Thomas "The Tank" Dade

• Location: Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia
• Time: 10:05:40
• Overall Place: 24/89
• Full Results

What a great event! Although the course had to be changed and shortened (making it 81km instead of 100km) due to a 6+ foot swell and high tides, the race was still a unique experience and offered thrilling views of the Great Ocean Road. The course took your through creek crossings, forests full of koalas and wallabies, beaches and coastal heathlands where you could hear the crashing of waves against the cliffs. Parts of the track had you slipping and sliding in ankle deep mud, other parts had you climbing steep sandy hills. It’s definitely more difficult than the Surf Coast Century. A massive shoutout to Andy, Brett and the volunteers for allowing the event to happen especially with the weather conditions which offered a potential cancellation of the event.

On a personal note I feel I made a real improvement compared to my first ultramarathon, the Surf Coast Century. My knees and feet lasted longer and I was better equiped and prepared with proper hydration and energy consumption. In training I had been putting greater emphasis on running on my toes and mid-foot instead of heel striking I had also been practising my down hill running, taking a leaf out of Scott Jurek’s book by speeding up my stride rate, slightly leaning forward and allowing myself to half feel like I’m falling and it really worked. Not only did it prolong pain free joints but it sped up my downhill running whilst using less energy. With all that being said did I struggle? Hell yeah, once I was passed the 40km mark (the halfway turnaround point) I’d had enough, but that’s why I enter these races, they break you down to your bare minimum where all that matters is getting through the moment, this is where personal growth occurs. I also got lost at around the 70km mark wasting 20-30min and a lot of physical and mental energy. However I was happy to find a new found anger from my stupidness, which fuelled me for a good 5km once I made my way back to the track.

All in all I was happy with my performance and loved the race. It’s also great to see my training is working as my endurance and running technique has definitely improved since my last ultramarathon. Lastly I want to thank my dad for making the constant effort to take time out of his life to support and encourage me, it’s a reminder of what’s important in life, family.