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Nath and Fraser WMTRC Takeover Part 2!
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The dynamic duo of Nath and Fraser are back on the mics to give us a run down of how their World Champs went - with Nathan coming out top Aussie in their races and Fraser throwing in an extra bonus race of coming third at Melb Mara since world champs! Always wild times.
Thanks for joining us on Peak Pursuits! Connect with us on Instagram @peakpursuits.pod and share your thoughts, questions, or your own trail stories. Until next time, keep hitting the trails and chasing those peak pursuits!
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Transcript
Introduction to Spain Championships
00:00:19
Speaker
Welcome guys. So here is part two of mine and Fraser's rundown on World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Cane Franc, Spain. So I've got Fraser on the other side of the line. So how are we, Fraser? I'm very good. Very good to be joining you again for part two. Being let back into the Peak Pursuits podcast studio.
00:00:39
Speaker
ah Must have had lots of good listeners. So thank you for all those people listening in. How are you, Nathan? Exactly. Yeah, I think we can um we can feel special that we're probably the only ones getting a part two of this.
00:00:51
Speaker
And I think, yeah, this time around, the banter is going to be strong.
Fraser's Preparation for Spain
00:00:56
Speaker
um bute But it's obviously been now almost three weeks, hasn't it, since we um first ticked off um our first event at the the Championships, which time flies when once you get back to reality. So we're going to sort of... um touch on obviously we last time we spoke but probably you guys listened it was already after the fact so when we sort of um met up for our first call sort about three weeks um till the championship so we're just going to give it a little bit of a rundown on how our preparation um finished up and then yeah we'll deep dive into our results and
00:01:35
Speaker
how we went individually and then how we went as a team as well. So and I'll pass over to Fraser.
Nathan's Car Hire Adventures
00:01:42
Speaker
So Fraser, how was your sort of lead up into um into Spain? ah The lead up was pretty good. i was I was happy with the running I was able to do in Adelaide.
00:01:51
Speaker
um Coming off Sydney Marathon, ah recovered pretty well the way I raced that and just finished but not not too bad and and got into training the next week and then i was able to hit a few trail sort of goals that I had in Adelaide and I felt really confident with the work that I'd done I so getting on the plane to Spain and ah week out, I thought, yeah, no, like um I've done all that I can, which is I think a really nice feeling to have when you travel for a race, knowing that you couldn't have done anything more given the constraints that you'd already placed on your life. Yeah.
00:02:30
Speaker
Yeah, sure. I can't like go into a full pro lifestyle for two years to train up for race. like you can You can do those things, but that sacrifices a lot of your life to make those decisions. So given the constraints I have in my life,
00:02:43
Speaker
And I was actually really happy. And then getting to Spain, I felt really good. um Like the overseas travel aspect, I no i don't want to say I'm non-believer in jet lag, but i don't seem to be affected too much. I just like planes and and flying. So it's kind of exciting for me. Whereas I know some people get off a plane and and they might take a few days to sort of get get back to life.
00:03:09
Speaker
But now heading into the first few days of the competition, I felt ready to go and and excited and looking forward to living up to the expectations that the world of Peak Pursuits podcast had placed on ourselves um and i I guess the expectations I'd placed on myself of um doing quite well.
Training Sessions in Spain
00:03:30
Speaker
But that's my preparation, Nathan. You were in Annecy when we last spoke. Yeah, so i I was over in Annecy and then, yeah, about sort of 10 to 12 days out, I um made my way over to Spain. So i met up with um Matt Crean and Geneva Airport and he was a little worse for wear. But, um yeah, we jumped on the plane and and got over to to Spain and hired our car. And I tell you what,
00:03:57
Speaker
If anyone's hiring a car in Spain, be prepared. Be prepared to get your balls twisted and um maybe have to pay a little bit more. So, yeah, that that didn't start our trip too well um with me and that.
00:04:11
Speaker
Did they get you with the yeah the debit card, credit card game? everything and then our car wasn't too big it wasn't big enough for two people but it was a impact of yeah i don't know it was just a kerfuffle we couldn't understand the guy the guy couldn't understand us so it was uh it was chaos but uh we just sort of uh admitted defeat and and paid our way so Yeah, got over to got into Kandantru, which is the ski village just above Karnfrunk, Esteschen, where the world champs was. So it ah it's quite sort of ski village, but kind of sort of reminded me of a small Falls Creek, if anyone that's listening has been to Falls Creek in the summer.
00:04:54
Speaker
um Very similar vibes, very quiet, but beautiful scenery. um It felt like there was a couple of days, that yeah, it felt like me and Matt were the only ones up in this town but um yeah it was a beautiful place to sort of set up shop and um get the sort of the doll in the training that i needed and um go suss out some of the courses so that's what i did so tuesday one of the first days that i was there i met up with ian best who um had been there a couple of days already and we went and did ah course recce the vertical or the uphill
00:05:28
Speaker
And um this was good. Like this is what I sort of needed. needed that confidence of I'd heard word that, yeah, it's pretty runnable. it's um It's pretty sort of consistent all the way up. And we did sort of 1K intervals all the way up. So we started at the start line and um gradually made our way up with, yeah, just sort of a a ah recovery, standing recovery in between so we didn't um miss any of the So the efforts and that was really good. I never really had done a session like this, so I really thank Ian for thinking of it. But it sort of gave me a great idea of what my efforts should be in sectors, um which I think when you, with these sort of races, kind of comes in handy because,
00:06:14
Speaker
with certain elevation changes and all those sort of things. And because you're consistently going up, um being able to sort of dial in and go, okay, well, this is phase one, this is phase two, and just sort of know where my heart rate should be sitting and what I should be feeling. So that was really handy and, yeah, got a lot of comfort confidence from that. And then, yeah, just the rest of the week, just sort of cruised and um got my weight back to – down to come front to go do a course recce of the
Pre-Race Strategies and Team Dynamics
00:06:44
Speaker
classic course. And once again, looked at this course and went, ha, yes, this is going to favour not just me, you Fraser and and Michael as well. Like I think it could have been,
00:06:56
Speaker
could have been severely worse for us if it was a bit more technical, but being more sort bush track-esque that we all used to, and I was like, yeah, okay, this is going to be good. It's going to be fun. um Yeah, there was some sections where there was a little bit of concentration in terms of technicality, but,
00:07:13
Speaker
It was, for the most part, pretty pretty runnable and pretty fun. So, yeah, did a um sort of an uphill um tempo on the first lap and then the second lap I did sort of a fart like like minute on, minute off.
00:07:27
Speaker
which, yeah, once again, just sort of got me into that sort of phase of feeling, okay, this is what I need to be feeling at this hairpin or this point in the climb and and so forth. So, yeah, had a lot of confidence going in and, yeah, the training was, yeah, pretty much going all the right way um ahead of the championships. And I think, yeah, was – pretty confident coming into them, just sort of knowing what I'd done in the past and trying not to replicate that and be a bit more so sensible this time. So, um yeah, and then obviously, yeah, Wednesday, um i forget the what date, Wednesday. Before we jump too far ahead, quick question on the training. The vertical 1K intervals, did you once you did that, did you go and add up your time and try and work out –
00:08:15
Speaker
but time Yeah, as you do, right? Like the good thing about data and metrics, you can kind of break it down and um we'll touch on a bit of the metric stuff after this because I found something out about Fraser that, ah yeah, we'll we deep dive after the uphill recap. But, yeah, it's sort of obviously, yeah, that and that was the worth of stopping where you were going to start next so you could kind of accumulate the time. And I think I've pretty much broke that down to be about, I think it was 44 high um in terms of putting it all together.
00:08:53
Speaker
wow Wow. So that's like, and you were going maybe not 10 out of 10 in those 1K because you obviously had to finish off the session and it's a training day. But that's still like 44 minutes in relation to the 37 minutes that Remy ran.
00:09:06
Speaker
exactly right like so and like i i ran in the race a minute slower than that so like it there's still room there to make up if that makes sense like there's still wriggle room but um it ultimately um it was a good sort of indicator of like okay this is the pace i need to be doing when or when I look at my watch at this certain point.
00:09:31
Speaker
But, yeah, I think, i like, yeah, I don't know exactly if it was that 44, but it was roughly that. There's people looking Strava now, like, doing the maths and being like, wait a second, no, it's 45, he's lying.
00:09:44
Speaker
Well, like I would have actually like i would rather have been similar to what I raced because then I kind go, okay, well, it was pretty much bang on my effort in that session and then I pretty much replicated it. Because when I did that session, I felt, yes, this is what – I needed like this is the pace or this is what I wanted to or had my goal set on.
00:10:08
Speaker
Because like as we sort of touched on part one, like a lot of treadmill work, right? So lot of that 15% slanted on the on the treadmill and this climb was pretty much bang on 15% for the average of the climb. So yeah.
00:10:24
Speaker
yeah With that, I sort of knew that the 6.30-ish pace was sort of my sweet spot. um That was sort of the limit, and pretty much that was nail on the head for the session and the race. It was good, um and like it was just sort of nice to yeah be out there and um training with Ian as well, just sort of to get a feel of what everyone else is like on those sort of climbs as well. so Yeah.
00:10:51
Speaker
Yeah, it's all already listening to you It's such a different description of your time heading into the World Champs race compared ETC where you got on the podcast after ETC and you're like, yeah, not my day. Like, you know, got off the plane. It was just not good.
00:11:06
Speaker
But you just come from Melbourne and um when you're spending time in Kendanchu and Annecy training and then you go to the vertical, like, yeah, as we get into like the race, like no one knew you were a little bit more confident because of the the training really reflects that.
Race Day Experience
00:11:21
Speaker
Yeah. And I think also i will add like I went away for the exact same time in America last year and um had a really good race at the start of that trip. And then the day after rolled me ankle really badly.
00:11:34
Speaker
And from that point, the trip was just kind of like skating on ice. It was just kind of like the whole trip was never really um perfect and i never really got to do everything that i sort of had set sights on like in terms of just even just a like sort of long runs and those sort of things and and runs to go see sites and stuff like that i just never really got around because i was nursing an ankle and then something else would flare up and so forth whereas with this trip it was just kind of like everything just sort of went to plan i got every run um every training run in perfectly and
00:12:07
Speaker
and nothing sort of was um out of place. So I was sort of, that's where that sort of confidence sort came through. And then, um yeah, just being able to, well, five weeks living as a pro, as you said sort of said, Fraser, it's like, not like us, we're working class men, but yes, being able to just sort of get that period um to dial it in and sort of,
00:12:31
Speaker
listened to the body as well and um yeah it was it was handy so yeah beautiful it's good it's good it's funny that you point out the uh rolled ankle as well so listeners remember that yeah exactly that's like plot twist yeah but yeah let's um so wednesday it was wednesday or tuesday tuesday before the championship um me and matt had sort of checked into the hotel or we're about to and we'd just come back from lunch and And in comes, yeah, just a and nomad that was just ah strolling in and there's Fraser. So me and Fraser were roommates for this this championship. So, um yeah, there's a few things that I learnt from Fraser. He loves a baguette.
00:13:14
Speaker
um I don't think a man has eaten more baguettes in a week than Fraser did this week um for the world champs. So, um yeah, we checked in and we had a nice room.
00:13:25
Speaker
He was on the the lower level. overlooking the pool. um Fraser was kind to sort hand me this is why I came second to you because I had the sofa bed all week yeah well that was your choice right yeah usually as most people would you'd either throw up the the rock paper scissors or something like that and Fraser just went volunteered for the the sofa bed yeah I won the good bloke award yeah but yeah so we sort of got in and um
00:13:57
Speaker
The next day you sort of went out and checked out checked out the uphill course. Yeah, I did that with Lara Hamilton and ah that was good. It was cold. There was the Ugandans out there and a few other teams and I'd spoken to you already about it and knew what to expect, but I really thought it was good.
00:14:15
Speaker
A lot of switchbacks and i knew the stairs would be tricky at the start and be a bit of a pinch point, which is very similar to 2023. had a pinch point at the fence. So I knew that was going to be a bit of a shit fight but ah there were no issues from from that little course inspection but that was my main run for the day on Wednesday, just an easy jog up and down it um and then of course over to the supermarket for a couple of baguettes.
00:14:41
Speaker
Yeah, no, it was, yeah, the baguettes were definitely a good option because, yeah, our hotel food was sort of um some days it was good, some days it was bad.
00:14:53
Speaker
um But that's that's the what you get when you sort of are in these team hotels in these sort of environments. Obviously, they they're not there to cater a five star course meal. It's just sort of mass, mass produce. And here you go. And we don't really get to choose what we get. So but yeah, we we were in a hotel with yeah Uganda, USA, um Guatemala, the sole Guatemalan.
00:15:22
Speaker
um And then Ukraine, who else was in there? Philippines. it Singapore as well. Yeah. So it was a bit of an array of um countries in there. And obviously, yeah, we're we're one of the bigger countries when it comes to these champs in terms of participation. But um the usa they they definitely know how to compete.
00:15:43
Speaker
run these championships or for any championship for that matter. They've got an ample amount of um staff on hand. I saw there was um one guy got stung by a wasp and they had about he had three guys trying to chase up medication and making sure the medication was all good. So they literally had... um any sort of help they needed at their um arsenal.
00:16:06
Speaker
And, um yeah, it's it's interesting to see. It's always nice and it's it's just a good time when you walk down to the food hall and all the other teams are there and you might socialise and and so just get to know people, right? Like everyone's on their own journey and everyone's gotten to that point a different way.
00:16:25
Speaker
um So it's always nice. And then it's just nice to even just um sort of, get to know the Australian team a lot better. Yeah, definitely. By the end of the championship, everyone knows everyone pretty well and um knows a bit about each other. And it's that is from the last championships as well, like it's that's sort of what I've taken away um is when you go to UTA or any other races for that matter, you sort of go, oh now I've got familiar faces and now I can have a good chat and sort of see how everyone else is going. Yeah.
00:17:00
Speaker
Yeah,
Post-Race Reflections and Challenges
00:17:01
Speaker
that's sort of the vibe of what the hotel is. And then, um yeah, I guess we'll get to the first race, the uphill, because while we didn't a attend a...
00:17:11
Speaker
Opening ceremony, I'm sure you guys may have um listened to a couple of, was it Sim that may have brought it up in the the review? But, um yeah, with the opening ceremony this time around, there was only sort of five allocated athletes per country um to participate, so which was a bit of a shame. But I think most of the other team sort of went and spectated, and whereas me and Fray just sort of took the option to lay low and get ready for the race. So, yeah.
00:17:40
Speaker
The morning of the race, how were you feeling, Fraser? how How was the body? How was the mind? Body and mind, all good. ah You weren't in my head. i was a little bit unknown as to how ah Michael and Ian would go and just the whole – I was also un unknown as to how bloody cold it would be because in the mornings – The sun wasn't getting up till 7.45, 8 o'clock, so quite late considering what it was like in Australia.
00:18:07
Speaker
And it was cold. And our race started at 9, I think, from memory. But I will say where – oh, you were probably about to say it, but we were where we were situated for the start, it's in a valley. So, yeah, the sun doesn't come up until 8 o'clock, but by the time the sun actually hits that valley, it's probably close to 11.
00:18:28
Speaker
and so We were fortunate that there was a hotel at the start of the race, which I don't think – I would love to know from the officials whether they actually spoke to the hotel about whether athletes could go in there and chill out because we we caught we call a bus to the start of the event and with these things, i get i have all the athletes there early and the call room opens and then closes like half an hour before the race.
00:18:52
Speaker
And so we rock up to the hotel And we literally just sit underneath at the pool table for 40 minutes just trying to stay, you know, relaxed. And, you know, you're looking at all the other athletes and there's slowly there's pressure building between everyone. It's like, oh, when are we going to go for the job? Which is like any other race that you do um at the track or or a big road race.
00:19:15
Speaker
um Slightly different to, I guess, small local races. um But, yeah. Yeah, then I guess we did go for a jog and i I was feeling good, but I was apprehensive, I guess you could say, about my first ever official uphill race.
00:19:29
Speaker
um How were you feeling? I was pretty good. So it was nice to sort of see some familiar faces um in that hotel when we were just sort of all old chilling around. it was kind of The setting that I put it was like it was like a um the Cluedo game where it was like Mr. Plum in the pool room with a wrench. And that was sort of the situation of this hotel. But um yeah, it was cool. Like obviously you've got all the yeah big hitters rolling around as well, like Remy Benet, Patrick and Philemon as well from Kenya. So, but yeah, it was cool to sort of see some of the the Kiwis. Like I hadn't seen the Kiwi, couple of Kiwi boys for for a while. And
00:20:07
Speaker
It was just good to sort of have a ah brief chat. But yeah, ah as any sort of race, everyone sort of has that tentative of nerves and and sort of unknowingly knowing what was about sort of um happened. So yeah, once we got on the warm up, obviously yeah was freezing. So you kind of like, I feel good, but I also feel freezing and or frozen. So yeah.
00:20:31
Speaker
Yeah, it was good, but I always tend to listen more about my mind than my body on some some like warm-ups on these things because I know my body's going to be good because I've just done all the training.
00:20:47
Speaker
I've... um have my easier days, my sort of taper. And then on the morning or on the day, it's sometimes my mind that can sort of talk me out of it um and sort of switch out of that race mode. But I was pretty sort of dialed in and I knew – if I just ran my own race, um especially in these uphills, it's like you've just got to pace yourself.
00:21:08
Speaker
And if your pace, the pace that you're thinking is right, then you just know you're probably going have a good day out. um And you just just hope that not everyone else has a good day out. That's the only uncertainty you have. But, no, I was good vibes and having a laugh. and And then, yeah, when we got into the call room, it was sort of, yeah,
00:21:33
Speaker
You're sort of jogging around a, what, a 30-metre concrete strip um with not much and much going on and a Spanion on the mic just absolutely ripping a speaker of the new one.
00:21:45
Speaker
and So, yeah, it was good. But, yeah, I felt ah felt ready is probably best way to put it. Good, and I think that is also how Ian and Michael felt speaking on behalf of them. Like we were in a good spot as Australians. And and then when the race started, i think everyone just went like flat chat straight out of the gates and it's probably the most hectic race start I've ever been a part of.
00:22:11
Speaker
And going from freezing cold to suddenly sprinting at three-minute k's up a bitumen road with yeah more Spanish people yelling at you and whatnot. um I was definitely a little bit – I was ready for it, but I was like, yeah, okay, got to make sure I don't like trip over here.
00:22:28
Speaker
And then we dropped onto that cattle grate. And then as we came into the steps that I've mentioned before, that's when the big pinch point happened. And, yeah, sure enough, everyone just slowed down. But then after that, we got onto that single track and and it was like how you've described. Once you find your pace, you just settle in.
00:22:44
Speaker
And I was aiming to just try and run my own race. And sure, you want to be first Australian and they beat your mates. But, like, I really knew that being my first proper uphill race, I just needed to remain positive for as long as I could or else I was going to hate my experience.
00:23:01
Speaker
And for the first 10 minutes, that was – That was going pretty well. I was in front. i was happy. ah found my pace. couple of people in front of me. i was pacing off. And then I'm breathing a little bit hard, but behind me, the guy behind me, I was like, geez, this guy's doing it easy.
00:23:17
Speaker
Turn around, it's bloody Nathan. I thought, all right, well, I'll let him go past soon. and then sure enough, you weren't passed. um How were you feeling at that point?
00:23:28
Speaker
I was feeling pretty good. I will say, so we got to the set of stairs and obviously, yeah, it was chaos, right? Like it feels like everyone just forgets how to pace themselves. It's almost like a under 15, 1500 where everyone goes out a million miles an hour and then by the 300 mark, everyone's kind like, oh.
00:23:49
Speaker
All right, let's find our pace. So we get to these stairs and everyone's hands in back, hands in back, and I'm just pushing someone in front of me up and I'm looking at the ground. And then by the time we get to the top of the stairs, I'm like, oh, it's Fraser. um And then I just sort of stuck to Fraser-like gum on ah that first sort of 10 minutes and just sort of followed, fell i felt easy But I just knew that that sort of 2K period there was like going to be where you would ruin your race.
00:24:21
Speaker
Like ah it was the steepest part of the race apart from the last bit. But it was just sort of um that section I knew that if you go too hard here and get close to the red, it probably – is going to be a struggle for the rest of the way. So I just kind of went, kept my head down. I was like, no, let's just stick to phrases.
00:24:42
Speaker
And I saw just ahead of us Jan Tarela, who's, he was the Spanish champion, national champion this year for the the classic, but soon after got an injury. So I knew that he had the caliber and he'd run this course before.
00:24:57
Speaker
But he obviously wasn't in his fittest state. So I was like, well, if we're with him, ah think that's where we should probably be sort of running. And and yeah, I will say it felt pretty easy, kind of like what I could imagine a marathon in the first 10K kind of feels. And then I just sort of made the conscious decision. I'm like,
00:25:22
Speaker
I think I need to get make a move here. um So I sort of, yeah, unfortunately had to get around Fraser and then um got around, yeah, Yarn from Spain and and slowly just sort of made little little moves and little pick-offs and because it is hard. Like it is a single track.
00:25:40
Speaker
most of the way and if you sort of divert off that you're sort of stepping in sort of bush or like not bush shrubbery and that sort of stuff so uneven surfaces and and you just um yeah you've got a narrow window to make those moves as well because if you
Insights into the Classic Race
00:25:55
Speaker
put in the effort um and it doesn't come off or they sort of just shoulder you out of the way it does sort of deflate you and and mentally you're just like oh that was a big effort for not much gain um But you hope that doing that, the person in front of you, do then kicks into another gear as well to sort of move up. But, yeah, I was just sort of happy just filling in the gaps and just slowly just making my way through. And I was having fun. Like I um ah really was. Like I was – it was at no point that I was like –
00:26:28
Speaker
this hurts in like obviously it hurt and i was i was working but it just sort of felt natural um sort of to where i was so yeah that's sort of that sort of little period but how how are you once um i sort of drifted away I was like, oh, yeah, well, Nathan's having a good day. And as you just described then, that's what it feels like to be having a good day, everyone.
00:26:52
Speaker
um and But I was like, okay, let let Nathan go. like he's He's doing really well. um That's great for him. I'm still feeling okay. like I'm breathing hard, but I am trying to maintain like the same level of mental effort.
00:27:08
Speaker
Another five minutes, 10 minutes goes past and then up springs Michael Kernaghan and he like floats past me faster than you were going past me. And I was like, geez, Kerners is this having a good one too. And as you described, like he he just jumps around the trail um like he's barely running. So that was pretty cool to see. um So I wasn't mad when I saw him. I was like, geez, Kerners. Like yeah you need to start making some ground. Yeah.
00:27:34
Speaker
up here and after that it just mainly settled in. Like I don't reckon I got passed by too many people um after that. Like ah definitely remember you and Michael passing but like it wouldn't have been more than five other people would have passed me.
00:27:49
Speaker
um which is really cool because you just start settling in. You're like, oh, there's a Portuguese guy in front of me or an Irish guy in front and you're just trying to – that becomes your race. And, yeah, I really enjoyed that all the way up and we get to the like the clearing just before the really steep part and I could see you were like three or four switchbacks like well in front. Like I wasn't going to catch you unless you did your calf or something, which is always a chance. um And then – Yeah, um but I pretty much just stayed stayed there until we got to that final very steep part that I'd heard about.
00:28:26
Speaker
And you like turn on onto this ridge, I look up and there's 40 guys in front of me just hands on knees hiking up. And I was like, all right, this is the time where we can hike. Hiking is now acceptable. um And yeah, settled into a hike, which is probably the like most demoralizing thing. um Maybe you could have tried to run a little bit there and It just feels harsh because you'll you you've ran for 40 minutes and suffered and then suddenly when all the your Australian teammates are there cheering you on, they've caught the chairlift up and gone all this way, you're out there just going for a walk up the hill in front of them and they're yelling at you and you're trying to do your best but you can't get the air in.
00:29:02
Speaker
um I knew I was still sitting in third and and Ian was not that far behind me. um But, yeah, I was really like – I was at the hurt spot that you'd want to be at the end of an uphill race, but I was really enjoying it um and glad to finish in one piece, essentially, when we made it across the finish line.
00:29:22
Speaker
How did you go? Because where did Michael... Yeah, Michael probably... Like, I think he sort of... He caught up to me and I knew he was behind me because I could see his gloves on his hands.
00:29:32
Speaker
um And back to sort of the temp. So the temp at the bottom was about one degree and I reckon at the top... A lot of people saying it was sort of close to minus three, minus two.
00:29:43
Speaker
I don't know if it was that cold because the sun was out, but it was it was pretty cold. so and And that's sort of where, like, I think it almost kind of shifted. Like, when I was running with you and had passed you, i was sweating and i was kind of – and then all of a sudden – Yeah, it was just sort of the cold started to... i was like, oh, actually, yeah, it is pretty pretty chilly.
00:30:06
Speaker
um But Koen has probably passed me just near where that clearing was when those the sort of multiple switchbacks started to kick in. And he, i think...
00:30:17
Speaker
could have probably gone past me earlier. um I think he just sort of got onto to me, latched on and just sort of ran at my pace for a little while, which ultimately is probably the safe thing to do to sort of be like, well, like in cycling, you sort of make the jump, right? Like you you make it up to that next pack and you sit in, you ride for a bit and then that's when you save your energy and go again. And I think he probably had that um in his mind.
00:30:45
Speaker
ah Once again, no one really had passed me. Koerner's passed me, maybe a Danish guy, but I was also leapfrogging other people. So, you know, in honesty, it was just sort of, yeah, I stayed in my position.
00:30:58
Speaker
But, um yeah, he once he went past, I was sort of solo. r Like it felt like I was just on a solo run for forever. at least 10 minutes there. And then I looked behind or I heard someone go, go Toby.
00:31:15
Speaker
i was like, hang on, Toby Lang's not in there. And I was like, oh, no, Toby, Bachelor from New Zealand, good mate of mine. And I turned around was like, shit. And I didn't realise he was on my tail the whole way up, but I just never really picked up on that.
00:31:30
Speaker
And now he was just sort of, I switched back behind and slowly but surely every switch back, it was sort of two metres less, two metres less. And then he finally got on to me and he's like, come, come, like come with me. And I was like, I just had, I was just in a nice spot where I was like, if I went, if I push that little bit harder, I don't know if I can.
00:31:52
Speaker
um and i was just on that limit and i sort of just let him go and there was a canadian guy that was sort of ahead of me as well and i sort of was like okay that he's my target like toby and kern is there they're moving too quickly um so this canadian i slowly climbed up to this the canadian and we got up to that steep pinch at the end it's 380 meters of i think it was like 32 to 35 percent so um you're already sort breathing for air before then but once that kicks in and yeah you try and run like little snippets of it but it's just like but it hurts the hike it hurts to run and you're just kind of like i just need to get up this climb like and as
00:32:35
Speaker
As you said, you get to the Australians and you're just like, in my mind, I'm like, go but Like it's like a 1500 metre race. It's like, I know I've i've got leg, go, go, go. But you just can't because you're like, one, you've still got this steep pinched climb. And then once you get up onto that plateau, so you sort of come off that ridgeline onto a fire road.
00:32:56
Speaker
And this Colombian had passed me just to the top and I was like, ah I'll out kick him. I kicked, got up onto him, and he just held me off a little bit, and I just was like, nah.
00:33:08
Speaker
You just feel so drained, and, like, just there's just... yeah It's a hard sort of um thing to say, and it was the same in Innsbruck. It's just a hard, like, feeling to sort of describe because...
00:33:23
Speaker
mentally you kind of are switched on in a way because you've just come off you've just hiked you've kind of gotten that heart rate low but the body is just completely zapped so yeah just i missed out on getting that canadian as well which i was a little filthy about but um yeah finished with 63rd so very happy with that and 50 is yeah what was my time 45 40 i think um or around then um And like, yeah, pretty happy with that. So that's sort of what the time, like I sort of had earmarked 45 minutes.
00:33:58
Speaker
So yeah, I was pretty happy. So you should be. I ran 47 or something, 48 maybe. And I came 78th, which I think one of our team managers was asking how long it would take us to run. And I thought 47, 48, maybe even 50 minutes.
00:34:14
Speaker
and So I was happy and then obviously I was surprised when you were saying 45 minutes earlier in the day. I was like, shit, maybe maybe Nate's on to a good one here. um But no, I was happy, stoked to come top 80.
00:34:28
Speaker
And the other little thing that i like to I compared was the VKs that I did on my previous year at trip. I got a faster gap pace on this one. Yeah. um That's probably to be expected when you're in a world championship race, but I was still nonetheless very impressed at my improvement in the gap pace. So maybe the next one I'll run a gap pace of 3.10 and catch Ramy, but um I ah might leave that for a while.
00:34:52
Speaker
And there, listeners, is my nod to Fraser's deep dive into the metrics of Strava. But, yeah, no, I think we all, like, ultimately it was it was a good result across the board.
00:35:06
Speaker
um The females had a great result as well, Lara, Jess and Emily. So, yes yeah, it was great. It really set the scene, I think, for the team, like the way not only we ran.
00:35:20
Speaker
It's racing. And like, yeah, having all the short trail, long trail, team managers, family and friends all at the top there supporting.
Australian Team's Performance and Achievements
00:35:29
Speaker
There was ah yeah ah an image with um when Emily was coming through and with all all of us just surrounding her with Aussie flags, Aussie kit. It was just awesome with the that backdrop. And I think you can sort of agree on this. that Like having a finish line in that setting,
00:35:46
Speaker
just come yeah you'd never beat it, right? Like it's it's just magical. Like yeah you we're we cooling down down this steep fire road. It wasn't the best place to cool down.
00:35:58
Speaker
um And you just had the... the mountain sort of scope that looks like it's almost like the Dolomites, just a dry version of the Dolomites. And you just had this layer of cloud that just sort of hovered around it like a ring. And yeah, it was just, it was an epic, epic day and yeah, awesome weather. And yeah,
00:36:18
Speaker
Yeah, it just, I think, yeah, it sets the tone. Everyone sort of gets G'd up. And then that's just where the camaraderie kicks in. I think everyone just starts to go, okay, yeah, no, we're definitely um now here as a team rather than um individually as well. Obviously, we are there individually as well. But I think um we, um yeah, ultimately...
00:36:41
Speaker
um ah in it for a team effort and trying to score as many points and um finish as high up as possible for the team. Yeah, 100%. And even if, like, this is a little advertisement for the whole championships, but even if you don't make the team, I think it is probably the best running event to travel for.
00:37:00
Speaker
four days worth of competition, you get a finish line on top of a mountain like we did. And if you like if you're not part of the team, you can go just jog during the long trail and the short trail and you could see so much of the race.
00:37:12
Speaker
And it's a beautiful location where they hold these championships. And the Australians who would be so welcoming to any other Australian spectators that rocked up. um like, you know, family, friends that ah that are just there and parents like of the juniors, you're just talking to them. And it's so nice to just talk to an Australian um about your race and they're always interested.
00:37:35
Speaker
So, yeah, that was that was our wednesday was our Thursday race. And then we made it back down to town for a cool down jog. And this is where after such a great morning and brilliant result, we're out on a little team shakeout and disaster hits Nathan in the shape of a rolled ankle. Oh, I've had such a good trip up until this point.
00:37:56
Speaker
And Fraser probably could vouch the the the frustration, the anger. it There was several emotions rolling through at once and um of all places. So i've ah this whole trip I'd run on pretty technical terrain,
00:38:12
Speaker
um Just yeah most of the my training was on trail. We're just running along a Spanish footpath. Mind you, these footpaths are tiled and very well, not mountain well maintained. And I'm running along. we're all having We're all just having a good laugh. And next minute,
00:38:33
Speaker
poor sniper got me rolled ankle i thought i was done i thought my wife flashed before my eyes and i was like it's done like i i'd already packed my bags i'd already um booked an earlier flight of i was i was out of there i was gone and then We get up where sort of, so Jack of the Town was staying in. They had this sort of tan-esque stretch of footpath. And I was like, I'll get up there and it's a bit flatter and I'll run it out. And it just got to a point where I'm like, I think this is actually not that good.
00:39:10
Speaker
had to call the chopper in and and get you out. Yeah. Yeah. No, luckily I braved it. I bit my butt bottom lip for the rest of this run. and um ah think the team The team captain, Matt Corrine, was very supportive. It's your personal pacer to get back to the hotel at that point.
00:39:28
Speaker
Yeah, he was... um he was He was talking to me just trying to keep – it was almost like when you go to the dentist, when you get a massage and and the sort of the doctor keeps talking to you to avoid the pain, right? That was Matt. He was just talking me through this run.
00:39:45
Speaker
And, like, it did warm up. And i was like, okay, I think ah think it's fine. I've done this before. It's not going to be great. But I was looking at the positives. I'm like, I've had a great race today.
00:39:56
Speaker
Let's not let this overshadow. go – If it's going to jeopardize my classic race, so be it. I'm happy with today's results and that's it. And then got back to the hotel, had some anti-inflammatory, popped them. And then luckily the pool at this hotel was some sub-degree temperature. So I put my ankle in there and and just hoped for the best.
00:40:18
Speaker
um And then, yeah, from there it was it was sort of ah the next couple of days it was just definitely keep off it and hope for the best that um it doesn't sort of jeopardise my classic race. ah But, yeah, what what were you thinking in that moment, Fraser?
00:40:35
Speaker
Honest opinion. ah So I was thinking after the uphill race, I was like, all right, now I'm motivated to try and get Nate back in the in the classic. This is good. and This is firing me up. And then when you rolled your ankle, I was like, oh, well,
00:40:48
Speaker
I guess that's an like if he doesn't race, that's an easy win over him. But I don't like it when people injure them or they get an excuse ready because you want to beat someone at their best.
00:40:59
Speaker
um So I was like, oh, is he just going to carry on about this for the next three days? um and not And like he never gets a race. I yeah did. I didn't carry on. You're an elite athlete, elite recoverer, but elite carry on. So yeah.
00:41:17
Speaker
Yeah, but no, it was it was like after that first night of you with the ice, you actually pulled up a lot better than I thought. So then on the Saturday, I think yeah by the Saturday, AFL grand final day, it was like and i don't I don't remember it.
00:41:31
Speaker
Yeah, no, like it was still like and it was still swollen. um Well, had a little bit of residual swelling like when I got back to Melbourne. But the good thing was it just didn't bruise up.
00:41:43
Speaker
And I knew when it had been bruised up, was like, ah, it's going to be fine. It's not actually that painful. It's just swollen. And, like, yeah, I've done my ankles that many times that, oh, hey, I've probably torn that many things in them that kind of doesn't really matter. so Yeah, you're pretty tough now, you?
00:42:01
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. i got that I've got that dog in me. Yeah. yeah by saturday i was i was confident again and was i ah had ah the good thing was ah had this um thing of like hey you know what i've got this excuse in my back pocket now maybe maybe maybe it planned i don't know but um it was sort of like oh well if if i pull this off is it's like and a heroic move right like it's it's kind of like i've i've gone scaled the heights i've come to the the low and and
00:42:35
Speaker
it's It's looking positive. So, yeah, I got back into sort of a more positive outlook and just sort of went, I've had, and I think we all probably carried this across, like me, you and Koerner's, this positive outlook of like, hey, we we've all come off a pretty good result.
Future Goals and Community Growth
00:42:52
Speaker
And like realistically, and I was trying to get the confidence flowing as well, saying the classic is sort of where we can place better. Yeah.
00:43:02
Speaker
purely because there's more elements, there's more elements that suit all three of us, like the road, like the flat, like the sort of shorter, punchier climbs.
00:43:12
Speaker
And then the technical down, like it, it wipes people out. And, um, and Sometimes, yeah, people can sort of just get through it and and just carry on with the rest of the race, whereas some, I think it really um takes a toll on them on that first lap. So, yeah, i don't I don't know if we want to sort of deep dive into the Classic now and...
00:43:34
Speaker
yeah Yeah, I'll just and include one more element to the classic that I was thinking about a little bit was there was some reported wasps or bees. was never confirmed as to what insect they were, but I'm allergic to a certain type of wasp and I don't carry an EpiPen because it's basically something I don't really care about.
00:43:53
Speaker
um Not great advice, but... That's just how I do it. Anyway, I was a little bit worried going into that race on the Classic because if there was a wasp bite or wasp sting and I had a bad reaction, um then that would have been bad.
00:44:07
Speaker
so But that's what happens when you race. You know you need to be prepared to die to ah for your country. So we are the soldiers when we can go out there. um But, yeah, now got it going into the Classic classic is like a great day just as the vertical is a great day to set the championships. The classic ends the championships and it starts off with the junior women and then the junior boys, which we get to watch those on the live stream and spotting people that you have been having dinner with in the dining hall racing and and having their final, their essentially. And then you get there and it's like the A grade um footy team play last on the um on on day. So the men go off 12.30 and they
00:44:50
Speaker
and By then, all the spectators are lining the course. And as we're warming up, I remember hearing just when the room' women's race goes into the hills and all the crowd cheering like there's some sort of army coming down from the hills and just being like, this is an incredible atmosphere.
00:45:08
Speaker
um so I was really excited. I didn't have that many expectations around, i guess, what place I'd run. i sort of knew I would run maybe 70 minutes because it just felt like it would be like a half marathon. I was i was basically getting ready for a flat half marathon.
00:45:25
Speaker
um And yeah, I was acknowledging the fact that Nathan and Michael were in pretty good form. So if I could be around them on the day, then that would be good.
00:45:35
Speaker
And I was also looking forward to trying out a new strategy at the start because getting caught up in the uphill start I wasn't a fan of that and I wanted to see what would happen if I started at the very back and basically stood you know dead last five seconds back and then eased into the race.
00:45:54
Speaker
um Did you have any thoughts pre-race besides your ankle? Yeah, I was going to add to the sort of the atmosphere. It almost feels like we're in ah like a college football game.
00:46:05
Speaker
and you're walking out of like the the tunnel into the stadium and it's just like that that raw when we're sitting down or warming up when the women's were out there and you kind of the way the valley was situated and how quiet the town was it kind of echoed, echoed through the valley and you had air horns and someone had a police siren up there. And yeah, it just kind of like, it got the goosebumps firing on the warmup. And I think for me, I love that element. I love that. Like, it's almost like it's going to be a fun day out there. It's not like, I don't care if you're having a tough day, you're still probably going to finish with a smile and be like, that that was fun.
00:46:46
Speaker
Yeah. So, yeah, like pre-race, obviously, yeah, the toilet situation at the start, that's probably one thing they could work on. Like a we were lucky. We were lucky that we had portaloos in our bag check area or the team area. But spectators, good luck.
00:47:02
Speaker
there was there was no toilets for spectators out there and um yeah that that was sort of the only thing that was on my mind of like oh what if i need a what if i need to go to the toilet before or um will i have toilet paper i don't have toilet paper and all these all these thoughts are going through my mind but i'm like no it'll be fine it'll be fine so yeah get into the the call room and you kept sort of going yeah no like yeah i'm not gonna i'm just gonna wait out the back i'm just gonna yeah there's no point like we've got what almost a k until the single trail like yeah i'm just gonna stay at the back and i just kept thinking that i'm like you know what i think you might be onto something but i was a little bit more hesitant of being like nah i feel like we need to be in there i think we need to be in there but the way that this race was sort of set up was
00:47:52
Speaker
Think of a jewel lane road ah a single lane road, so you've got each way and it's pretty narrow. and So you start on this start line and then all of a sudden you you flood down probably 200, 300 metres and all of a sudden you just sort of chuck this corkscrew of like a right turn. so you can't It's like a chicane.
00:48:11
Speaker
Think of um the first turn at um Adelaide V8 Supercars. Yeah. pretty much the exact same situation. So you kind of like come at it, you turn right, but then you slightly bank left and then you do another sharp sort of right turn. And I knew from watching the juniors on the live stream that that was just sort of like a bottleneck because everyone wanted to take the inside line, even if they were on the right side of that right turn on that left side or left bank, they wanted to be on that left side. So I just knew that it was just kind of kind of bottleneck in. So I was like,
00:48:46
Speaker
You know what? if we're a bit further back once we get out onto that main road where we've got a bit of space it's downhill for the first little bit I think our vo2 max and our our sort of flat speed will just slowly progress us up into the the pack but I still was probably thinking I think we're still fairly way like a fair way back and i was I had this concern of like Toby the Kiwi he's almost 30 people ahead of me um there's a couple other people that i was like I
00:49:17
Speaker
probably should be up there and i was like ah i just don't know but i just kind of kept relaxed and kept kept my cool and yeah as we got into the forest that's sort of where the whole atmospheric um like all all the crowd were around and you start here and like yeah the the twinkle i don't even know what they called the things that you spin around they those things peopleers or something like you start getting that and i'm like, oh, okay, this is fun. This is good.
00:49:48
Speaker
And got onto that sort of single track and just, and it was almost like, it's hard to describe when you have almost perfect race. I don't think you can ever have the perfect race, but when you just, everything kind of goes the way you kind of envisioned it the morning of or the night before.
00:50:08
Speaker
It kind of just all happened. um And yeah, that that first climb, I just kind of like, I just kept passing people. And i was like, how good is this? Like every hairpin, I just had the energy. And i was like, and ah it wasn't even like i was passing like, because you you kind of pick up on what the nations are and you kind of go, okay, well,
00:50:30
Speaker
in the appeal was around sort of I always say like we're kind of around the scamps can it's Scandinavians like the Colombians and those sort of guys but I was like coming up on people from Portugal people from France people from Denmark and I was like okay like I'm I'm feeling pretty good and ah and there was um David Norris, the USA guy, he was just ahead and I was just following him through.
00:50:56
Speaker
i was like, this is pretty good. and um And then, yeah, like I think you and Kerners at the start of this at the climb were ahead of me. And, yeah, when i I sort of went past Kerners and I was like, I'm passing Kerners on an uphill this It's either bad that I'm going way too quick or good that I'm feeling great. And then, yeah, made my way past you. And and I think at that point, Kerners had stuck onto me like glue. And we sort of just kept working together on the way up and and got to the top. And I just, I will say, I secretly knew that on the descent, I would have you and Kerners covered.
00:51:37
Speaker
and Like, I just think... With the training that I'd put in, yeah yeah yeah my experience on on this sort of stuff, and even back here in Melbourne, I had known that this sort of descent was kind pretty runnable.
00:51:53
Speaker
So I'd sort of put this into my training before I left. just being comfortable at running low threes on a descent that's kind of a bit jarring ah little bit like yeah a few things that kind of um like yeah couple of turns and those sort of things just to get myself used to it um and i ah the only thing that i was concerned about was the uphill and there was a lot of flat running and i just was like ah just need to utilize this downhill to my arsenal and on that first descent um i'd realized that it was if you had confidence and you're pretty quick no one could pass you so i was like it's not the worst thing so i just kind of caught up to the guy in front and just followed them and yeah but i'll um i'll chuck over you to see how you're traveling at this point
00:52:45
Speaker
Yeah, I guess going back to the start, i I went for my tactic of staying right at the back and to paint the picture, ah the very front, it is like arms you know bumping into each other and you're like very claustrophobic. Whereas at the back, I could keep jogging ah up until the very last second and so I was a lot more comfortable, kind of like I would do in any sort of local race.
00:53:07
Speaker
And as soon as the gun went, I was like immediately going past people and I was like, what? what I finally worked out how to start a world championship race. So I was really happy in the first 30 seconds because, yeah, I had risked it by starting starting in the back. But about a minute into the race, I was already up on moving past um you and Kerners and just like taking it.
00:53:29
Speaker
I felt pretty comfortable, but I was almost like, geez, you're already like pretty far up. probably further up than you thought you'd be like, but you're just taking it comfortable. Like I was a little bit surprised by that. um And then we got onto the single track and I heard, or reckon a New Zealand or ah Irish supporter yell out to one of their, I think it Irish, yell it out to him and go, go Killian, you're you're in the top 40. And was like, Ooh, top 40. Jeez, this is pretty good. Like, um,
00:53:56
Speaker
It might have been top 50, though, like numbers-wise, but I just felt like, wow, this is a great position. um Hold this. Sure enough, five minutes goes by. Nath comes past me and then Koerner's, and I'm like, okay, well, this is about right considering where I race in the upfield. But um again, just like settled into my own race, had this Killian guy from Ireland and another couple of people in front of me to race, and we we were having a great race.
00:54:21
Speaker
A couple more people would go past us, but – We like sort of stuck together and then we got to the top of that downhill and I was pretty happy that I didn't see any wasps.
00:54:32
Speaker
So I was like, okay, pretty sure that that whole issue is not here anymore. um And then hit the downhill and started taking off and a couple of people caught up to me and then we went past a few people. So that was even more pleasing. I was like, okay, yeah, the downhill is is my friend.
00:54:49
Speaker
And we're moving through and and the supporters on the sidelines are like, yep, yep, you're doing well. And then suddenly I see Kerners up ahead and I was like, oh, shit, we are doing well. And o went past Kerners and gave him a good job. He he said, good running.
00:55:02
Speaker
And, um, Then I was like, firehouse I wanted to get a split to see how far in front you were. was like, jeez, maybe I'll catch an eighth. Like this is going, well, little did I know how confident you were on the downhill.
00:55:14
Speaker
um But that had to be some of the most enjoyable running ah reckon I've ever done in my life, flying down the fire track, going through these crowds of Australians and and other countries. And it feels like the Tour de France and you are just bombing it. and And it is so enjoyable, which is like the vertical race is – a different type of enjoyment but running downhill, you like you are having fun and you don't even have to try and pretend you're having fun. You're like literally just having fun.
00:55:43
Speaker
um End of the first lap and you get onto this little flat section and you sort of got ah compose yourself and go, all right, now you've got to go do that again um going back uphill. And I was pretty tired but like i was happily I was happy how tired I was. I was like, this is a world championship race. You do need to lay it out on the line and and be tired at this point.
00:56:03
Speaker
um had a gel and then I got stuck into the second lap, which felt like a bit of a shock when you go starting to go back uphill after running downhill. How did you feel when you started going back up for that second lap?
00:56:16
Speaker
yeah so like little bit yeah like i um talking about the wasp that was running with this german guy on um as we as you come off that fire road again through the crowd you pop back out onto this sort of technical single trail that we head up on the on that first lap but he um yeah he got stung in front of me i almost i couldn't stop laughing he just just the he's obviously think of a german just yelling sort of profanities in in german and about a wasp and i was just like yeah this is this pretty funny but um yeah got to that that flat section and um i didn't know what to think because i felt like i was pretty sluggish and i wasn't really moving that well and i was with i think i was with a danish
00:57:09
Speaker
guy um which he kind of frustrated me because he was behind me for a bit then he got next to me and I was running on the left and like mind you there was probably it was a little bit more like the crushed rock rather than the the Lucy Pebble stuff but it was still kind of like a beautiful fire road this beautiful um sort of uh rail trail cut um path but as he came around me he kind of just took took my line And I was like, that's odd, but whatever.
00:57:42
Speaker
And I just kind of didn't think too much about it. But it was like, why didn't you just hold your line and whatever? But yeah, I just sort of cruised along and looking at Strava, I think I actually ran that pretty well compared to like some yeah a few other people and ah comparing it to you and kern is like i think i was a half a minute ahead or something oh here you go here you go not to kick you while you're down it's all we can really measure off right like i just went on my following on shava and i was just kind of like oh like i'm actually i was actually like sort 30 seconds or well like it was it it was a
00:58:23
Speaker
20 to 30 seconds and I was kind of like, um wait to people to fact check me on that. But I was like, oh, actually, okay, I was moving pretty good. But once we got into that next climb, I just sort of had my own space, had my own room. No one was around me.
00:58:38
Speaker
um And I just kind of just ran my own race. And there was a French guy, a Polish dude, um and the Danish guy. But once the climb really kicked up, the Danish guy flew off.
00:58:49
Speaker
um So the Polish guy was there. And then... We're going up the switchbacks again. And once again, no one was coming after me. There was an Irish guy behind me, Jared.
00:59:02
Speaker
Mind you, I'm not going do an impersonation as good as yours before. But, yeah, ah Jared was behind. And then ah slowly started to see Toby, Toby from um New Zealand. And I was like, ooh, okay.
00:59:17
Speaker
That's someone that I want to catch. So i was like, I just had in my mind, I'm like, just keep your pace. Don't be sporadic. Like, we're we're slowly catching him. And the French and the Polish dude, they'd caught up to him and they never went round him.
00:59:31
Speaker
It was almost like they'd caught up to him and that that was their effort. Like, they were kind of like set in stone. And so I just slowly made my way up to both of them. um And at this point, Toby had sort of...
00:59:46
Speaker
Had the Polish, geez, now I'm starting to think. The specifics aren't important. You were running fast. Yeah, I deep dive into the specifics every time. But yeah, realistically, I caught up to them at the top of the climb. And when we got to the descent, it was just me following Toby. And it was like the funnest thing I could ever imagine. Like,
01:00:06
Speaker
We've done training runs over in New Zealand. If anyone knows Breast Hill and in Lake Kauia, it's quite similar. Like it's just flowy switchbacks. And it just kate brought back memories of that time.
01:00:19
Speaker
And I was just like, we're just running down. And there was a couple of Kiwis um situated cheering on in these bushes. And I could hear them. he like um cheering toby on and i he toby was probably a switch back ahead and i was just running after him and then they were all like there was a bit of banter out on the course and i he was smiling i was smiling and and they were just like um giving it to me saying oh you're not gonna get him he's looking too good and all that sort of stuff and i just yeah it was just so fun and once we got back on that fire road i was like
01:00:52
Speaker
this is This is the time to soak this up. And the the French guy ahead of us, um the all the French team were on this section and they were going on a electric for him. And then as soon as I was starting to come through, they kind of quietened down.
01:01:05
Speaker
And I just did this symbol of like, I can't hear you. And then they all got around me. The Norwegians started yelling and cheering. And you're almost running through this like... just cauldron of people. Like they're all just kind of like sort of setting a bridge and and you run down, pop back onto that technicality bit and um technical bit. And I...
01:01:27
Speaker
was still behind toby and once it sort of sets out and sort of straightens out and becomes more sort of runnable i just had legs i just took off and just passed toby like he was standing still and i just popped out of this um out of that onto the fire road before you hit to the get to the bitumen and all the aussies there and i'm sure if any of the listeners that follow me on instagram they would see me just throwing the arms up getting the crowd um sort of yeah wide and i was like oh i'm closing this race so well and then as i sort of stopped doing that and i kept running i just felt one of my calves just kind of ah it's time to cramp and was like yeah so that sort of was there but what about yourself what was your sort of second lap
01:02:15
Speaker
and My second lap was, yeah, it started going uphill and I thought, oh boy, this is ah this is hard work straight away. um But settled into the fun of it, I guess, like still had those same people that I was chasing in front of me.
01:02:28
Speaker
And that was my race. And Koerner's went past again uphill. I thought maybe I'll get him on the downhill again, but I just need to get up to the top again. before I start thinking about the downhill, the thing that was really playing on my mind was as you're getting to the top of that first that that uphill, the switchbacks start to all look very similar and you're starting to work out, oh, is this the last switchback? And then you look up in the trees and there's like some people 20 meters up high and you're like, nap there's still a few more switchbacks to go.
01:02:57
Speaker
um so that was pretty like, that was good. And I was happy with the way I, I guess, dug deep there. Like many other races in the past when I was younger, I probably would have, thrown in the towel and just like given up a little bit easier. So it was nice.
01:03:11
Speaker
The great thing about trail running and and sport in general is just like how do you, ah um I guess, perform in those tough moments. And yeah, I did well there. um I mean, you'd like to be better and you'd like to be first, but you can't all be first.
01:03:26
Speaker
So some of us have to be 62nd or whatever. um But I thought I was going to be the best damn 62nd 63rd runner and You're the fastest Fraser. Yeah, fastest Fraser in the world. So, yeah, I got to the top of the downhill and I was like, oh, my God, like I've done all the uphills in the world championships. Now I just get to run downhill.
01:03:45
Speaker
And I actually had like no one around me for a little bit there, which is kind of really cool because ah that's that's what I enjoy in trail running, just like – doing my own thing. So that's why I liked starting at the very back. So it was really fun. And um that's pretty much how my race ended, to be honest. um I'll go all the way through to the finish so we can finish on your climax. um But yeah, like came came in, ah remember going past a couple of Australians right on the bitumen and you're running past that massive train station and just soaking it all up, going, make sure you get the get the most out of yourself. And i I probably was catching up on the New Zealand guy
01:04:23
Speaker
in front of me who when he finished, he collapsed. hope he doesn't listen because um ah I think his name is Michael Sutton. yeah Yeah. When he collapsed at the finish line, the the cameras really followed him and they cut away from my finish, which disappointed a few of the fans.
01:04:39
Speaker
um But, um yeah, it was a really fun way to to finish the race. And I ended up running that like 71 or 72, which would have put me second or third in the female race, which is – to be honest about where I am on the world stage in any other distance. So that's kind of like my metric that I like to look at.
01:05:00
Speaker
um If I was to do a 5K or a marathon on the world champs, I'd probably end up second or third in the female race. um And obviously I came third Australian behind Koerner's and I was ah pretty impressed to hear how high both you and Koerner's finished.
01:05:17
Speaker
um I'll let you finish and finish it off. The hero... Yeah, like I will sort of add as well in that sort of section on that second lap, there was sort of that teardrop, almost like a Christmas tree at the top. So we did that twice. We did it in the first lap, second lap.
01:05:33
Speaker
And I was actually sort of a minute and a bit quicker on the second lap. I think probably down to climbing. Yeah. not having to pass people and running at other people's sort of pace. I think having that sort of free reign to sort of climb as, as I wanted and then also descend.
01:05:52
Speaker
And I think we, yeah, all of us descending were feeling pretty good and had good legs. So we were all pretty, yeah, going pretty quick at it. And then, yeah, popped out onto the road and I was like, these calves, I'm like,
01:06:04
Speaker
Had in the past, UTA, it really shot me in the head, but look luckily, or shot me in the leg, I should say. um But luckily, only had like 15 meters to cross the line on a a cramped calf. But I was like, still got a K and a bit to go.
01:06:20
Speaker
um and I looked and I kind of knew that there was a gap behind. So I'd passed Toby, Jared, the Irishman was still there. And I just was like, I think I may just need to admit or let these guys through and just have to hold this, that the space that we had behind. And um fortunately there was that sort of almost, it was almost sort of a minute buffer um between us and and the team.
01:06:47
Speaker
What was he? I think it was Dutch. um Dutch guy behind. But, yeah, was just sort of like that was sort of the dampener on the whole thing. But, no, it was an epic epic day, an epic race. And as you said, like, yeah, finishing forty six um when someone said that and and Toby was 45th, we were both like, wow, ecstatic. So that was Toby's best result, my best result by far. And it was just, yeah, a great day. And to see Koerner's sort of, i I don't know when he crossed the line, but it was sort yeah, he was 20, 30 seconds behind. And before I know it, he was standing in front of me. I'm like, hang on, have I missed something here? Did he pass me somewhere? I didn't know.
01:07:30
Speaker
um But no, fortunately, yeah. I held him off and, um yeah, he finished 49th and then Uyghur's 62nd is pretty much, I don't know. I don't know the history or don't know the archives, but I think, yeah, would be up there with them the best team result Australia's put forward.
01:07:48
Speaker
um And I think it's a so good stepping stone, especially for us boys in the Classic, but I think just as in the team in general, like I think it's,
01:08:00
Speaker
it just shows um that working together and getting that camaraderie but also, as you said, like you dug deep and you probably part your mind, you were like, I'm here as an individual but I'm also here with the Australia of it.
01:08:19
Speaker
Yeah, and that was that was the fun thing about coming where I was. i was like like, I'm still pretty close in the race. like this is This is going to be a great team score, and that's the fun thing about trail racing at the World Champs. like You do have a reason to race. like If this was just an individual race like ETC,
01:08:36
Speaker
I could have just jogged it in knowing that I could just get back to training in two days where it's like, no, I went to the well and and really enjoyed having a reason to do that. And, um yeah, I couldn't warm down after the race. I was that cooked, which was really, that's i think, a really cool thing to have in a race where you're so cooked that yeah you can't warm down and you're just not not right in your body.
01:08:57
Speaker
um Because, yeah, like results are results, but ah the way you race and how your body feels is probably more important. um And, yeah, i was I was really happy in the end to to be part of a great team score because i think that reflects the overall team nature of um Just an improvement on Innsbruck. Innsbruck would have been an improvement on Thailand, not that I was there.
01:09:21
Speaker
um And I guess I'm really excited now to see Cape Town and the lead-in over the next two years that the depth and the competition for spots is just going to continue to increase. And hopefully that means that we're continuing to increase the results on the board and then the profile of the sport. And then suddenly we are the world champions by 2047 something. Yeah, we'll see. We'll see. But, yeah, I think – and I think I speak for the both of us. Like, yeah, pretty proud on how everyone performed. I think it was sort of um the best overall.
01:09:52
Speaker
um Like we came 11th as a team, um which for a country that doesn't have too many mountains and we're pretty um we're a pretty big country and we have to travel and and pretty much the whole team, we're all – part-time trail runners right like ah we've all probably got something else on the side like um like a job or just a few other things as well so it was amazing to say yeah we came 11th um and all the countries above and few of the countries behind like you kind of go well these guys have mountains literally in their backyard
01:10:29
Speaker
um that they've grown up on and, and trail running has probably been their sport for a long time. So yeah, it was, it was awesome. And yeah, it's one of those things that, yeah, that you sort of look back at and go, how good's this? And you'll catch up with the some of the the representatives at another race and we'll just, yeah, always um chew the fat and,
01:10:51
Speaker
talk about how good it is or how good it was. And hopefully we can carry this momentum to yeah Cape Town 2027. So if anyone's listening, any juniors out there that um are inspired and and want to sort of get into this, yeah, you've got two years to sort of, um yeah, really sort of dig deep. And obviously, yeah, we've we've got a few things to fix up around selection and those sort of things. But hopefully in the next two years, we sort of see that clear and, you know,
01:11:21
Speaker
be a little bit more direct in that front. But no, any more sort of words around team result there, Fraser? No, I'd just like to, i guess, point out on behalf of South Australia, ah Ruby Smith and I are the only two South Australians in the team. And when you say things like catching up at future events, it is a real highlight for people who come from states where it's we don't see each other every weekend.
01:11:47
Speaker
And um yeah, I'm just grateful or just appreciative of all the sort of trail running SA races that I did five, six years ago that sort of got me to this level and um now I hope one day that future SA trail runners can follow in ah the footsteps that I've laid down just like, you know, people from WA probably look up to Vlad um as their god. so it um But, yeah, now and now we look forward to seeing where we each take our fitness.
01:12:15
Speaker
from World Champs and and so the listeners can follow the journey for along from part one and
Podcast Conclusion
01:12:20
Speaker
part two of this. Obviously, I raced over Melbourne on the weekend in the marathon, but Nathan, you are racing in Melbourne this weekend and you've been previewed in rollercoaster.
01:12:29
Speaker
Yeah, well, I was going to say it was Fraser's not hurt feelings but losing to me twice. um He got over it pretty quickly coming third at Melbourne Marathon. So we got to give him a clap and a round of applause for that massive run. And um and i sort of had the i to seek secretly had a bit of confidence in him and i was probably um saying that as well just sort of the consistency you've had across the years been been awesome and the growth that you've had as well I think I think everyone like if if anyone wants to look at um how to implement training and from sort of scratch and see the results pretty quickly I think Fraser's program's probably the best to have a look at
01:13:18
Speaker
definitely not for the faint-hearted as well um the 200k weeks is probably but no it's it's awesome to see and um yeah nice little pay pocket as well for you rather than i get nothing i get bragging rights from world world champs but that's about it yeah I will quickly, ah there's probably a few listeners because I know it always gets brought up on the main show of like, will I stick on the roads or run on the trails?
01:13:43
Speaker
um I'd like to now announce my official retirement. No, I'm kidding. i will probably focus on the roads a bit more ah next year. I still have trail goals that I chatted about with some of the teammates about doing things like Alpine Challenge, 100 miler.
01:14:00
Speaker
Because those are the reasons why I got into to trail running to complete big races in just areas that I think are really cool. um So there's definitely trail races that excite me. Cape Town definitely interests me.
01:14:11
Speaker
ah Africa would be a ah amazing place to go to. And it would be one part cool to race the classic and the short trail or the short trail again, like I did in Innsbruck. Or it would also be cool to to go the long trail and collect a race in every um category. Would they call that a Jack of all trades, master of none. Well, I was going to say they'll probably be seeing you more at the World Marathon Championships in 2027 rather than Cape Town. Yeah.
01:14:40
Speaker
yeah I don't know. Because is World Athletic Champs having a marathon there? Beijing will be the last time, the rumour is. They're just going to keep it in. ah Yeah, one more year for me to make it.
01:14:54
Speaker
Yeah. now So, yeah yeah, as you touched on, I've got rollercoaster this weekend. So just sort of I was arming and ahhing on the plane back back to Melbourne if I wanted to do it. And I was just like, I'll go ah leave it a couple of days to sort of see how the body feels. But,
01:15:08
Speaker
Yeah, feel feel real good and had to had a couple of good track sessions or flat sessions since being home. I've unlocked a little bit of fitness here. So, yeah, quietly confident for the weekend. I've got a record to take back off Seth O'Donnell.
01:15:23
Speaker
ah But, yeah, it should be good. ah i ran with um Thomas Banks yesterday. So that's our sort of rivalry for the weekend. Did you get inside his head?
01:15:35
Speaker
Oh, I try to. I always do, right? I said I rolled my ankle the day before. so Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, he's pretty confident as well. So hopefully we can push each other along the way. But, yeah, I think it's a race that I – it was my first trail race three years ago, right? And I've done it every year since. So first twice and second once. So hopefully we can get back to the winning ways and – um That's an impressive record. That'll be cool to see, I guess, your times. I know the trails and the route can change and all that sort of stuff, but just on a personal benchmark sort of level, that'll that'll be cool. Glad you're doing it for that route. Yeah, and I think that's – I'm not doing it for really anything else. It's just sort of like I ah train on these trails. I run these hills pretty much at least once in a fortnight, if not – And yeah, it's it's last year was a bit slower just due to the the the weather. It was pretty wet and miserable. and And once I knew Seth was gone going out of sight, i was like, let's just sort of enjoy this run. But no, I'll be geared and ready to go um come Saturday morning.
01:16:47
Speaker
You were one of the last people that Seth beat before he became a 1320 man. Exactly. You were the first guy in his rank. He thought, once I beat Nathan Rollercoaster, then I am just the next world. So if Thomas Banks beats you, I'm locking him in for 1320 at Box hill But um I will say, like, he he still sort of has said that it's probably the hardest race he's done. So if anyone out there that's not done rollercoaster and wants a hard run, and ah this is the one because it's not technical, so you can just run pretty quick for most of it. So...
01:17:23
Speaker
um yeah it bangs up the legs pretty pretty hard like your legs in the the classic this year but now i'll be keen it'll be nice to just sort of get amongst um the runners again and the sort of the local vibe and um it's always nice to sort of yeah these events and um yeah catch up with old friends Very good. All very exciting.
01:17:46
Speaker
And it's also equally very exciting and impressive that we've made it one hour and 18 minutes for the longest. yeah We've got five more minutes to beat. um Who was on? ah Was it James and james Brody? James and Brody.
01:17:59
Speaker
Yeah. I think it was 85. But they went on. They started rambling on about how they could create the events better. Yeah. They've solved the world problem. Exactly. but now Well, next time you're sort of listening to us, guys, hopefully it's because we've been top of a podium somewhere or and or they just want to bring us back because, yeah we've broken more records in terms of our viewership. So thanks for listening, guys. If you've made it all this way, good good on you. But, yep, that's part two of the World Mountain and Trial and Champ podcast.