A SHINING DIAMOND OF LONG DISTANCE

THE MELBOURNE SUBURB OF DIAMOND CREEK IN VICTORIA DOES INDEED HAVE A BIT OF SHIMMER AND SPARKLE TO IT, ESPECIALLY FROM A 21-YEAR-OLD RUNNER WHO IS SHINING ALL OVER THE GLOBAL RACE TRAILS WITH HER TALENT FOR DISTANCE RUNNING.

Lucy Bartholomew may be young as far as ultra runners are concerned, but she’s been in the game since age 15 when she crewed for her father at the North Face 100 (now known as the UTA100) and ran from checkpoint to checkpoint ahead of him.

At 16, she officially entered her first 100kms event alongside her dad.

She hasn’t stopped since then, and earlier this month on December 2 captured the hearts of a global audience when she crossed the finish at South Africa’s Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100kms not only as first female, but setting a course record with her time of 11:21:49 and claiming 11th overall out of 120 participants (and where only 17 altogether were women).

This year alone, Bartholomew has run five 100kms events, including her longest ever race the TDS 120kms in France where she finished fifth, and says it was a no brainer when it came to registering for her last race of 2017.

“I signed up for UTCT only a few weeks ahead of it,” she explains.

“It was really a bit of a ‘why not?’ and I’ve always wanted to go to South Africa, so when the opportunity arose I thought it was a brilliant way to finish off a great year.”

The UTCT is known to be both an achievable, yet challenging course, with technical scrambling, rock traversing on the Table Mountain, sandy beach running, rock hopping and open roads.

Despite knowing all this, Bartholomew reveals the nerves did kick in.

“I was nervous,” she says.

“I always am (before a race) but I felt particularly nervous for this one; I wanted to do well, not for myself, not to finish my season with a win, but because of so many people who had messaged me.

“The community in Cape Town took me in like their own, and then of course for Australia.

“It was powerful energy I had, and I ran with it the whole way; I started fast, and I wanted to try and hold on through the really technical 35kms which I struggled with.

“Local legend Robyn Owens caught me at 50kms, but after here, it became seriously runnable and I was able to use my flatter Aussie training, giving it gas to the finish.

“I’ve become pretty used to the normal hurt of a 100kms, and I had moments I struggled with, but I have a strong mind and just embraced every step.

“It helps a lot when you have such amazing people out there cheering for you, and looking out for you.”

Bartholomew admits she barely remembers all the emotions and feelings she went through while racing at UTCT, but does recall the usual feelings of relief and happiness at the finish.

“You wait for this moment for so long (the finish), and it’s over so quickly,” she says.

“Yet the finish at UTCT feels like it will be with me for so long because of the amazing memories and time I had out on the trails.”

At such a young age, no doubt this 21-year-old has still got places to go and races to conquer across the globe. So, what’s in store for 2018?

“I’ve left the year ahead wide open,” she reveals.

“I think it’s important to have these moments where there is nothing on the horizon, and I can just look towards Christmas, the new year, and spending time with my family and friends.

“I do plan to get to New Zealand for February or March, but what I do there, who knows?”