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Episode 34: UTK Recap and Inspirational Stories with Trail Running MC Dave Stewart!
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Welcome to Episode 34 of Peak Pursuits, your ultimate podcast for everything trail running in Australia. This week’s episode is hosted by Jess Jason, Vlad Ixel, and guest host Dave Stewart! Get to know Dave before diving into Jess’ race recap at UTK then keep listening for Vlad’s recap of his most recent trip to Asia and some awesome results for the week!
Start - 21:30 :- Get to Know Dave
As MC for some of the biggest races in the country, Dave Stewart is well entrenched in the trail running scene and has so many incredible finish line stories. Hear how he got into being on the Mic and some of his own running journey.
21:30 - 31:43:- Jess’ UTK recap
Hear about Jess’ win at UTK30, from pre-race voms, to nailing her nutrition in the race, to the battles out on course.
31:43- 38:45 :- Vlad’s trip and races recap.
Hear about Vlad’s final trip of the year where he worked at and raced Translantau and Malaysia UTMB, then the aftermath of coming home and taking a much needed (and his longest ever!) break from running.
38:45 - 55:50 :- Adverse Conditions in Ultra Running and Inspirational Finish Lines
The team touch on how they navigate the really tough conditions in racing from heat to cold/rain as we have seen in recent events at GPT and UTK, as well as some discussion on the behind the scenes of these events and navigating weather and race pauses/cancellations. Then hear a few stories from Dave about some inspirational finishes from the front to the back of the field!
55:50 - End :- Race Results and What’s Coming Up
With races a little more light on this week we cover the UTK results before talking through whats coming up next week!
Ultra Trail Kosciuszko: https://www.multisportaustralia.com.au/races/ultra-trail-kosciuszko-2024
Thanks for tuning in to Peak Pursuits! Connect with us on Instagram @peakpursuits.pod to share your thoughts, questions, and your own trail stories. Until next time, keep hitting the trails and chasing those peak pursuits!
Jess: @jessjason
Vlad: @vladixel
Dave: @_daventures_
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetter
License code: K08PMQ3RATCE215R
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Transcript
Introduction to Peak Pursuits Podcast Episode 34
00:00:08
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Episode 34 of the Peak Pursuits Podcast. I'm Jess Jason and I'm joined today by Dave Stewart. How are you going, Dave? I'm very well, Jess. Yeah, very well. Great to be here.
00:00:23
Speaker
So for those of you that don't know, Dave is the MC behind all of the big events um in the trail running scene in Australia. So all of the single track events and the UTMB World Series, so Ultra Trail Cosi that we just had over the weekend and UTA, I believe as well. Yeah, absolutely. ye Yeah. It was my fourth year at UTA on the mic officially this year.
00:00:50
Speaker
Yeah, awesome. So he's definitely seen a thing or two in some trail races across Australia, that's for sure.
Vlad Ixl's Asian Adventures and Hectic Schedule
00:00:57
Speaker
And and I'm also joined today by Vlad Ixl, who has returned to Australia from his big Asian trip. How you going, Vlad? Hey, Jess. Yeah, going well. Yeah, it was a big trip, so yeah nice to be back. Where exactly did you get to?
00:01:13
Speaker
a big trip through like Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. um And yeah, kind of got back straight into Black Friday week, which is like our biggest week of work in bigs. So yeah, it was a pretty, um pretty kind of a full on schedule, considering I got sick as well at the end of that trip. um But yeah, I'm definitely happy to be back.
00:01:40
Speaker
Yeah, we're happy to have you back and I'm looking forward to hearing a bit more about the races um that you're involved in over there. um Cool. So we'll dive right in. um We'll start with you, Dave.
Dave Stewart's Trail Running Journey
00:01:52
Speaker
So interested to hear a bit about how you got into your role behind the mic and um where your journey to sort of travel running events started, where you were a runner yourself.
00:02:05
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I've been running for a long time. I guess if we go ah way back, I dabbled in a little bit of cross-country at school and and didn't do too badly in it. um And that, I guess, love of running has continued through. I played a lot of team sport um then through school and beyond that as well. But fast forward to cut a very long story short.
00:02:30
Speaker
Fast forward to, but I don't know, 2006 maybe. I started, I was working in sales and I was working in the outdoors and I was working for a couple of shoe brands and then over the years that progressed and those shoe brands, a couple of them were outdoor shoe brands.
00:02:50
Speaker
And then that progressed. And so I was definitely running through that period. And then I guess I started working for a New Zealand supplier that was the supplier of a little known brand called Hoka.
00:03:06
Speaker
um They were the New Zealand suppliers, but I knew the system here. And um yeah, so that propelled a few things because obviously I had access to that. um And then from there around 2016,
00:03:26
Speaker
i we went away on a big long trip overseas, came back and really thought, well, I've been running a long time now, feeling pretty good. i want to actually take this to the next level. And so I started running with a couple of different run groups out of Centennial Park here in Sydney. And and then ah from there, that's just grown.
Becoming a Trail Running Commentator
00:03:46
Speaker
But the the the actual commentary side of things, um I started I've done a couple of the, well, I've done four or five of the UTA 22s and then I've had a couple of goes at the 50 as well, but that's a long story. um and But then, yeah, I was hanging around that system, but I actually worked with the original race director of um
00:04:10
Speaker
what was ah the original UTA back in the day with Tom and Alina. I'd worked with them previously in my capacity in the um the outdoor industry in sales, the brands that I was working for. We were sponsor of those. So I'd been working in and around events for a long time. and both from the sponsorship side, but also the ops side. And so, been in and working around that for a long time. And then I'd just been pestering Tom, basically, for a long time, saying, mate, if there was ever an opportunity to get on the mic at UTA, I'd love the opportunity and look, fast forward to, yeah, as I said, four years ago, officially, I think I did a little bit
00:04:51
Speaker
ah the previous year where I jumped on and helped do some volunteer stuff and with Ali and Kerry and then officially my first year was ah four years ago with Ben Berryman, Kerry Suter and myself out there at UTA and It sort of escalated from there. And so that was my first year. And I've got a lot to thank those guys for. And now I'm making a bit of a thing of it. and um I seem to be doing okay at it, I guess. And even after the weekend where, you know, and I was saying to someone this morning, what's so impressive is you get to see so many new people attempting trail running and attempting these distances and attempting these different events. ah But it's now the relationships that I've forged through trail running like you guys um that I've got to know people. And so I'm getting to see their experiences, but I know their stories and now, and so as a, as a commentator, I'm not just,
00:05:52
Speaker
making things up. I actually have a, a good knowledge of each individual's, whether it be elites or whether it be just people out there, um, with their own challenges, uh, having a crack at it. So here I am. Cause you definitely have the voice for it. You definitely have that commentator type voice. And yeah, just even listening to you speak now, I've never actually heard you commentate, but I was like, wow, actually.
00:06:15
Speaker
does fit a commentator um really, really well. And I know, um um I don't know if you know Martin, I think he was. Absolutely. and um So I saw him two weeks ago in Malaysia, and I kind of see him in a lot of races, which kind of made that his full time job, traveling to races, doing commentary, which I think is really one of the coolest jobs because you get to hang around this cool events, obviously trail running events or running events in general are just so much fun. um And you get to experience that you get to see emotions, you get to talk with people, but you don't have the pressure of like racing. um So you can stay like, you know, nice and relaxed
The Joys and Challenges of Commentating
00:06:54
Speaker
through it. Have fun. And yeah, I always thought this, this would be a pretty cool job.
00:06:59
Speaker
Well, it's a it's a it's an altar in itself in a way. And I met Martin officially two years ago. So that was in twenty twenty two at the Altrichard Cosciuszko where he came out and we worked together. Obviously, Martin is known worldwide now within the UTUMB space. And he's definitely made the broadcast um arena his his thing. So to work alongside someone like him is is phenomenal to to see him again and to be a part of that um this last weekend. We had a big team down there.
00:07:29
Speaker
um And so now i've got the I've got the added advantage of I do some events on my own, but then I've got the added advantage that I get to work alongside some...
00:07:40
Speaker
you know, people in the industry that have been in the industry a long time, been very established and have their own experiences within the industry. um And I'm very fortunate to be part of that and the part of that team on the weekend. In terms of the voice for commentating, some people say it's a voice for radio. So that means I'm behind the mic and people can't see the yeah the face. But anyway, I'll leave that to others to decide. um But it's, it's ah And without blowing my own trumpet too much, what I've learned is I can, I can project my voice, but also I can entertain people. I don't think I'm that funny, but apparently I am. um But I can entertain people, but I, I pick up on things that happened throughout the event, or as I was just mentioning through the relationships that I've now built, and I'm able to bring that into the whole
00:08:28
Speaker
the whole thing and it's and and and the the biggest thing is it's it's about the participants, it's about the runners and to make them feel very special and um that is what I pride myself on is it's it's about no matter whether they're finishing at the pointy end of the race and I've been able to call Jess across the line a couple of times now and I'm sure Vlad one day I'll get the experience to do it for you but um but or whether it's someone that's um coming in at the as a reverse winner near the end and that what's that's what makes it really special.
00:08:59
Speaker
What goes into the preparation of like getting ready to commentate a race? Do you um obviously look at their leads probably, but is there anything outside of that that goes into the preparation?
00:09:13
Speaker
Uh, look, yes and no, depending on the event. Um, in an event like, uh, Autotrial Closiosco, there's a, there's a fair bit that goes on because there's a, there's a lot of event partners. There's a lot of, um, uh,
00:09:26
Speaker
public service announcement type things that you've got to get right throughout the event down and there at GPT last week or the week before. um it's ah It's a mobile event, so it's a lot different. But to prepare,
00:09:42
Speaker
pineapple juice has become a thing, if that's if that's a that's a thing for my voice. But to prepare, yeah, definitely I'm now researching a lot more runners researching a lot more about the event. One of the added advantages that I've found as well though is that many of the places the events are in, I know quite well. So the actual physical place that we're in and I make sure that I know a fair bit about that so we're not going in blind. um Some of the Victorian races that I've been fortunate enough to be part of over the last few years, um that's contrary to that because I'd never been to those places before or I hadn't spent a lot of time there anyway.
00:10:21
Speaker
Um, so yeah, it's, it's, it's knowledge of that. Um, a lot of time on social media and, um, being very connected in with what people are doing and observing. And, um, we can't escape anything these days with social media, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. Um, but yeah, lots of time on social media and I do a lot of networking.
00:10:44
Speaker
um I do a lot of networking within the events, whether it be event organizers or athletes or um just day to day, i'm I'm very connected into the running world in terms of lots of different running groups, um particularly here in Sydney, um but also now further afield.
00:11:04
Speaker
Yeah, and so very big part of a running community here in Kudji as well that um that i that I've now launched and and on I'm part of, I haven't launched it, but I'm part of. So there's all those things and and you get to know a lot of people
The Growth of Trail Running and Future Opportunities
00:11:18
Speaker
along the way and they help you with that kind of information as well.
00:11:21
Speaker
I think like with the growth of of trail running and the growth of like life coverage, actually the position that you're in is actually pretty good, kind of growing into it. And and you know hopefully i'm I'm sure that you're looking for more and more events. But I think as life coverage gets better, um you know I'm sure there'll be just more and more opportunities coming in that that kind of a space. So I think it's you're probably probably gonna get some more job offers coming up as the old kind of gets bigger.
00:11:50
Speaker
I hope so, and there's so much on the calendar. and There's so much. I mean, just with you guys to know, there's so much to do. um There's events every weekend and and definitely, and as I've created this niche in trail, and it's not just trail, I do a bunch of other things as well, but this niche in trail, which I'm pretty proud of and I'm pretty honored to be a part of, um particularly with, visit I believe, as you say, there's this huge growth, but there's also this
00:12:23
Speaker
I think a huge groundswell of Australian um young guns and you guys pick pursuits of the epitome of that, right? You know, you're all out there doing cool stuff and I'm listening to you chat on the previous pods. You can see how passionate you are about this sport and about everything that goes into this sport. And so if I can align myself with um the growth of that and there were like those relationships going forward, um happy days. Yeah. i mean the
00:12:55
Speaker
There was a few non-trial specific running events in there, but I think I did like something like over 24 events this year or 20 or 24 events this year. And so onwards and upwards, I'd say. So sign me up. Yeah. I love the energy that you bring to the events and like so many people comment on that as well. Like you just like you continue for hours and hours, which is like super incredible.
00:13:20
Speaker
yeah what do you Do you have caffeinated gels? How do you do it? ah I've got to be honest with you, my diet around when I'm at events is not very good and I've lived off aid station food for the last two weeks, which is um not good for me. I'm not training for anything specific, but I went for a good run after the event yesterday and I felt like that helped a bit.
00:13:45
Speaker
um Yeah, yeah, it's ah it's a weakness because I definitely go in there. I think the energy thing is um I've always been an enthusiastic, energized kind of guy. um And it's what I was touching on before. It's it's that energy that I get from all the participants and the runners and the athletes are in whatever space it's in. um But that's what brings the energy. So it's interesting. So I can do a ah shift on the weekend where it's 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next morning. And I'm buzzing. like I got to the end of that shift and I could have kept going. it's the It's the now. It's the two days later that I crash and burn a little bit, which is probably not ideal. but um So yeah in the moment, I'm ah um'm here for it. ah I do a fair amount of like public speaking. When I was in Asia, they
00:14:44
Speaker
eight events. And over the years, I've done a lot. And I always found that, like, it's almost like a switch that gets turned on and off. So like, you um might be busy at work. And as I get and like, you know, probably quiet or something happened, and I'm like, you know, just myself, but as I start kind of getting into the get into the venue, starting that kind of talk, just like there's a switch almost become like a different character, I have all that energy.
00:15:09
Speaker
and finishes it all kind of goes down and you know people might talk with you after the event but then as you go home like you know there's a massive switch and suddenly all that energy level just drops and and you almost kind of become like just a different character than what you were a few hours ago at that event is that is that kind of what you feel like in those events 100%. It's like going to a music festival and you're on a high, natural high of course, um you're on a high for all that time and then you come home and you you crash. um Case in point, even there at GPT the other week, and and and it is a bit like this, there is a switch and that's a good way of describing it. um
00:15:47
Speaker
not only have I been a salesman, but I've worked in adventure tourism as a guide. And when you're guiding, it's like acting. And I actually years ago was on a doing some adventure tourism and we had some professional acting training. And because you are performing, you're on it, you're on a stage of sorts. And you're performing and especially when you're Uh, even MCing, it's the same kind of scenario. And even at GPT, like 10 minutes before Brody came in, like I kid you not, I was prepping myself. I was amping myself up. I was in the zone.
00:16:18
Speaker
10 minutes before he came in. I had some family news from back home about my daughter and it just crushed me. Like it just flattened me. But I had to then take a big deep breath. I stepped away. I had a small moment. I didn't tell anyone at first because that would have just complicated the issue.
00:16:38
Speaker
But I took a big deep breath. I refocused and knew that then once Brody had come through, I had a little bit of time to sort of compose myself a little bit more. But then as soon as literally as soon as Brody came through. Yeah, I was up. I was back up. And then.
00:16:54
Speaker
Processed a bit more, went and told someone the news because it was relevant to get it off my chest because I'm a bit of an over-sharer. But that was important because I needed it to actually just, because if I didn't, I would have been probably held it in. But then, you know, comes through, you know, the next couple of runners and and then, and then Sim in in her race in that 50. And so that was on that day. That was the Thursday. um So there is a switch and that's a good way of describing it for sure.
Balancing Running and Commentary
00:17:24
Speaker
Wow. Yeah, that's incredible. And um you touched before on, um you went for a run, so like the day after you were finished commentating at Ultra Trail Kazi. So can you run us through like a quick sort of training week around your commentating? Because I'm sure you'd be keen to sort of get out on the trails as a bit of a frother of trail running, just like us.
00:17:48
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. But as I said, my diet doesn't help me. Look, yeah it's been a it's been a hectic year. I actually i actually did the 50 at Cozy last year, which was huge and it was a bit of a redemption run. It wasn't that wasn't i um wasn't very spectacular. um and ah and the term And the actual preparation to get into that wasn't ideal, but I got it done. It was ugly, but it doesn't matter. It was all about getting it getting it done.
00:18:13
Speaker
Um, this year I'd had hoped to actually do a few more longer distance runs this year, but I dunno, at the beginning of this year, I had a little, um, I had a little niggle that just wouldn't go away. And I didn't practice what I preached and I didn't really look after it. So to be fair, this year has been, uh, around events and, um, as in commentating or working at events.
00:18:36
Speaker
But then continuing with the the local crew that I'm now part of, with which is Kuji Run Club, um which is ah is a a social group, essentially. But we run, you know, a whole bunch of times a week. I've actually started a little, well, me and a few of the other team have started ah a little trail crew within that. So ah look, on a weekly basis, that's a good question. I'm running two or three times a week. There are only shorter distances, nothing extreme. Every now and then I'll branch out and do like a mid distance or sort of a half marathon distance. um i The niggles still lingering but not as bad so I'm finding that I can run now without any major issue there. So hopefully in 2025 I will be able to maybe do a couple of ah events of my own, maybe ones that I'm not commentating. I did participate in a few smaller events this year out there at Lonely Mountain Ultra, out in Orange.
00:19:32
Speaker
I got to run in the 11K and I couldn't even say that I podiumed in my age group, which was not the intention, but I went out there and had a crack and surprised myself maybe, but I've stepped up in the age group. I won' i won't give that away, but I've stepped up in the age group and maybe that helped. but So, um look, yeah, look I ah don't, I don't,
00:19:59
Speaker
ah necessarily line up on the start line as much as I'd like to but I'm definitely out there amongst it and um I'm just fortunate to be around lots of cool like-minded people. Any races that are sort of on the bucket list for next year?
00:20:14
Speaker
ah Next year, well, I ah didn't have a qualifier for for um six foot, so I didn't go in that lottery. And obviously that's ah people I've been seeing today coming out because the first round of that's opened up. But that's that that would be on a bucket list. I don't know. It's just that seems like an iconic. It is an iconic race and I've I haven't been able to get on that list.
00:20:36
Speaker
um Oh, I've teased the idea, and that's not going to happen now either, but this is probably more, maybe not 25, maybe beyond, but I've teased the idea of, I want to go over and do a longer distance Tarawera. I've done the half there previously, so I'd like to go back and do something a bit more, but maybe something up in, up in,
00:20:57
Speaker
Queensland, maybe like the Guzzler maybe or some or some other ones down in Victoria. um Yeah, there's a few there that I'm not necessarily on the shortlist for commentating for different reasons, but or I haven't sort of stuck my hand up for those. So yeah, there's a few around like that. That would be ones that would be on the bucket list for sure.
Pre-race Struggles Before Ultra Trail Cosi
00:21:23
Speaker
Yeah, cool.
00:21:25
Speaker
All right. um I think we'll move on to me now and I'll quickly run through. um Yeah, my race recap for Ultra Child Cosi. So Dave, you were there. but Yeah, it was probably the nicest day out of all of the days, like weather wise. It was a little bit hot, like 26 degrees, which on paper it doesn't sound too bad. But um my race started at 10 a.m., um which sort of, yeah, getting towards that middle of the day. So definitely was starting to feel it um sort of halfway in the race.
00:22:07
Speaker
um Yeah, I think last time I spoke on the pod, I was about to leave to head up to Cozy. So yeah, the days leading in just sort of did a shake out run, kept it really crazy. um Did some carb loading, got lots of carbs in. um I was feeling pretty good on the Wednesday night. um But then, so Thursday morning, I woke up like,
00:22:37
Speaker
feeling okay, but like a little bit nauseous, which I'm kind of used to from just like nerves. I get that kind of like nauseous feeling of like anxiety, kind of like anxious excitement. um Tried to get my food in, which is Corn Flakes and Powerade. And then like maybe 10 minutes after getting that in, threw it up, which was a new for me. Like I've never vomited before a race before, like even when I was a junior.
00:23:04
Speaker
um So I was a bit worried. I was like, Oh, I can't get my fuel in. Like it's not great. Like I'm going to be running for close to three hours. Like I need to get something in. So it's the Gator. Is that is a power radar substitute for milk?
00:23:21
Speaker
Oh, sorry. Not in the conference. Oh my God. No, I had soy milk with the cornflakes and the dead eggs on the side. Okay. Just checking. Sorry. yeah Um, yeah. So then.
00:23:39
Speaker
I was kind of starting to panic a little bit, but my partner was there and he was just like, you'll be fine. like You did your carblading really well. like um You'll have like enough fuel in you from the days leading in. um And I was like, yeah, cool. And then I was trying to get like anything I could down. like I had some coke and like a bit of banana, and I threw that straight up. So I just couldn't keep anything down.
00:24:04
Speaker
Um, I was like, okay, let's go like, um, just go and see what happens. Um, did my warmup. I was feeling like a little bit flat, but legs were feeling really good. Um, which was good. So I was like, Oh, I'll line up and I'll just try and like get all of my fueling in with gels and stuff during the race and hope that I feel fine. Um,
00:24:29
Speaker
So yeah, I think I started out pretty conservative. I had been out to the course, as I mentioned last time. So I knew what I was in for um a big descent at the start, so twelve pretty much 12Ks worth of descending. So my plan was to sort of keep that pretty chill um so that my legs weren't too banged up i got by the time I got to the bottom, um which I think I did pretty successfully, didn't fall over, which I was pretty happy about. um So it was sort of me and Sarah out together and then she got a bit of a gap on me.
00:25:04
Speaker
um like towards the middle of the descent. I couldn't see her for a few k's. And then once we got to the bottom, as it flattened out, I started to see her again. And we sort of came into the first aid station together. um And then so at that aid station, I was sort of anticipating everyone to kind of stop, fill up their water.
00:25:25
Speaker
cool themselves down as I was um but I was the only one that stopped which kind of shocked me um so Sarah kept running and I was
Victory at Ultra Trail Cosi
00:25:34
Speaker
stopping looking for water and asking for ice and then Trish and Lara came in pretty much 30 seconds after me and they both didn't stop either so I was like oh shit I've got to get going because no one else is stopping and um Yeah, I poured some water over my head so I cooled myself down pretty well and then caught up to Trish and Lara pretty quickly, went past them and then got into the TVT and was feeling pretty good, like um like pretty strong and not too banged up from the descent and um yeah caught up to Sarah after maybe like 2k. Went past her and then
00:26:20
Speaker
Yeah, I didn't see any of the other girls again after that so I stopped again at the second aid station. um Got some water and coke and cooled myself down again with some water over the head.
00:26:35
Speaker
and then kept going like I was still feeling pretty good. um Starting to feel it a little bit with the heat so it was like conserving, just making sure I like had enough towards the end. Started cramping with like 4k to go. um Just like in the adductors and calves.
00:26:55
Speaker
So I was just sort of trying to get to the end at that stage. um And then the race finishes off a little bit nastily with that little climb up over the ski lift heading into thread pro. So it was just like, get me to that finish.
00:27:12
Speaker
but yeah got there in the end and um yeah it was super happy to come in like first female and fourth overall which is pretty cool um and yeah just super happy with like how I executed the race given like the nausea before the race I got in like I think 300 grams of carbs which is quite a lot for two hours 40 so I was pretty happy with that um and I think I drank maybe like two liters which is a bit more than I usually would um But I think that worked well given the heat. Well done. That's a good result. I saw that the race was on on ah Thursday. Is that like a common thing for them to do it like almost like not on the weekend? Yeah. I'm pretty sure the last few years it's been on a Thursday, but you probably know more about that than I do, Dave.
00:28:01
Speaker
Yeah, part of the reason is it's all to do with the national parks and access to parts of the national parks. And the reason that we run particularly the miler and the hundred on the Friday is we want everyone off the main range basically before the weekend. I think it's part of, I don't know the official line, but my understanding is it's to do with because the weekend is accessible for tourists up there on the main range and up towards COSI itself. And so there's a little bit of a requirement that we need to be ah off there. So it just pushes everything a little bit forward and the 30 and the 50 ends up being on the Thursday and then the start of the 100 and the um mile ends up being on the Friday. And it's not in a way too dissimilar to sort of UTA in a way because we spread it out. Well, they they spread it out, I guess. So they have the 11K on the Thursday and then
00:28:51
Speaker
Yeah, they're 22 on the Friday and then the 50 and the 100 on the Saturday. That might change for 2025 now that we have a fifth event up there. And plus also there's the kids event up there. So that's obviously a big part of what happens up there, but it's to do with the scheduling. And I know there's another event that happens down in the mountains as well. And they also have to run on the Thursday.
00:29:12
Speaker
and the yeah Friday. um So there might be a bit more to that, but that's my general understanding of that. um And this year, I mean, look, for the 30 and 50, they certainly lucked out with that that weather this year on that day. The yeah weather gods and the trail gods have certainly been throwing out some challenges for a couple of the recent events that have been on the calendar.
00:29:36
Speaker
Did that affect and like signups or the 30 and the 50 full being a race that's on a working day?
Adverse Conditions and Race Cancellations
00:29:45
Speaker
I think a lot of people treat it like a bit of a long weekend. My understanding was all events were sold out. So there was both in the 35, well, in all the thirty all of them, 30, 50 and the 100, we had around or over 900 competitors sign up. And then in the miler, it was um again around or over 300.
00:30:08
Speaker
Uh, I can't tell you exactly the official numbers that started on the day. Um, but, uh, no, all events sold out for that particular event. ah That's cool. I know you had a couple of days off now, Jess. Yeah, I haven't run since the race. Um, I think the plan is to just like, have a bit of a break now and reset for next year. Yeah.
00:30:31
Speaker
um yeah now a super Sorry, but I was just going to say again, Jess, after listening to your podcast last week and you were talking about the apprehensions in your falls on the cheese grater and a few things are super impressive, particularly after the year and with the you've had. um It was it was awesome to see you.
00:30:49
Speaker
you know, come across the line there first in the female or the women there for the cosy 30. And there was some great there was some great finishes on this. I was lucky enough to be on that finish line for both the 30 and 50. And there was across all the races, there was some great battles out there. So um and I saw those photos later of you and Sarah having a little bit of that ding dong. So then to see you, you know, overcome that. That was interesting to hear about that at the eight stations.
00:31:17
Speaker
Yeah, yeah it was um it was kind of funny because I'm not used to being like the one that stops. I like i think coming from like a track and road running background, I'm the one that's always just like, keep going, keep going. But I think just like, yeah, having the experience from two weeks before, just like I knew how brutal it gets out there on the TV too when the sun's just like smashing you. So yeah, I think I made the right decision to stop and get some water.
00:31:43
Speaker
Cool. So Vlad, keen to hear a bit about your trip in Asia and some of the races that you did while you were over there? Yeah, I was just going to say that I just found technically kind of finished my offices and breaks or had nine days off straight after that trip.
00:32:00
Speaker
um Pretty much did the Translental in Hong Kong, the 28K, which was super, super humid. It was about 100% humidity on the day, so yeah, really, really tough race. But yeah, managed to hold on to second place. There was a s su swiss italian ah ah Swiss Italian runner that came over for the race.
00:32:23
Speaker
um And yeah, just yeah super, super quick. So I was in second place from the beginning, and um behind me was the Hong Kong marathon champ, or one of of the best kind of marathon runners in Hong Kong. um So I was kind of like, can't really relax. The guy in front of me, it'd be pretty hard to catch him, but there's also a guy right behind me. So it was um as a weird race, because I ran the whole race by myself pretty much, but could never really let go. had to like
00:32:55
Speaker
you know, keep putting on that pressure and effort in. But yeah, that was a good race, and then went to UTMB Malaysia, which is the week after. Again, another super, super humid race. I was signed up to do all three kind of, so they have this triple event thing that you can do in Malaysia, which is the VK. um The next day you do the 25, 28K, and then on the last day you do a 15K.
00:33:21
Speaker
um I did the VK but then that night just started getting a bit of a fever so I woke up the next morning like sweating so obviously my body was fighting something um so didn't do the other two races um I did that triple race last year but yeah it was a bit kind of sad to miss missing it this year but I
Vlad's Racing Experiences in Asia and Recovery
00:33:41
Speaker
think it was just got to the point where um that trip was just so full on so we've launched our new gel in Asia and doing a bit of marketing um around Asia doing some like talks like free talks free running clinics and it was just like a super packed
00:34:00
Speaker
two weeks. um ah So yeah, I feel like the second I did that last event, which, so so I did the VK in the morning and then at night still had like an event to do. And I feel like the second I finished that event, like all that adrenaline just dropped and my body just kind of like, all right, well, I think that's enough. And yeah, some kind of a fever that I got some kind of a virus um that yeah, my body just like said, I think it's enough is enough.
00:34:29
Speaker
So yeah, I was in bed for like two or three days there in Malaysia, just trying to rest it up, got back to Australia and had a couple more days off. And um yeah, I ended up being my longest non-running streak ever. So I think the longest I've ever had off running was probably five days. um So this was nine days, which kind of made my first run back.
00:34:52
Speaker
A week ago on Monday, um, yeah, feels super, super heavy. And I felt like I've never ran before, but now a week on of like easy jogging this week, um, starting to feel good and going to start slowly building up to another race in Asia. So I'm going for the Hong Kong, um, Hong Kong, 133 K option in January. So yeah, not that far away.
00:35:15
Speaker
um Yeah, but yeah that event has probably the biggest running expo now in in Hong Kong um trail running wise so Yeah, mainly going for the expo, but again gonna gonna raise that um And yes, I got a couple of weeks to try and get fit for that But yeah, it was definitely a pretty full-on two weeks of traveling and that was like straight after obviously South Korea and And coming back with like a rolled up ankle, but then still knowing that I have this big trip lined up like a week later. So yeah, it was a, it was a pretty, I feel pretty tired now. Like I feel like I've aged like two years and then yeah going like I said, going straight to this black Friday week, which for for a company like ours, it has a lot online. Um, yeah, it was just a lot. So.
00:36:14
Speaker
Yeah, just trying to clear things up today and probably gonna take it easier around Christmas as well. And yeah, it's been a long year. So is your plan to fit in any big weeks before you head off to Hong Kong, or are you just going to try and preserve energy? Yeah, I don't know if I can. I feel like if I start doing too much right now, I'll just be too tired when like the year comes. So like I kind of made my mind that I won double run, um and I would just kind of cycle in the morning and then run in the afternoon, which is you know still a lot of training. But obviously cycling is just like a bit lighter on the body.
00:36:50
Speaker
um So yeah, I think I'll just for the next few weeks still Hong Kong, try and do like 45 to an hour on the bike in the morning and then an hour to an hour 15 in the afternoons, like trail runs and.
00:37:04
Speaker
Yeah, I think the double runs are the ones that, you know, make it hard. Obviously they, they get you fit, but at the same time they make you tired as well. And, um, like always, like, obviously after coming back from a morning run, it takes me like an hour to kind of feel okay. Um, before I can really go deep into work. So yeah, but the cycling is a lot easier. I can just like, yeah, get the cycle done and like start working literally with like within 15 minutes. So yeah, a lot easier on the,
00:37:34
Speaker
overall on my wall as well. It's pretty brutal training in Perth summer as well. Like I found just like trainings out to me so much more than usual because the heat is just relentless. Yeah, I don't know. I think I lived five years in like Hong Kong. So dress being like dry, I don't actually mind it. and And I think like if you go out early in the morning, like it's never that hot. Like um if you go like 7 a.m., it's It's always going to be under 20 degrees most days. I think obviously the afternoon runs do get warm and I've done a couple of runs at like, you know, 40 degrees and 38 degrees last year. And I remember that being tough. Um, but again, like it's a dry heat so you can kind of escape that. And I think that like last year, what made it a lot easier is just fueling a lot. So like a lot of carbs and, um, you know, taking carbs on even like
00:38:33
Speaker
you know, one hour runs and yeah, just made that a little bit easier so your body kind of doesn't dig too deep. Yeah. Yeah. I'll look at it as a positive, good hit training. Yeah. You probably um would have done well at JPT. So we'll jump into some, yeah, topics that we wanted to cover on like um adverse conditions in
Strategies for Handling Adverse Conditions
00:38:59
Speaker
ultra running. So we just had JPT, which,
00:39:02
Speaker
was, um yeah, unluckily had some super hot and uncharacteristic weather um where I think it got up to like 40 degrees um over the event days. And unfortunately, Singletrap had to make the hard decision um to cancel the miler. But obviously that was for the safety of all the runners.
00:39:26
Speaker
So yeah, let's chat about how like elite runners and everyday runners can sort of get through an ultra when they're facing um uncharacteristic conditions. Vlad, you go first and just talk about your experience. Yeah, I think um yeah that's amazing and obviously it's it's a tough question because, you know, there's obviously different types of conditions and like, you know, how bad they are.
00:39:56
Speaker
um I think kind of going into it and no like you know not putting too much pressure on yourself on things that you can't control and just trying to do as well as you can you know, in a given situation. So you have to remind yourself that everybody will be facing the same conditions and everybody will be struggling. Um, so, you know, just trying to, you know, keep it as simple as you can and break it down to whatever little things you can do that will make the difference. Um, so obviously in the heat, I think that that's probably the common one. Um, it would be just to try and stay as cool as possible, not to overheat, not going too a quick. I mean, once you start,
00:40:37
Speaker
hitting that kind of red zone, it's pretty hard to bring it all down. um So yeah, I think just being smart, like, you know, just kind of thinking, you know, is it worth pushing right now when it's start of the race, you know, it's going to be a warm day, you know, I'd rather just take it a bit easier, kind of look after my hydration, try and cool down as much as possible.
00:40:57
Speaker
um But yeah, it's obviously like a tough one because you you got ready for this race. You're ready to go. Adrenaline is pumping. You want to go. But sometimes, yeah, with different race conditions, you just have to be smart and and and take it a bit slower and a bit smarter. Yeah. And um what have you seen, Dave? Like what helps runners get through a really hot race like GPT and what goes into that sort of hard decision as well that the race organizers have to make when it gets
00:41:28
Speaker
to out of control to extreme I guess yeah look um the last two weeks have kind of really ah tested everyone involved in the event space in that trail world um and it's interesting chatting to some of the runners in both at Kosciuszko but also down there at GPT in the Grampians and I mean the year before in the Grampians for the inaugural GPT we had unbelievable thunderstorms and rain and so the same sort sort of scenario and
00:42:02
Speaker
The reality is, as we're running in Australia, you mentioned it before, Vlad, is, you know, Perth dry heat, you know, ah down there at GPT last week. ah We in the lead up, it was cold. our People were in puffer jackets. And then the event days, you know, 30, 35 plus a heat wave conditions. And then the last day, which was the fourth day of the stage race, back down to 20 odd degrees. But high humidity in Victoria, right?
00:42:29
Speaker
um Even here in in Sydney today, the humidity is nuts. like it's So that's Australia. I mean, that's the that's Australia. We've got such a volatile, particularly different times a year, we've got volatile. and But that's why we sign up for this stuff. We sign up to test ourselves. Chatting to someone like an elite, like Lucy Bartholomew, for instance, she mentioned when I interviewed her down there at GPT.
00:42:50
Speaker
that it was western states and events like that overseas and some of her training that could only prepare her for that, the heat training. So not just the heat training but those events and and she had to learn in those events about her nutrition, about her hydration, something that the single track did incredible this year at um all the aid stations and along the way and they went
00:43:23
Speaker
I mean, we had, I think we sold out the whole of Southwestern Victoria of ice. So like there was not a single servo or single place or anywhere you could get it. Like we had it all at GPT. And that was one of the things, and I don't know if you've seen videos and things so on. And everyone's commented about this is is when they were coming into the aid stations,
00:43:46
Speaker
They were being doused in ice, doused in ice, cooling people down. And even when Sim spoke about it, when she said she was stuffing the ice down her arm sleeves and stuff like that, you know it's all of that kind of thing. so um there was a lot that of and that And that was planned beforehand, obviously, when we started to see the weather conditions that were there.
00:44:06
Speaker
Um, and you mentioned it before, I mean, the decision there was not a decision that was made easily. Um, same ah ah the same the same at Cosiosco this last week. I mean, exceptional aid stations, exceptional, um, access to food and other things. Um,
00:44:24
Speaker
had to sort of you're relying on then incredible um staff and volunteers at all of these aid stations um to be able to make sure that they're well equipped and um even in the but that's I'm talking about two big races in the last two weeks that have got milers in them so there's an an incredible logistical ah involvement that goes in in organizing all of that but it's the same for any smaller race um any smaller races that's the same thing so and and um i think it's important to even acknowledge that you know that um often we and that's what we're here for that's what we're here to talk about we're here to talk about the athletes and the runners and so on and so forth but it's sometimes it's the people behind the scenes that go a little bit unnoticed so you know i i'm not sure if i'm allowed to name names but
00:45:12
Speaker
particularly in the last two weeks um with the different organizations with Singletrack, Jay Dorf is the race director and and Colin Taylor as the event director, a massive kudos to them and their teams.
Challenges for Race Organizers
00:45:24
Speaker
And the teams are a lot different in the size of events that we just dealt with, but to those guys and and all of the team, everyone involved in that decision, um making it was not made easily and it was in the protocol and was was incredible. um To Tonya Carroll and Nick Christopher, Tonya Carroll event director, me Nick Christopher, race director,
00:45:48
Speaker
here at Ultrachart Kosciuszko over the last week and all of the team. And we're talking different scales here. I mean, I could go on and on on about it, but there's a huge team behind both events, but it's Kosciuszko particularly because of the terrain and Then as I mentioned before, GPT were a mobile event. So it's it's different. But so much goes, if planning goes into it. So much effort goes into it. And over the duration of the event, the the focus and the decision making, these individuals are unflappable. And what I mean by that is they don't have um almost break a sweat when they're making those decisions. So i
00:46:25
Speaker
kudos to them and then the army of volunteers. Um, the feedback already, um, from both events, um, GPT included is just been phenomenal and any trail running event. And I say this repeatedly on the microphone, uh, without the volunteers, these events would not be possible. And they, a lot of them are runners themselves, whether they've run the day before, whether it be they're running in the day the before in, in the, in the 50 K or whatever it was. And then they're backing up and helping people out the night before.
00:46:53
Speaker
um So I did speak to some people at GPT that were everyday runners and they found those conditions and incredibly hard. Same thing for Kazi. A good friend of mine came down from Queensland. This was her first miler after the pause in the race, after the lightning storm, they restarted. She got stuck on the section and she almost went hypothermic and she had to, so it's all experience. It's all,
00:47:21
Speaker
preparation. So you've got the guys at the pointy end that have experienced it and know what to expect. um And you know those elites at GPT the other week would have finished, but it was for the safety of the greater good for the whole event.
00:47:35
Speaker
um at Kosciuszko, some of the guys had already made it through the main range. So then we had to change things up a little bit and then it did affect people. But those conditions ah following the storm on the weekend and then the rain overnight was unrelenting. So it goes down to the perseverance and the grit and the determination and the just absolute, and that's what makes it so special.
00:48:00
Speaker
I think one good thing that I've been noticing lately is that race organizers don't take any chances. I think a few years ago, sometimes they let heavy conditions and heavy weather um kind of like, oh, maybe we'll just push this through. We don't want to lose you know this kind of event. People have paid a lot of money. But lately, it feels like you know whenever there's a bit of danger, you know oh, they stop the race. They cancel it. And realistically, it's probably a good thing.
00:48:29
Speaker
um you know I think that I don't know if you guys remember but um the four deserts had that race in Australia during the fire where they didn't stop the race or was stopped a bit late and then China had obviously that freak storm a couple of years ago that a lot of runners actually died so I feel like those obviously those tragedies obviously very tragic but now it's coming to the point where like race directors like we don't take any chances and when I was in Malaysia there was thunderstorms straight away the whole race gets stopped everybody like you know I'm not allowed to keep going which is actually kind of
00:49:07
Speaker
A very, very good thing that race directors just think think about, like the greater good and not just for the first few elite runners that probably can just run through it and and get to the finish line.
00:49:19
Speaker
Look, the welfare of the participants is number one, 100% priority. um When you have to pause or or you know um cancel a race, it's devastating. It's devastating for everyone that has been putting in so much time and effort and training for months and months in the lead up. But at the end of the day, it's the welfare of the individuals and ah you're right. You're absolutely right. and as We need to take them more seriously. And on that note, I should also massive kudos to the medical teams as well. ah Two different medical teams, two very experienced medical teams over the past previous events that we're talking about um from both Victoria and up here, um without their expertise and without their people on the ground, those medical, I mean, they do and saying an and incredible job.
Inspirational Runner Stories
00:50:12
Speaker
Yeah, just one last thing we wanted to get for you today was your most inspirational moment um of someone crossing the finish line. Yeah, look, there's so many, isn't there? And and when Sim sent me this question this morning, I ah had to think about it. um I'll answer it two ways because she asked about Elite, but then also just every day. um ah Two elite ones that come to mind because they are pretty special was Anna McKenna, winning UTA there, are the 100 a couple of years ago. um That was pretty special. I'd met Anna probably at the beginning of COVID when she started really taking her running career seriously. And I knew her through a running group that I was involved in.
00:50:57
Speaker
And so I'd been following Anna's journey for some time, um but then when she came out and won that race, um there was a little moment where at the end, and it was very, it wasn't planned and it was very impromptu and it was very off the cuff, but she literally, as she crossed the line, leapt, I just happened to be standing there, so maybe I was the lucky one, I don't know, but she literally leapt into my arms and just screamed out, We did it. you know and And that was such a powerful moment and something that was was really meaningful. The other one, um and again, and another another another lady um was last year was um is Kelly Angel winning the inaugural GPT miler. I've got to know Kelly and Teague and her husband for some time and they're beautiful children.
00:51:48
Speaker
um and that mile meant so much to her that the Grampians that area means so much to her. They got married in that area. um It was pouring rain and she came across the line. It's pretty cool photo of that finish. um Just, you know, seeing what the women are capable of what what the ladies are doing now in this sport is next level and so to be able to call those um I mean I've called some pretty cool I've called internationals and I've called some pretty cool people and Lucy and the the list goes on but those two stand out to to answer Sam's question and then and then most inspirational um two quick ones again that I will finish on here as part of my to be part of this pod today and again I can't thank you guys enough but um
00:52:40
Speaker
is um at the inaugural GPT again last year. Our winner was in 24 hours. Odd was and ah Michael Dunston, but our last finisher finished in 52 hours and seeing him come across the line, we had a moment there with everyone. um It was an incredible moment and when you look at it, it was ah over a whole day later, you know, over ah so compared to the first finisher to the end. And he just head down, got it done and kept going.
00:53:19
Speaker
um And just ah to to end on, ah on a and again, it's on those steps that Dunkeld at the end of Grampians that seems to be ones that, but this was just recent. So this one came to mind. It was was a team relay in the...
00:53:36
Speaker
in a stage race there and this was on the fourth day and it was three locals down there from that the area and one of them had lost her brother just recently and they were running for men's mental health and specifically because she'd just lost her brother down there. I won't name names or teams just ah to keep the enemy to me.
00:53:59
Speaker
I've also been through something similar with my with my own brother. and And when you hear those stories and when you reflect on them and what it means, and they're running for that reason and they're running it, you know, for a loved one that has, you know, that they know there's no longer here anymore, man, that stuff, it strikes strikes close to the heart.
00:54:27
Speaker
um And we talked about the acting before, but sometimes that's not acting because the emotions even when I'm compensating are very real. and And I shed a tear you there with them at the finish line because it was a really, really special moment. So look, I could regale you with hours and hours of stories of inspirational finishes. There's been a lot and I'm hoping there's going to be a lot more.
00:54:52
Speaker
Yeah, no, one of the most beautiful things four things about our sport is how ah you so you see so many different journeys and experiences and like different reasons for people being out there. So yeah, it's amazing. And I just, yeah, I love this sport so much as I'm sure you guys do as well. And yeah, um you're doing amazing things for the sport, Dave. um We love you. Everyone in the trail running road loves you. So thank you so much for sharing some of your stories today. I'm sure our listeners are going to love it. Um, thank you for going a little bit over your time. Hopefully that's all right. That's all right. All good. Look, uh, again, I love this stuff, as you said, and thank you. That's very kind. I'm glad, um, Jess has been awesome. Thanks to Sim and Brody, who are also part of his team and, and, uh, onwards and upwards and, uh, see you on the trails, as they say.
00:55:46
Speaker
Sounds good. See you at the next event. 100%. OK, go well, guys. Take care. See you, Dave. All right, Dave has left us, but we still have a little bit of a show um to go on. It has been probably a bit of a smaller week, results-wise, obviously a lot of races in Europe. um you know It's kind of like a bit of the off season in Europe, so not too many races.
00:56:14
Speaker
But yeah, Jess, I guess you can go through the results of UTMB Cosiosco to finish us off. Yeah. so um we So to start things off, we had the 30K. So that was on the Thursday. um So in the men's race, first place was Henry Huggman in two hours 27.
00:56:37
Speaker
Second place was Patrick Clark, who was a little young gun only 16 years old in two hours 35. And third was Tim Goddard um in two hours 36. And I think those two had a bit of a battle and Tim's in the 40 to 44 age category. So a bit of a battle between the old and the young there.
00:56:59
Speaker
um And then in the women was May in first, two hours 40. And then Trish McGibbon was second in two hours 47. And Laura Gillard was third in two hours 54.
00:57:16
Speaker
um And then in the 50k, which was also on the Thursday, in the men we had Tate Herpes in first place in four hours 10. And he was sort of back and forth the whole day with Ben St. Lawrence, who was second in four hours 11. And third was Tommy Driscoll in four hours 21. So well done to those three men snagging a spot for OCC.
00:57:44
Speaker
um And then in the women we had the one and only Kate Avery in first place in four hours 43. So such a queen just coming and winning dominating the Aussie scene all year. And then in second place we had Kimber Matox who was from the US.
00:58:04
Speaker
Um, in four hours, 51. And third was Wilder Moser, um, who was third in five hours flat. And I believe she was from Norway. So well done to those ladies. Also snagging a spot at OCC.
00:58:24
Speaker
So then we had the Cosi 100 and the Myla which started, so the 100 started at 7 on the Friday and the Myla started at 3am. Both of these races actually got held for two hours because of thunderstorms. so i think The times that we'll read out um have had that two hours subtracted. So in the 100k for the men, we had Quinton Gill in first place in 10 hours 10. Second was Matt Gore in 10 hours 30 and third was Josh Chugg in 10 hours 36.
00:59:01
Speaker
And then in the women, we had Abby Hall from the U.S. in 10 hours 42, Juliet Suu in 11 hours 14, and Buhar Bali in 12 hours 53. So well done to those runners a snagging spot for the CCC. um And then in the miler, so first place in the men was Sam Harvey in 1638.
00:59:30
Speaker
Second was Luke Nichols in 19 hours 04. And third was Nigel Hill in 19 hours 26. And then in the women, we had Sabrina Stanley in first place in 19 hours 30. Steph Austin was second in 20 hours 59. And third was Emily Gilmore Walsh in 23 hours 05.
00:59:58
Speaker
um So that was for the athletes that finished the full miler. And because of that storm that we mentioned, there were some athletes that were sent on a shortened course. So we also have the top three for the shortened miler. So in the men, first place was Matt Stone in 2230.
01:00:21
Speaker
Second was Jeff Bennett in 2537 and third was Henry Dunlop in 2547. and Then in The Women we had Sandy Burden in first place of the Shorten Myler in 2410, Julie Gibson second in 2535, and Lucy Popple in third in 2551.
01:00:49
Speaker
So I believe all of those athletes in the Myla and Shorten Myla get a spot at UTMB, but I might be corrected at that. Um, yeah, so that was obviously Ciao Cosi. Yeah, big event, a lot of distances. Um, yeah, great to see another big race happening in Australia. Next week, not a crazy amount of things happening. Obviously December, um, things do.
01:01:15
Speaker
become a little bit quieter this time of the year. But yeah, the Sydney Trail half marathon is happening next week and the Mount Butler Sky Run as well. What about you Jess? You have much planned for next week and December in general? Not much planned, just um getting stuck back into work. I'm going to have probably a week off running, maybe two, keep it pretty chill, catch up with life admin and All that fun stuff. um What about you? Yeah, just slowly getting back into it. Obviously a bit of work now with the new gels that we're kind of launching. So a little bit. It's kind of a good time to do a tiny bit less training so I can actually do a bit more work and then yeah hopefully also catch up on some family time around Christmas because that's been been input to the side a little bit lately, which I feel really bad about. Yeah, but yeah um I am happy that it is December.
01:02:14
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. What um new gels are you launching? um Just our big 40, the big 40, the big carb gel. Yeah, the caffeinated one. Yeah, finally. yeah So we have a caffeinated, non-caffeinated. They're finally made it to Australia, but you made it to Asia and Australia. Haven't not made it yet to Germany. So getting a lot of emails and inquiries in Europe, even though we manufacture in the UK, it's just like a lot of logistics.
01:02:43
Speaker
to get stuff in sometimes, which is not a fun bit of the job. But yeah, anyway, it's been it's been launched in in Australia and and a lot of good feedback now. So yeah, actually it really kind of happy about that, because I think when you work on a project for so long, and you might think it's good, and you know, you come in with the right intentions of, you know, getting a good product at a good price, you know, you never know till you actually have some feedback. So Yeah, it's been really good. A lot of messages that I've been getting. People liking it think it's good. So yeah, it definitely makes things a lot easier. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah. I was lucky enough to try it myself and I thought it was pretty good. So awesome job there. But yeah, otherwise this is another show and.
01:03:31
Speaker
We'll see you guys next week with, I don't know, I guess Sim is on her way to Thailand. She's probably gonna be maybe post race, maybe give us a bit of an update on her 100K. Yeah, I'm excited to hear about that.