The Gold Coast is fortunate to host Australia's premiere ultra marathon each June long weekend.  The event consists of 100km, 50km and 25km. The 100km incorporates the National 100km road Champion-ships of Athletics Australia and the Australian Ultra Runners Association Inc. (AURA).  This year TSS old boy Terence Bell took line honours in the 100km race, finishing in a staggering 7hrs 42mins.  This time places Terence only 10 minutes outside the course record.  Southport Triathlon Club was fortunate to catch up with Terence after the race to hear how things went for him, not only during the race but also in the lead up to the start line.

Winners race report by Terence Bell

Participating in the Sydney Oxfam Charity events was my first exposure to ultra-marathons and these team-based events inspired me to complete an individual 100k race at some stage. Why not add the Gold Coast 100 Super Marathon to my running achievements and tick this off the list?

After developing a solid base building up to the Six-Foot Track in March, my specific training began 10 weeks out where I followed Don Wallace's training program (http://tinyurl.com/mdj6f7 ), whilst also taking guidance from the well-respected NZ coach Arthur Lydiard. Essentially the focus for my training was endurance & stamina with the final few weeks dedicated to strength & speed.


Training went to plan and with a few road races mixed in (Canberra 50k, SMH Half, Sydney Striders 10k) I felt like it was all coming together for a sub 8 hr finish. With my body working in overdrive my immune system was lower than normal and I got sick 2 weeks out, forcing me to cut back on the training and focus on restoring my health. Plenty of rest supplemented with herbal remedies allowed me to shake it in a week, however the next small setback was the most frustrating. I was experiencing tightness in my right leg which was being caused from tightness in my right lower back (T11).

Remedy: heat pack, tennis ball and an expert in myotherapy massage. Right up until race day I wasn't comfortable that everything was ok and I did feel nervous standing on the start line, not sure if I was even going to complete the event.

Race Day

Lining up I knew I had done the work to run a decent time, however I was still anxious about my acute injury and how this could affect my race. With a full-moon lighting up the start line, the gun went off at 6am on a chilly but clear morning at Broadbeach. I went out at the predetermined pace of 4.25-30 per km and held this for the first 25km. As the course is relatively flat and consists of 4 x 25k laps, you still have to contend with 80 sharp stairs at Nobby’s and the small hills at Burleigh – this allowed me to run pretty consistently and maintain my pace throughout which is how I love to run. I maintained 4:25-30 pace for the next 25k and was feeling strong and very comfortable at the 50km mark. Just after that point I took over the lead runner (who pulled out due to a calf injury) then continued to hold the same pace for the rest of the loop. After running next to one of the race marshalls on a bike, I cruised to 75k’s and although my body was fatiguing, everything had gone to plan. After turning around for the final lap this was the point where I really started to feel the physical pain (especially in the quads) and where mental strength would play a key role.

At the 77k mark I could feel my body overheating internally and with the sun glaring down on me, I felt a bit delirious with my mind wandering for the first time in the race. I was in desperate need of water to cool the body down and I managed to keep it together, albeit dropping the pace to ~5:15/30. The aid station at ~80k was enough to refuel the body with water and a much-needed kick from the Leppin gel. I pushed on and was able to pick-up the pace from the turnaround point, knowing most of the hard work had been done – it was just a matter of staying in the zone.

Running is cathartic for me and when it gets tough I am able to switch my mind into idle and not think about the feet hitting the pavement every step. Running the final 12.5k I didn’t feel much physical pain, but had my eyes on the prize, ie. finishing the event. So I kept my head down, focussed on the white line on the road and stayed relaxed, eventually crossing the line in 7hours 42mins in 1st place. It was an amazing moment seeing my ecstatic parents & friends and although I was sore, I was definitely satisfied.

Nutrition

This type of race is not only about the physical training in the lead-up, but obviously other factors play a major role, one of the key ones being nutrition. My Nutrition plan was simple and easy to follow: 80g carbs per hour; 650-700ml of liquids per hour; salt tablets as required. Specifically I drank water at every aid station; Leppin gel (25g carbs) every 45mins; on the turnaround points (12.5k) I had either 500ml Endura Optimiser (30g carbs) or 500ml Leppin Electrolytes (30g carbs) + either a Banana (25g carbs) or half Endura Energy Bar (25g carbs).

Result

Time: 7:42 - 1st  place
Splits: 25k – 1:49; 50k – 3:37; 75k – 5:40; 100k – 7:42
Weight: 85kgs, no change throughout.

   

GC 100km top three place getters

For more information on the Gold Coast 100km run, visit www.goldcoast100.com