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Matt Crehan: Pre-WMTRC Interview
408 Plays27 days ago
Matt Crehan returns to the show ahead of representing Team Australia at the 2025 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, where he will also serve as team co-captain. In this conversation, Matt reflects on a fourth-place finish at UTA100, a rollercoaster race at Lavaredo marked by both joy and stomach issues, and how his mindset toward running has shifted from pure performance to rediscovering enjoyment.
We also dive into his training philosophy with coach Dave Byrne, balancing speed work with mountain preparation, and the challenges Australian athletes face on the global stage. Tune in to hear the full story.
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Thanks for tuning in to Peak Pursuits! Connect with us on Instagram @peakpursuits.pod to share your thoughts, questions, and trail stories. Until next time, keep hitting the trails and chasing those peak pursuits!
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Transcript
Welcome Back & Recent Experiences
00:00:14
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the PeopleShoot Podcast. My name is James Sieber and today I'm joined by Matt Crean who is representing Team Australia on the World Long Trail Team and also as co-captain with Kelly Emerson.
00:00:27
Speaker
This is Matt's second time back on the podcast. The first time was my first interview back in February it's gonna be really interesting catch up. Matt, thanks for coming back on. How are going? I'm going well, James. Thanks for having me.
00:00:38
Speaker
It's exciting to have you have you back on. You've had quite a few things on since we yeah since we last spoke back in in February, namely UTA and then heading back over to La Veredo and obviously got onto the Wells team. So I'm definitely excited to hear about all of those.
Current Condition & Race Reflections
00:00:53
Speaker
Before i get into them, the last time we spoke, you were dealing with a little bit of, think was tendonitis or tendinopathy stuff. how's How's the body going at the moment? Body's feeling really good at the moment. um I mean, that sort of...
00:01:04
Speaker
sweet spot of training where the load's increasing but i feel like I'm absorbing it well and just feeling fit which is always a good thing always a good feeling isn't it especially the training that you're having to do for worlds is I'm assuming it's like change in direction I've seen you do some off-trail work because of the technicality and I feel like whenever you're throwing a new stimulus in there's always the potential that the body doesn't respond perfectly to it so yeah that's that's good that's good to hear So the last time we spoke was just after Cradle Mountain, and you came second.
00:01:35
Speaker
You've kind of gone on from there, ah did Buffalo 20K and then into UTA. Last time I saw you was at UTA and seemingly fourth place at the 100K.
00:01:48
Speaker
Looked like a really good run. Going back through your Java and your Instagram today, it seemed like kind of slightly mixed emotions, like not the best day, but not a bad day. Yeah. Looking back at that, how are you feeling about that that run now?
00:01:59
Speaker
um I think and looking back at it, even within like a week or so of looking back on it, I kind of changed my opinion of it. I think was a bit disappointed, to be honest, to be to begin with, because it was the first race in quite a while that I kind of felt like I'd thrown everything into it. Like I did a training camp in the Blue Mountains and everything and was feeling really good for it. And yeah, I guess, I mean, fourth place was still great, but would have been would have been lovely to to pop onto that podium yes and like watching that that whole day go through was like fascinating but i was i was up there and seeing like we had um shenzhi sheng off off the front mike carroll had kind of put himself in like a little bit of a no man's land in second especially in the second half of that race but
00:02:44
Speaker
it really from Mike through to about sixth with you guys it seemed like a race that could have gone like you could have very easily ended that day in second or you could very easily end of that day in sixth place is that is that how it felt when you were running uh yeah it really did like I ran quite a few maybe like 30ks or so with George as well which was really really fun like chatting with him and yeah I mean with any ultra you go through ups and downs and um remember at At times, I felt like I was you know lucky to hold on
UTA Race Dynamics & Course Changes
00:03:12
Speaker
to a top 10. Other times, I thought, so oh, yeah, I reckon I'm good here. I might be able to catch Mike.
00:03:18
Speaker
when When you were going into the race, what was the the goal? ah What did you get out of that day? um i wanted to... ah When I did the training camp, I did ah spent a week up there in April and I've had a new appreciation for that course. I think when I did it,
00:03:35
Speaker
When was it in 2021? i I thought it was, you know, it was a great race, a good event that they put on, but I wasn't that, you know, thrilled with the course. and Maybe that's because I was, you know, shutters on and just running running through, whereas spending a bit more time and appreciating the Blue Mountains for what they are in April was just like, yeah, this is actually a world-class course. So, yeah. um ah Sorry, I've forgotten the question No, just the goals that you're going into the race with.
00:04:03
Speaker
Yeah, right. So, Basically, to improve on my 2021 was like the main goal, which i was fourth then as well, I think it was, and try and duck under 10 hours, which I didn't quite manage this time either, but yeah.
00:04:17
Speaker
Was it the same course so back then? Slightly different. Similar, but yeah, a couple of changes. Do you reckon it ran pretty similar time-wise? ah No, I think it was a bit slower, particularly the first half.
00:04:28
Speaker
yeah Yeah, which makes sense. Again, looking through the stuff today, the the performance indexes were definitely weighted more favorably to now and now as in your time got a much better score than it would have back then. So that that does make sense.
00:04:42
Speaker
I think it's interesting when when we chatted last time, 2021 is when you got your sacrum stress fracture.
Shifting Running Mentality
00:04:50
Speaker
It was pubic ramai, so in that region, but yeah.
00:04:53
Speaker
Made the same mistake last time. um But I think it was it was after BTU, which followed UTA, that that that that happened. And then we spoke about the kind of ah bit of a different approach you've got to come back to the sport with from that. And following all the UTMB stuff this weekend, heard multiple people, Tom Evans the most notable, and Ben Deeman saying that They've kind of dropped the performance focus because they've been forced to, whether it's having kids or it's injuries and coming at it with a much more like the goal is for fun and execute and seeing what that leads to. Do you feel like that's kind of what it felt like coming back into UTA this time? Yeah.
00:05:29
Speaker
I do a bit, not so much because of that injury or anything, but I think just my mentality towards running over the past 12 months has has changed a bit. And like i wouldn't say I take it less seriously, but it's definitely not the number one thing in my life or my main sort of driving factor. So, yeah.
00:05:47
Speaker
If it's not the injury side, what do you think has driven that reframing? um I don't know. I think I kind of ah fell out of love with the sport a little bit. like i was I felt like I was kind of just...
00:05:59
Speaker
going through the motions a little bit and doing races and still doing objectively well, but not not loving it while I was out there. So um skipping forward a little bit with Lavoretto this year, my main goal for that race was just to go out and really enjoy it. Like just take the foot off the gas a little bit, forget about competition and just see, just try and see if I still love the sport like I used to.
00:06:22
Speaker
Okay, that's really fascinating. And it it's also not a unique story. It's one we are hearing quite a bit.
Lavaredo Race Experience & Strategy
00:06:28
Speaker
Phil Averedo, I know that you ended up having gastro just before the race. And so it it it went downhill. I nearly made a really bad pun there.
00:06:36
Speaker
um But I know the first 80K sounded like at least. yeah well it wasn't but Yeah, it wasn't gastro before the race. It was during the race. I had no symptoms whatsoever until about Oh, yeah.
00:06:48
Speaker
mean Yeah, it became very apparent. So that's what was sort of frustrating about it because I i was and sticking to that plan of like i was hiking most of the hills and just enjoying myself and having a really good time. i actually really enjoyed the first 80K of that race. Then things went downhill very quickly.
00:07:05
Speaker
Just back to UTA briefly, once you finished that race, what did you feel like in terms of enjoyment level towards the sport and excitement for what the rest of this year is? Because you had just received the news that you were back on the team yeah that weekend. Yeah, and that was a big goal of mine. So that was like a, it was a huge relief to hear. It was a bit stressful that they were releasing that information that week.
00:07:24
Speaker
But yeah, that was a huge relief and it kind of set up how I was going to, you know, tackle the the rest of the year, I guess. And then also... i'm reinforced that I wanted to just have fun with Lavaretto rather than like, you know coming out of that. Like if I buried myself in that and then jeopardized worlds, that would be, you know, disastrous. So, yeah, reinforced that idea that it was going to be just like a fun race, fun adventure.
00:07:50
Speaker
When I was chatting Ben Burgess and Kelly Angel before, Ben said that he was racing West Max that same weekend that UTA was on and that he he had to look to check to see if he got in or not.
00:08:02
Speaker
Did you look at the email before you raced? Yes, I did. I mean, there was a lot of chat going around Katoomba that day. ah Having got that that email, did it play at all with you your mind on the day? Because even good news can can still have its effect.
00:08:18
Speaker
Yeah, I mean... I don't think it really affected how I raced or anything. ah think i was I was hanging out with Leo for most of the weekend. like He was crewing me with ah um for the 100 and he was doing the 22, obviously. So I was a bit ah shocked, I guess, that he didn't get in. And then so that seemed to have more of an impact on me than the news that I got.
00:08:39
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. Yeah, 100%. I think the the whole sport from that perspective was a bit shocked on on on that decision. And then from from UTA, so you already knew that Lavaredo was going to be more for the fun of it, but was there anything that you sort of felt like you needed to change or do differently once you got that news that you were going to be hitting Worlds?
00:09:02
Speaker
ah Not so much change, just I wanted to get a really good training block leading into it And that was another thing that played into the Lavaredo plan because I wasn't trying to be as competitive competitive as I possibly could. It meant that I could use that whole trip over there as a big training block, like not i have a very small taper and yeah, do more than I probably would otherwise. And and I think that really worked quite well. Like I came back from Italy feeling like I'd have this big, like obviously not a great day at Lavoretto, but just a really big solid training block in the mountains, which was what I needed.
00:09:35
Speaker
and what is it about, I know i know obviously that this Sportiva, but you've been back to La Verade three times now and I get the impression there's a lot of excitement and just love for that, that area and that event. What is it about La Verade?
00:09:49
Speaker
um Well, partly because it's a big La Sportiva party. yeah so It's just spectacular. Like the, the Dolomites, like they, they're just jaw dropping and it's a really fun mix of terrain in that race. Like there's some technical stuff and there's some really runnable stuff, which I do like. Like I,
00:10:04
Speaker
It's fun being on these big sort of adventure, technical, like hard courses, but it's also fun to be able to to run fast in those races. And I think it has a good mix of both.
00:10:15
Speaker
Is altitude much of a factor there? Yeah, it is a bit. You spend quite a bit of time above 2000 metres. You go up to two sevens the highest, I think. Like it's probably, as a percentage wise, you spend more time high in that race than you do in UTMB.
00:10:29
Speaker
Do you find that it affects you much, the altitude? I find that it does if I don't prepare for it. Okay. Yeah. Like I think if I'm there early enough that I can acclimatize to some degree, even if it's not perfect, then it definitely makes a big difference.
00:10:45
Speaker
And mentioned the back end of that course. It sounded like, did Matt Dunn, who was ah he was also racing, wasn't he? Yeah. yeah did Did he find you on the trail and help you in?
00:10:56
Speaker
Yeah. So it was a bit, because he was he was well ahead. of me to begin with because I was, you know, just skipping on the trail and picking flowers and stuff. And then I caught up with him at the a checkpoint at like 67K, so about halfway through.
00:11:10
Speaker
And I came through with a big smile on my face. It's like, hey, buongiorno. And then then saw him sitting down with his hike head in his hands. was like, oh, no, what's happened here? So he was not having a great day by that point. So we jogged for a while, me, him, and Nick, another friend of ours.
00:11:24
Speaker
And then i yeah, it was feeling like we're all feeling okay to sort of, I remember Matt saying like, i I'm definitely not running this climb. was like, mate, I never planned to run any of these climbs. Like, let's just hike. Let's just enjoy this. And then yeah, at about 80K, I started going downhill and I told him, was like, oh, I feel a bit sick. And then ah just all of a sudden threw up and I was like, you go on ahead, I'll i'll catch up And then he sort of hovered around and then and then I caught up to him and I said, mate, like you just keep going. Like, don't worry about me.
00:11:52
Speaker
And then ah didn't see him for a while and I was deteriorating and stopping and throwing up, trying to get some water down, throwing up. And then eventually I sort of made my way up to this water point and I could hear him him further up the trial going, oh, there he is. And they'd been waiting there for like an hour for me. So that was really nice of them.
00:12:10
Speaker
Oh, wow. Just checked that I was all right. And they'd gone ahead to to tell the medics that I was not in a good way. And um eventually once they got me to the medics and they went off and finished, which was good. Okay. So that they were still able to finish.
00:12:23
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not quite the time were hoping for, but yeah, they got a time. I feel like that's a good example of as much as the time matters, there's a few things that that probably do take priority. and and And I think most trial racers say that like care for your fellow runner is something that we always need to put put first, no matter what where you fall in there.
00:12:42
Speaker
That sounds like quite a scary situation to find yourself in. Yeah, I was like, because at first I was like, oh, have I just pushed too hard here then i was thinking, no, well, no, I haven't. I've been been really sort of controlled haven't put too much effort in. I don't know, but it was just just all of a sudden.
00:12:58
Speaker
And then I'd start feeling slightly better, but then try and get some more water in and then in just, you know, another 10 minutes then and then come out again. So it was, and I knew, I know that course so well that when I found out where I had to get to, to get to the medics, I was just like, shit, I'm not sure if I can actually do that. Like considered whether i was going to have to get a chopper or something gets up at one point.
Recovery & Competitiveness
00:13:19
Speaker
Wow. and That experience, especially the body is that depleted, could very easily have quite a long tail of an effect. Did it cause you issues for the coming weeks?
00:13:33
Speaker
I wouldn't say weeks, but it was pretty rough the next day. Like I ah finally got back off the mountain and back home and fell asleep. And as soon as I woke up, just threw up again. And that sort really confirmed to me i was like, all right, this is not just pushing hard in a race. This is like definitely got a bug or something in some description.
00:13:48
Speaker
But then because I felt so average and I had like i hadn't finished the race, but i'd still done still covered 90K and I'd obviously just lost any nutrition that I'd put in. But because I felt so average the next day, I just couldn't get any other food or water, well, a bit of water, but couldn't get any food in to help recover.
00:14:04
Speaker
So for the next few days, it was pretty rough, pretty slow moving. Wow. it But it's been no no longer term side effects from all that. I was worried that it would be, but yeah, bounce back pretty quick. like That's great. that's great no Likewise, I think when you're, especially when you've got to put yourself through 10K to get out, I can't go 10 meters if if if I've been in that situation. so Yeah, that's fucked.
00:14:29
Speaker
Lavarado itself, I was having a look through the so actually see the the results from from this year and on the men's side, Ben Demon and Josh Wade, who just came second and third at UTMB, were in that race. I think Ben won in ah in historian in in in the new course record and Josh was the top 10. And in the women's side, granted, not not as strong days, but Courtney and Alyssa Clark, who came first and second, also came in.
00:14:54
Speaker
Mm-hmm. what do you think it is about Lavarado that makes it an appealing race people that most likely have UTMB as their A race to to go and do?
00:15:05
Speaker
yeah well, I think partly that some of the reasons I said before, like just the spectacular scenery, but the fact that it does draw a good crowd, I think adds to it. I do like a competitive field. I think it's a good distance out from UTMB to have like a pretty solid hair hit out, not quite 100 miles. So it's like a little bit easier for the recovery, but...
00:15:23
Speaker
A good hit out, what is it, like six weeks out from UTMB, something like that? Yeah, about that. Yeah. Okay. No, it just struck me as as interesting how many people actually did do that as, as the lead in.
International Challenges & Mindset
00:15:35
Speaker
know, yeah, listening to some of Ben Demon stuff that he he did as a podcast and a really good newsletter that, that kind of goes into the detail of it. But I was like, wow, this is a lot, a lot of people that that do do it. Do you, do you feel like your story with Laverado is done for a little bit or you've, you've got ah an urge to go back there?
00:15:54
Speaker
Yeah, no, I'll be back for sure. i don't know about next year, but I'll definitely be back there again. Yeah, because next year, obviously, you've also got entry into CCC now off UTA. Yeah. yeah Is that something that you're considering?
00:16:05
Speaker
ah Yeah, I mean, it's still a year away, so we'll see what happens. But yeah, consider it for sure. It's an interesting mindset, the whole you get into this race, but it's in the following year. And in some cases, it could be over 18 months away. And how much that how much time you give that?
00:16:23
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Especially if you got in in like um uh tower or something like that right start of the year it's like it almost feels like two years away exactly i feel like it'd be so easy to to overdo it actually see this is just a interesting comment i've noticed obviously the big world majors people tend to have a high dnf rate at the competitive edge but where we're trying to get everything out out of them but and and this year obviously with UTMB if you were following it the weather was atrocious um over that that first first real climb but I was following on on our men's side on the women's side Lucy came seven so she had an incredible day but the men men's side Michael Dunstan DNF George Murray DNF Nigel Hill DNF and three of our top sort of ultra runners in the country and Matt Dunn as well unfortunately and Matt Dunn as well thank you so it's
00:17:14
Speaker
Outside of the weather conditions, just just just the event, going over it and performing at the big stages internationally is is really tricky. Is there anything that that that you think yeah we as Australians or are coming the world fall into a trap of or or get slightly wrong and in these bigger stages? Yeah.
00:17:33
Speaker
Well, I guess it comes down to what you want out of the race. like Sometimes if you want to do really well at a race like that, you kind of do have to take a few risks. And you know they they're risks, so they often don't play out, especially when you're adding other factors like the the weather and stuff.
00:17:48
Speaker
Obviously, with my mind ah in in Worlds and the fact that that's probably a similar pressure and for people that are performing for their country above performing at, say, the most competitive event,
00:17:59
Speaker
on a higher pedestal it's an even bigger pressure cooker and so like what what tactics can can we use to not let that be overwhelming? do you Do you think that we sometimes go in with a bit too much confidence of of what we can do and on those terrains because you are throwing in climbs that we don't get here, altitude that we don't get here and the level of competition that we don't get here.
00:18:24
Speaker
Yeah, potentially. i mean, and you don't don't have to get it wrong by that much of a percentage for it to really like really get shown up over over such a long distance as well. So yeah, I think there's probably a few people, myself included, that you you do quite well in Australian races and you think you can just like transfer that over to the the bigger stage in Europe. And it is quite a step up the level of competition over there and yeah just the level of terrain and everything.
00:18:49
Speaker
With Lavarado, do you think there's much more you can get out of yourself on that that course and in that condition? I think so. ah think it was interesting this year. Like I said, I had that different approach to the race. and The previous two previous times I've done it, the first time i went out quite hard, I was think I was first through the first checkpoint, which was pretty silly, um and then blew up really badly. I can't remember my time. I think 14 and a half hours, something like that. and Then...
00:19:19
Speaker
The next time I went, I felt like I did much better. Still blew up a little bit towards the end, but I think I was like 13 and a half hours. This year with the approach of just having fun and just sort of cruising through and being in a good mindset, I think had things not gone south the way they did, I was kind of on track to do around 14 hours anyway.
00:19:38
Speaker
So I don't know. i think like you can it's a fine line to like just push that little bit too hard and then you really blow up and fall off a cliff, whereas... Yeah, if you just be a bit more conservative through it, then yeah, it's you don't you're not giving up as much time as you think you are.
00:19:52
Speaker
I find that fascinating because I feel like there's this rhetoric, especially in those 100k distances, and I think it's extending out towards the 100 miles and potentially not so much for the mountainous ones, but the the race now starts at the start line and you've kind of got to be aggressive if you're going to try and win or even the top 10 place now, but that you still feel like maybe the better approach, at least for you, is to not be so aggressive just go to your plan and go do do do you feel like that's that's right well it it also depends what you want to get out of the race like i know dave burn my coach he's a bit advocate of like feeling like you're part of if you want to be if you want to do well i want to be top five or even and top ten like you got to feel like you're part of the race rather than just hoping you can you know claw your way back towards the end or people fall apart or whatever like
00:20:39
Speaker
if you're If you're sitting in seventh, your ambition to push up this last final climb is a lot less than if you're in third. Yes. i Just because it's tough top of mind, Ludovic Pomeroy, who came sixth just now UTMB after his second Hard Rock victory.
00:20:58
Speaker
I think when I first looked, he was who's definitely in the 20s, might have even been in the 30s. Yeah. And then has pushed his way through. So it definitely defies defies that. But do you feel like it just... It's him though, isn't it? Like every time he races, I think.
00:21:13
Speaker
It is, but as of my mike I guess my question was going to be like, you feel like you really have to understand your own psychology and go, okay, where am I going to draw strength from? Yeah, yeah, I think so. And I think, yeah, knowing the race as well and knowing that there will be so much attrition at a race like UTMB, a particular year like this when the weather is as it is.
00:21:32
Speaker
as it was. Definitely. know, Ruth Croft saying that she needed to, as soon as she hit that weather, she felt like she had to completely change her her plan from being more aggressive to
World Championships Preparation
00:21:41
Speaker
just surviving. So that it obviously, it is within within a big kind of um preamble of the fact that the the weather was really was really quite bad this year.
00:21:51
Speaker
That line of questioning very much was setting me towards worlds because we know the terrain is going to be quite a, it's essentially sky running from what from what we've heard and and very much off trail or limited trail, very technical in in places.
00:22:08
Speaker
And we're going into a position where you are theoretically with the best runners from every nation across the world. this is your third world championships team now and you are co-captain with with kelly as i mentioned at the very start when you think about how you need to be approaching this with the experience that you've got what's what you think is going to work best for you to get the best out of yourself um i think with this course in particular like you said it's going to be very technical very steep but from what i hear it's the first half that is where a lot of that um the steep climbs the technicality is so
00:22:42
Speaker
I think it will be a case of just trying to like stay composed and controlled through that first half and hopefully have the running legs in the second half to really sort of take it home. The last two times you've been on on the team, is there anything that you can really take from that experience towards this one?
00:23:00
Speaker
um I mean, they're both very different. In Thailand, i did the long trail and Just with the the weather, of the humidity there, just absolutely buried myself. I think we spoke about this on the last podcast. Yeah. um Innsbruck was very different because I did the short trail just because it was not long before Leveretto. So that was, I felt like it was a bit of a free swing Innsbruck because short trail is not really my forte. So yeah, I was just happy to happy to be there and just give it all I had.
00:23:29
Speaker
Okay. to And last time i was looking at your position, you came 56th in the long trail at Thailand. Do you have particular ambitions for places or or percentage in the field or or is it very much for you just having like having the fun executing your your plan that that you care about?
00:23:50
Speaker
i tell you a bit of both. Like I'd but be lying if i say if I said I wasn't i thinking about, yeah, at least getting in the top half, if not maybe like know top 30 or so but it's a bit hard to like you don't really know until you till you get there and see the field and everything like that yeah what do you feel like would be ah good day for you at at the end in terms it doesn't have to be position wise but what what do you need to do to be content at that finish line uh if i feel like i have If I've had the legs to run well in that second half, I think I'll be i'll be content with that. Pretty pretty easy easy yes or no way to assess yourself there. Yeah.
00:24:31
Speaker
Well, I mean, because, you know, obviously that implies a lot more that like you have had a good race and that you've been smart and controlled. And, yeah, like I'm not going to walk the first half and then just in the second, but I feel like I've can come home strong. I feel like on a course like that, that will mean a lot. So, yeah.
00:24:47
Speaker
With a course like this, ah does it excite you? It does, yes. Yeah, I feel it could. feels like it definitely plays to your to your strengths. Are you doing anything different in this last, say, eight eight weeks to build up for it? Because obviously you've just come back from La Pereda. I can't imagine you're going over...
00:25:07
Speaker
for two months long, fat yeah you you said you're leaving tomorrow on a flight? Yep, tomorrow morning. Yeah. So you've got what, three weeks, four weeks? Yep. So it's enough time. It's not crazy amount of time to be on the course. Is there and is anything you have done differently whilst you've been over in Australia?
00:25:22
Speaker
um ummit At first I was thinking it was frustrating having to come back from Europe rather than just staying over the whole way through. But I think it's worked well. I think, like I said, I had a really good training block in Italy and in Cham before Laboretto.
00:25:37
Speaker
And then I've managed to come back here and had a really good block and and work on my speed, which has been good as well. Like rather than, you know, sometimes you spend too long in the mountains, you kind just do a lot of long, slow stuff, which is appropriate for a race like that. But I think it's really beneficial just for your overall fitness to...
00:25:53
Speaker
well, has been beneficial for me to come back here and feel like I've got a really good training block behind me and worked on that speed. So, yeah. One of the things I noticed when i was going through your Strava is that you and Dave have kept a speed focus in your training very late into it. Like you're still doing short hills, you're still doing like fast reps. And yes, you do have the the long runs and you've got a mix of random runs through Melbourne that are sort of, know, you're midweek long that's just, you can't get access to hills and then you've got your big sort of adventure run. So well what is it about
00:26:27
Speaker
you specifically that you feel like, okay, I, even when I am six weeks out from ATK, that's probably gonna take 10, 11 hours. I still feel like I really need to keep that speed focus.
00:26:40
Speaker
Well, I mean, Dave's got a bit of a philosophy that's like, obviously, the specificity that is involved in a race like that. So you need to be able to move over technical terrain and stuff. But at the end of the day, the fittest person is going to win the race. And this is one of the best ways to get fit, particularly with where I'm living at the moment. Like, just you got to fit the training in around your life. So, yeah, that's just the best way to get the most that I can out of myself, like training like that at the moment.
00:27:07
Speaker
Have you got examples for yourself where you've gone too heavy onto the specificity for these ultras and you've just become an aerobic monster, but you've lost that sharpness and that that quickness? I mean, I do think that can happen. I can't think of a specific example to give you, but yeah, I think you can spend two too much time just sort of hiking up hills and having fun days in the mountains, which is you know great fun and is appropriate for ultras, but there's something to be said for keeping that speed in legs.
00:27:36
Speaker
From a training perspective, think this is top of mind just from listening to everyone talking about keeping fun in their training and and that's going to be what builds their consistency, etc. do Do you struggle sometimes when you feel drawn to say going into a big mountain day or just running a certain run and then you've got the structure of it I've got to do this speed session, etc. Is is that ever ah a battle for you?
00:27:59
Speaker
Not so much the the structure of the session. the The battle is being sometimes like stuck in a city and having to deal with running around laps around the town when I'd rather be running on a ridgeline. Yeah. Yeah. And before like but before I got a coach, I was worried that that would be the case, that I just i wouldn't like the structure and ah wouldn't be able to do exactly what I wanted to do with my training and, yeah, go and pick flowers and...
00:28:23
Speaker
like waltz through the through the hills but um no I have really enjoyed having that structure in my training for sure and the representing your country for the third time but once is amazing three three is an incredible achievement and the common story has been getting onto this world's team has been very competitive getting onto this team and also being asked to co-captain how does how does it feel to be to be doing it again It's huge
Australian Representation & Team Dynamics
00:28:52
Speaker
honour, to be honest. And I'll just quickly correct you, it's fourth time.
00:28:55
Speaker
Oh, sorry. It's third time for these World Mountain Trail Running Champs, but I also made a sky running team back the day in Italy a few years ago. um Yeah, but it is a huge honour. And being nominated as captain as well, like with Kelly, that's just yeah fantastic. track I was honoured to hear that.
00:29:15
Speaker
Yeah, that's brilliant. Sorry, I have said that quite a few times. I feel really bad have jibbed you from a national team there. time by I feel like these these teams, so nothing to take anything away from sky running, but these teams do feel like they have a bit of a step above the sky running world champs anyway, in Australia or as it is anyway. Yes, I do feel like there's just more attention from a media perspective and a sport perspective about it. Like the um Christian who came second to gym in OCC is the sky running world champion. But everyone was like, who is this guy?
00:29:47
Speaker
Yeah, well, he won't the year that I was there as well. that He won long, long course in the sky running champs in 2022 as well. Yeah, exactly. So and we were all looking like looking and saying, who who is he? Where's he come from? And especially the fact that he's I think he was 39. So he's been around in the sport for a while.
00:30:02
Speaker
But that would not be the case if it was one of the long trail or short trail championships car champions coming in. I don't i don't think so, at least. In terms of what you think Australia... So there's been this big conversation about the team and getting... a a team together that's capable of all performing in that top 50% and trying to put our best foot forward now.
00:30:26
Speaker
What do you think from an Australian perspective, given you've been on on four teams from a national perspective team, we should be looking to get out of going to these championships?
00:30:38
Speaker
I think we should be... don't think we should be like striving for a particular result or anything like that, but I think we should be really trying to drive... the attention and the focus that, um, we give to it and even have a bit more of a structured way of, of building the teams of like even having national champs to like have auto qualifiers to get on the team. Like it's it's just a bit haphazard at the moment, like just, you know, application process is all down to discretion. We do have national champs like for the long trail and for the short trail, but they're not really, don't really match up and, um,
00:31:11
Speaker
Like it's not auto entry for starters and it swaps from race to race each year and yet it doesn't really feel like a structured pathway. ah feel like there's a lot more that could be done there. I can't say that I've got a perfect solution or anything, but it does seem bit haphazard at the moment.
00:31:25
Speaker
No, and I think it's... it's the sports is still very young of course there's going be mistakes of course there's things going do better that's always the case but the worst thing we can do is not say anything in a productive manner like have the conversations that potentially could lead to developments in five years time and not criticizing anybody just an interesting conversation matt i felt like this i feel like this race is going to suit you yeah okay yeah and i like the the perspective it seems like you're in you seem happy and excited for this one so Yeah, yeah, yeah. We definitely say that that's the case. Perfect. Well, good luck.
00:31:59
Speaker
have Have fun with it. And I look forward to to catching up and hearing all about it afterwards. Yeah, great. Thanks for the chat.