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JAVELINA AS HOT AS A JALAPEÑO
WE ALL KNOW HOW INTENSE THE AUSTRALIAN HEAT CAN BE; WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE BRUTALITY IT FOREBODES ON US, WE UNDERSTAND THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. EVEN WHEN PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD TALK ABOUT OUR SOUTHERN LAND, THEY ASSOCIATE IT WITH THE TEMPERATURES ONLY HELL CAN BEAR.
But in the US, the Arizona Desert can record temperatures of over 51 degrees, with great extremes between night and day, so it’s a good thing Brendan Davies entered a race there when the weather was somewhat more bearable.
The Javelina Jundred (pronounced ‘Havelina Hundred’) was held across the weekend of October 28 and 29, and Davies was invited via Ultra-Trail World to enter the 100 Mile event having been highly ranked internationally despite not focusing on ultra-trail running for the past two years.
The 40-year-old Blue Mountains runner revealed he was initially shocked at the invitation but took it as an opportunity to try something he had never done before – desert running.
“The icing on the cake was the location because not only could I spend some time with my sister and her family (who live in Arizona), but the vibe of the race was incredibly attractive,” he said.
“It has a real party theme around Halloween, so there is that quirkiness that is missing in a lot of ultras these days, but used to be around quite a bit.
“It may sound a bit sadistic, but I also was attracted by the new challenge of a desert run, which I’d never done before.”
The Javelina Jundred is the second largest miler in the US behind Leadville, with more than 550 entrants, and has one of the highest DNF rates with the finishing amount each year close to 50 per cent.
That’s one brutal caboodle.
Davies prepared for the Javelina Jundred as much as possible, given the temperatures would be different to the current season in Australia.
“It’s obviously not ideal going from our colder season straight to a 35-40 degree day, so I made sure I did as much training and racing in hot weather as I could before I left,” he said.
“I took part in the AURA-listed Run the Great Whitsunday Trail in North Queensland last September, which was a very hot and humid run, and prior to that I had a holiday in Hawaii which really got the process started.
“I was able to get some warm weather running in there and from then on I tried my best to get most of my long training runs done in the middle of the day when it was the warmest.”
Davies is an ultra runner who understands the discipline and respect that goes into acclimatisation – a vital consideration when travelling the globe in search of ultra races.
In 2014, he went to the extremes of working out while in a sauna in the lead up to the Western States, and it was during that time he realised the necessities for successful heat adjustment.
“All the research points to two weeks being an ideal timeframe, so this year I arrived in Arizona a week before the race and I was able to get four quality runs in, mostly on the course itself which gave my body the final exposure to conditions,” he explained.
“The heat it different in Arizona, it’s dry, so keeping wet and cool was definitely going to be a key factor in my performance on the day.
“I prepared for that by purchasing a cooling scarf which I trained with and found to be very helpful – it’s the blue thing on my head in the picture.”
Davies’ attempt at Javelina Jundred’s 100 miler saw him break an unofficial record.
From talk amongst runners in the American ultra community, his finishing time of 14:04:30 meant it was the fastest trail 100 miler run by an Aussie (Mike Le Roux ran 15:38:48 at Glasshouse in 2011, which was viewed as the fastest time back then), and looking back, his 2014 run at Western States saw him get close to Le Roux’s time with 15:56:49.
“It’s nice to now set a new benchmark for others to aspire to with my Javelina Jundred result,” he revealed.
Davies admitted the toughest part of October’s 100 miler was the heat and direct exposure to the sun for the entire course of the day, and said it was crucial he adjusted his effort as the day went on to ensure avoiding overheating.
When he faces these types of challenges, Davies always thinks back to the boiling frog parable.
“Sure, it’s nice and cool in the morning, and running seems easy, but if you don’t recognise the gradual change and don’t adjust your effort, it’s a sure way to derail yourself,” he said.
“For me, slowing down, being super patient and cautious is always the part I find the toughest; my ego and fitness say ‘run faster!’ but thankfully a bit of experience has taught me the wisdom in really being conservative when you need to be.”
And Davies’ advice for those training for the tenacious 100 miler?
“In general terms, it’s all comes down to the old scout adage ‘be prepared’,” he said.
“You obviously have to prepare the body with the adequate training to match your goals, strength and conditioning, and all the little one percentages; then you have to prepare the mind.
“Being well rested, visualising how you’ll run, rehearsing in your mind strategies in order to be flexible in your approach and execution on the day, and to keep positive during the race so the doubts and demons don’t take a hold.
“The last component is to be prepared for the specific and unique circumstances of the race – in my case, some of the most simple things like keeping cool and wet, and keeping sand out of my shoes by wearing gaitors, had as much influence over my result as anything I did months and months before in my training build up.”
Pictured: Brendan Davies, bib number 4, races in this year’s Javelina Jundred held on October 28 and 29, 2017. Photograph – Supplied.
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