Race Review: Surf Coast Trail Marathon

Event: Surf Coast Trail Marathon
Distance: Full Marathon, Half Marathon or Team Marathon
Type: Point to Point
Where: Torquay Victoria, utilising the Surf Coast Walk
Start: Torquay / Point Addis
Finish: Fairhaven SLSC
Event Partners: I/O Merino, Vivobarefoot, Oakley, Surf Coast Walk, Tailwind, Eventbrite, The Running Company, Runners Kitchen, Kongo Industries

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I had everything going against me for this event, but I did it.  I completed my first Half Marathon Trail run.

When I entered this event I was fit as a fiddle.  Little did I know the events that would unfold prior to this run, so all things considered I did well just to be able to finish.

The Surf Coast Trail Marathon had a full, a half, and a team event.  The Full started in Torquay, while the Half started at Point Addis on the beach. Due to the locality, the Half run was 22km in distance.  From what I have heard from other runners, the 2nd half was harder than the first.

Let me say now, I DO NOT LIKE Beach running. I’ve never liked beach running.  I know that they say beach running is good for you and all that, but it’s still not going to make me like it anymore.

When the gun went off at 11 am, we set off down the Point Addis beach, in the far-off distance you could see the Split Point lighthouse.  It did not occur to me then, that we would be running past it.  It looked so far away.

I went at a pace that I was comfortable with, and when we got off the sand I was glad to be on a track.

The wind was icy, and I was glad that I chose to wear my thermal dri-fit long-sleeve top and my Lorna Jane ear warmers.

At about 3km I decided to have my first amazeballs.  I wanted to make sure that I fueled consistently throughout the run. I started off having some fuel every 3km, but it ended up being whenever I wanted and needed it.

The Salomon vest served me well.  I had easy access to everything, and it also meant that I could carry my rain jacket, a spare top, and my emergency Larabar, along with my phone.

What I liked about the event

• The course was easily accessible for spectators.  There were various hop-on and hop-off points.  So family & friends could easily keep track of their loved one on the course.
• There were a variety of grades and track materials to run on.  From sand, rock, dirt, clay, concrete, granitic sand, mud, single lane track, through heathlands, around estuaries, and a diverse range of views.

• All the marshals were friendly and briefed and helpful.  I made sure I said thank you to every marshal I passed.  Thank you, volunteers.
• The finisher’s medal was a dog tag. Different and totally cool.
• Tailwind where a sponsor for the event, their hydration drink looked like water, but wasn’t and it was delicious.  I had some at the finish line.
• Toilets are accessible throughout the entire course.
• A later starting time of 9 am for the Full or 11 am for the half.

What I didn’t like about the event

• High Tide.  Seriously, if you going to organise an event that includes beach sections, check the tides. Hide tide was a huge problem, and could have been very dangerous considering the forecasted winds.

• I didn’t mind the beach section, however, the high tide caused problems in these sections.  Sinking sand, puddles, unexpected waves, having to run on rocks because of the tide.
• A tree not cut down, and blocking the path at approx the 16km.
• A section of the path not clearly marked, at a forked intersection.  An arrow would have greatly helped.
• Spectators blocking the path.  I’m all for spectators, but please keep to the left, and keep your kids out of the way.  I had to yell “coming through” down a set of stairs and had to remove a kid from my way.  I swear I had to remove this same kid going up the stairs at the finish line.
• The biggest dislike for me, however (the others so far being minor), was the finish area.

It was poorly laid out. It would have been better to finish on the beach, but due to the tide, that clearly was not possible.  Instead, runners had to climb up a set of stairs.  That’s cruel and mean.  

• The finish area was so congested with runners, spectators, family, and friends, that it was difficult to get through.  There was no one directing human traffic.  It also meant that I didn’t get my medal when I crossed the line, I had to go ask for it.
• Parking at the Fairhaven SLSC also presented a huge problem.  The majority of the parking was along the Great Ocean Road. There was no traffic management nor signage advising traffic of a special event, or reduced speed limits, that I saw.

Any inaugural event is going to have teething problems. You can do all the forward planning you like, but hiccups are always going to happen.

Overall it was a great event along with beautiful scenery.
I went into this event with no expectations and considering I was committing a faux pas with the new shoes I really wasn’t sure how things were going to unfold.

The new Energy Boost shoes did me well considering I hadn’t broken them in.  I ended up with a few friction blisters because of the sand, but that’s a given.  Otherwise, they pulled up well.  They have now officially got more k’s in them than my Kinvara-4s.

I was aiming for a rough time of 2h15 (based on my 16km long run).  At the 6km-ish mark when I ran past Tom in Angelsea I even told him if I keep going at this pace I should finish in that time frame.

By the 17km mark though I was starting to unravel.  The 4km beach section was hard.  And having to climb over a tree limb on a single-lane track, I was feeling it in my legs.

I was hitting the wall.  Mentally and physically.

It then occurred to me that that was the longest that I had run since February.  That’s when I mapped out the Run the Gap trail course.  Sure I had got in a 16km long run 10 days prior to the SCTM, but physically I was ill-prepared for this event due to several bouts of Tonsillitis which hindered my training regime. I couldn’t put in the kilometer, or get my legs up to the endurance distance.  Nor could I do the speedwork training to prepare me for the hills to be expected on course. (If I could do a do-over, there are many things I would change.)

One of the visual highlights was seeing a rainbow over the Ocean and the Lighthouse just a short distance away.

Those last km’s were hard. I had to give myself a pep talk, and I had to take some walking breaks.  I was tired, my feet felt like they were dragging and I was close to tears.  I just wanted to get to the finish line.

There is no shame in walking.  If it can work for Jeff Galloway to run a Boston Marathon it can work for me.  On some of those hills, I just didn’t have anything left in my legs. I would have loved to have run the entire thing, but those walking sections helped me get to the end.

Every run I have ever done, I have been able to see the finish line.  I never realized what an incentive it is to see the finish line until this race.

I kept looking at my watch, and it was telling me that we should be there.  I felt like the end was nowhere in sight.  I would have loved to have seen a sign that said: “1km to go” or “nearly there”. All I had was my watch, and not being able to see the finish line was a huge mental barrier.

After another runner had passed me, I was feeling even more deflated.  It was then I heard a female marshal say “the finish line is just up the stairs”.  That was all I needed to step it up and push through.  I overtook the girl that passed me and tried to go as fast as I could up those damn stairs.

Those stairs were painful, I got a cramp in my right thigh, and had to hold onto my thigh to release the cramp and then hold onto the rail to help me get up the stairs.
I crossed the Surf Coast Trail Marathon finish line in a time of 2h34m.  Not my finest, but I will take it all the same, especially for a trail event.  It ended up being 22.6km.  That’s the furthest I have ever run.

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Top: Puma
Bottoms: Skins
Socks: Pro Compressions
Shoes: Adidas Energy Boost
Ear Warmers: Lorna Jane
Bag: Salomon Hydration Vest
Fuel: Water, Endra & Amazeballs