Faultline Reflections

Last weekend it was the Faultline Ultra, which is fast becoming a fixture of the Wellington trail-running and mountain-biking calendar, with distances ranging from 6km to 161km (100 miles) and heaps of options in between. This was the third running of the event and - after I ran the 100km and 100-mile races in its first two years - I had a change of role this year, with a mixture of cheering and volunteering across the weekend.

I started off with registering athletes at the event expo on the Friday afternoon, getting a feel for the excitement of the runners and bikers ahead of their races. On Sunday, I had the pleasure of cheering on two YRP athletes in Sav and Lucy as they crushed the 25km.

YRP athletes Sav and Lucy getting ready to crush it with Brent in the 25km

Between this, I was really grateful to have the opportunity to operate the Woolshed aid station for the afternoon. This aid station was in a part of the course that was only covered by the 100-mile runners and relay teams, coming around 63km into the 161km course. I remembered this part of the course well from my 100-mile race last year, being at a point when I knew I wanted to keep moving efficiently to the halfway point in Porirua while keeping on top of fuelling and hydration.

It was a really interesting exercise to get to see the whole field come through and the different approaches of runners to their aid station and crew strategies. At the front of the field, everything was very slick and organised - you could have been watching a live stream of an elite race, like Western States or UTMB. Both Simon McLean and Mel Brandon - who led the men’s and women’s races respectively from tape-to-tape - had crews waiting for them. They had bottles pre-filled and simple questions asked to them. They were both in and out of the aid station in a minute or so with everything they needed for the next leg.

Serious bottle-filling mode at the front of the field

In the middle of the pack, there were a real mix of approaches. Very few people had crews and in general, it seemed like runners had given less thought to what support they needed at the aid station. Some people rushed through without taking any additional fluids, meaning they would likely only have had a litre over the course of a very hilly 20km section. Others did take on fluids, but only after stopping to think for a while about what they needed and being in the aid station for five minutes or more. Of course, some runners were able to come in with their flasks unscrewed and tell me exactly what they needed to get in and out well-hydrated and in quick time. Even these runners still had time for a quick yarn and a high-five before they headed back out on to the course.

Bogdan knew what he needed

For those towards the back of the pack, there did seem to be a bit more thought going into what needed to happen at the aid station. One runner produced labelled ziplock bags with precisely measured amounts of powder to go in each of their four flasks. It seemed for this group that the pressure of beating the time cut-offs had focused their minds to know that they had to be efficient in aid stations. On top of that, they couldn’t afford to get behind on fuel or hydration, as they would be spending more time getting between aid station than those further up the field.

My overall lesson from the day is that everyone deserves to be able to take themselves as seriously as the people at the front. If you are lining up for an ultramarathon, you have trained consistently for months and you owe it to yourself, after having invested so much in yourself. Even if your goals don’t revolve around finishing in the fastest time, in the highest position or ahead of cut-offs, getting through aid stations efficiently with everything you need will set you up for success. Fuelling well and moving efficiently will always allow you to have the most fun experience you can out there, and to have a day that is fully connected to your purpose - even when that purpose involves stopping to have a yarn and a high-five along the way.

I always love chatting about how to have the best race experience possible with athletes. Drop a comment below to share your plans or send me a message if you want to grab a call, a coffee or a run to talk more about your next big scary goal and how I can help at Your Running Pal.