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WATKINS’ A RACE RESULT AT WTF
Contributed by Heath Watkins, AURA member
WTF 100mi, DWELLINGUP (WA), 24 Sept 2022
WTF has been a favourite event of mine for many years, being one of the first events that introduced me to the group of ‘crazy ultra runners’ that would become some of my closest friends in the years that followed.
This year for me is all about getting to the start line of Delirious WEST in 2023 with as favourable odds as possible of finishing, so I signed up with Consistent Running the week after returning home from being shadow event director with Simone. I’d been ‘resting’ since 6 Inch in December 2021 knowing that it was going to be a long build-up of training this year, WTF however was my A Race of the year so I planned on doing my best to get it done.
Coming into WTF I had been training solidly for 6 months but had little to really gauge how the training was progressing. With a few fun runs along the way like Race the Train (35k), Run for the Ages (50k) and Birdy’s Backyard (50 miles), all of which were treated as training runs and came out uninjured with training continuing the following week so I was fairly confident the process was working.
But if you asked me if I was going to finish the 100 miles? I would not have been placing any bets, I knew many people that had done the distance on hard trails and did not consider myself to be as capable or as mentally strong by any measure. But encouraged by the support of friends and family I was going to give it my best.
After a decent night’s sleep (at least for my pre-race nerves) we rushed around and got organised, I quickly found that the hour and a quarter I had given myself was quickly chewed up and I was still putting sunscreen on as the race briefing began and had to run around to find my son who had my hiking poles as the race countdown began!
Leg 1 passed fairly quickly, I started slowly and managed to chat to a few friends along the way. Eventually catching Jutta, Del and Juliet and we did most of the hill loops together which was fun. Juliet was a trooper and powered on even after slipping a few times ended up with a bloody knee for her efforts.
By the second loop of the hill I was solo again, Jutta and Juliet had raced off ahead and Del had dropped back to manage her pacing, I did catch Simone before Aid 1 and had a quick chat before we had another chance at the aid station just as I was leaving. After a quick hug of support I had to leave her and start my hike back to Nanga, another couple of hours passed in my own company without seeing another runner. It was warmer than I expected and made concerted efforts to keep drinking fluids.
Leg 2 (4hr 30 elapsed) I didn’t get a chance to reccy before the race so I was heading in blind, after leaving Nanga it was onto the Munda Biddi for a bunch of kms of flowing track up and down the hills, stopping briefly at Aid 3 to re-supply with water and food. I knew the hill on the King Jarrah Trail was tough and it didn’t disappoint! I took my first quick breather up this hill and was very happy to see it level out eventually around 40k into the course. This section seemed to go forever, though it was pretty!
Eventually finding the King Jarrah and descended back down to the road which would loop back around to Aid 3. A quick stop again for more water and food and off I trotted back to Nanga again. Along this section I started to feel some hot spots on my heels, so I sent a request for our first aid kit to my crew so I could get some Fixomull tape applied to it. Absent minded me not explaining why I wanted it so I arrived to some very concerned crew.
Leg 3 (10hr 15 elapsed) My stop here was fairly long, I had some hot soup and crew member Eve taped up my blisters, my dad managed to jam up my water bladder and for a few minutes it seemed like I was going to have to borrow one to continue on (he managed to get it open thankfully!). Knowing it was going to get cold on the next leg I decided to put on a thermal and a buff instead of my hat. I had grabbed Simone’s at first, and after switching it over for mine I joked she would probably want that herself when she got in, it would be five hours later I found that she hadn’t taken it with her on her leg 2. Unfortunately for me, I spent the next hour or so overheating as it wasn’t quite cold enough for the thermal. This began the lowest point mentally of my run, my stomach turned and I was feeling nauseous every time I paused or stopped to chat to a runner coming the other direction. After sunset the temperature dropped quickly and I was able to feel a little better but this leg was mostly at a hike with very little running done at all.
I came across Ashley recording a video, we had a quick chat but I was in a bad place. When he asked what distance I was doing, the pause was long and a weak ‘I’m meant to be going out again’ was the best I could manage. Another lonely hour passed in which I also ran out of water and I was back at Nanga camp, at a complete loss with how I was meant to go out and do it all over again. Both feet were hurting a lot now and I asked Eve to pop the blisters and re-do the tape, while she did that I tried to eat and recover my spirits. As I sat exhausted and feeling unwell I was thinking about if I really thought I could head back out and do it all over again, to which my answer was no.
However Nicola came over and asked if I still wanted a pacer for the next leg (we had discussed it earlier in the week), I said I probably needed someone to crack the whip and she said ‘Right, in 30mins we’re going.’ This seemed to flick a switch in my head, I laughed and felt better almost instantly. Eve worked some magic on my blisters and Nicola and I headed out into the cold around 10pm.
It was as we were heading for the door to leave that Simone came back into Nanga, after spending a few hours freezing in the cold on Leg 2 and had decided not to risk continuing on.
Leg 1 – Loop 2 (16hrs elapsed) Nicola and I chatted a lot and my spirits returned quickly as we managed a good jog/hike pace out to Aid 1. Here a firepit was roaring and we chatted to the awesome vollies who had been there all day (and would be there for several more yet) before we heading back up the big climb for the last time. Finally, I started feeling like my goal was achievable, every milestone we passed was the last time and the end got slowly closer.
I started to get hit with the sleepys and found myself weaving across the road on the return section to Nanga, Nicola had plenty of good advice on the subject and we decided a short powernap was in order before the next leg. We repacked, I ate a big bowl of lentil shepherd’s pie (thanks Harmony…?) and I jumped into Mick Francis’ recliner with a lovely blanket (thanks Mick!) and managed to fall asleep even while my leg muscles spasmed and convulsed endlessly. After 30mins or so my eldest child shook me awake, to which I said ‘No’ and covered my head back up with the blanket. Think I earned another 5mins of sleep before he didn’t accept that answer anymore.
My other semi-organised pacer was asleep (hi Darlene!) on the other side of the firepit and I decided to let her sleep and head out alone for Leg 2 feeling so much better and happy after Leg 1. So I chucked on another shirt, beanie, neck buff, headphones and headed out into the witching hour, solo once more. Not finding anyone at the timing desk, I said goodnight to my crew and trotted off into the dark…unknowingly causing a little kerfuffle that would rear its head in a few hours.
Leg 2 – Loop 2 (21hrs elapsed) The first 7kms were in the freezing cold and pitch blackness of night, all too quickly the sleepys returned and I was forced to stick to hiking, not wanting to risk falling or rolling an ankle on one of the million honky nuts waiting to do just that.
Along the way I had my first hallucination in all my running experience which intertwined with sleep walking, making for an interesting hour that I don’t recall much of at all. What was I seeing, you ask? I really don’t remember, it was something across the path and I was sure I was going to trip over it, but it would disappear before I reached it. This happened multiple times that I recall.
Then other times I would catch myself falling asleep and stumble a few steps before I woke up again, how I managed to keep on the track and upright was a near miracle.
Finally I was off the single track and Nanga Mill campsite was in sight, I decided a toilet break was in order before I tackled the massive hill after Aid 3 again so I made a quick detour into the camp grounds. While attempting to re-dress after taking care of business my phone rang, it was Cassie from Aid 3 (which I tried to answer) but it didn’t connect. I figured I was only a few minutes from her so I finished up in the toilet and started hiking towards the aid station. My phone rang again, this time it was race director Dave Kennedy so I quickly answered that one! He asked where I was and if I was okay, not realising both texted me earlier asking for an update which I hadn’t seen. Quickly I worked out he thought I left over an hour earlier than I had so he was worried I had gotten lost or into some mischief, he mentioned he was heading down in a car shortly so I got him to bring me some lube as I had forgotten to do that at Nanga (thanks Dave!).
After sorting that out I trotted up with Aid 3 in sight I called out my usual ‘woop woop’ and a frantic Cassie came running out with her arms up and gave me a huge hug exclaiming she thought I was lost.
I gladly accepted a hot tea and sat down at the fire and managed to calm down Cassie and chatted away to the awesome vollies of my crazy experience in the past section. Dave arrived and I wandered off to discreetly re-lube up as best I could. Again I found my spirits return after spending a little while with company and I sadly said goodbye, left my headtorch and headed back up that damn hill as the sun had finally risen.
The sleepys finally left me but in its place was the fatigue of the past 24hours on my legs, I stopped several times on the way up and was very slow on the descents with my quads complaining quite strongly even running for brief periods seemed too hard now.
Finally I returned to the access road that would lead back to Aid 3 and while hiking along realised that I had slowed down quite a lot and was looking at a 34-35hr finish at the pace I was going, a far cry from my planned 26-28hrs. Knowing that I had less than 40k to go and was otherwise feeling OK, I started jogging along again and managed to return to Nanga at a similar overall pace to what I had done on the first loop 20hrs earlier.
I returned to Nanga and found Eve keen to switch from crewing to pacing for the last section which I gladly accepted having spent the past 6 hours solo. After a quick stop, I changed clothes and refilled water and we were off.
Leg 3 – Loop 2 (29hrs elapsed) By this time I was mentally and physically exhausted, I don’t think I was great company (sorry Eve!) but I did my best to jog anything that looked flat and as the kms ticked down I put as much energy into moving forward as I could and we trucked on through the forest.
We saw Doug returning on the diversion road and I cheered him on, knowing he was at least an hour ahead of us so I accepted that fourth place would have to do and on we went!
In the final km we passed Charmaine heading back and we stopped to chat briefly, she was suffering badly with her feet but was determined to get to the finish so we wished her well and kept going towards the turn around.
Along the way back we picked up the pace, I was keen to finish now and we had less than 10km to go so I put caution to the wind and ran few smooth downhill sections. But the body said ‘F U I’ve got nothing left!’ and I had to hike again while I recovered. The only two runners behind me finally came into view, Sue and Bianca with Simon pacing them. After some big hugs and some tears, we saw them off and continued my push towards the finish.
With three kms or so left, we came across Charmaine again who had stopped to try and fix her feet. Mine had started hurting again by now, but I suspected it was nothing near to the pain her face said she was experiencing.
Finally Nanga camp came into view, we were greeted at the carpark by friends and family and I picked up my feet again and ran down and across the line where Simone was waiting for me, by far the best part of my day was that finish line hug.
I came in with a finishing time of 33hrs 9 minutes for 163.3k plus 4.8km of elevation gain.
So many people to thank, but some notable ones:
Simone for letting me dedicate this year to training for Delirious. Among so many other reasons.
Eve for offering to crew us both all weekend, you were great thank you!
Dad and Jenny for coming down at late notice to let our kids be part of the event and crewing as well.
Nicola for pacing in the night, without your company and energy I doubt I would have made it to the end.
Glen for your coaching, advice and confidence that I would get it done.
All the rest of my running family for company on the numerous runs, reccies and generally being good influences.
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