi in under 20 hours.

Hadley pointed out her race start was standard, but that given it was her first 100 miler, she was unsure how to pace herself.

“Having never run this distance before, it was hard to know exactly what pace to try and hold, and I could hear Felix behind me yelling at me to slow down, he was worried I might burn out early,” she said.

“We had done the odd Saturday long run together, but our only plan was to not run together too much otherwise we would push each other too much!

“With all the rain, there were some big puddles on the track and keeping our feet dry was impossible; poor sock choice meant I had blisters in the first 10k, something I normally don’t get.”

Hadley pushed through despite a pounding headache, lack of energy, and a mental struggle in between aid stations, but when you’re out doing just over 160kms, your body is going to compete against the norm – and it was this negativity that Hadley said was what kept her going, because she had to switch her thinking and change to a positive.

“I hate thinking negatively, I think you can train perfectly, but if you start thinking negative and aren’t mentally switched on it can ruin your whole race,” she revealed. 

Hadley finished strong, with an astonishing time of 19:57:47, and was the only female finisher in the 100mi.

Pictured: Margaret Hadley making her way to one of the aid stations at the 2017 WTF 100 Miler in WA. Photograph - Kate Dzienis.