The Highs and Lows of Marathon racing

At the recent Crocodile Trophy MTB Stage Race in Far North Queensland, I spoke to Wiggle Bikeshop racer Matt Page about what mountain bike racing delivered to the riders involved. We agreed that stage races could deliver great highs and lows – and the Croc Trophy was able to make the differences between the two tremendous. In any tough bike race, you are overcoming adversity – if anyone is able to sail smoothly through a race with no mental, physical or mechanical issues, I would like to know how they manage it. And although Matt and I were discussing long stage races, and the challenges they throw up compared to the rewards, the same can apply for just about any bike race.

Marathon racing is no different. But compared to a stage race, it’s just a little bit more timely on the delivery (I shudder to think of the roller coaster that pure XC racing these days would deliver. But I’m just not cut out for that).

November 11th was not only Remembrance Day, but also the final round of the 2012 Real Insurance XCM Series, with the Highland Fling. Despite the series being one of the best things to happen to Australian mountain biking for a while, I hadn’t got to enough races this year to qualify for the series. And with a Croc in the legs, the thought of the Elite Fling was daunting. The speed, the depth of field and the general race intensity is such a pleasing thing to see for Marathon racing in Australia. But I just wasn’t going to be there at all. So for the 3rd year in a row, I lined up for the Highland Fling 100 mile. 2010 felt like a breakthrough after being ill for some time previously. I managed to sneak a 3rd place. 2011 was another post-croc struggle, and I survived and struggled to 4th place. This year – who could say?

The start of the 100 mile Fling is also the start of the non-Elite Full Fling. So it’s a mass start, with hundreds of mountain bikers. 100 milers are allowed a certain grace with a front position on the grid. While I’m not sure if this is out of respect or to make it easier to laugh at us – but it is a useful piece of planning by event director Huw Kingston. Our start was not overly racey, just pacey. The morning was crisp, the spirit jovial – and there wasn’t even pain or heaviness in the legs. This was a clear high to start.

We continued much the same, and without looking back it was easy to tell that the bunch was very slowly thinning. People who I had expected to see near the front moved up. Ben Carmody, Mark Fenner, Ed McDonald and countless more. The mix of 100 mile and Full Fling racers was getting sorted out. Through the farmland after the second deep creek crossing, and Paris Basson and others made it nice and fast. This fast riding took us all the way to Wingello oval, and it was an absolute blast. I had all that was good about post-Croc Trophy legs.

The 5 minute timing pause to cross the train line at Wingello still causes confusion. You should use your full 5 minutes – but anything more and you will be penalised. You can choose to go early and get out of sight, and trust your legs. Or, let others leave early and bridge to them, therefore actually being up on race time. Me? I didn’t think so much. I was amped and ready to go. I grabbed a fresh bottle, two more bars and some gels. I was focusing on hydration and eating enough solids early in the race. So far so good. Ed and Simon Finch were still getting there things, but plenty of Full fling riders had gone through. I left transition after about 2m30sec total and caught up to the front group of full flingers. The next 30km or so was more fun than I have had on a mountain bike than I’ve had for about 2 months. In and out of the single track and onto the fire trails and back again – all at a pace that seemed ok. But possibly a bit high, seeing I had to do 50+ more km’s than those around me. I was riding on such a high, with my legs feeling fresher than I could have imagined.

And then that left me. Soon after the mid lap feed zone, we were faced with the start of the KOM/QOM climb. I struggled, I lost contact. I was in my lowest gear – curious about how I would get up it on the next 52km lap. Paris and I were riding together, with the group only a few hundred metres in front. And then a few hundred more. I was out of power, but felt full of food. No cramping, no pain – just no go. This was not ideal at about 70km into a 160km race. By the time we approached Wingello again, I could see two figures approaching from behind. All the Full flingers headed through and onto the final 32km. I saw Ed and Simon come in looking strong, and we rolled out for another 52km lap of Wingello.

Ed and Simon were riding really strongly, and Ed had made up a lot of lost time after doing a loop through transition earlier. Within 10km, they had ridden away from me, and I was all alone in the Southern Highlands. That’s an odd feeling, at a race attended by 2000 mountain bikers. But you can still end up alone, feeling isolated, and thinking dark thoughts. I was cramping, I stepped off the bike, feeling light headed and tired. The Croc Trophy had given me legs, but the Highland Fling and enthusiasm had taken them away. If I wasn’t in the middle of nowhere, I would have pulled out.

The rest of that lap was agony. Normally, you get a mental boost from catching full flingers on your second lap of the 100 mile through Wingello. That took a long time to happen. Istead, I was alone looking at the now pale race line through the forest, where wide tyres had cleared all debris, save for the gel and bar wrappers that some riders feel they are too important to carry back out.

The rest of the race passed – but only just. When finally able to stomach some food (of the SIS gel variety) I could pedal with a little bit more enthusiasm, and made it back to Bundanoon, only to be sprinted for the line by a full flinger I caught coming into the arena. But any low thoughts were then forgotten. I heard some mates cheer me on from the side lines, Rob Booker came up and gave me a drink and took my bike, and then it was back to talking to mates and having a good time. Ed McDonald had won, with Paul Schroder storming into second ahead of Simon Finch. I was a distant 4th, more than half an hour of Ed’s pace.

My attention turned to how others days went, moving away from my navel gazing introspection on feeling shit while on the bike. This is a much more positive mindset. The time splits from the women’s 100 mile race were being relayed. Naomi Hansen was leading World 24hr Solo Champion Jess Douglas – but the lead was slipping. Predictions were made, and further time checks were sought.

Naomi crossed the line, merely a few hundred metres ahead of Douglas, setting a new course record for the women’s event. Of course, with timing checks due to the transition timing to still be calculated, any celebrations now could be false. But the cross check showed that Naomi had indeed won, by only 15 seconds. This was a stunningly close race for the distance, and a result that quite a few spectators had private wagers on. My poor performance was forgotten, as I was elated by how my team mate and friend had raced.

The Fling had delivered me a huge high at the start, before letting me plummet due to my own mistakes – before delivering a great high again at the end. And although now it’s time for a bit of a break, I can’t wait to see what marathon and stage racing delivers in 2013.

Full results can be viewed here.