Buffalo Stampede 75km Ultra

Loving the summit of Mt Buffalo the reccy day before the big race.

Buffalo Stampede 75km Skyrunning Oceanic Championships

Buffalo Stampede 75km Skyrunning Oceanic Championships was on in the Easter School Holidays in the quaint little town of Bright in the Victorian Alps. (My Kiwi partner was a bit let down after seeing our Australian Alps…..no snow on the peaks….no peaks at all really, eroded granite boulders for peaks instead!)

It was now 6 weeks after the Bubble Back Accident and my body was on the mend. I was not quite sure how it would hold up with all the quad smashing descents of the 5000m plus elevation again and loss of the Buffalo Stampede 75km ultra. The race kind of snuck up on me. I had not decided to enter it until just 1 month before, I was still in rehab mode after all my stacks, twists and falls. Buffalo Stampede 75km was part the Skyrunning Oceanic Series and I am careful not to race more than 1 race a month and not to make the same mistakes as I did in 2013 with 5 DNF’s. The Buffalo Stampede 75km Ultra seemed to fit into my race/training schedule nicely. I just had to hope that what ever training I did manage to fit in was enough. As I am now separated from my husband I have to work all my training around the kids. I only have the opportunity to train every 2nd weekend. The kids are in my care every 2nd split week. My family is down in NSW, so I’m kind of up here in QLD on my own just making good of the spare time I have to train.

I kind of looked at the Buffalo Stampede 75km Ultra as more of a build training session rather than an event. I had TNF100 which is part of the UTWT 6 weeks afterwards, so I was mindful of not smashing my body too much or to over extend myself at the Buffalo Stampede 75km. I look at the year as a season much like a football season. I try and build and improve with each event as the year goes on.

Mt Buffalo boulder hopping with Inov8 athlete Shona Stephenson

Buffalo Stampede 75km Ultra

I lined up on the stellar startling line of stacked female runners at the Buffalo Stampede 75km Ultra Skyrunning Championships. The best from Australia made the trip to Bright. Beth Cardelli, Gill Fowler, Julie Quinn, and New Zealand’s Jo Johansen, Whitney Dagg, Fiona Hayvice, Kate Mac and South African Runner gun runner Landie Greyling. Mountain Sports, always try and get the best runners going around and support athletes like no other event company I know of in Australia.

The count down started and we were off and running along the river path, past the slides turning right, passing the camp ground, following the creek, chilling out, dropping my ventolin, running back for my ventolin, passed by Whitney, running along chatting to SCC race director Sam Moffatt, continuing up the path, crossing the road, finding the single track and settling into a tempo up the first major climb of the day, Mystic Mountain.

After a few hundred meters, I was boiling hot. I cursed myself thinking I’d totally over dress for the start. I stopped and attempted to pull off my Hammer T-shirt but was unable too because my hair was caught in my Hammer Visor. My hair was so stuck I had to beg for help from a passing bloke to help me untangle my forming dreadlocks from the visor velcro.

While this happened I was past my Beth (giggling her arse off Gill, Julie, Jo, Sarah and another female QLD female runner, plus a whole heap of blokes too including Steve. Oh well, forced recovery up the first climb of the day may come in handy later. I just chilled out and accepted my fate, laughed at my situation and saw it as the trail running gods slowing me down and looking after me.

I pushed on with my poles up the climb and I was now in chase mode. Myself and the QLD chick worked together up the mountain, passing a few blokes together. We pushed on and finally made it to the summit of Mystic Mountain I rolled down the fire trail, passing the QLD chick and a few blokes, turned left and found myself sliding my my butt on the rocky open fire trail in the loose scree. I regained my footing, jumped over a clay mound and began my contrail scree, ski down Mystic Mountain passing, Gill, Julie, Fiona, Jo, my partner Steve and a whole heap of blokes. This section of the course was just thrilling! Crazy fun, totally cool, uncontrolled much like running down the side of Mt Ngauruhoe in NZ.

I called out ahead and did my best not to disturb rocks above other runners as I fell past them. I giggled and enjoyed the moment and just hoped I did not bust a quad or twist an ankle in the scree debris.

I hit the bottom and cruised along the fire trail in the state forest, turned to the right, enjoyed stretching out my legs through Bakers Gully. Before long I was climbing up to Clear Spot. I chilled out pumped out my tempo but was passed by Gill. I was then joined by Jo and we had a good old chit chat up the mountain while she swore like a trucker at the steepness of the terrain. I suggested that it was a Skyrunning Event and this was what was to be expected.

“Did you think it was going to be flat? This is Skyrunning, we have mountains over here too.” I jokingly informed her while she continued to swear up the exposed granite out crop of a ridge in the state forest. She swears more than me! It was hilarious to listen too. It made the climb so much more fun. We totally caught up like we were long lost friends up this climb together. We’d never really chatted before, by the end of the climb I knew that I’d like to spend more time with Jo. She is one cool chick.

After the chit chat we made it to the top of the never ending Clear Spot climb, ran past the paragliders and took in the sweeping views of the Bright Valley below. I followed the fire trail down the valley enjoying the ride, enjoying the flat ground more at Buckland, stretching my legs, rolling into the check point, quickly picking up my bottle with 500ml and getting the hell out of there. I pushed on up the road and was caught by Jo, then I was caught by my Partner Steve who was flying along. We ran together for about 1km then he was way too strong for me up Keating’s Ridge and I lost sight of him around a corner.

I tucked in to my tempo and just counted, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 10 over and over and over again until I hit the top and rolled down the hill, doing my best to catch any blokes ahead of me. Steve was long gone. I rolled down the fire trail into Eurobin Creek, dropped off my poles, grabbed my Hammer Nutrition off Connie my support crew and knuckled into the 9km of climbing.

Thanks Connie. A bottle of Heed and some Banana Gels and my spuds. Thanks Connie, Bye

This is where the trail turned from open exposed, jagged fire trail into stunning single trail, I was hurting already, my quads were trashed from the bone jarring descents of the first 15km. I chucked in a 100 walking steps and hoped my jelly legs would recover. I was passed by Julie Quinn, who was in amazing form, and knuckled into the 9km slog of a climb. I walked, then ran my way up to the “Big Walk” and just marvelled at how beautiful this piece of Australian Trail Running was. Fluffy grasses lined the side of the magical single track. I thought about my Dad here. The type of fluffy grass that was framing the trail was his favourite type of grass. I ran along smiling thinking of how much I loved my Dad and how much he sacrificed for me to get me to all those Rep-Netball games and Elite Gymnastic Training Sessions. I would meet him at his clients work and he would drive me to training sessions between courier runs. He always supported me and said that I could do what ever I dreamed of doing in life as long as I worked hard enough for it. Wow. What more could you want from a Dad. So with those fluffy grasses showing me the way up to the summit of Buffalo with total joy and happiness in my heart, I popped out onto the exposed boulders and started to rock hop up the mountain with my mate Jono Worswick close behind.

Jono and I ran along together chatting, he seemed to be suffering a bit and needed some distractions. We had a good old chin wag about our partners and before long we’d made it to the Chalet Check Point. I quickly ran in swapped my bottles over, but totally forgot to get rid of my old bottles, I gave them to the ever so kind Lucy Bartholomew who was standing at the exit of the check point. She was so nice she even re-filled them for my return. Thanks Lucy.

I pushed onwards, feeling bloody amazing, catching blokes suffering with the technical stairs of the Under Ground River Track, through the Haunted Gorge, up a set of bush stairs, where I pointed out Steve, my partner to Jono. I think the bait of my partner was enough to spur Jono onwards and upwards. He pushed ahead of me and caught up with Steve and said a few words to him implying that he was soft and I was going to kick his butt.

Towards the top of the stairs I caught up with Steve and we had a nice chit chat. It was just so lovely to have the opportunity to be able to race with your lover, share the amazing scenery, encourage each other and experience the same adventure which is both of our passions. Our race together at Buffalo Stampede was very different from Up The Buff. I was just so grateful to have him there, just around the corner, knowing he was just up ahead was just so lovely. We cherished every part of the weekend away together.

Steve was hurting a bit. He stuffed up his race nutrition and was suffering because of it. He’s only been racing for a year so he is still a bit new to ultra racing and is still learning what works best for him. He tucked in behind me and we pushed on together, chatting away, enjoying the encounter.

We soon popped out onto the fire trail, speed past Lake Catani, passing Landie and Beth on the out and back, turned left and hit the single track again. Steve suffered a bit behind me, I turned on my legs for the out and back loop making sure that I made it into the Chalwell Galleries without seeing any more female runners. Steve not understanding what I was doing fell off the back. He wanted me to go on but I told him I was only running fast because of the Loop Section. He started to feel better and we hopped along the breathtaking single trail, dropping down the rock hole, onto climbing spikes, sliding our way between the granite rock walls, hoping out the bottom, following the trail to another set of rocks that needed to be thread like a needle, following the serpentine trail back onto the fire trail, past the Lake Catani Camp Ground, retracing our steps.

I was in such a good mood I “Whooped, Whooped”. I said hello to all the out and back runners that were climbing the stairs that I’d just climbed on my return. I spotted so many of my old Sydney UTA clients out there, it was like running a positive trail reunion.

I climbed the stairs of the Haunted Gorge, ran up the trail and back into the Chalet Check Point where I found all my bottles fully filled and ready to go by the amazing check point volunteers. Within seconds I was off and running again, down the mountain with Steve close behind me. He had fully recovered and was feeling much better. We speed along together, chatting away, enjoying the beauty of the “Big Walk”. Man I loved those fluffy grasses, the boulders, sweeping views of the valley, rocks, mosses, gums. I marvelled how the Gums made a cathedral like structure framing the trail.

We crossed the road and Steve took off but not before he stopped and said goodbye, saying that he needed to go to the bathroom, but really I was running too slow for him. Awwww, too nice. I cruised onwards, nursing my body back into form down the mountains and soon enough I was at the Eurobin Creek Check Point. I spotted Connie, grabbed my poles, swapped my bottles of Heed and gels over and got out of there, steeling myself for the climb up Keatings Ridge.

It sounds weird but this little section was so tough for me. The fire trail climb of only 333m just hurt. I walked and ran my way back into running and after some contemplation of why I was even running anymore, thinking I was too old and too fat. I finally made it to the top of the ridge and was able to roll on down into the Bluckland Valley, out onto the road, up past the farms and up to the check point. I grabbed 500ml of water and continued up the fire trail, chasing down Steve and 2 other blokes I could see 3km ahead of me. I had my target and I wanted to catch up with him before the end. Knowing that if I caught up with him then I probably would not be passed by anyone in the last 15km.

I ran my way up the fire trail, reeling them in. By the time I hit the base of the steep ascent to Clear Spot Steve was only 200m ahead of me. I could see that he was at his limits like most of the other blokes ahead of me, swaying around on the ascent. Out came my poles and I knuckled into the climb, smashing out a tempo that I could maintain until the top of the climb where I started to pass more blokes but could not catch up with Steve.

I pursued him down towards Bakers Gully, attempting to run, managing to fall, slide, trip, slide on my arse down exposed rock faces, catching another bloke, falling, sliding, laughing. Man I was so bloody happy I was flexible in my quads. I can’t count the amount of times I lost balance, being saved by my Inov8 X-Talons griping the rocks, stopping my feet in my tracks, with the force of my body still falling down and my butt smashing into my heals, in a total extension squat position. I was so lucky my quads were that flexible.

By the time I was at the bottom of Bakers Gully, Steve was only 20m ahead. I quickly filled up with coke and ran down the hill further more, stretching my legs and enjoying the freedom in my quads. It was just blissful running on the flat compared to the gully butt slide I’d just performed. I still have marks from where there rocks caught with my butt 2 months later!

At the switch back Steve called out to me asking me if I’d like him to slow down and run it in together. I was worried that if he’d slowed down to run next to me then I’d slow down to and get complacent and lose a place to a female chasing me.

“Stay out ahead. I’ll try and chase you down”. I called out across the stream.

We moved up the Mystic Mountain climb about 20m apart, no matter what I did I could not bridge that 20m gap to him. We past more runners together, struggling on the final ascent of the gruelling 75km. I think Steve could taste blood, towards the top of the climb he took off, chasing down 3 males. I did my best to stay with him but he was long gone. I’d lost sight of him on the final descent of Mystic Mountain. I then decided to cruise on home on jelly, mashed up quads and call it a successful day. My back had held up nicely, my ankle was great, only my quads were brutalised. That’s just conditioning, specific training so I was happy with how I performed. I cruised down the bull dust trail with pain in my quads with every step, popped out onto the bike track, ran along side the creek, past the camp ground turning right, running past the Brew House and across the finish line. 10 hours 45 Something Minutes…I can’t remember. I always forget to turn my watch off at the finish of an event. All I knew was that at the finish line I felt amazing and I was a bit up-set that it was all over. I had such a ball and wished that it was a 100 mile event. It is comparable in difficulty to that of Ultra Trail Mt Fuji in technicality, ascent and descent and steepness, profile. It really was a great 75km training session for me and the perfect lead up to TNF100.

Gear Set Up

Inov8 X-Talons 212

Inov8 Race Elite Ultra Shorts

Inov8 Race Australia Team Singlet (not handy when being chased by Jo Johansen, Whitney Dagg, Fiona Hayvice

Inov8 Race Elite Bra Top

Hammer Visor

Inov8 Ultra Shell

Nutrition Set Up

1/2 Scoop of Heed in 500ml of water

1/2 Scoop of Perpetuem in 500ml of water after 3 hours of running

50% Water 50% Gel Banana Hammer Gel in Flask

Spuds 1 small spud every check point