RUNNING STRONG ON HOME TRAILS AT BTU 2021

Contributed by Jessica Schluter, AURA member & 1st Female at BTU110km

Brisbane Trail Ultra 110km, 9-11 July 2021, Brisbane Qld

Training and racing trail events are just that little bit different now that we have to contend with all the uncertainty around COVID, lockdowns and border restrictions. This year’s Brisbane Trail Ultra had all that excitement and more with things being up in the air a few weeks out from the start. COVID derailed quite a few friends from being able to join the start line but in the end the organisers managed to put on an incredible event, and I was happy to make use of a few good months of training. 

BTU is an awesome event but especially so because these trails are my bread and butter. I train on these trails every week and could have run all 110km without a single trail marker. The event kicks off in The Gap with the first 43km to the Checkpoint 1 being a good solid run up the hill to Mount Nebo. While we don’t necessarily have the long impressive climbs found in the southern states, we do have unrelenting, undulating climbs that after a while add up and can put a bit of sting into the legs. Because of COVID we kicked off in waves to keep us all distanced but I was happy to find myself running with a few of the 100 Mile runners after a couple of minutes and enjoyed a good chat as we cruised the single track around Enoggera Reservoir.

From here the trail widens out and criss-crosses Enoggera Creek multiple times which means some good slippery descending and then some good climbing up out of the creek crossings. Once you get out of the final creek crossing (for this section) you are now on the staple trail of all Brisbane trail runners, South Boundary Road. I hit South Boundary feeling good and came across a friend who was running the miler. He had only just completed the Adelaide 200 Mile event a few weeks back and I was keen to hear more about his run.

We chatted for a few kilometres until we hit the beautiful single track in and around Jolly’s Lookout and Mount Nebo. It’s an out and back here so crossing paths with a lot of other runners was quite fun and I was keen to see how much of a lead I had on the next female, which looked to be about 10 minutes. I popped out of the bush at Jolly’s Lookout, saw my beautiful family for a quick high-five and photo stop before heading into the first checkpoint. At Mount Nebo I got in and out quickly with the help of my speedy crew and prepared myself mentally for the next section. 

From Mount Nebo (43km) to Gold Creek Reservoir (73km) is probably the toughest section of the course. One trail in particular is Township Break and it’s a ripper. Ropes are installed for the race to keep us upright on the steep descent to the creek. These were very helpful until you get to the end of the rope and then wonder what the hell you are going to do now. I slipped and slid down Township Break all the while thinking about the grinding climb out where I knew a 20min kilometre would be showing up on my watch. I was happy to make it to the top of Township in one piece and was then able to enjoy some rolling hills down to the bottom of the next big climb up Creek Road.

I focussed on getting enough food and fluids in on this section because I know from past ultra’s that this is often where I can come unstuck if I don’t eat enough. Once hitting the bottom of Creek Road it’s another ‘hands on knees’ climb and with close to 65km in the legs it’s a relief to get to the top. I saw two runners up ahead of me and had the goal to catch them before the top in the next 1.5km. I managed to catch them both just at the top before we all refilled our bottles at the water stop. 

From here the trail heads across The Pinnacles which are a net downhill but at the time really don’t feel like it. I was happy to turn off The Pinnacles onto the single track around Gold Creek Reservoir because I knew it was only about 5km to the check point. It had been a really windy day up until now and with this section being along a ridge the wind was absolutely howling at this point. Getting off the ridge was good and dropping down into the reservoir where it felt less likely that a huge branch was going to fall on my head was a relief.

Coming into the 75km Gold Creek Reservoir checkpoint I felt strong and on top of things. I collected a refill of gels and a treat of mashed potato and ginger beer. I was happy to feel like I was heading for home. There is another long climb out of this checkpoint but I took this moment to powerhike, eat my potato treat and put on some music for the first time. I was glad I was running alone as there was some seriously bad singing going on. From here there are more rolling hills until you get to another climb called Kokoda. With almost 90km in your legs it a definite hiking hill and it can really bite but once I got to the top I knew I could enjoy a cruise along to the top of Mount Cootha.

When I hit this flat track, I immediately started running amongst the 30km runners. They flew past me so quick I thought I must have actually been walking. It was nice to have the distraction of these runners around me and even nicer to get to the final checkpoint at Slaughter Falls. It was here at 95km I could pick up my pacer, Brad, who was going to safely navigate me through the final section which included some of the most technical trail of the entire race and then a final 10 or so kilometres on bitumen. 

It was great to run with Brad and we chatted away pretending that we were actually just out for a 20km training run around Cootha. Head torches got turned on and I had a pretty scary near miss along this section, clipping my foot on something random and almost ending up face first into a big rock. This made my heart rate skyrocket and my knees lift just that little bit higher in the hope I could get to the end of the track in one piece. We kept running alongside the 30km runners and while I tried to keep pace with some of them at times, I just didn’t have it in my legs. 

We left the bush for the last time and headed into the suburban section of the course. It was actually super fun running through the streets of Bardon, past people out enjoying dinner and drinks, down past Suncorp Stadium and onto the footpath that follows the Brisbane River and has incredible views of the Brisbane city skyline. I was lucky enough to hit this section as the sun was going down, the city lights were turning on and I felt like I could just keep running. Brad kept the pace up and I was quite happy to maintain it if the path was flat. I called out to him that I was probably going to need to walk up over the Goodwill Bridge and when I didn’t get a response I knew he was planning on not slowing the pace and just seeing if I would keep up. As we hit the very pathetic incline of the bridge, which at the time seemed so much bigger, a couple of runners out for their evening speed session flew past us. I used this as motivation to just keep rolling the legs over and managed to get to the top of the bridge stilling running and was stoked to see the Kangaroo Point cliffs in sight and could hear the finish line music pumping. We enjoyed another kilometer or so along the river before one final push up the Kangaroo Point Cliff stairs to the finish line. 

I was stoked to cross the finish line in first place after 112km, 5500m of climbing and in 13 hours and 17 minutes. I ran strong all day and couldn’t have asked for a more fun day on my home trails. I can’t thank Shona, Cora and all the volunteers enough for making the Brisbane Trail Ultra happen. 

I’m already looking forward to the 2022 edition and possibly testing my legs (and head) by running the miler.