Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 71: Transcend Ultra, Sim Out of CCC, and WMTRC 2027 off to Cape Town!
395 Plays5 days ago
Welcome to Episode 71 of Peak Pursuits, your ultimate podcast for everything trail running in Australia. This episode is hosted by Vlad Ixel and Sim Brick as they battle with mountain internet from Italy and France respectively. Hear how Vlad got 9500m of vert into the week with a race in Italy to cap it off, and get an unfortunate storytime with Sim about her misfortune that has led to her pulling out of CCC.
Then the team discusses the announcement of the WMTRC in 2027 for Cape Town in South Africa before diving into some awesome results at Transcend and overseas!
Results
Transcend Ultra: https://results.trackmelive.com.au/event/transcendultra2025
Tignes Trail: https://altichrono.fr/resultats/2025_tignes_trail/
***Don’t forget, use code PPP at https://bix-hydration.myshopify.com/en-au for 20% off Bix products, exclusive to PPP listeners!***
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!
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetter License code: K08PMQ3RATCE215R
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Hosts' Locations
00:00:05
Speaker
Hello and welcome the Peep Pursuits Podcast. My name is Simone Brick. um I didn't even say Episode 71 just then.
00:00:17
Speaker
My goodness, this is Episode 71. um And I am joined by Vlad Ixel. Now, I am coming from France and Vlad's in Italy, so we're not too far away from each other at this point, Vlad.
00:00:31
Speaker
Yeah, we're not that far away. seems like we're pretty far away from any internet connection. um I'm running on some really slow Wi-Fi out here next to Lake Homo and sounds like you are running some low internet connection as well. Yeah, Wi-Fi is not working for me so I'm having to connect to my phone once again because, you know, as you do.
00:00:53
Speaker
um The joys. But the things we do for this podcast is costing money. But anyways, we have a few fun ah things to go through this week including – World Champs for 2027 being announced, ah which we will talk through because I'm pretty excited for the location they've set.
Episode Agenda: Championships and Travel
00:01:15
Speaker
We'll but give both of our updates and then there's some pretty big results coming out of Transcend Ultra in particular and Run Larry Pinter is currently going on. So a fun episode.
Vlad's Training and Racing Updates
00:01:27
Speaker
But to get us started, Vlad, how's travel life been? Yeah, it's been nice. Just literally just finished my long run about an hour and a half ago. um Managed to do a four-hour long run on the back of a three-and-a-half-hour long run yesterday.
00:01:44
Speaker
um So probably the most elevation in a week that I've got for a really long time. Nine-and-a-half thousand in 19 hours and 22 minutes of running, which...
00:01:58
Speaker
Yeah, I would say it's been a couple of years since I got 9,500. Oh, wow. Yeah, nice. So, yeah, one of my bigger running weeks.
00:02:09
Speaker
A lot of hiking as well, um purposely trying to get the legs a bit stronger. um But, yeah, it's been one of my biggest elevation weeks for a couple of good years, which is nice.
00:02:21
Speaker
Legs are feeling it. Quads are feeling it. in My feet are... I'm feeling it. Black toenails, blisters, cuts, you name it. My feet's got them right now.
00:02:32
Speaker
ah Sounds like the brutal middle of training feels, um especially European training as an Aussie. But that is a damn good week. um And it sounds like the hiking is going to be A smart move because have you been following along Kel and Ben's adventures as they check out the terrain that you're you're about to be racing on?
00:02:51
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, just looking at the numbers, um you know, 3,700 metres of
00:03:00
Speaker
just I know there'll be a lot of hiking and a lot of steep downhills. So yeah, the past two days I did like back to back long runs, but starting both of them with a VK that I just hiked.
00:03:13
Speaker
um And yeah, I'll definitely be doing a little bit more hiking in the next few weeks and trying to get some steep downhills as well, just to condition the legs a bit. um But yeah, going into that race is going to be,
00:03:28
Speaker
pretty slow and tough. Like, you know, I think it's going to be a six hour race, um which means that I'll need to do a couple of four hour runs in the next few weeks.
Simone's Travel and Health Struggles
00:03:38
Speaker
But also I did a race last weekend, um which which I just pretty much put my one of my biggest training weeks on the back of racing CAT, UTMB CAT last weekend.
00:03:54
Speaker
it was okay So this it was this was my third year doing that race, um my slowest time, but the highest ITRA score because it was so hot. um So pretty much I've been doing a lot of sauna sessions before leading up into Gold Coast.
00:04:09
Speaker
And then after Gold Coast, I was like, maybe I'll just give the sauna training a bit of a rest. You know, it's still taxing on the body. um You know, it's still an added stress. So thought I'm about to spend two months in Europe. I don't need to do a crazy amount of heat training right now.
00:04:27
Speaker
Let's have four weeks off going to the sauna and just train normally. And that was pretty much four weeks of very cold weather weather in Perth, a lot of rain.
00:04:38
Speaker
And then I came to Europe and it was really, really cold. And the first hot day was the one day before the race. And then the race day was super hot as well.
00:04:49
Speaker
um Yeah. So yeah, struggled a bit. Heart rate was through the roof, even in the warmup. How long was the race? The race started at nine o'clock. It was 25k, 24k, 1,700 meters of gain. So just straight up, straight down, a little bit of technical running, some steep downhills.
00:05:08
Speaker
The last two years I've done that race, it was pouring rain and slippery trails. This time it was just really, really hot. I did run a bit slower and ended up sprint finishing for fourth place.
00:05:20
Speaker
missing third by one second or maybe even under a second um so yeah that was that was not fun but i think i lost a a bit of my hit adaptation um and yeah i kind of felt it like yeah just standing on the start line heart rate was already at like 120 climbing at and climbing yet Climbing at a solid effort, but heart rate just going straight up was no fun.
00:05:51
Speaker
And then the next day was pretty hot as well. But then me doing another run, I could see how my heart rate dropped a tiny bit. So it was a little bit more adapted to the heat. So I just felt like I needed a few more days of like warmer running.
00:06:03
Speaker
um yeah But, yeah, saying that, it's weird because my slowest time in three years on that course but the highest ITRA score. Heat does amazing things for ITRA scores.
00:06:17
Speaker
Yeah. i didn't i Like, you know, when I got to Europe, I thought, yeah, I'll have, you know, a whole week or eight days to get used to the heat and that should be fine and usually it is fine. But when I got here, the whole week was just raining and wet and really, really cold.
00:06:31
Speaker
And it only a really cleared the day before the race when, you know, i did like a 30-minute, 20-minute checkout run and it felt a bit hot. But then I tried to stay indoors the whole day so I don't ever do it before the race.
00:06:44
Speaker
But, yeah, the morning of the race, just doing the warm-up, looking at my heart rate, you know, jogging at five-minute pace, my heart rate was already like high zone two. So I knew this was going to be a tough race. And, yeah, it was – But, yeah, nevertheless, I just got it done and got back into training straightaway. was a little bit disappointed there for half a day.
00:07:06
Speaker
um But, yeah, then just moved on with training and now I'm going to try and focus on the world champs. I came fourth. Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah, sprint finish. like once Lost third place by one second.
00:07:20
Speaker
Oh, no. Got to love a good sprint finish. um But that's still like it's a good really good stimulus. Like you're getting some good fitness from that. Even like the heat, if if anything, will just make the fitness gains more. so Yeah, and my quads were pretty sore, so i saw a lot of downhill adaptation from that race as well.
00:07:40
Speaker
Yeah, perfect. Love that. Love that. I'm not sure. I've been looking into some of this for your world champs thing. um just because Well, more I've been looking into one of my races later in the year, which it's not in the same area, I don't think, of France. I don't know.
00:07:55
Speaker
Oh, geez. Spain. um Because what's the closest big place to Canfrank? Do you know? Well, mean Barcelona and Madrid are not that far away, but probably the biggest city is Zaragoza or Bilbao up in the north.
00:08:10
Speaker
Yeah, so it's, ah yeah, so it is a bit of a, it's a different spot because, yeah, I've just been looking at, there's a, the Sky Running World Champs, the Sky Running, sorry, World Series Final is also in Spain.
00:08:23
Speaker
And it has somewhat similar um stats because it's with 3,800. So little shorter, little more gain. so little short little more game um which yay for me um But then I look at the times and like Roberto Di Lorenzi won in four hours 45. So.
00:08:42
Speaker
yeah i mean, yeah, guess it really depends. yeah Yeah, you're right. Like it does depend on the tourrain depends on the terrain. Like ran this morning, I did the Limone Extreme Sky course.
00:08:55
Speaker
and that's a lot of elevation, but like also like really loose rock and very slow going. Um, yeah but yeah, I guess if it is like, you know, there's no loose rock and it's little bit more compact, it could be a little bit faster. So yeah, it might be a bit more runnable than what we think. Um,
00:09:14
Speaker
I did see like a few people training on the course and some parts do look runnable. Some look very, very steep. Some look wild. I love it. It looks perfect. Yeah. I hope it's not too technical, but yeah.
00:09:30
Speaker
Still a lot of elevation for that distance. Oh, yeah, definitely, definitely. um Yeah, because the race I'm looking at, like the women's winner was like just over five and a half hours for the one I'm, for the Maritose Dels Dements is what it's called. But when I looked at oh, it's like very similar stats overall.
00:09:49
Speaker
um But you know that doesn't mean the terrain is similar at all. So we'll see. But no, good training. You are banking the training that is required for this sort of thing. So I reckon you'll be, you'll be sweet.
00:10:02
Speaker
Yeah. Still five weeks away. So, um, couple, yeah, hopefully another three big weeks and then slow it down a bit. But nice yeah, this was, i don't know if I'll do such a big back to back, um, double runs again.
00:10:17
Speaker
mean, added heat as well. It was pretty heavy on the body and this morning did feel a bit harder, um, getting started, but yeah, yeah. Get some good gains. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I finished my run yesterday.
00:10:31
Speaker
And so yesterday did um three hours and 45 with pretty close to 2,000 meters of gain. um But I was just like so dehydrated. So I drank about four and a half liters of liquid when I finished the run. So yeah, I was a bit better today, but it is really hot like out here in Lake Como.
00:10:53
Speaker
Yeah. ah It's been hot the whole way through because, yeah, same for us in Chamonix. It's been Chamonix. It's been boiling. We had like 35 degrees for a couple of days there. um And it was shocking being outside in the sun trying to do much. But thankfully, once the storms hit, it has cooled off. But it seems like there's been a heat wave going.
00:11:13
Speaker
the whole way through Europe and this sort of area for a few days. So, um yeah, good for training, not so good for racing. Yeah, i and I was a bit surprised when I got here. The first week was just so cold.
00:11:27
Speaker
um Yeah. So, yeah, this is ah probably a bit warmer than usual, but the first week was really, really cold. It was like literally like Perth winter. Gone from colder than usual to warmer than usual.
00:11:40
Speaker
Nice, nice. Yeah. Yeah, five weeks left and I am currently a testament to a fact that a lot can happen in two weeks, let alone five weeks. um So just don't don't follow my lead, please, is the only thing I ask in the next five weeks.
00:11:57
Speaker
But um mine, this whole trip has been an interesting one, to say the least. um But, geez, when was I last on?
00:12:09
Speaker
I think I did. ah I was on after Tatra. um So obviously, yeah two weeks ago yeah, everyone knows how that went ah with being an absolute crapshoot.
00:12:19
Speaker
But after I was on the pod, when um I'd originally been diagnosed with post-viral fatigue syndrome, That was not the case um at all, um which I can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing because I'm like, okay, I didn't overdo it in the recovery from my flu or whatever I had um because i rested and three days after three days of complete rest, I was just getting worse and worse and then I ended up like I was in the most excruciating stomach pain about three or four days.
00:12:53
Speaker
um ah no, it must have been five days after the race. um and so much so that I almost like if I actually had the capacity to not be in the fetal position I would have taken myself to hospital but instead mum and dad good old mum and dad um they were on the phone to me for three hours straight at like 3 a.m Australian time just making sure they didn't need to call an ambulance for me um because I was honestly I was like I don't know what's wrong but like I nothing was touching it, nothing was making it better. And I was like, I might've like burst my appendix or something here. Like, I don't know what's going Anyways, we eventually, it it did slowly pass.
00:13:33
Speaker
um I have a whole bunch of different stomach medications from being like, and not that I take regularly, but like emergency stomach meds for the fact that I'm celiac. So ah it's not as if I'm not used to stomach problems, but because Because throughout all that, it wasn't just the stomach pain. I was constantly dizzy, like lie in bed in the world spinning, sit up and everything goes black. Like it was shocking for about week there.
00:13:59
Speaker
But thankfully, after spending, what did I spend in the end? I think I spent about 600 Aussie dollars on blood tests. Yeah.
Simone's Recovery and Future Plans
00:14:11
Speaker
trying to figure out what the problem was. I went back for three different rounds of blood tests and the very last round I went back for, because they were slightly more specialised one, I think it was €235 for that round of blood tests. And I was like, great, this is exactly what I need right now.
00:14:27
Speaker
um But anyways, I managed to get all those blood tests and finally get in to see the Solomon, ah the international team has their head doctor. um So I went, I had to drive to Chamonix to see him because he was on the Solomon camp.
00:14:42
Speaker
But Gwyn and saw him and then so like within 10 minutes of him um with being with me, he's like, no, you've got gastritis, which gastritis is like,
00:14:54
Speaker
inflammation of the stomach. So the whole stomach lining and stomach and everything is just inflamed. So it's not happy at all. And I didn't know that what can happen is yeah because I had so much inflammation there, like you just lightly touched my stomach and I was like flinching. It was really bad.
00:15:11
Speaker
um And turns out that can aggravate the vagus nerve. So the heart palpitations and the dizziness and everything was coming from my vagus nerve. And then the stomach was actually the problem. So i had been slowly improving because I'd gone and taken some antacids, but like low dose ones ah for a few days.
00:15:32
Speaker
And then he just prescribed massive doses. of antacids but you have to it takes like six to eight weeks for the stomach to recover so that's not fun um already at this point and but he was at this point he was like yeah what take these meds and you'll be you'll be like recup feeling better in a couple of days and then should be fine for race day you've just got to make sure you take the medication like i'll take he's like take it before the race take it during the race and you should be okay um So that gave me some hope because I really did feel after 48 hours of being on the high dose of antacids, I felt good again. i was running again. i went out for like 80 minutes and I was like, sweet.
00:16:11
Speaker
Like all I had was six days completely off. I can deal with that. Um, so that was fine. But then I did have the TMB hike booked in with Matt, which was last week ish this week last and going into this week or it was meant to be.
00:16:31
Speaker
Um, so that then became my sort of rebuild into running, um, into, sorry, moving, ah which actually I think would have been really good preparation because I was carrying around about 15 kilos because I was pack muleing for Matt.
00:16:47
Speaker
um And that was for up to 12 hours a day. So I'd had four days of hiking with a big pack and my legs were tired. Like, cause we had days where we had 2,800 up and down, which over 38 Ks with a 15 kilo pack really does get your legs.
00:17:05
Speaker
So yeah I was back on those first three, four days of the hike going, cool. This is just going to be my sort of rebuild to time on feet. As soon as I'm done the hike, I'll start running my long runs and stuff again and we'll be fine for CCC.
00:17:20
Speaker
um But then, yeah, day four of the hike, this is where I was just like, okay, this is just the trip from hell because Matt came down. It was like 5 p.m.
00:17:34
Speaker
dinnertime. Matt came down with food poisoning or like he he got started getting sick at like 5.30ish. um So he didn't come to dinner. I still went to dinner at this refuge where we were sleeping um and I actually felt totally fine.
00:17:48
Speaker
By 9pm, poor Matt was in such a bad way that I was calling an ambulance for him in Switzerland. Oh, no. Yeah. but Well, it was he just hadn't stopped being sick for like three hours straight at this point.
00:18:03
Speaker
every 10 minutes or so. And we'd been hiking in the sun in 30 degree heat for six hours before that started. So he was so dehydrated.
00:18:14
Speaker
um And also he's not used to stomach problems. So when you've not had food poisoning before or you've not had this sort of thing go wrong, you feel like you're dying. Like it's so bad.
00:18:25
Speaker
So he was just like, I can't do anything. Like you have to call an ambulance. And I'm like, that's fine. we can We can deal. So I'm on the phone to travel insurance and an ambulance. Keep in mind this whole time that our bedroom for this night is an 18-bed dorm room where it's not beds.
00:18:44
Speaker
It is mattresses on the floor pushed hard up against each other. So you are sleeping right next to two other people because you're in between them. And the mattresses are just really little thin foam ones with 18 other people in the room.
00:18:59
Speaker
So that was our sort of arrangement for the night with Matt then they're getting food poisoning. We call the ambulance. The ambulance comes and um they ah were like, well, there's a hospital open, but it's an hour's ambulance drive away because we're in the mountains.
00:19:18
Speaker
Like we're not anywhere close to anything. So Matt agrees that, um, he can get, he'll take IV meds there and they'll give him some IV medication and everything. So the paramedic set him up, gave him some fluids, gave him some IV meds.
00:19:33
Speaker
And we did get Matt to bed by like 10 30 ish PM, um And he was not great, but in a much better spot at least. So that was fine. um ah still felt for the guy sleeping in an 18-bed dorm room, but I was like, nothing we can do about it.
00:19:48
Speaker
Then I go to bed when Matt goes to bed and an hour i still I could not sleep and I just was lying in bed going, oh, I feel a little off, but um I swear I don't. This is just my brain playing tricks on me.
00:20:01
Speaker
But no, unfortunately by like 11.30, 12 p.m., I was the one that was up and being incredibly sick. But by now it's the middle of the night. Not a single other person is awake.
00:20:13
Speaker
I can't go back into the dorm room in between being sick every time because I'd be so disruptive. Like I'm halfway down this 18 line of beds in between two people. So I can't keep getting in and out of bed.
00:20:26
Speaker
So I end up just sitting on these chairs outside the men's toilet for seven hours being sick. It was quite possibly the worst night of my life because I was like, I'm by myself, but because i didn't want to wake Matt up because I knew he was sick. He wasn't going to be much help. And I knew he would be more help the next day if he got some rest and sleep.
00:20:50
Speaker
So there was absolutely no point waking him up. I'm also blessed with the knowledge that this is going to end and I'm not going to die because I've been there before. So i was like, I'm not about to call an ambulance because I don't, when you call an ambulance and yes, you've got travel insurance, but you always have to fork out the cost first.
00:21:08
Speaker
So I was like, I'm not about to call an ambulance in Switzerland for myself when I technically know that yes, I'm very dehydrated at this point, but also I will live. So i just endured seven hours of pure hell sleeping on the floor outside the men's toilets because there was no space outside the women's.
00:21:29
Speaker
um Only to then the next day we're still in the middle of the freaking mountains, aren't we? So we man we're in Champé-Lac, which is where a lot of the UTMB races go through, or we're near there.
00:21:43
Speaker
We managed to get like a five-minute car ride into the main town. And in just that five-minute car ride, i was dis destroyt I was like, I can't be in a car right now. Like this is, i i felt so sick.
00:21:55
Speaker
So we get out of the car and there is a bus down the mountain. But when you get on a bus down a mountain, there was about 20 switchbacks this bus was going to have to go around. And it was only a 20 minute bus ride, but I was just like, I can't actually do it.
00:22:10
Speaker
Like you can't trap me in a bus going around switchbacks down a mountain when I feel this sick. So we had to hike out and I haven't slept a wink at this point. Nothing has stayed down.
00:22:23
Speaker
Like ah everything since breakfast the day before was gone and I still wasn't even tolerating water. Like this was about 8am at this point and I couldn't get the sips of water down without them coming back up again.
00:22:35
Speaker
So we hiked four Ks from Champeilac down to Orsieres, which is four Ks with like, I don't know, maybe 500, 600 meters drop. And it took us two hours because I would make it 500 meters walking and then have to lie down.
00:22:53
Speaker
And it was halfway down this mountain that I just turned to Matt and I went, that I am not running CCC this year. Like, I just know it's not going to happen after this.
00:23:04
Speaker
Like, that you just can't, you can't turn that around. You could maybe turn one of the two things I've had around. but the combination of the two because i spen we then spent the night in a random hospital in switzer not hospital a random hotel in Switzerland. It took us two days to make our way back to Chamonix and we were broken souls, both of us.
00:23:24
Speaker
And then it wasn't until this was, I think, this was it's all a blur, but I think this was all happening on maybe last like Sunday, the Monday, on this Monday, and I finally managed to feel human enough to go for like a 20-minute jog a 30-minute jog on Friday.
00:23:43
Speaker
Like from Monday to Friday, I just spent the entire time indoors pretty much in bed feeling no very sick. so What an adventure.
00:23:55
Speaker
Oh, my gosh. At this point, I was like I actually can't catch a break, like cannot catch a break this trip because by now it has been three weeks and I think I had run a total of – 20 something kilometers in three weeks.
00:24:11
Speaker
Now I had hiked 100k, but that's not getting you to a good 100k race running. um Because even that 30 minute jog, I was like, oh my legs feel like tired after this.
00:24:25
Speaker
um Now, I know that part of that is still the fact that I'm recovering. But anyways, I just, it was a pretty easy decision to make in the end because it feels like everything's just been taken out of my hands.
00:24:38
Speaker
When you go, I've run 30Ks in three weeks. I still feel shocking. I couldn't do it because it's two weeks now till race day. And I'm like, I can't do it. Like, I can't do that to myself. Does that now mean that I'm on a six-week trip to Europe with zero races done? Yes.
00:24:53
Speaker
Sorry.
00:24:57
Speaker
So I am getting a very, very, very expensive, possibly worst possible holiday ever overseas.
00:25:10
Speaker
But I have two weeks. I have two weeks left to hopefully enjoy something because considering this has been I had jet lag, into the race, which didn't go well with gastritis, into a week of gastritis, into four very blissful days of hiking. I will say they were amazing. If anyone ever wants to do the TMB, highly recommend. Just don't do it over six days because it's too far. Like the days are too long.
00:25:37
Speaker
um Don't do that to yourselves. But, yeah, four blissful days before the fourth day ended in another now over a week of feeling sick. So... Yeah, there's my update. it definitely be a most – They have, thankfully – well, know if want to go.
00:25:55
Speaker
i I was going to say, this was this is going to be a most memorable Europe trip ever, though. ah Yeah, for all the wrong reasons. Well, for all the right and the wrong reasons. Because, honestly, the first three days of this hike were possibly some of my favourite days ever overseas. Yeah.
00:26:11
Speaker
Like it was such a cool setup because it's, you wake up, yes, you you put the hiking pack on and you just wander through the mountains for, well, we were doing anywhere from six, seven to 12 hours for the day.
00:26:25
Speaker
And then you get to these refuges and, dinner's served to you like three course meal is served to you they did fine with gluten-free now obviously I don't know if one of them them contaminated us or if it was the water or what but um the they serve you a hot dinner and then you go to sleep you wake up and you do it all over again like there's not a worry in the world it was amazing ah for the time it lasted. we did since I did since find out um via Instagram, because, you know, social media is lovely, that we weren't the only ones to get sick on that stretch of trail on that day.
00:26:58
Speaker
So no don't know what was possibly contaminated, maybe a water source that, like, because we you drink from all these town water sources. We were also drinking from ah up high. We were drinking from mountain streams that we were filtering. Yeah.
00:27:14
Speaker
So possibly we didn't filter something properly, but at the same time, yeah, it wasn't just us. so we don't know what the cause was at this point, um but we certainly are feeling it.
00:27:29
Speaker
um And yeah, I'm now at the good side. Here's the good sides of what has happened is that I only actually, from the time I get home on the 1st of September in like two weeks, I'm I actually only have six weeks back in Australia before I then fly out for the rest of my sky running season.
00:27:48
Speaker
So I was going to be trying to cram in recovery from 100k and revamping for sky running all within that six weeks. Whereas now I'll essentially be aiming to hit the ground running as soon as I get home with a six week build.
00:28:03
Speaker
for Kinabalu Climathon. So that my back end of the year may thank me for this very memorable trip.
00:28:15
Speaker
um I just, yeah, still would have just loved something to go right. um But, hey, it's it's a cruel it's a cruel world when you're an athlete that relies on your body being in a good spot um but also ah required to travel and yeah I don't know it's just it can always happen to kind of anyone this feels right it feels cruel because I'm like I feel like I there's nothing different I can do I could have done or I didn't do anything wrong um but it's life sometimes so yeah it's yeah and I guess it it does just show us how hard it is being uh
00:29:00
Speaker
pro trail runner out of australia where you have to do those long trips and when something goes wrong it really goes wrong and you can't just go home and and rest well i guess you could i guess you could have changed your flight but it's just so many more things along the way that you have to take care of um when you are doing those long big trips trying to train as well at the same time and race and Oh, yeah. um And yeah, i could have I could have gone home earlier. um i think in in the end, a lot of the calculations are that it's more expensive to change the flights and the cancellations of everything didn't just stay
00:29:39
Speaker
oh Travel insurance. Travel insurance, obviously, you can kind of rely on, but you never actually know if that claim is going to go through until you're home. So don't know. um But at the same time, i think I'm still going to be around for the start of UTMB
World Champs 2027 Announcement and Reflections
00:29:55
Speaker
week.
00:29:55
Speaker
Like I still get to see a lot of the people that I'm very good friends with that I never get to see before. i'm I'm here for my birthday in France with my parents. My pet poor parents were, well, they were flying in to crew me, um but thankfully they had tacked a holiday onto the end of that crew gig. so they're still flying across.
00:30:17
Speaker
ah But, yeah, it's just it's it's like it's so much bigger than just this affecting me because it's like we had a full trip planned with my parents coming for the first time ah this far to crew me.
00:30:28
Speaker
Matt's here. But it's fine. It's fine. It's so fine. um It's just expensive, but there's not much you can do about it. So the life and i will find pros somewhere and i will rejuvenate at some point. I did go running today.
00:30:48
Speaker
Finally had a semi-normal-ish run where I ran like 85 minutes, 16 and a half Km. did some strides and I was like, okay, this is the start of the like rebuild.
00:31:00
Speaker
So I've got a 40K week this week that I just did. oh So we're flying high. That being said, I did do a hike. I did do a decent, well, I wouldn't even call it a run because it felt shocking and I hiked it.
00:31:16
Speaker
But Le Junction yesterday took me like four hours. So I almost got a long run-ish in. um which you would love this climb. i don't know if you've ever done it. Have you done La Junction?
00:31:27
Speaker
um La Junction? No. La Junction. It's like a climb. So it's about 8K with 1600 up. And then you just go straight up to the viewpoint, which is at a glacier. Like you can touch the glacier.
00:31:41
Speaker
It's amazing. And the viewpoint's amazing. And then you run straight back down. um So you end up with like 16Ks with 600 up and down. to do it oh where does it start uh it starts um actually the start of it is like outside the door of where i'm staying but it's in les le bossons which is like oh yeah two k's south of Germany yeah i think i think i've done that i stayed there that's i think that's where i stayed actually like three or four years ago um and ran up to the glacier
00:32:12
Speaker
Might have been a different climb, but yeah, I vaguely remember running up to the glacier. It was probably the same one. You get a good VK in there. So anyways, I do get a chance to still do some good training for Kinabalu here, um which is fine. I'm going to Prague tomorrow.
00:32:31
Speaker
That's the other reason I wouldn't have gone home is this is Matt's four weeks of leave. So it is still his holidays in Europe. So we can just holiday. i Anyways, moving right along.
00:32:44
Speaker
Were you planning to go to Prague for whole week even if you were racing CCC? Yes. so ah tomorrow, that like today was meant to be my last big effort and tomorrow was meant to start my taper.
00:32:57
Speaker
um Now, it is slightly easier to taper. Well, A, Matt didn't want to spend too long in the mountains and i like I'm playing that compromise. Well, when I was planning this, it was like that compromise of like he wanted a holiday. He didn't want to just follow me around training. So I was like, well, it's pretty easy to taper if you take yourself away from the mountains so and you're in Prague where it's flat.
00:33:19
Speaker
And um so i was always going to spend five days in Prague to sort of start off the taper um and not just be FOMO of all the mountains that I'm missing out on.
00:33:31
Speaker
That being said, I've just lived the FOMO the last week anyway, staring out the window. So...
00:33:39
Speaker
um Yes, and um neither of us have ever been to Prague. We've been told it's lovely. So now I am actually very thankful that I booked that in because I think I would go very stir crazy being in Chamonix this whole time and not racing. Yeah. Because it means I go to Prague for five days.
00:33:55
Speaker
ah come back to Chamonix only until the 27th of August, so like four five days in Chamonix. And then I'm taking – my parents and Matt, we managed like, thankfully I booked places with free cancellation for this part of the trip for the race so we could cancel everything and we're going to Aosta, which is just over the border in Italy for when the race is on. So I won't actually be around when the race is on.
00:34:20
Speaker
ah couldn't quite do that to myself. hu So I'm getting out of time. Next time, if you do have a chance, I've been to Prague, it's quite nice, but I would always recommend to people to go to Budapest.
00:34:33
Speaker
Budapest is pretty cool as well. Yeah. So next night matter next time you have a chance. Prague is still a little bit touristy, um beautiful, but then Budapest is as beautiful, just less touristy, which is nice this time of the year because it's just so busy with so many tourists. Yeah, damn.
00:34:49
Speaker
Good call. Okay. Well, there's another place I haven't been that I will add next time. um um If I read try and redo this trip next year, possibly Budapest will be the place.
00:35:02
Speaker
ah Awesome. Awesome. Well, yes, there's my story time with Sim. can be over now. ah um This episode is proudly brought to you by Bix.
Sponsorship Segment and Product Endorsement
00:35:12
Speaker
Bix has supported the show from the start and personally, I'm really loving the big 40 gel.
00:35:18
Speaker
Whether you're just going out for a 60 minute run and want the one gel, you're a moderate carb fueler and have 80 grams an hour, or like myself, you're trying to hit that 120 grams an hour range, it makes the maths super easy.
00:35:29
Speaker
Not only is the 40 grams of carbs, but I really like the fact there's 200 milligrams of sodium. It's a nice number that's not going to overload you if you're going high carb fueling, but it also means you don't have to carry around any annoying little salt tablets.
00:35:40
Speaker
And again, the natural flavor, I've always been a fan of that. There's no palate fatigue. The consistency is really nice and thin. It goes down super easy. So I've become a really big fan. If you want to give that a go or try out any of the rest of the range, head over to the website, use code PPP at checkout to save yourself 20% off the entire range.
00:35:58
Speaker
And with that, let's get back to the show. And you moving on to some rather fun news um is World Champs in 2027 have been announced for ah Cape Town in South Africa.
00:36:14
Speaker
What are your thoughts, Vlad? Yeah, actually pretty exciting. Yeah, mean... I guess I'm on the fence a little bit. um I've never been to it to South Africa, so it could be a fun trip. um You know, obviously um not easy to make the team. It'll be harder to make the team next next time in two years' time.
00:36:32
Speaker
But, yeah, actually I think after two years of being in Europe, um it's nice that they have a different location. I kind of, I was, to be honest, I was expecting it to be in the U.S. with how big trail running is in the U.S. right now.
00:36:47
Speaker
um So I was a bit surprised that it is in Cape Town. um But yeah, obviously, you know, those things, there's a lot of things that go behind closed doors for those places to be selected. But yeah, pretty cool news. I think that'll be beautiful.
00:37:05
Speaker
I mean, again, I've never been there, but from pictures and talking to runners that run there, it is an incredible place to to run. And every I guess they'll put up a good show.
00:37:16
Speaker
Because i mean, like, I don't, ah so for for the opening ceremony in Spain, from what I understand, and this is just kind of like skimming through our group chat, they're only allowing like five people um from each team at the opening ceremony, which is a bit weird. um Really? Yeah.
00:37:38
Speaker
Yeah, after like Thailand and Innsbruck in Austria being like such a cool opening ceremony. I mean, especially Thailand was really, really like a celebration of an opening ceremony.
00:37:50
Speaker
So I would kind of think that South Africa would also like try and put on a really cool opening ceremony. Yeah. A bit surprising with this Spain thing. But then again, maybe and why maybe I'm wrong. maybe But that's kind of what what I've read on our group chat. That's what the official said, that they only allowed five people from each team. um So, a little bit strange. But I guess we'll find out in the next week or two exactly what that means and who can show up to the opening ceremony. But then again, like, you know, both world champs before were, like, in bigger cities.
00:38:26
Speaker
So, um, Chiang Mai, know, fairly big city, Innsbruck, fairly big city. So I guess, um, this one is smaller town city.
00:38:37
Speaker
And I think we'll be staying like, could be, we could, we could be like 20 to 30 minutes away from the race start and race village area. So maybe the logistics of getting everybody there, um, is why they're doing a smaller ceremony.
00:38:53
Speaker
Um, but yeah, a little bit strange, but may, uh, mean, Sounds weird and it sounds like I've read that wrong. but um I was going to say keep us updated when we have more info.
00:39:04
Speaker
um I don't want say too much if it's not actually the case. so But I will say if if it is the case, that is a huge shame because those opening ceremonies are a lot of fun and they really do like build the hype and the vibe for everyone.
00:39:19
Speaker
um And, yeah, they are that celebration, even the start start of what feels like the celebration for having made it there. Yeah. it Yeah, hopefully. don't know. Yeah, I mean, that is a side note yeah on a side note, the the Asia-Pacific ceremony was a bit of a
Upcoming Events and Training Plans
00:39:35
Speaker
smaller scale compared to the um big party atmosphere that we had in in Thailand and Austria. um So, yeah, maybe, I don't know.
00:39:44
Speaker
its Yeah, I think like, yeah, there wasn't like in in South Korea, there was just one person kind of like walking as the flag barrier. So we didn't walk as a team. We just sat there.
00:39:56
Speaker
which I don't know. I think that was pretty cool in Thailand and Innsbruck that we could do that march through the town with all the yeah yeah flags and nations. So I don't know. Like thinking about South Africa, i can just imagine I can just imagine that, you know, the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony and the whole atmosphere would pretty cool.
00:40:14
Speaker
um Yeah. And my goal yeah is to convince a couple of good roadrunners to try and maybe sign up for the uphill or the uphill and downhill events.
00:40:25
Speaker
Yeah. So, yeah, the next two years I'll be trying to convince some more roadrunners to make the switch. I'm just trying to just trying to get yourself kicked off the team there, may possibly. please No, it's just for the option. I mean, I'll be.
00:40:39
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Just for the one I don't want to do. and I'll be happy to get to the point where I'm not making teams anymore because, you know, technically we have enough talent in Australia that I should not be making the team.
00:40:52
Speaker
um But, yeah, I think in the next few years hopefully we have some better. Runners, you know, do those trail events and trail championships because there's definitely enough talent in Australia to fill a pretty good solid team that could be competitive.
00:41:05
Speaker
Definitely, definitely. I will also note um that the dates of it are the 6th to 10th of October. um So from is that fairly similar to this year, maybe a couple of weeks later?
00:41:18
Speaker
What are the dates this year? No, it's definitely, yeah, no, so this this is 28th of September this year. Okay, so so I think, yeah, it's like two weeks later. Two weeks, yeah. It's actually only like a week. It's eight days. but Yeah, it's only a week.
00:41:32
Speaker
An extra week, so which means it will be an extra week away from UTMB, but I don't know if that will actually change much of sort of the you can't double up situation.
00:41:44
Speaker
um I don't imagine it actually changing that necessarily. Maybe for the shorter distances. Well, mean, it's only for us that we, well. ah There's other countries yeah that have had similar things, but not just not that many from what I can tell.
00:41:58
Speaker
um Yeah. Yeah. Well, definitely not the main countries, not Spain, Italy and. Yeah, no. um Yeah. So just an interesting of of note of like, because we've we have had a lot of people have to go one way or the other this year.
00:42:14
Speaker
um And it's going to be similar and it's always going to be interesting to see what happens there. But exciting that it is. I'm i'm actually very excited that it is in South Africa because...
00:42:26
Speaker
Yeah, it's just a new place, a cool place that I've never visited before. And I'm like, oh, that's different and exciting. um Be interesting to see what the courses and stuff look like there. But something to look forward to, although it feels weird talking about it before we've even gotten through this year's world champs. So maybe we'll try and get through this year's world champs first and then get more excited for that one.
00:42:49
Speaker
um Yeah, was there any other news that came across your desk, Vlad? Any other running stuff? I have been completely shut off from the running world for a little bit. So I'm certainly not the person that has seen anything.
00:43:03
Speaker
No, I mean, I think um everybody's kind of like locked and loaded towards UTMB week, you know, and not too many more races. on the calendar now and it's all, yeah, two weeks to go to UTMB. So everybody's doing their last long runs like you were planning to do one yesterday.
00:43:21
Speaker
And a few of my friends just did their last long or big run before racing in two weeks time in Chamonix. But yeah, obviously we touched a little bit about the Asia Pacific Trail Champs in China, which is also pretty cool for next year.
00:43:37
Speaker
um But no, I think it's all UTMB from now on. Yes, the circus is beginning and the like yearly, I can't think of the word right now, um when everyone coming to Chamonix.
00:43:52
Speaker
It feels like almost everyone I know in trail running is here already. So the certainly the hype is building I've never I've actually no I was here last year so I have seen Chamonix this busy but it it certainly is packed um so I'm kind of looking forward to not being elsewhere for a few days because busy busy towns are not my thing but either way ah bringing it back actually maybe I'll stay overseas for a second as we get to the results um
00:44:22
Speaker
And then we can bring it back home to our Aussie side.
Race Results and Athlete Highlights
00:44:26
Speaker
um And think the main, well, the only the overseas result that I have been able to find slash knew about um is Beth McKenzie doing what everyone's doing with the like last little hit out or last long runs and stuff before CCC. Yeah.
00:44:45
Speaker
um and also Emily Brunt and hi and steve ah Steve Bushby, his Kiwi, so he's part one of their group, and Anne-Marie Cook. We had four, well, three Aussies and a Kiwi out at Tigner's Trail.
00:45:00
Speaker
think they've all been basing out there as they do their preparation, Anne-Marie and marie and ah Beth for CCC, and Steve, I'm not sure what he's running, but Emily for um utm b So Beth, she came second behind a French Perrine Abadie, but she was fairly close behind, about three minutes behind. This was for a 26K, by the way, I think with about 1,400 or so, 1,600 up and down, so a nice meaty one.
00:45:32
Speaker
um So Beth came second. Emily came... war She wasn't too far behind. Fifth? Yeah, Emily came fifth and then Anne-Marie, she was in there too, but I can't actually separate the women's, so I can't do the counting.
00:45:52
Speaker
um But, yeah, that was just cool to see them all doing their last hit-outs. And then, yeah, that's all the overseas results. Back at home, ah the biggest race of the week, which just happened well, actually technically yesterday, Aussie time now, because it's just after midnight, was Transcend, ah which we did.
00:46:10
Speaker
we had a chat to the race director, Shane Johnston, recently. um So hopefully everyone's aware of all of the really cool things that Transcend are doing. um But we had Transcend um and there Mikey DeMuentes, unsurprisingly,
00:46:28
Speaker
in a lot of ways, came away with the win. um In what I don't know if it's a course record. It's faster, I know, than Piotr ran last year because last year Piotr, Babas won in six hours, 19. I haven't been able to look up course records or anything like that, but Mikey DeMuentes ran six hours, seven minutes and 43 seconds.
00:46:48
Speaker
And then the Surprise versus awesome run, because he did run, also run last year, was by Ben Leeson, um who was in second in 6.09.49. So back over the two minutes back over the sixty five k I would love to know. We're going to have to get Mikey ah and or Ben on to say how that panned out being that close all the way to the end um and if there was changes in lead or who was pushing who.
00:47:19
Speaker
um But, yeah, great run by Ben Leeson. He did come fourth last year in 6 Hours 36. Yeah. So he took like close to 30 minutes off his time from last year.
00:47:30
Speaker
um And his the other results I can find for him on ITRA are winning the Margaret River Ultra in the last two years. Yeah, the last two years, the marathon, not the, I believe there must be, there's an 80K at Margaret River.
00:47:46
Speaker
um isn't so Yeah, the ADK is the main event and then the marathon. I think they just added that in the last two years. Yeah, so yeah, he's won the marathon the last two years. um So clearly a very good runner, i'm I'm going to assume based on his results, so a Perth local. But yeah, to push Mikey all the way and to be two minutes back over 65K is a damn good run.
00:48:06
Speaker
So well done, Ben. In third was Federico Cravara, who has an awesome looking flag um on here that I had to look up. And it's a Uruguayan flag.
00:48:19
Speaker
So don't know if he's come across from Uruguay, which would be bloody cool, um but he is at least from Uruguay. So go Federico. That is awesome.
00:48:30
Speaker
And then on the women's side, it was won by, geez, this must be a family affair because last year it was won by Erica Laurie in about 6 hours 38 from what I was looking up.
00:48:42
Speaker
This year it was won by Christy Laurie Are they related, lad? I'm not sure. Yeah, no no idea. There's me just assuming people from Perth know each other. hu and But then in second, so Christy Laurie won in 7 hours 41.
00:48:57
Speaker
In second was Lauren Marshall in 8 hours 10. But then again in third was Andrea Laurie in 8 hours 15. So I would love to know if Erica, Christy and Andrea are all related because that is one powerhouse of a family if they are.
00:49:14
Speaker
Obviously, we know Erica. She's absolutely incredible. But, yeah, Christy and Andrea adding that to the mix. um Dinner table discussions and competitions would be interesting in a family if they're all if they are all related. So, yeah, well done to Christy, Lauren, Andrea, um and Mikey.
00:49:33
Speaker
And my I'm going to throw in one one more to the mix. So there's um Mike Laurie who is – a really good trail runner. So I'm wondering if he's connected to them as well. He was um like a pro triathlete for a couple of years.
00:49:52
Speaker
He's going in and out of trail running a little bit, but he's, yeah, he's like a proper world-class triathlete based out of Perth. I think like he represents Canada when he does um the triathlons. I think he doesn't do any more triathlon races, but he's been doing,
00:50:11
Speaker
doing a bit of trail running lately. um I've been trying to convince him to to sign up some of the Australian teams to put his name down because he's um is like a proper, proper athlete, world-class athlete.
00:50:24
Speaker
So I'm wondering if he's connected to the Laurie family because that's his surname as well. Yeah, so I have just done a very small amount of sleuthing. Christy and Mike are brother and sister. That's a definite because I'm currently looking at christie's um at Christy's FKT write-up for she did the Cape to Cape FKT.
00:50:46
Speaker
um And then she said she had the company and assistance of Mike, Laurie, eriica and Erica Laurie. So going to... Okay. guess that we're on to something here considering I don't know anyone else with that surname but this is us just doing some very random sleuthing um and hopefully Andrea fixs it fits in that mix too and we are just have an epic WA family affair going on over there in terms of how powerful they are ah all are on the trails so yeah well done to everyone that ran Transcend um we'll have to get yeah
00:51:25
Speaker
few people on to talk about it because it looks like a very very cool event i would love to get there one day um that is for yeah just quick now mike lorry sorry um obviously a lot of good triathlon results um but a 14 14 5k time so um yeah pretty talented family jesus Yep, that's, yeah, wow.
00:51:54
Speaker
What a bunch, what a bunch. Love it. Awesome. Well, yeah, the only other results was finding were there was some quick ones at Trial Running Association of Queensland had their Lake Manchester run, which on the female side for the 23 was won by Zoe Manning, so she's continuing to clean up up in Queensland.
00:52:12
Speaker
And on the men's side won by Anthony Gordon. Oh, there you go. Cecilia Mattis was also out winning the 10K, which was on the men's side won by Joe Perkins.
00:52:23
Speaker
um And run Lara Pinter, we don't have the full results for yet, but it is currently ongoing with the final stage being, well, today now Aussie time.
00:52:35
Speaker
um But currently leading the general classification over the longer distance is Matt Roberts on the men's side and Beatrice Ogilvy on the women's.
00:52:46
Speaker
And leading the GC in the shorter category, is this one's the Namitja and the longer one is the Malbunker. um ah Don't not load for me now, internet.
00:52:59
Speaker
It's not going to load for me.
00:53:03
Speaker
No.
00:53:05
Speaker
no trying to reach you through all the tunnels in the mountains.
00:53:11
Speaker
Apparently. Apparently it's decided it can't do this one. So that's fine. We will have to give the results next week. Oh, you've got to love Mountain Internet, guys.
00:53:25
Speaker
Anyways, moving on. um mean ah To stay on the races because I do have this page loaded already, thank goodness. um We have a few races coming up next week, some of them with the coolest names ever, which – This one in Queensland, Cane Toads and Crocodiles, trial race up in Queensland um that, where it say it is? Freshwater Cane Farm.
00:53:49
Speaker
I am not sure where that is, but that just sounds fun, Cane Toads and Crocodiles. Then there is Russell Falls Trail Running TAS, Trailblaze Fun Run in WA. Do you know anything about that one, Vlad?
00:54:02
Speaker
No, there's a lot of new races. Yeah. that usually I'm away for. But, yeah, no, I never heard of that one. Nice.
00:54:13
Speaker
um It's in Bedforddale, wherever that is. um And then Ballerine Rail Trail Run, Bright Run Festival, and, jeez, Shorefoot Trail Race, Trails and Tails.
00:54:27
Speaker
I think Trails and Tails is a run where you get to do with your dog, which I would love to see you and your dog do one day, Vlad. Yeah, that would be fun. There's Trail and Ales. There used to be a trail race in Perth. I'm not sure if it's still on, but, um yeah, I wouldn't mind racing with my dog one year.
00:54:46
Speaker
Yeah, you should definitely find one. These these ones are in port in New South Wales, so not quite not quite you can't do quite do the trip with the dog, but hopefully someone in Perth can have one.
Episode Conclusion and Future Recording Plans
00:54:57
Speaker
Either way, that is all the races coming up next weekend. ah Vlad, what have you got in store for the week? i You come to Chamonix, I believe, next Saturday? Yeah, exactly. So couple more days here in Lake Como, and then we're going to drive up to Chamonix, start setting up for the expo. So, yeah, hopefully I can get a couple more longer runs here, and then it'll have to be a bit of a down week during the expo, but excited so Get to Chamonix. We've got our new salty carb powder launch scheduled for that week.
00:55:33
Speaker
So, yeah, looking forward to that. Exciting times. um And meanwhile, you just get to soak up the sun at Lake Como. That sounds really horrible. Oh, the life.
00:55:44
Speaker
um I'm, as I said, off to Prague, back to Chamonix, trying to do all the holiday things. I'm not a holiday kind of person. I don't do it very well. So we'll see how this is going to go um as I will also be trying to rebuild some running back.
00:55:59
Speaker
because i don't want to kiss all my fitness goodbye.
00:56:05
Speaker
praying some of it's still there. But thank you for joining us for what has been a very interesting internet-wise podcast for Episode 71 of the Peak Pursuits podcast.
00:56:19
Speaker
um We will hopefully have better internet next week. in Actually, we'll be together in sham. We can record. Just thought of that. Hopefully they have better modems in Chamonix.
00:56:32
Speaker
I think we'll be right. I think we'll manage. Awesome. Well, thanks for listening, guys, and we'll speak to you next week. See you