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Ultra Trail Australia 2026 100 Mile Preview
230 Plays10 hours ago
A race that breaks people — and this year, some new challengers. Lin Chen and Antonina Iushina headline a women's race that is shaping up as a genuine international showdown, with UTA veterans like Steph Austin and Emma Timmis ready to make it a fight. On the men's side, Piotr Babis has Brodie convinced he could win the whole thing. He’s up against Aleksei Beresnev and Aleksei Tolstenko, both having serious 100-mile pedigree. James and Brodie dig into who has the course knowledge, who has the fitness, and who might just be lining up for a ticket to UTMB.
Who are you backing? Let us know in the comments!
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Transcript
Introduction and Course Preview
00:00:14
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Peep Seats podcast. We're going to be previewing the Altrail Australia 100 mile course now. If you haven't listened to our other ones for the 100k and 50k, we have spoken about some of the like small little course tweaks that are in play for the 100 mile course. ah Really just the the inclusion of the ladders again for the 100k and then for the 50k and 100k, the kind of staying higher up on the clifftops in Lura Forest instead of dropping down the giant
International Field and Course Challenges
00:00:42
Speaker
staircase. But if you want kind of a bit more detail, i would say listen back to them and and our musings is always interesting hopefully that's why we do it but here now for the 100 mile with Brody our last one and again it's it's another one where we're seeing some some good international athletes coming in which I don't think we really got too much of last year for the miler being being the first year
00:01:07
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. it's um It's going to be, yeah and an interesting interesting race. Like we said, across all the races, probably, yeah, more international runners and, like, there's nearly more international runners than, especially in the men, than there is Australian runners. um So...
00:01:25
Speaker
It's ah yeah a very international field this year, which is which is cool to see. And um yeah, the three valley race, I guess you could call it. But um the addition is the hardest valley, which is the gross valley. So um yeah, definitely not an easy miler and ah definitely starts pretty
Technical Terrain and Race Predictions
00:01:43
Speaker
difficult. It does. And i think that's something that really stood out last year was we We knew that the first marathon was going to be tricky. It's on a lot lot of the same trails as Hounslow and Hounslow is technical. It's not a fast course.
00:01:56
Speaker
But I think one of the things that we showed is that the people that were comfortable in that terrain and that environment and starting in the dark in that environment, I'm trying to remember, I feel like it was drizzling. I don't think it was wet. But it it really, it it took a lot of people out of the race by either pushing too hard or just having to work a bit too hard over that terrain. When UTA as a course in general is not a particularly technical course, it runs pretty quick, for the especially for the elevation change that are in some of these courses. Whereas yes this first marathon is a stark contrast, shall we say, to the rest of the the events at UTA.
00:02:33
Speaker
Yeah, I was following around the women last year um because Clara Bryan-Smith was racing and we were sort of like crewing her. um And we I just remember down in the valley, at I'm not sure where the aid station is, down in the valley where they sort of ah the on the on the second loop down in the sort of, what is that valley called down there? it's all you make a long mega long mega long yeah. yeah. Megalong Valley. um they were like headed they came into the aid station they headed out and did like a loop and come back like six foot track area yeah six foot outbound and inbound yes and the women there like everyone looked like it was hard like they were having a tough time already and they still had quite a long way to go um except for megan coffee she looked really good so i think you If you can look good at that point, then you're probably on for a pretty good day. um And like you said, I think a lot of that probably came from that first loop um and it was just starting to hit then. So, yeah, definitely how well you move over that but also how much you exert yourself probably is ah is is a key factor to the race.
00:03:42
Speaker
and in the course preview that we did with tim lock i asked him how long he thought the winner would take we were talking about the women's field at that point and he didn't really have an answer i'd spoken to kelly emerson who was racing and she said about 20 hours ended up that 20 hours would have got you third overall and that the megan coffee who won the race she did so in 21 52 so A 22-hour miler, knowing that that front 100K runs high 10 hours for the women's, it's it's a significantly slower and tough section that I think that hopefully people that are in the race this year, especially if you did it last year or you were crewing someone last year, really kind taking that on board and that it is ah it is a really is a really tough tough section to to navigate and get through. There are a couple of small course tweaks to the 100 mile course as well this year.
00:04:37
Speaker
i don't know how much of an impact it's really going to make, but when I overlaid the two file files, there is this section that is the kind of a the the loop around
Comparing Australian Races
00:04:50
Speaker
Evans Lookout. It used to be this sort of lollipop shape with ah an out a loop of the lollipop and then a back whereas this time it it still does the uh the main trail going out but then it cuts back through a different section so if anything considering that is very close to the start it's going to be nice there's not going to be two-way traffic going so would definitely alleviate a little bit of pressure there and then also at the fortress ridge trail head aid station there there used to be two different out and backs which now there have just been one i'm assuming that has been done because they have made up extra extra distance elsewhere or have just cut that section of the course so A few a few course tweaks, not sure how much time difference that will make, but it will definitely be appreciated that there's not going to be a bit of ah an out and back section, I'm sure, on that. Although I didn't didn't hear anyone anyone struggling too much with course congestion at that point of the miler.
00:05:42
Speaker
Yep, yep. And I guess we mentioned some stuff on the 100k and the 50k. Probably most importantly, maybe for the miler is the the ladders, although I don't think many of them would be hitting there with much congestion. Yeah. Um, so that's probably fine. Um, but yeah, it's, uh, it looks like a brutal 100 mile, although the most 100 miles Australia, I guess, look pretty brutal. Like we don't seem to have like the the fast javelinas or the,
00:06:09
Speaker
those sort of 100 mile races maybe i'm just not thinking of them but the ones that pop in the mind all seem pretty brutal to me so yeah um one of my athletes is getting ready for the adelaide 100 mile in june and that one's i think that's about 38 or maybe 4 000 meters a lot of and it looks like there's a lot of very roundtable sections so that one comes to mind i think there's probably some over in wa but yeah we do seem to have especially even just the underfoot terrain is not necessarily super quick over here so but yeah it's uh It's going interesting. It's going to interesting to see how people are able to learn from what went on last year being the first time we saw the 100 mile event.
00:06:46
Speaker
And as we mentioned, some of the women's fields and we we we mentioned this athlete last year and we expected that she didn't she wouldn't turn up. I actually think she might turn up this year. We're talking about Chen Lin,
00:07:00
Speaker
She hasn't really raced recently. She's had a couple of DNFs. She DNFs at Tauera and DNFed another race that I haven't fully written.
00:07:12
Speaker
Chianti. I've missed the letter there. That was really confusing. DNFed at Chianti as well. So DNFed Yeah. The number one question is, will she turn up? If she turns up, she is one of the best 100 mile runners, again, in the world. Fourth at UTMB in 2024. Fourth Black Canyon 2025. First at Canyons. First at Kodiak. I think it was 2024 that she was running in second at Western States. And she's the one that essentially hurt like the the whole bottom of her foot, eventually, skin just fell off. And she had to DNF quite far into the race, but she was running in a really really good position so if chenlin turns up she is a very big name to have on this course and i think we'll be able to cope with both sections really well she's incredibly fast but she's also good on the more mountainous and more technical style of courses which is yeah always it'd be super cool to see it like i i don't know
00:08:02
Speaker
chinese trail running scene that much but i feel like she was sort of like one of the pioneers of um competing on the world stage as well and like one of the very well-known chinese runners that competes outside of china as well so um yeah it'd be very cool to have her here i'm sure it would put a few more eyeballs on uta as well so um yeah hopefully she does hopefully she does get onto the start line
Key Female Athletes - Performance Insights
00:08:25
Speaker
Yeah. And if she's on there, technically ranked just just just underneath, we have a neutral or Russian athlete, Antonia Ioshina. She is pretty hard to to kind of gauge her level of performance because there's a a lot of results in places that we don't know. But some of the ones that we do know is she took first in Chiang Mai 2025 the 100 mile event. So that again, that's the major
00:08:50
Speaker
for For Asia, she also just prior to that took second at Ultra Trail Cape Town 100k. And again, she took first in Chiang Mai. They had a different 100 mile the year before and a second at Cape Town in 2024.
00:09:05
Speaker
She, and she's got a whole bunch of first place wins from Russia, but it's just ah a bit bit tricky for us to get any kind of context there. She has been to UTMB, but has a DNF there as well. So very, very, very high level athlete. It's not a name that's ever really crossed cross my page. It is interesting was we're about to talk so we have two other neutral athletes in the 100 miles. So it's, yeah I'm curious what's made them choose this one to come to, but I'm excited to see her hopefully go up against Chen Lin.
00:09:36
Speaker
Definitely, yeah. That um the race in Cape Town where she was second, she was second behind Samaya Buddha, who's an incredible runner. So, yeah, there's a pretty pretty good performance there. um And, yeah, like you said, hard to get ah a full gauge, but she seems like she's a very accomplished ah in some pretty incredible runs like this. The Beast Ultra 100 mile, which 170 kilometers with 11,500 meters of bird. Yeah, some good stuff. And eight it finishes.
00:10:10
Speaker
yeah You've got a got a really love an event to do eight times. Yeah, and I think she's done that that race a few times. Which country is that in? I don't actually know what country that is in. But, um yeah it's um yeah, that one looks hectic. 27 hours. Second hour, right.
00:10:28
Speaker
Impressive, I think. Yeah. Who knows? Well, she's definitely done the distance before. So i think yeah i don't think I don't think the difficulty of the course will stress her out.
00:10:39
Speaker
No, no, and not at all. And another international New Zealand athlete that we have coming over who also i don't think will have any issues with the course is Emma Timmis. She finished in fifth in the 100 mile last year. Having said what we said about sort of a lot of the runners getting, I think, a bit taken aback or just getting worked a bit more than expected by that initial section, I think having that course knowledge is going to be really, really key. And she was only 45 minutes behind Kelly, who was in third last year. So in the scheme of a 24 hour race that we're talking for for them or 23 and a bit for Kelly really isn't that far. And yeah, I think that coming in with that course knowledge, there's not many other of the athletes that we're going to be talking about have is going to be really, really valuable.
00:11:23
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. She's, um yeah, she would have done, she's done several harder milers than this one before. So yeah um she, yeah, she and and most recently, which one looks like she's done maybe a couple of times or she's she's been there a couple of times, the Spectacle,
00:11:39
Speaker
miler in new zealand which is 160k 8 500 so has 2 000 meters more vert than uta so um and she was first there so um yeah i think she'll she'll be able to handle it and she knows the course so there'll be no surprises No, no, not at all. Someone that doesn't necessarily know this course, but I'm sure has spent time out on those trails, has very high volume and also has a very high volume of very impressive results at UTA is Steph Austin.
00:12:10
Speaker
She has a third most recently kind of and not in the 100K. She's had seven. She's won the 22. She's had podiums in the I Knows this course incredibly incredibly well. She recently won the six foot track marathon. She was about 13 minutes off her time from 2025, but you can kind of take that however you want. And more recently, she had a ninth at Tauera 100k, which I don't think was probably indicative of of her level of performance that she's capable of, especially not on ah on a fast course.
00:12:41
Speaker
and But then did did finish off last year. with a win at the cosy 100 mile which potentially you are you are and you're looking at a two and a half month turnaround in that period and maybe there is something something there for that density of of racing but steph is a very high volume runner and and if you're tolerating that volume and you've been doing it for a while you probably are able to to bounce back a bit quicker from those big efforts Yeah, definitely.
00:13:07
Speaker
um She'll definitely be in the mix, I think. um And look, she's running the Blue Mountains a lot, even if she hasn't done the 100 mile course yet. um I don't think it'll be too many surprises for her.
00:13:21
Speaker
No, no, not at all. And likewise, another name in that very same category, Emily Brunt, third place from UK last year, fourth place the year before. She's had a third at Cosimiler in 24, fifth at Cosimiler in 23.
00:13:39
Speaker
I had, uh, yeah, the, the only thing that kind of was really to note, um, is that there wasn't a lot of running before March 23rd. It was a lot of biking from sort of mid Jan. Um, she has put in some very dense work since. So there's been like, I noted down a 50 K long run that she's done three weeks out from race day, then followed that with a 44 K long run two weeks out, uh, kind of, uh,
00:14:05
Speaker
looked a little bit like she was cramming in the training to get ready for this but to be in the physical position where you feel like you can go and do that kind of training is she's got to have confidence in her body she she was moving well when she did it but there wasn't a lot of long runs in the block previous to that so i don't know if we're going to see the version of emily that we saw in 2025 for her third place which was a really really strong run for that podium but yeah definitely wouldn't count her out Yeah, definitely. And she she was ah she was first in 2023. She's actually got faster. So in ah her times each year have got quicker and quicker since 2023. She
00:14:45
Speaker
ah she has... I'm just looking here and i was just thinking, like is this is this the best route into UTMB? Is that why we're seeing so many international runners, particularly in the men's field? like It seems to me like yeah it might be... like I'm not...
00:15:02
Speaker
Compared to the 50 and the 100, although I haven't really done long races, I'm not particularly attracted to the miler. But then when you think of like UTMB for so many people is one of those sort of like do-it-once races that even I want to do, even though I don't really want to do milers, like it just sort of seems like something that I'd maybe like to tick off when I'm a bit older. Like this to me feels like the way in because if you're in the top 10, you get a ticket, yeah?
00:15:30
Speaker
Yeah. And we and then his age group tickets as well. There are age group tickets. as We actually we saw this saw this last year where sort of six, well, I think what Tyler and Billy who came 15th and 16th in the 50K last year were getting tickets because of the age group roll downs. Damn, damn. Yeah, I think that when you're looking at this, I think you're completely correct, Brody, that we have 11 females on the UTA elite list. Realistically, if Emily's goal is to get to UTMB, I'm pretty sure she could just she could turn up in whatever state she's in right now and run a top 10.
00:16:01
Speaker
and Well, that's the reason it jumps out at me is like she's probably she might still be getting to the start line, even if she's not in like winning shape or podium shape, because I can see that she's DNFed UTMB in 2023 and in 2025. So I'm just guessing maybe it's something that she wants to go back and do. yeah the The only thing being that to do it, unless she has a injury um delay i don't know the right word for it she and unless she scores a particular index which is pretty high i think it might it might be into the 700s the low 700s for the women for the 100 mile she won't be able to get in for this year's utmb so she will be looking at next year's utmb next year yeah yeah which which is there is me i imagine there's a couple of ways get in but it i don't ah yeah unless she's been given a deferral of or or she does run a very very fast race she i think she will struggle to get in for this year um that that said if you you are able to step up in distance so if she didn't use her uta entry to this year's race so last year's utmb that uta might be able to get her into utmb for this year so this could be for next year it's right it's very convoluted and kind kind complicated but i do think you're correct
00:17:13
Speaker
yeah Yeah, I was just like, oh, yeah. I was like, I haven't really thought of it. like ah Especially with the maybe the miler being slightly less deep than the 100 and the 50, it seems like it'd be an easier route to the finals and than some of the others, apart from having to finish the miler. Yeah.
00:17:30
Speaker
which is Which is never like lining up to just to to to finish a 20K when you're this level of athlete. like yeah and You know you're going to get it done. But a miler is still 100 miles. It's still 20, probably four to six hours. So yeah um speaking about finishing a miler,
00:17:45
Speaker
The other name that I've picked out and probably the last one that we'll go through, at least for this from my side, is Zoe Manning. yeah So we've spoken a lot about Zoe. We had her on the podcast on the main show recently.
00:17:57
Speaker
on the the longer trail stuff, she's had really good results. Most notably, I'd say, at Surf Coast, where she took the win last year in a really fast time. I think from memory, it was about 9.15 on that course. And then had fifth at Tower 100K this year.
00:18:14
Speaker
She's attempted a 100 mile once before. She DNFed COSI in 2024. And as far as I can tell, she has not attempted a miler since. She also said on our podcast that when she goes up to a distance for the first time, she's just there to experience the distance. And so the fact that she hasn't finished a miler makes me wonder, is she still going to have that mindset or is she just hit a race?
00:18:36
Speaker
a and we'll have to wait and see to find out the answer to that one but we we definitely seen a lot of capacity from zoe we know that she's fast we know that she's she's kind of getting getting quite comfortable and confident in that hundred k she's very confident confident and capable in that 40 to 50k mark um but we yeah we we haven't haven't seen it translate yet uh potentially though this this could be a really good day where she can work off some of the more experienced 100 mile runners in the field and try and sort of yeah pair up learn get herself to a point where she's able to then take herself to the finish in her own in her own pace yeah definitely and i also feel like the best way to race a mile and potentially is just doing it for the experience and then and then seeing how you feel in the last 40k like it's not it's not like you need to go out all guns blazing so it's uh it's possibly not a bad approach and i think like
00:19:27
Speaker
To me, from the outside, that seems like Zoe's approach to all of her racing to some extent anyway, and she seems to have pretty good success with it. So, um yeah, I wouldn't be putting any pressure on her, but it wouldn't surprise me if she's right up there either because I think um not all she's done some some good stuff. Again, we don't know. i guess she's unproven at 100-mile distance. She's proven at 100K but unproven at 100 miles.
00:19:54
Speaker
yeah Compared to everyone else, probably closer to being more proven. And again, when she was on the show, she was talking about her training and she is pretty high volume. I think she was talking about roughly 100 mile weeks or so. So we know that the training is definitely there for her to have a day. It's just, yeah, needs to learn the distance and come away with it. But I agree. She's definitely capable of being right up there on the podium. Hence why... Hence why we're going through the rest of the women in the 100 mile, obviously some very, very high level athletes. I think that from what I can tell, we've probably gone through the ones that are going to be the key podium contenders.
International Male Athletes and Contenders
00:20:30
Speaker
Though, honestly, Brady, is there anyone that you want to pick out? No, they the main ones that had my eye on.
00:20:37
Speaker
In that case, we'll move on down to the men's. As I said, we have a couple of neutral athletes coming across, um, both Alexi's Alexi Beresnev and then Alexi Tolstenko. Um,
00:20:53
Speaker
Bresnev has kind of most notably, I would say, won Chiang Mai 100 mile in 2025 and a 29th at UTMB last year as well, which again, doesn't sound that great, but at UTMB, that's a really, really good good run. And ah from every look the time, and it was a pretty pretty quick time on the course as as well.
00:21:13
Speaker
um Tolstenko has also had some really good results, again, kind of very similar results. uh for for the women's a second at cape town 100 mile in 2025 a first in the cape town 100 mile in 2024 um he's also had a 13th at utmb back in 2021 uh by looks of it so yeah and a a fifth at mount fuji 100 mile back in 2019 so he's been around for quite a while and some really really solid results on the board um i did note that He has more a lot more global racing experience than Alexey Bereznev. And so that definitely does come into play. We're not as exactly close to Russia here. So i think having that comfort and that experience of traveling a lot and putting in the results, think Chiang Mai and Thailand is is a lot closer to...
00:22:03
Speaker
to Russia than say to here. So he's, yeah I would say he's probably, even though he, i think he's technically ranked lower um um from a, from a UTMB perspective is probably my, my, my pick between the two of them to have the better day.
00:22:19
Speaker
yeah yeah so They've both raced a lot of races, haven't they, like in in various places in the world. But, um yeah, pretty cool to see the sort of events they've been to and a lot of consistent performances over a lot of different races. Yeah. Yeah, I think they'll they'll both be very competitive. um I'm assuming they maybe they're coming together just because there's ah a group of neutral athletes and they've done similar races in the past. um That might be a silly assumption. But, um ah yeah, so it'll be cool to see how they take on the Australian course. Definitely. Yeah.
00:22:56
Speaker
Also coming overseas, we've got Scotty Hawker. oh I think anyone's trying to follow Scotty, from a previous performance perspective, like he's a third place finisher at UTMB, a second place finisher at CCC, but we are talking sort of three four years ago i think kind of most notably recently he's had a 15th utmb in 2023 but it really does feel like scott is on the up again after a challenging i think toward 2024 and coming back in 2025 was was a real kind of yeah hot harder period
00:23:31
Speaker
for him and with the caliber that he has once had like he has his last two races ah by utmb at least are dnfs but i think there is there is still a lot to be said of kind of relearning who you are as an athlete when you've had a bit of time away from the sports and having to dial that back in and know where you can push him where you can't and rebuild that fitness so we saw him last year here for uta 22 but yeah the results there are definitely not indicative of of what he is capable of. and And you do, even if you had a long time away, like your your your body can can fall back to a baseline, but then rebuild to a previous level a lot quicker than you had to build it the first time. So,
00:24:10
Speaker
It would probably be easy to write Scotty off and say that we haven't seen anything in the recent years to say that he would be able to compete with the Alexis or some of the Australian slash Polish athletes we have in in the field. But I wouldn't be surprised if we see Scotty coming in at a much higher level than we've seen him in the last 18 months or so. Yeah, and he was absolutely world-class back in back when he was he was racing at his best. Like second at CCC, even though like, yes, the sport has changed a bit since then, but like incredible result. And the people who he's racing against still incredible athletes, um like that stuff doesn't disappear. it might just sort of...
00:24:50
Speaker
get ah get get clouded over by maybe injuries and not training not able to train as well and that sort of stuff. But, yeah, and if he's if he's on the way back and maybe this one won't be the one, but hopefully it helps him on the journey to maybe coming back to something of his old glory, I guess. um But, yeah, I definitely think he's in the mix. have you like I didn't actually have a look at his his training or anything. Were you able to track down? like has he been out Has he been putting out some some good stuff or...?
00:25:19
Speaker
and I didn't make any specific notes. I don't know I've seen some stuff from him on Instagram and it definitely looked like he was getting back to some of the training that he he did used to do. i think I think what I remember seeing is it just looked like it was very well built for what he's trying to do. like it It doesn't feel like he's trying to chase maybe a version of himself that it's not anymore, but it definitely, even just looking at his Strava grass right now, like it's at a higher volume than where he was. um the I never trust the the last four weeks that Strava does, but taking that for something it's saying sort 130k 13 hours of running 5 000 meters so probably lower maybe than where he once was but looking at what what that's made up of is there's a a lot of steady state work there's a lot of threshold work a lot of hills some good long runs just good consistency um of of training and and also training a lot with people which if you're somebody that it is what i call like a social runner if you get energy from training with people and
00:26:15
Speaker
I think it's one of the hard things about having a coach working specifically towards a track, like a race is that it's's it's easy to either not be given the flexibility or or not to to focus or you become too focused on that event and you forego the social side that maybe it is a big driver for you. And especially if you're coming back like I am right now is you will be already leaning on the social element that you lose is is a real big motivator. And if that gets you out a door a few more times, if that gets a bit more quality out of your sessions and yeah, it does look like he is he is definitely picking up Yeah, it looks like he's going well. Like, i I remember listening to some podcasts of him when I first started trail running, and he was always quite a low-volume athlete, actually. Like, he did, like, 80K. For the racing he was doing, he was doing, like, 80K weeks. um So, he's actually doing maybe more than he used to, maybe just a change in a change in training structure. But, like, it definitely looks like he's...
00:27:04
Speaker
building and if you yeah i don't think he was i don't think he was at this level last year um so he's at least made a step up from last year which is great and hopefully he's he's back to more of like 2024 2024 levels which were which were decent so um yeah he'll be an interesting one to watch and yeah i'm sure there'll be a lot of people rooting for him because he's a very popular runner and um it's cool to see him coming back Yeah.
00:27:30
Speaker
So another name that it's going to probably find the first half the course or the first for marathon that we're talking about being more technical and a bit slower going, a bit like ah a walk in the park, essentially, from what from what we've seen him perform recently is Piotr Babis.
00:27:46
Speaker
fresh off his course record at KMR 46K and then most recently second to diverge behind Toby Sparks they were neck and neck until it opened up on some some fast more runnable mountain bike trails and that's where Toby eventually showed his wheels and got away from Piotr but I think Last year we were talking about Piotr and he he came 11th in the 50K.
00:28:11
Speaker
He has a third in the 100K from 2023. Some other like notable results, first at Brisbane, 100 mile. But I do feel like obviously we saw his performance at King of the Hill, which was just an incredible display of strength, durability, mindset. um And he he was cruising.
00:28:29
Speaker
But I do think, I feel like Piotr's results and his performances are just leveled up. Like he's got faster. He's always going to be as as good on the tenth technical terrain. The distance is not going to be outside of a comfort zone for him. The terrain isn't, the environment isn't. So like Piotr could, I feel like he's in he's in a position where he could do something very special for himself at this weekend or that race.
00:28:53
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. He's someone, ah if you look at UTMB scores, he's definitely under-ranked, I would say. um And I guess that's because some of the races he's done aren't there, but also, like, I just feel like the some of the rankings on on the types of races he's done of have not...
Athlete Performance Analysis
00:29:09
Speaker
favored him too much but like he's definitely had some amazing performances over the years like i know he's he's run at the um brisbane trail ultra 100 mile in 2023 is quite an impressive time ah for the course there um he's obviously really come into his own i think in the last like i He looked like he was always very good, but he he he even looks like he's taken it to another level yeah in ah the last 12 months. um And especially what he's been able but to put out this year, even um Diverge, which like he did the 25K there, which I think is probably a good choice. And I'm glad to see that because I want to see him do really well at the miler. Yeah.
00:29:55
Speaker
He's super competitive with with Toby, who is an incredibly fast runner. And and and the thing is, Piotr probably could have done another lap. So, like, it's just like... and And Toby was scared at the end, like, trying to get away from him, reading his Strava. So, like, um yeah, i think, to me, he's probably the my pick for...
00:30:19
Speaker
yeah Like, I think he might even win, but I think he'll definitely be competitive with the the two um neutral athletes for sure, the two Alexys. And this sort of hard, yakka type of racing just suits him to a tee.
00:30:35
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, I honestly, I do agree that he's definitely stepped up. I think that the Russian athletes obviously union obviously look like they're a very high quality with with some of the performances they've put. But the way Piotr has been running recently, and and maybe this is a good chance for us to actually be able to to attain where he is because the races or the events that he's done, he's either been disappeared at Gornats,
00:31:03
Speaker
on the KMR course, which is really familiar. It's like, it's that, that's his bread and butter. Maybe they did beat Blake Turner. he did well and exactly like He did beat Blake. I remember ah did see in Blake's post that he learned how to run on Tassie trails by following Piotr on that one. Blake did a disservice to his own skills there. But I think it it will be good to see, okay, put Piotr in a race that has kind of neutralized his skills a bit on on that technical terrain outside of that first 42K and how can he perform?
00:31:33
Speaker
I could 100% see him winning this race. And I'll go, oh, okay, that's actually where he's at right now. Yeah, definitely. i Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if he does win. um Yeah.
00:31:44
Speaker
I think he's definitely capable of it. So, um yeah, I guess we'll we'll see. And i like I guess we'll see when we get to the tipping, but I think I actually will pick him.
00:31:56
Speaker
I want to give my tips away though. you wouldn't want to do that. Give me any leg up or anything. The other name i think that's worth kind of going into bit a deeper preview for would be Chris Lenchik. So 13th last year at UTA 100k.
00:32:16
Speaker
Previously had a top 10 in 2023 and took out the win for Cosimiler and also in 2023. But It's just been someone that's been putting in the work, uh, has kind of been really leaning into what he called his New Zealand training camp. I think he might've been on holiday, but he really was putting in some, some work over there. I think the, my worry for him in this field is just, is he going to be fast enough up the hills to be able to keep up and just be able to match the pace of, of, of this race that it potentially could, especially as, as the guys get onto the more runnable stuff. But Chris is definitely from a training perspective. I think he, he, it looks like he's in the, he's got the makings of someone that could do better than what his performances have been recently.
00:33:01
Speaker
He's my Chris McAuliffe of the 2026 miler. like i I think he's going to be the one where we're like, oh, he didn't look like he was on the same level as those other athletes, but then just just keeps going, keeps going, and he comes out in in the in the podium position, I think is definitely a chance. So, yeah, he'd be a good one to watch. Cool.
00:33:22
Speaker
Quick mentions also then just um we have Fabien Desanois, fourth at 2025 UTK 100 mile. And then Michael Loft as well, who's seventh at Buffalo 100 mile, one hundred k last year and a ninth at the UTA 124. But I think, again, sort of will be struggling against the caliber of some of these athletes to get onto that podium level performance.
00:33:45
Speaker
Brody, there anyone else you want to mention? Yeah. I don't know. Did you did I miss it? did i like Did you talk about Takumi, the Japanese guy? No, i see i scroll I scroll past him and i yep there is Takumi.
00:33:59
Speaker
i I was like, this guy seems like he could be pretty good. Yeah, no and no, you're right. Sorry. I've separated the internationals and the Aussies slash New Zealand. Yeah, okay. I scored a while to speak about Scotty. Yeah, so he was third at the Tower 100 mile earlier this year, um running like a decent time. I'm not sure that was the most super competitive field this year but again decent results 17 59 i know it was like pretty horrible conditions for for them um so yeah he's he's that's probably that's what he's been up to this year but he he does have some some like top 10 results from other 100 mile races 100k races as well um tara we're a race in a couple of races in japan um
00:34:47
Speaker
Yeah, he did the Cosimilar in 2023 and he was second there. So he has been to Australia before races in Japan a bit. um But yeah, I think he'll he'll definitely be in the conversation. um And, yeah, i don't know i don't know much about his running style or anything like that or whether he'll be the one to, I don't know if I'm just thinking of Japanese marathon runners who all go out as hard as they can and maybe I'm thinking that he will go out with the the two neutral athletes. But, um yeah, not sure how he'll go, but he's definitely like by his scores in some of his races, his um he's definitely one to watch.
00:35:25
Speaker
Yeah, I think that it it is a bit tricky because we we sort of, you look at Kozzi and you look at Tower and the 100 mile distances have not historically been particularly
Top Male Contenders and Predictions
00:35:35
Speaker
deep. that They might have had a couple of competitive competitive names and depending on the year, they definitely do do vary.
00:35:40
Speaker
He was still 90 minutes off the win Tower. tawera which is not that far from a mile but but there's obviously a lot of people that could fit into that gap so i think that definitely could could be a feature for that podium i thought that personally think will he'll be just just off it but yeah as if we said for one of the previews earlier the japanese athletes typically do come with a very good foundation of being fast runners especially marathon runners yeah yeah and then the last one i don't know sure did you mention tim woods
00:36:14
Speaker
No. No. So Tim was sixth at Cosimilar in 2025 and then literally like three weeks before that was seventh at GPT Mila. So he did the double both in November in 2025, which pretty crazy.
00:36:30
Speaker
which is pretty crazy um so yeah he's he's got a bit of experience in the milers um he's also third at fault line in new zealand miler there um and then earlier this year he did the alpine challenge and he did the two-day format where he did do back-to-back days and he came second there so um yeah he's i think he's one that'll be in the mix definitely in the top 10 Lovely. Cool. All right, let's move on to our picks. We'll start with the women's field. I've now forgotten who went first for the Do you remember? I think I pick first.
00:37:04
Speaker
You think you pick first? Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. You're up. Okay. Well, assuming that she's going to be here, then i will pick Chen Lin to take out the win. Second, I'll have Antonia. And then third, I'm going to go with Steph Austin. Cool.
00:37:24
Speaker
I'm going to go with the same first two and then I'm going to go Actually, I'm going to go Antonia first, Antonina first, and then Chinlan second, and then Zoe Manning third.
00:37:39
Speaker
Oh, I like it. Cool. i've but no I guess go in the men first. um I'm going Piotr first and then I'm going to go Alexi alexi B and then Alexi T. Cough out. ah Yeah. Yeah.
00:38:04
Speaker
I am going to also back him and put Piotr first. I will, however, I will, I'm going to put Alexi T in second and then yeah, Alexi B in third.
00:38:20
Speaker
So we just swapped the Alexi's. swapped Alexi's. Okay, cool. Yeah.
Closing Remarks and Listener Appreciation
00:38:25
Speaker
Nice. Nice. We did it. We did it. Did it. And if you can guess how long James and I have been recording this afternoon, you can comment it on this post and if you get it right, I'll send you a block of chocolate.
00:38:39
Speaker
yeah There better be some good chocolate. Yeah, it's it's been's it's been a very You should be actually paying me chocolate for how long I've been recording for.
00:38:52
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's it's good fun doing these. it's It's good fun doing the research as well and seeing like learning a lot more about about these athletes. As we've said multiple times, there's a lot more names than we've spoken through here that are up-and-comers, people that it's good to see back on the scene, and people that definitely could surprise us. But yeah just looking at some of the names that we've picked, we've got some pretty...
00:39:13
Speaker
pretty cool, pretty competitive. Um, some, some big, big choices there. Uh, it's going to be, it's going to be fun, fun weekend at UTA. It's a pain when you're, you're listening like this, if you're racing, good luck.
00:39:26
Speaker
If you're crewing also good luck, cause that's definitely not an easy job for the hundred mile, uh, or for hundred K or 50 K that you can cruise, crew as well. Brady, fun as always. Thank you for this. Very fun. i feel like I've completed UTA.
00:39:39
Speaker
Yeah, I feel like we don't need to run the mile now. I should get the belt buckle for this preview, I think. All right, it's basically how long the fifty k would take take. It's not far off.
00:39:51
Speaker
There's a good clue for you if you be chop the bar from Brody. All right, thanks everyone for listening. Catch you later.