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Get To Know Aus Long Trail Champ George Knight | Episode 104
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In this episode of Peak Pursuits James and Vlad sit down with George Knight after his recent win at Buffalo Stampede 100km which was the Australian Long Trail Championships. Hear about Georges journey into running, his approach to training and racing, how his race went down, and so much more.
It's a lighter week on news and results but the crew also discuss an article this Mile and Stone Article as well as run through the results below.
We hope you enjoy!
Results:
- Sydney Trail Half Marathon - Autumn (NSW) Mens Link , Womens link
- Falls Creek Fun Run (VIC)
- Beechworth Bushrangers Easter Fun Run (VIC)
***Don’t forget, use code PEAK at https://bix-hydration.myshopify.com/en-au for 20% off Bix products, exclusive to PPP listeners!***
Join us on Patreon HERE
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!
Follow James: Instagram | Strava | Website
Follow Vlad: Instagram | Strava
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetter License code: K08PMQ3RATCE215R
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Transcript
Introduction and Weather Discussion
00:00:04
Speaker
Hello and welcome to episode 104 of the People Switch podcast. My name is James. I'm joined this week with one of our regular hosts, Vlad over in WA. Vlad, how going?
00:00:17
Speaker
Yeah, not doing too bad. I'm pretty happy about some cooler weather here in Perth. So running is a bit easier. Heartbeat is about five bits a minute, our five bits a bit lower now, which is nice.
00:00:29
Speaker
Yeah, God, that's going to feel feel really good. Is this suddenly where you realize that you're actually quite fit and you haven't just been in the heat the whole time? Yeah, every afternoon run now is like a little bit quicker and a bit easier.
00:00:42
Speaker
That sounds very nice.
Introducing George Knight
00:00:43
Speaker
And we're also joined by recent national long trail champion and Buffalo stampede winner in a massive, massive time.
00:00:52
Speaker
George Knight, welcome the podcast. Thank you, James. Yeah, good to be here. okay Not on the listening side of things. Yeah, I think we're both lad and I pretty excited to get to chat to you hear a bit about about the story because you've seemingly come on the scene pretty quickly.
George's Rapid Rise in Trail Running
00:01:09
Speaker
The first thing I heard about you was Colin Taylor from single track about you leaving the note on his van. And then the next thing is you're right like running with Caleb for 50k. And now you're running sub 10 hours and Buffalo. So it's
00:01:23
Speaker
It's gone from seemingly like pretty zero to 100 very quick. I'm sure it doesn't feel like that for for you. and There's a bit more of a story, but it's been fun to follow along the last, what, 18 months or so. Yeah, I think it is.
00:01:35
Speaker
Sometimes it feels long, but also, you know, after Buffalo, it's just a whiplash where it's like, oh, oh gosh, yeah. Stuff's changing. Yeah, that that just happened. It's, um yeah, no, it's going to be cool Cool to get to know you. I like starting off, you said this the first time on the show, you're also someone that doesn't have, and correct me if I'm wrong, you don't really have any socials. You're, well, I think you might be on Strava, but you're under a different name. Um, but so nothing's public, should we say? So we don't really know too much about you and you could be in a new name or potentially not after Buffalo for
From Hiking to Trail Running
00:02:12
Speaker
of the listeners. So give us a little bit of intro who George is, what's kind of brought you into trail running.
00:02:19
Speaker
Yeah, so I'm George Knight. I ah definitely don't have that public image. um Although I'm not not private, I like to go and talk to people. I just never felt like a platform has suited me.
00:02:32
Speaker
So, yeah, I mean, I've just come off the Buffalo 100K, which... Felt like my A-roach for the year, but it's now April and we've got eight months there.
00:02:43
Speaker
I think a few more A-roaches to come. Yeah, i just enjoy being out there and it just stuff happens and I take take it as it comes.
00:02:56
Speaker
I was listening to the reel that Paddy Palin put up with you. He said that you came from more of a hiking background. You see trail running as a continuation from that. So like how long have you been running for?
00:03:07
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, definitely outdoor missions were my starter. Like I remember maybe 14, we'd walk to Sydney um along the northern beaches of Sydney. So that was, you know, it felt like a marathon, but maybe 30K walking and yeah, and then bushwalking. And sure enough, it was just do it a bit quicker, get to do a bit more. Yeah.
00:03:33
Speaker
Yeah, that the only answer to do that within time limits is to pick up the pace and run a little.
Skipping Flat Running for Trails
00:03:40
Speaker
and so What age were you when you started doing that? It would have been about 18.
00:03:47
Speaker
I played football, soccer all my life. and yeah I'd run for fitness outside of training, so maybe couple of times week. couple times a week and yet Although I was fit on the football field, it was definitely more that interval fitness.
00:04:04
Speaker
Yeah, 5K park run time was nothing super. And yeah, it's just I'd say I entirely skipped the whole flat running and just went straight to trails.
00:04:19
Speaker
It seems to have worked for you. How old are you now, George? I turned 22 the week before Buffalo. Damn, so you've been essentially running for four years. Yeah, generous. Yeah.
00:04:31
Speaker
Yeah. Wow. I wish I could run for four years and be at that level. It'd be great. And then, so you like the story about how you got into GPT in 2024, correct? Yep. That's right.
00:04:47
Speaker
Yeah. Was you leaving a note on the single track van, basically pleading your case and, and trying to get in. And as you said, you sort of skipped the whole flat running. So going into trails is one thing, but then deciding that you want to go straight into the ultras at your age. And we just had Ben Butler on talking and he was like a very similar stylist story. At least it sounds like it.
00:05:07
Speaker
What was that drive to be like GPT is where I want to be?
Motivation for Ultra Races
00:05:11
Speaker
Well, I did my first and I was – and us and I never think of myself as quick even now. I guess I'm slowly starting to appreciate that I may quick, but I did 50K and was pretty underwhelmed by the challenge. So it's like I probably can't get quicker or maybe that was an excuse that I didn't want to do to work to get quicker.
00:05:36
Speaker
um so I thought the best way to challenge was to go up in distance. um And yeah, there wasn't, cause I'm coming from that hiking side, I wanted to choose something that was interest to me.
00:05:49
Speaker
and there was not much jumping out, like a few lap courses. And then I heard, um, GPT along the range, uh, was happening and that's a hike I've been, had been trying to organize multiple times since I opened and, uh, sure enough you could run it.
00:06:10
Speaker
But yeah, they've got a justified qualification ah criteria that I definitely hadn't met and been one year into my trial running career and just a handful of 50Ks.
00:06:24
Speaker
So I had this idea what I'd do. I couldn't find a hundred k or qualifying race. and So I'd do two 50s back-to-back and plead my case on race roster.
00:06:34
Speaker
So I did the first one and got my first win. So thought, oh, that's... That's a good quiver, good bow for the quiver, whatever the saying may be.
GPT Race Entry Efforts
00:06:43
Speaker
um And yeah, I'd been talking about it all all the next week until my next race and then sort of single track man and just wrote a note the the day before my next 50K the week after and kind of pled my case. And yeah, luckily it all or worked out and got a spot on that 2024 GPT start jp thoughtline
00:07:06
Speaker
Was there much more of a conversation from the guys at single track being like like, okay, cool. you've You've shown you can do a couple of 50 Ks, but is it like, we need, we need more from you or like, what makes you think you can do this?
00:07:17
Speaker
I deliberately didn't say my age. So it all kind of went smoothly and I was sitting in Hall's Gap and for the first time I met Colin and i was like, I'm George.
00:07:30
Speaker
And he goes, oh my gosh, like how old are you? I think i must have been maybe 20, two years ago. Yeah. yeah ah I think there was a moment of regret and he introduced me to Joan.
00:07:45
Speaker
Joe wasn't having a bar of it. It's like the typical young kid who thinks he can do whatever. um i was definitely pretty arrogant um or ignorant maybe. be And yes, and they they kind of let me in, no questions asked. them like should should be good and then yeah when they discovered the face behind the note it was a bit like oops i'm sure it was quite surprised they're probably not expecting a 20 or i guess maybe a 20 year old is the perfect person to leave a note on a car but ah you must have had the confidence in what you were doing that you could do the miler so like going into the gpt and there must have been i'm i'm guessing there was something that that joe specifically would have needed you to have shown him or tell him that you had
00:08:32
Speaker
the training in your legs to actually make it to that finish line not fast but just safely so what what was your training looking like before that first milo attempt I was just, you know, living, not changed much, like um doing outdoor education and stuff. So I'm hiking and and then, yeah, doing my little run each morning, like 10, 15K, so nothing spectacular, no no real structure there. It was all that hiking outside and stuff.
00:09:02
Speaker
um just yeah living my 20 year old life that that kind of i knew i could get it because it was to me after that first race i did the it was like i'll be i'll be very good at this 100 mile stuff it's longer as well excel so yeah i was i was definitely confident in my ability but that might have been a bit of misplaced confidence Well, and take us through that first attempt at GPT because 2024, that was the year that they had to call it off because of the
First GPT Attempt Challenges
00:09:34
Speaker
heat.
00:09:34
Speaker
Is that correct? Yeah. So how like how was it going up to that point? I think I should probably put in a note, like Michael Dunson, when he won it in the inaugural year, he also had a bit of a wildcard qualification from Madeira. Like he'd done a yes very hard 82K or whatever it is.
00:09:53
Speaker
um So yeah, obviously i should i feel I have a responsibility that having now done it or done it one and a half times, I Try and make that qualification. ah yeah ah no My own little PSA done there. Your question was that first year, and it was a downhill spiral from the point i i ah signed up. So I think I finally got in nine weeks out from the race and then got injured. And then typically like the Friday before the race,
00:10:30
Speaker
I in hospital an IV drip with a infection pumping around, so it was drip antibiotics. So it was kind of like, probably shouldn't have been there, but I was just committed and went out in that first section from Mount Zero.
00:10:52
Speaker
I'm forgetting gosh Mount Zero Tagar yeah and yeah it started just getting cold in in the heat um which just didn't make sense I didn't feel hot at all just went straight into shivers um got into gar and the medics were on to me like they must have been able say it in the eyes that yeah this guy had something wrong with him but Colin was there and he was like, no, he's good, he's good. And I kind of just snuck my way out of guard and was like, I might get 100 meters and just collapse. But so it's on my own terms. um
00:11:29
Speaker
And yeah, it kind of got out and everything just went, smooth albeit every k was a bonus and managed to get just before jimmy creek so pretty happy with that yeah geez it's it's amazing actually how you can go because that's that feeling cold is is is ah like a common symptom when you're in that that sort of leading of sickness state but to be able to then get it on because jimmy creek's got to be what 80k ish in uh i pretty much hit 100 on the point okay cold yeah so what you can turn around is is quite quite amazing glad you have any anything up to here for mean we just talked about the fact that i didn't do buffalo because i had a bit of a head cold and um and george is here getting an iv a few few days before the race and still does 100k makes me feel pretty soft
00:12:26
Speaker
I ah feel like the 20-year-old body is maybe a little bit more, ah I don't know, tolerant to that sort of thing as well. Yeah, not I mean, i think when I was a bit younger, i didn't really care. i just ran, trained, raced.
00:12:42
Speaker
Now i'm a bit wiser. Yeah. Yeah, even 100 miles, like I'm obviously, I've never done 100 miles because I'm a bit scared of the distance. So um you just jumping in, doing 100-mile races is is very, very impressive. And yeah, obviously without too much of a structure as well in your training, um which kind of reminds me again when I was a bit younger and just ran.
00:13:05
Speaker
But it doesn't sound like you run too much. You spend a bit more time hiking. How many k's a week do you cover? ah back in Not back in 2024, two years ago. um eyes I wouldn't track a hike. I'd just be out doing it.
00:13:26
Speaker
So, yeah, was probably 80 to 100K week back then. Of running? Yeah, of running. um And then how many hours of hiking? Oh, gosh. um Call it 10 to 15, depending on what's happening in the week.
00:13:42
Speaker
so It could have been just built a lot, a lot of strength. like. Yeah. Yeah. ill say they weren't big days hiking. um I think, yeah, I'm still pretty dangly guy and was back then. So, yeah, I just had confidence.
00:14:01
Speaker
Yeah. It's an interesting question. like the i I don't know if this is correct in saying it, but it feels like maybe now that there's a bit more attention on trail running and 100 milers and 200 milers and the FKTC and backyard ultras that maybe we've um not necessarily normalized running 100 miles, but it seems a lot more approachable now, especially compared to say, but maybe Vlad, when you got in, obviously States and UTMB was already the focus back then, but it does it feel like that maybe has shifted a bit?
00:14:33
Speaker
know George, like your perception of doing 100 miles, would did it ever seem scary stepping up to that distance? No, i felt it felt logical. Yeah,
00:14:44
Speaker
yeah I wanted to go long and i kind of that first GPT, my first GPT, that kind of sub 35 hour seemed all right in terms of you know, you're going less than 36, which is...
00:15:00
Speaker
I was more thinking of sleep deprivation. And now as I sit here, it's like, if I can go under 24 hours, that's that's my ideal event. um So yeah, 200 miles and big FKT journeys aren't super of interest to me.
00:15:19
Speaker
What's that 24 hour limit come from? Is that just a sleep side? I reckon, I reckon I, I, I just can't see myself enjoying being out there for longer than 24. Um, it's also just a nice, nice way to think about things. Go for a run for a day. So yeah.
00:15:39
Speaker
Vlad, what are your thoughts on what i said about the change in... I actually think that now, like back in the day, like 100K, 100 miles were like the main events.
00:15:50
Speaker
And if you wanted to get a sponsorship, you had to do the longer stuff. Well, like today, there's a lot more attention to that sub-ultra distance. And i feel like younger athletes are going through, you know, like shorter sub-ultra racing now.
00:16:04
Speaker
So it is kind of... difference in, you know, a young athlete jumps into 100 um So yeah, actually actually think it's a bit different today where athletes are doing it, you know, the proper way, short a distance into longer, longer stuff as they get older.
00:16:22
Speaker
um But I did it the opposite. You know, i started with with the longer stuff, a lot of 100K races. And then I guess as I got tired from the training of under fueling, I went shorter into distance. But yeah, hopefully you don't make that mistake and you fuel correctly now.
Flexible Training Approach
00:16:40
Speaker
Absolutely. But yeah, I definitely felt like I i i did 600k races in a space of a year and a half. And um yeah, it was a bit too much for me.
00:16:52
Speaker
And moved down to 50k races, which were a bit more manageable. But yeah, just be careful with those long races. Just make sure that you feel correctly. yeah Thank you.
00:17:02
Speaker
So you went into the first GPT in 24, hoping for that sub 36. 25,
00:17:10
Speaker
You, well, from what I can see, and there's always gaps in in these online stuff, but you ran KMR 66k in about nine hours. Was that an all out pace for you? Like, was that as fast as you could go on that course?
00:17:24
Speaker
No, not very much. but um Yeah, I'd done gone nuts 100 four weeks before and done pretty well there. got Got second behind Angus Tolson.
00:17:36
Speaker
um And then yeah a week later, got like this weird pinched nerve injury down my back that ran into the calf. So I kind of didn't train that.
00:17:47
Speaker
whole three weeks leading up to KMR and then still wanted to do it. four Went for a run the night before and it was all right. so i was like yeah I just moved to Tassie at that point. It was like dream race almost. and yeah and yeah did that Did that run.
00:18:05
Speaker
was in third place, pretty comfortable until, ah what's it, Myrtle Forest aid station. And then it was, the injury just came on when I stopped.
00:18:18
Speaker
And I stopped at that aid station to fill my bottle up and then went to leave and just couldn't move. So it ended up becoming, ah you know, pain marathon, hobbling my way back to Cascades. But yeah, fun.
00:18:36
Speaker
but not all out. Okay. No, that makes more sense. Cause I, I'd seen that time and then I was like, how does somebody go from running nine hours at KMR to running 23 hours at GPT? And there's essentially dropping 13 hours off what you were hoping to do the previous year. Cause that's, that makes a lot more sense. So like you've moved to Tassie for uni, correct? Yeah, that's right.
00:18:58
Speaker
Yeah. So um move down to Tassie, you've kind of got into this world a bit more. GPT is at the end of the year. When you're building up to GPT for the second time around, what sort of approach or mentality are you going into this event with?
00:19:14
Speaker
I think underlying, wanted to be healthy and to do so, I just wanted to be a better athlete. So don't want to say I was cross training because that has the whole stigma around it. But I was just doing whatever I could, whether it was hiking, my uni campus is right next to the pool. So was going for a swim when I could. um Yeah, so rather than structured and trying to fit in stuff, it was like where I was that in Hobart. I'm working in different locations. and it's
00:19:47
Speaker
Just do what I can, be' a better athlete. And then, yeah, come come the start of August, it really hit into a full GPT focus. I did Peaks and Trails, Wonderland, and then Pillager within all the three-week breaks in between so yeah peaks and trails in wonderland were obviously on course so they were they were big and important and i find pillager having done it in 24 pretty similar up down the course um and then yeah did those for him it was just gpt here we come
00:20:28
Speaker
So you said before you're doing about 100k a week of running before 24 GPT. How different did that look in that August to so November for before 25?
00:20:41
Speaker
It was probably still in that 80 to 100k range of running. Not super volume. I'm studying and working full time. But yeah, just felt so dialed in.
00:20:55
Speaker
everything I was doing from strength to running to to the races um at peaks and trails in wonderland especially just I felt I felt so ready um for GPT and I I guess it translated into my race approach but I just really didn't want to be intimidated by the different terrain I just want to be like it is it is what the Grampians here are, so run it.
00:21:23
Speaker
Yeah. ah Intimidation factor as well. You're lining up on the start line with Caleb Olsen, objectively one of the best runners in the world last year. Obviously now as well, he's out injured, but did that add any pressure to the day for you?
00:21:40
Speaker
No, not really. So I got to Halls Gap three weeks before GPT and he got there a week and a half so we'd been through a few runs and I kind of realized he was just a normal guy a bit like insane nonetheless watching him run it was just easy for him but I kind of had the sense, so because he's come from Western States and there's the lead pack, he was he was asking whether there'd be a lead pack and I knew i'd go out strong. So I thought, provided he's not rolling ridiculous pace, so I'll just run with him. and
00:22:20
Speaker
just worked out for that first 50k. I think this is where, when we saw this all happening last year, not really knowing too much about you or you having like a big performance on the board yet i'll be the first put my hands up and say like i was working i thought you were gonna absolutely blow up because like you're going out with caleb i think you got i can't remember the exact stats but you guys came through hall's gap at the 50k point like only just behind what they were running the 50k in for the race like it wasn't it it wasn't a sizable difference between the two times and
00:22:51
Speaker
And I said, Caleb, fresh off winning states. I was like, I either were about to see something really special or this is going to get a very, very painful day for you. So you come through Halls Gap. you guys You guys head off. Like how how hard were you working at that point?
00:23:07
Speaker
Well, coming into Hall's Gap, I remember looking at the watch and where, um, the top of Chautauqua junction. and I think we might've come into Hall's Gap in 447 or 452, somewhere in that zone. And I looked down and i was Oh wow, we've actually made some time here, but it felt, it felt conservative. And like we were talking the whole time, stopping to have a piss every now and then we just alternate, um,
00:23:37
Speaker
yeah It's just like a nice day on the trail with the best in the world. um and I didn't really realize how how quick we'd gone. um and got into Halls Gap and it was just so humid in there.
00:23:57
Speaker
When I think about it now, like Leaving Halls Gap, pretty bonked, but that was um we just picked up extra weight. it's very It was very humid down in that valley.
00:24:09
Speaker
and i think you're always going to get bonk and run. Even looking back to previous years of people who we say might have gone out too hard, maybe it's just like you've done a downhill.
00:24:23
Speaker
Now the race starts and it's... it's a race. It's a tough 100-mile race, so it's going to hurt. So once I broke through that, it was fine.
00:24:34
Speaker
Vlad, anything up to here? No, I mean, I'm just still still pretty impressed by the experience of just going out so hard um and, yeah, still holding on, um which is absolutely incredible. Yeah, there's a lot of...
00:24:54
Speaker
Well, is it confidence, George, or all as you said before, is it is it a bit of ignorance of kind of, this is still very new to you. Like this is still your first, cause GPT was the first mile you completed, correct? and twenty five Yeah. So the distance is still new. You don't know what happens after a hundred K. What do you think you put this kind of comfort with discomfort and the pain down to?
00:25:16
Speaker
I think just trust, like I trust my body. I trust what I think is going to happen. Um, I don't think much comes as a surprise to me in running.
00:25:29
Speaker
I ah don't prepare for the worst, but like we're running a hundred miles. Shit's going to happen. So, yeah, I'm not, I just try and trust and not get worried about anything and Yeah, to I'm used to, like, from the previous four races leading up to JPT, I'd led from start to finish. So was, yeah, very comfortable in that running by myself or at least running in the lead.
00:26:00
Speaker
So, yeah, I was just comfortable trusting and Yeah. to ram that eight One of our Patreon questions from Heidi was asking, like she she said, she'd love to know where George has to go in his mind to complete a hundred plus K so successfully.
00:26:18
Speaker
What you're describing, like the mindset you're able to put yourself into sort of the visualization without becoming obsessive. Is that just built through that race practice or is this something that's always come naturally to you? I'd say through race practice but um I think because was kind of thrust into the sport never really had that sort of mid-pack mid-pack running it's always near the pointy end um it was kind of like I've never felt like what do I need to do to be better next time it's just like be better next time it's just gonna happen um
00:26:55
Speaker
There's always going to be progress. So I've never felt climbing, which I think translates to a lack of um pressure almost.
00:27:06
Speaker
Okay. That's really interesting. So you just have that confidence that as long as you stay healthy and keep training, you're just obviously naturally going to level up, which hopefully obviously what what why we train train to do. And the fact that you are you are still so new to the sport and you're just leveraging that confidence.
00:27:22
Speaker
Yeah, i'd I'd say similar. Yeah, that's really good. No, it's great. there like I think it's so easy to get so lost in the depth of these things. and And especially once you put a good performance in or you're running with Caleb, like to to kind of work yourself up a bit too much and and sort of let that whole thing get a bit overwhelming. But it sounds like you just have this nice capacity to go, yeah, cool. This is the situation.
00:27:45
Speaker
It's going to get tough, but that's why I'm here. yeah that yeah Yeah, you've nailed it what what are your goals What are your goals with running? oh I think it's in the similar as in race running, like whilst I'm running a race. Cool. Let's see what happens. um So, yeah, i don't I've got a big year ahead, um which I'm fortunate because I've got a bit of support through Paddy Palin to do that and it happens that I can do online uni.
00:28:19
Speaker
So, um yeah, I thought take the opportunity and take a big year overseas. Yeah, just see what happens. But the goal is the goal to be a professional trail runner?
00:28:33
Speaker
I'd say the goal is just... to keep enjoying it and try and experience some cool stuff. And I think by virtue to be able to do that would lean into that professional space.
00:28:48
Speaker
There's only so much I can keep working and going out and doing this before it's it's too much. um But yeah, I think professional would be more of a progress goal. Yeah. I mean, you definitely have like a refreshing mindset about about the sport, which is pretty cool.
00:29:06
Speaker
um And also the fact that, you know, doing a crazy amount of social media and just out there, I guess, just having fun and not over planning, over thinking at all, just kind of letting it be, um which is probably why you've been so successful.
00:29:26
Speaker
Oh, thank you. Yeah, for sure. So just because, ah again, it it kind of blew my mind that that day and how well you held on at GPT. So just to close it off, we'll come to to Buffalo so that everyone listening can get a bit of a debrief from
Race Dynamics with Caleb
00:29:39
Speaker
there. But once Caleb separated from you, how did the rest of that day go?
00:29:44
Speaker
ah I almost felt that first fifty k I was just so fulfilled from that. That felt like over half the run um and the rest was kind of just like, all right, job to It was almost, I still felt like i was in the lead because it was different race at that point. Like um Caleb's however far ahead. Yeah.
00:30:09
Speaker
So yeah, it's just the same kind of thoughtless running I normally do. and just ticked through, had a few few little bonks and dealing with the weather, certainly not as bad as other people. And yeah, lo and behold, i was in Dunkel, so kind of a smooth running day almost. That's really good. So yeah it didn't feel like the the first fifty k hindered your day at all?
00:30:36
Speaker
No, no, leaving Halls Gap was hard, but I think as soon as I got over the fact that, yeah, picked up extra weight, it's humid, and we're now running up steps to the pinnacle, it was like, oh, yeah, this is this is how it is. It's it's hard. um But, yeah, like the only only thing was i got tired ah two three o'clock in the morning and realized that I needed three-minute nap and then yeah kept going I it's it's very refreshing George to to to hear you and take even the way you just answered the question about like is being professional the goal it like it just sounds like you're out there to have a bunch of fun and you happen to be really good at it
00:31:21
Speaker
ah ah which which is which is perfect like it's it is probably going to lead to you having the good results which will inevitably lead to you probably getting like making this a more full-time thing but it's not because you're chasing that it's because you just want to be out on the trails oh yeah i'll thank thank you so all right come through to buffalo you're in the national champs Lining up on the start line and but before before the start, Ben Burgess were having a chat and were kind of like going back and forth and thinking, is there much time in this course the men? Because Michael Dunstan ran a really strong run last year. Like obviously Esther Chilag coming second overall, but Esther was in. but esthers esther
00:32:09
Speaker
i I thought that there was a couple of guys in Australia that could break 10 on this course. You weren't one of the names I had in my head. And at halfway, i look at the splits and I'm like just following it pretty closely. And I'm like, holy crap, I think he's going to do this. If if you help like if if nothing goes wrong, and like you're going to run sub 10 on this course.
00:32:29
Speaker
So you've gone from running a really fast, a really strong GPT, debut miler, to, in my mind, a completely different level of performance at Buffalo, where like you you you can't just be...
00:32:43
Speaker
the hiker that runs to go sub 10 on Buffalo. Like now you have to be a genuine runner that loves being on the trail. So has anything changed in your approach, your mindset in in that interim?
Preparation for Buffalo
00:32:57
Speaker
I actually, it was really hard in the lead up to Buffalo. and So obviously GPT was an A-Rose and then Buffalo was an A-Rose.
00:33:08
Speaker
I've just found myself constantly comparing my GPT lead up to Buffalo. um and like GPT, I'd done the two fifty s the two local fifty s and was just so dire. I always got there three weeks before.
00:33:23
Speaker
And then I was comparing that to Buffalo where it's just felt sporadic. Like I was in Vietnam all of January and maybe did a hundred K in the entire month. But to be fair, that, that a hundred K of Vietnam running was all heat training. So but but a bit of a multiply on that. It was, um, I was definitely heat adapted, um,
00:33:46
Speaker
But yeah, I don't know, not, not a big change, just getting building back into it again. Were you doing much else like cross training wise in Vietnam, like you out hiking or anything like that?
00:33:58
Speaker
No, it was with uni. So just almost technically where we were starting, but it was almost just holidaying. Hopefully they're not listening to this. Well, actually they probably will be, but oh well. um No, we did, did learn some good stuff.
00:34:16
Speaker
Yeah, no, I've started working with Joseph Nunn, Joey Nunn. Oh, yeah. From Trailflow. ah So he's technically my coach, but at the moment it's just been a training partner. um Yep.
00:34:30
Speaker
Like all year we've just been going out and running together. So, yeah, i was doing a bit of VO2 max stuff over Christmas and then got pretty fed off of that, went to their farm and it was like,
00:34:45
Speaker
okay, we're now eight weeks out from Buffalo, but I start getting some some trail volume. So, on yeah, I don't know. Not much change. just I think just making it easier to enjoy it has has been the biggest thing with Joey.
00:35:00
Speaker
So have you been doing more structured training than since Vietnam? Yeah, probably um probably slightly more in the fact that – hey He's deciding where we're running. So that's been it's been good. um Yeah, probably not not as much of the kind of cross training from GPT because it's just been so busy thought this year.
00:35:30
Speaker
But yeah yeah, a bit more structured, a bit more bit more fun. So I've been enjoying it. ah Are you doing any more running than that 80
00:35:39
Speaker
Nah, probably pretty similar. Yeah, ah it feels like there's not been too much change. yeah Maybe a few more double days, which which I've enjoyed.
00:35:52
Speaker
How much elevation would you say get in a week? two and a half to throw maybe depending how many times I go the mountain behind me yeah okay so there's nothing like there's nothing special about what you're doing in terms of you're not doing some crazy mileage or ridiculous amount of hills it's just keep doing have you been injured much since the injury you mentioned before 24 no I did no i did a ah um ah
00:36:23
Speaker
Oh gosh, Alpine guiding course last last winter, Australian winter. And yeah, the knees definitely paid the price after that. but um Other than just like little overused stuff where you just take it back for half a week and back at it.
00:36:44
Speaker
nothing Nothing major. Yeah.
00:36:48
Speaker
Vlad, I don't know about you, but like my my mind is blown. i just ah I'm just like, i so I think George is like, so far to to do what you just did at Buffalo, and I hope this doesn't like, I'm always conscious when someone has this very like jovial, relaxed mindset to it about how much we so we say here, but like you've definitely got a hell of a lot of potential, let's put it that way. And it's really exciting to see so you do that. you've You've gone and run Buffalo,
00:37:16
Speaker
Like we'll come back to the day in a sec, but after it, you're getting this attention, you're on the podcast, you've got the, the Paddy Palin did that, that quick thing post, like single track events always get a lot of hype. They get a lot of competitive field. There were some really fast guys in that, in that race. Like the times were all really quick. Have you noticed, or are you noticing any sort of shift in, in that relaxed mindset towards trails now that there is this potential to travel on like with the help of Paddy Palin, et cetera.
00:37:42
Speaker
um I think I i didn' don't really get too sore after running, but definitely get hormonemoning hormonally balance.
00:37:54
Speaker
after every, every race. So i kind of felt similar after GPT to what I do now. It's kind your home hormone layoff and then everything's happening. Like you're getting messages and emails and, um, like there's an element where I am kind of pursuing stuff and talking to brands and, um, even race organizers and just trying to get soft concrete, uh,
00:38:21
Speaker
which adds a bit of stress, but it was exactly the same after GPT. You have a week where you're not there mentally um because you've just been running and pumping cortisol for 10 or hours.
00:38:35
Speaker
ten or so hours um So yeah you're not going to be there mentally, but it's also then just a stressful week where it feels like everything's happening. And then the week after it's like, oh, I'm not not that special.
00:38:49
Speaker
This is just life. Vlad, I feel like this is probably something similar to what you what you went through were before North Face. like any Any sort of tips ah to to kind of help manage this what George going through right now?
00:39:03
Speaker
um Yeah, I don't know tips is because obviously he's doing something right. Obviously, like he's pretty happy, relaxed, you know, he's taking it all pretty comfortably and relaxed. So I just think like don't put pressure on yourself because it looks like whatever you're doing is really working well for you.
00:39:25
Speaker
um I know when I was kind of in a similar position, i had to do a lot of training, like a lot, like before. Like I just remember like my first 100K race three weeks before I did a 75K training run because I needed to prove myself that I can actually finish the race.
00:39:43
Speaker
um Obviously, you're able to do well of very low mileage, like really, really low. um So I think like stay with that for as long as possible.
00:39:53
Speaker
And while you're still improving, stay with as little mileage as you need to do. um And also like don't jump on offers too soon. Don't like undervalue yourself.
00:40:05
Speaker
um I think that probably I remember actually like a New Balance sending me some free gear when I was like 25 or 26 and I thought this is like the best thing ever. um But things do get better from there. So like, you know, you've obviously haven't been racing for too long. So take your time, you know, don't sign any long contracts. and Yeah, I'm sure there's so much in like so much ahead of you.
00:40:32
Speaker
if If you get into this level right now with like no much running at all, um the potential is massive. So like don't rush into anything too soon, you know, like there's always a better offer like another race like another few races and the offers will get bigger so like yeah don't don't rush into signing anything too soon okay well thank you advice i would just say i've definitely feel i have the capacity to do more mileage once um so i'll be stopping my work and traveling um come i leave for japan next wednesday so that'll be a
00:41:14
Speaker
work chunk of my life taken out and that i hope to replace with mile mileage but i think i think i have the capacity for more but um i don't want to ever be chasing mileage so yeah i think you just don't rush into it you're obviously like super young so you don't have to like I think I'm in a different position when I'm 38 years old. I um have to push the mileage a bit more because there's no other way for me to improve.
00:41:40
Speaker
um Or like you know the quality of the amount of effort that I have to put in every week. um But for you, yeah, I mean, keep it as low as possible for like till you plateau and then maybe think about increasing, but don't get pressured by what you see on social media and Strava and stuff like that. headla whatever you're doing right now is working and as long as you're improving, you don't need to change too much.
00:42:06
Speaker
um So yeah, because like once you go, like ah once you start increasing the mileage, like you kind of almost have to keep going with that um or you have to always like adapt and change when you're not improving. I mean, so yeah, while you're still improving, like just keep doing what you're doing right now because Obviously, the more you run, the heavier it gets on your body, like, you know, the the more tired you're going to be during the week and stuff like that. So, yeah.
00:42:36
Speaker
And you have a gift there. So use it for as long as you can. Because I remember, like, when I started off, I started off at 200K a week. Like, that was what I was doing before my first ultra marathons. Yeah.
00:42:50
Speaker
so yeah enjoy enjoy the hundred k weeks for now and hopefully that's all you need because i mean i do know of some athletes that do really well off low volume um and if anything maybe in the future add some more cross training um but yeah it looks like your body is doing well of not a crazy amount of training which is yeah really impressive cool no thank you so much I feel like it's a really good example of if you can avoid getting injuries and just keep doing stuff week on week on week, like you don't have to have the most structured training. You just have to keep getting out there and doing the thing. And especially when you are new to the sport at your age, George, like there's a lot, like you don't have to do a hell of a lot to create a big difference.
00:43:36
Speaker
um And then it's fun when you have this runway of there's so many more things one could do in your situation, but you don't need to. Not yet, which is fine. yeah yeah um So Buffalo itself, Gungos, what's the goal for the day?
00:43:50
Speaker
like What are you going and trying to achieve?
Buffalo Race Strategy and Experience
00:43:52
Speaker
I've said to people, I'll be happy under 12. Realistically, I should be able to run under 11. And yeah, just run based on that loose little kind of feeling for the day. um i wanted to run. ran quick at the start.
00:44:12
Speaker
and I don't know. i think... I didn't realize how much of a gap I created in that, that shoot until someone showed me the video last week of, um, yeah, like, I don't know it almost seemed 50 meters and Sam Harvey was X amount back. Um, someone ran, caught up to me and come the climb up mystic.
00:44:34
Speaker
when and was just behind me and then i ran up mystic and they were on the poles and then it was yeah just smooth sailing the rest of the day so was there ever a a low moment in the day uh i'd say there were two with one being expected that one being dingo that that's a given uh that's that's what surprised me so much like it was just such a easy day um yeah my my first one was on the way out to cresta from the chalet um my nozzle blocked up uh for carbs and i wasn't i didn't order i normally take precision gels um and i didn't have enough i'd just been giving them out to joey and we'd been sharing the supply together
00:45:27
Speaker
so um i was yeah trying to work out way i could source them but it it didn't work i was like oh whatever so yeah i'd started rationing my precision by that point and i was on the um liquid carbs which were great but then this section shallow to press my nozzle blocked it was like oh i'm there a bit worried about gels and i can't get any carbs in from my my water, um, or hydration and bit of a loan. And as soon as I left Cresson, got it sorted, it was fine again. so
00:46:04
Speaker
Yeah, very, very easy day, really. ge it's Jeez. It's amazing. For for for a hundred k it's got like that because it it sounded, again, in that in that quick post-race interview you did with Paddy Palin, it sounded like you were almost confused at how the day went. like It was almost like you'd finished, you'd run really well, and you didn't really know what to say because it just went well.
00:46:28
Speaker
Is that fair? Yeah, definitely. It's... It was weird. I think I said to a lot of people, it's just a weird day. like I didn't expect to run that well and for it to be that easy, but it was.
00:46:43
Speaker
like i'll say easy. It's not easy, but smooth. Smooth's probably the better word. Do you use a heart rate monitor or like how do you gauge your effort?
00:46:54
Speaker
um I've got... a ah I train with a heart rate monitor, but... I'll just feel, and in the race, like them I was probably running at a 6 out 10, 7 10. Tried to push into an 8, but didn't feel worth it. So kind of just cruising 7, 6, 6 to 7 out of 10.
00:47:18
Speaker
Do you look at your heart rate monitor during the race to kind of... get a bit more confirmation on effort? No, not really. or Not at all. yeah it just To me, it doesn't it's highly inaccurate in a 100k race when there's adrenaline and I'm going to be soaking wet. Like I won't wear a heart rate strap during a race. So I don't know how accurate um that heart rate thing. And it's just something that I just don't need to stress about. Like I know how I'm feeling. So run with it.
00:47:56
Speaker
I mean, obviously worked. yeah Yeah, contrary to what a lot of people say. so hello it's It's what works for you, right? Like it's, there's, especially probably in a day like that, where you were thinking sub 11 was a good day.
00:48:13
Speaker
If you had been paying attention to metrics, you may have held yourself back massively. Whereas your field was telling you that you were good and you could go. Well, at what point did you try to push up into an eight?
00:48:24
Speaker
and It would have been after the Top of Mystic, just after every downhill I was pushing, or on every little climb I was pushing on the ah downhills, and then it just fell pointless. It was like, I'm running well.
00:48:42
Speaker
And then it's, yeah, just just easy. I definitely run well coming down from the chalet into your oven, but that was probably still going at a seven out of 10.
00:48:56
Speaker
Jeez. And nutrition wise, like ah ah how planned are you on the, on the the nutrition and hydration front? Um, for Buffalo, I was not very, um, I tried the pure roast fuel for the first time based on Dunson and Joe Dorff's recommendation. And, um,
00:49:21
Speaker
At Razorback two weeks prior, o probably i was on the gels whilst Michael was on the race fuel. or rice fuel and I reckon on that climb up Bungalow, um every time I had a gel, I'd lose 100 metres or so on him.
00:49:41
Speaker
and He was it was ahead anyway, but he was strong at that climb. but I was talking to him after and it was like... yeah, this race fuels magic. So and sure enough, it was. was um So yeah, not not really a plan or I had the plan and what I executed is totally different.
00:50:05
Speaker
do you Do you know roughly what you were able to take in across the day? ah and dingo stuff started not sitting super well or like I was just a bit of hate really.
00:50:19
Speaker
Hate and a really tough climb ah so minus that i don't know two hours from buckland to buckland to bright um i was probably sitting 90 90 grams an hour um and then the last two hours would have uh ruined that ruined that average yeah nice it's like i'd say for a for a hard 100k would you say that's the hard or the most you got out of yourself in a race Uh, no.
00:50:51
Speaker
Um, I think if I could have fueled Buckland to bright better, um, I was going to say I could have gone longer, but that's a different race. So don't know within the effort of the hundred K it might've been hard to push a bit more, but, uh, I don't know whether i would have needed a reason to, or it's, it's hard to speculate. Um,
00:51:17
Speaker
But yeah, I've been more ruined in in shorter races. Yeah. Is it hard to keep pushing yourself when you know you've got a decent lead? I never really know on my lead. um I'd say I'm running at the same effort the whole day. i don't think I never take races as tactical things. It's like...
00:51:40
Speaker
I don't say I'm not of the mindset that we're racing to attrition, but in some ways that's, that's what it is. So I'm just going to keep running how I run, um, and let, let my body in the course figure, figure it out. Um, so your question was something along the lines of.
00:52:00
Speaker
um like Is it hard to to keep pushing yourself if you're not, especially if if you're not head-to-head racing or you know there's not someone within a couple of minutes to to just chase the time for the sake of it or chase that finish line a little bit faster?
00:52:13
Speaker
it's Yeah, again, it's speculating. I didn't really know how far Mancuma was back and I assume like running with him up to clear spot on the way out he just ate uphills. it was It was more impressive than watching Caleb run, um watching Mancuma going uphill, like just so easy.
00:52:35
Speaker
Just like flick a flick of the switch, he could make 90 seconds on me. I was like, I can't chase that. um So, yeah, I did have a little inclination that if he was somewhat behind me, he could get me on that dingo ridge. So I was still running to to a race pace, I guess.
00:52:59
Speaker
But, yeah, I find it easy to k keep running at at my race pace. But, um yeah, whatever a whether I could have pushed more if I didn't know the gap was, I don't know, speculation.
00:53:16
Speaker
ah it's always It's fun to have the hypotheticals is what the podcast is here for. I wish I could answer better. No, no, no. It's it's ah it's it's probably it's probably the the right way to have answered. Okay.
00:53:29
Speaker
You've mentioned Paddy Palin support and talking to some sponsors looking to go overseas, Japan coming up.
International Race Plans
00:53:36
Speaker
in, when you say Wednesday, as in, do you mean tomorrow as we record this or next week? Next week, yep. this week and another one of our Patreon questions from Liam which you kind of answered the first bit but the second one was like any specific overseas races that you've got your eyes set on so what what's this year going look like now for you it's it's very big I don't think Vlad's going to approve I mean I approve of a lot of racing I've done I've done 400 races in the past 12 years yeah no so go up Mount Fuji
00:54:09
Speaker
hundred mile at the end of the month. Um, so yeah, we're looking just over two and a half weeks out now, which is pretty intimidating, but um I'm, I'm keen. Um, and then I get back to Hobart for 10 days then head back overseas for a big four months, didn't where I've got Just a handful of races and hanging out in the the Alps um and then coming back via Vietnam mountain marathon 100k before another crack at GPT.
00:54:46
Speaker
So there's a few world trail majors in there, Mount Fuji, via Vietnam. is Is that kind of the the broad focus? Yeah. Yeah. I've also got Quebec mega trail 135, um, in July.
00:54:59
Speaker
say yeah, i was, I mean, when that, that series got announced, um, it was of interest and then kind of just talking with Colin, uh, with GPT's inclusion.
00:55:12
Speaker
I just like the idea of an independent series of trail runs. and Yeah. And, yeah, I could get a bit of support through each of them.
00:55:24
Speaker
And i they were races i I wanted to do. So I was going to just go do them for a year and have fun that way. see what happens at the end of it so you've got mount fiji hundred mile end of april quebec in july vietnam in september that's correct yep and then gpt early in november is ah is there anything more at the moment above that like 50k 60k distance for you or are those the big ones uh those are the big ones um yeah kind of
00:55:58
Speaker
entirely i avoided the 50k distance this year in my calendar. um I'm doing a bit of the few of the Skyruns because they've got that under 20 throw series and I definitely don't think I can compete but I thought why not put my name down for a few whilst um before i leave that under 20 throw category.
00:56:21
Speaker
of So yeah, if you few of those on the shorter distance and yeah, then I expect there'll be other stuff that will call my name whilst I'm over there.
00:56:33
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I know, I know the big, big roses for the year. and Are you going to have anyone to train with through this? Like, are you linking up with anyone? Uh, not so much. Um, Mount Fuji's cause it's so soon. It's kind of using, using a bit of that Buffalo fitness, um, to, to come into it. Um, then yeah, I'm very, I need to work out the big four month adventure better, uh, but, uh,
00:57:06
Speaker
I'll be seeing Aaron Shimmons from Trail Talk. over I'm doing Swiss Canyon, 111k. I'll be seeing him there. ah and and yeah i think it's just keeping near to the ground, seeing what's happening.
00:57:23
Speaker
Probably just because it's a pretty full calendar. find people who are doing the same events and try and loiter with them. Yeah. Yeah. See what happens, bring a tent. It's, it's a big year.
00:57:36
Speaker
it is a big year. going to exciting to follow along. You're definitely going to give us a lot to talk about. So i appreciate that. No worries. ah Vlad, have you, like thinking back to any of your years, or have any of them kind of matched that, that density?
00:57:52
Speaker
Not distance wise. I mean, there's obviously a lot of um long races, but might as well do it now. you know You're young, probably not crazy amount of responsibilities. you got the freedom. You can explore. you can experiment different things. And yeah, you still got a lot of running ahead of you. So...
00:58:11
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. enjoy yeah I kind of liked it in like making it a busy calendar. So I'm not putting too much weight on any one event. It's um I'm there to grow and there to experience. So what better way to do it than pack it out?
00:58:27
Speaker
Yeah, mean, you're obviously far away from reaching your potential. and That's probably going to happen in a couple of years. So, yeah, might as well race as much as you can right now.
00:58:38
Speaker
Probably be a bit a bit more selective with the races in a couple of years when... When you know like you know you know your strengths and your weaknesses a bit better and stuff like that. so yeah It's going to be fun to follow.
00:58:52
Speaker
yeah and At the moment, you don't have any obligation or anyone kind of pushing you towards specific events. so I feel like this is a good time to make the most of having some support and just having a bit of fun with it.
00:59:03
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. oh don't know if I can do this again. 2026 it will be. yeah oh for sure exactly it it's yeah we never know what 27 is going to look like sorry mate most of it now with the last question we had from one of our patron listeners is uh kind of we've answered the main part but he says as a fellow coastie i'm keen to know your favorite local trails or anything that sticks out for back home oh i do um Well, I lived in Umana Beach, so you could run around the the cove there, pole beach to Patonga and back. It's nearly a perfect run. You've got a gradual uphill, steep downhill turnaround, steep uphill, gradual downhill. It's perfect.
00:59:52
Speaker
Nice. I like it. Vlad, any other questions for George? No, no, that was good. um Yeah, I'm just excited to to see how this year unfolds. ah Thank you.
01:00:04
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's... Yeah, as you said, you're going to give a lot to follow, but I think also... After GPT, there were a lot of us that were curious, like, okay, what's what's the next big one going to look like for you? and And like, what the level of performance is it? I also just, I don't know if you follow anything to do with the the indexing, if that's really a matter for you. um i I couldn't get ITRA's website up, so I've got UTMBs, but you scored an 873 for Buffalo, which may mean may mean nothing to you, but Vlad, that's a pretty pretty good score.
01:00:34
Speaker
yeah crazy that's um that's yeah maybe um if you can fit in your busy schedule asia pacific trail champs in china yeah that would be a good one um you could do down the under 23s or you can just go for the long course Yeah, GPT is the focus.
01:00:55
Speaker
yeah Yeah, because you turned down your your ticket, correct, George? that's right. I told Jeff before I ran that. I don't know why he's talking to me before i ran Buffalo. Yeah.
01:01:09
Speaker
I don't know, I could have 12 hours and I would have been happy with it, but it wouldn't have been of note. But yeah, I told him before that it wasn't something i was looking at yeah Maybe Town 2027. Maybe. a way off.
01:01:23
Speaker
twenty twenty seven a night this pays wears off Well, it's probably an interesting place to leave it. So you're you're opting to not represent the country Asia-Pacific to do GPT and then the the maybe to to Cape Town, which Cape Town is going to be in September. So if you do want to do the GPT again, you've got that got that window. Although there's obviously there's other big stuff around there. But like the attraction to represent Australia, is that something that draws you in strongly?
01:01:54
Speaker
it's hard i feel like i'm treading um on thin ice no no there's no like we we've had people on the that go either way like some people it's just not something that that's their big thing or not especially not with the current way it's set up where it's completely self-funded um other people that have the financial means are like yeah this is for me this is the pinnacle thing so there's no right or wrong answer here um i'm very great would be very grateful for the opportunity to do so but but There's so many good Australian runners who all could have a place on the team. um
01:02:30
Speaker
So yeah, I think anyone can do the work to to if they if they did have the place. So um unless it's really calling my name, I'd rather someone who who wants to be on the team and wants to do said said um championship event, and I'd rather them do it than me who's on unsure. so you yeah if If the opportunity, i would be grateful, but yeah, with some caveats.
01:03:02
Speaker
yeah No, I appreciate that. Like, I think it's, it it can also, I think a ah lot of people might say yes to something and and the course does not suit them at all or it not have any emotional like buy into it. It's just because of the team and you, we want, we want the people that want to be there and the people that are going to suit that environment and that course to be the ones that are representing us. um And like you say, there's, we're in a cool, so cool stage of the sport in Australia where there's a lot of depth in both the men's and the women's field coming through. And so it's not like we have you and then it's a big gap to fill in. So like there's, there's obviously you've put your name up there as one of the the top runners in the country right now, but there's also a lot lot of people right on your heels. So I think it's, I think it's actually quite, yeah, it's, it's, it's very self-aware to go. This just isn't what's firing me up at the moment.
01:03:50
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Cool. Alrighty. A quick break in the show to thank Bix. Bix has just come out with their 30 gram gel in two brand new flavors. This is a new gel, new flavors. You've got the choice of the salted strawberry or the berry. The salted strawberry is also packing 300 milligrams of sodium. That's an increase, whereas the berry has 200 milligrams. Both make them perfect for the conditions we have in Australia, yeah whereas most gels on the market do not have sodium within them. What Bix has done here is take the recipe for the gels that work so well, that 1.8 ratio that is very, very friendly on the stomach and added a soft, subtle, but very tasty twist that you can dial in your race day and your training nutrition to that extra fine detail.
01:04:34
Speaker
As you know, Bix has been supporting the show from the start and it literally helps keep the podcast coming to you every week. So if you want to support the show, level up your own nutrition game, head over to the Bix website, use our brand new code PEAK, P-E-A-K for 20% off at checkout. And with that, let's get back to the show.
01:04:51
Speaker
Let's move forward. I think that, Will, it's a pretty light news week this week and the same same for races. There's this newsletter or article that comes out. It's a French publication called Mylonstone, which if anyone listening is really interested in behind the scenes of the sport and the business side and the growth side, I would definitely sign up to it. Obviously, it doesn't come out in French, but you can just translate it now. And there are a bunch of kind of takeaways from this. We don't to spend very much time on it. I think the the thing that stuck out was that the Jean-Luc from Hocker or Decker's lab, like he kind of broke the sport into three phases, the 2000s, 15 to 25. And then now what we're kind of in phase phase three, which is called the the globalization or the multipolar. And then A bit later on, they were speaking um with the vice president of sales at Warner Brothers, who's the other people that are on Eurosport. They're publicizing the ah producing the Golden Trail World Series and how they're saying like the sport is really capturing a lot people. There's 45 million participants and that, but it needs to sort of show it a bit more. And I just think it's and then the last one that really stuck out to me was that there's like athlete influencer,
01:06:09
Speaker
shift is kind of like actually creating a budget. Thierry Détien, who and know I'm watching UTMB last year, he was the the French guy that was off the front of UTMB, eventually got reeled in.
01:06:20
Speaker
But he's cited as having a 200,000 euro per season budget for his staff, which is predominantly, according to article, going to his videographer. which like if that's your budget for your videographer, you can imagine what his budget is for for himself. But he he definitely, even though he's an incredible athlete, he also has a big kind of influence, a content creator side of things. So and I think when we're seeing this, it kind of, to me, it's putting into,
01:06:45
Speaker
um a less ambiguous kind of wording that the sport is really heading in this direction now and the the growth is there, the media is there, the the they't that big big players, not as just in the sport, but in sport globally are seeing the drive and and the participation um perspective. So I think it's going to be really interesting.
01:07:06
Speaker
to see what the next five years or even up to Brisbane now is going to be. And and again, like the the last thing that that i picked out on it was that there is this like clear governance conflict as well, which between kind of what the World Athletics and say UTMB are seeing they want for the sport. But we're in ah if we're in a very interesting stage of of the sport right now yeah i think um yeah with with theo i actually met him in um in oman a few months ago when i did that um oman race in december and he was there with his whole team and video photographers um and i thought it was pretty cool it's a very french based
01:07:47
Speaker
obviously following that he has, um but being there with his cameraman or two cameramen and um just telling a story of him doing a race in Oman, I thought it was um pretty cool. And you see a lot more of it. Like you see that combination of an elite runner that has a social media following becomes like very valuable for brands, especially like in the road space, like road running space. And now um you know brings a lot more value in the trail running space as well so i'm not surprised but like those numbers in many ways he's probably going to sell more shoes for brooks than you know somebody that does well in races but maybe doesn't share as much um and brooks has been going after those kind of like elite social media people
01:08:37
Speaker
um because I'm sure they've seen the returns from a few investments early on. um Yeah. But yeah, unless you're Jim Wormsley, it's very hard to kind of justify very big contracts where you can have somebody, you know, one level below Jim, but who does a lot of social media, brings a lot more value to the brand.
01:08:59
Speaker
um So I think it's probably going to be a lot more of that, um which I think most people don't know about Theo in – outside of france for example but in france is like a celebrity um so yeah we'll definitely see more of that for sure yeah it's one of the the names that it's it's not often that i google trail runners and then i realize that their following is bigger than yours flat so it's uh he's he's got a decent amount of awareness yeah and he's a very good runner obviously the same yeah like he's an elite runner he's not jim wombsley again but um
01:09:32
Speaker
is under that, but it could be on a similar contract to Jim at this point, um, you know, because of his value from social media, from the fact that he's got a full-time cameraman with him at all times, creating YouTube videos, creating, you know, Instagram reels and stuff like that, which is yeah, valuable.
01:09:55
Speaker
George, how would you feel if a brand you're talking to says, okay, cool. We understand that you're, that you personally don't enjoy like social media, that don't feel like any platform can, can represent you or the way you want to share, but we want to create this content. We want to share it on our platform. Um, we want to have a videographer following you for this period or for this race block or whatever it is. Like, is that, is that something that you feel would work for you or or is that a deterrent from, from that sort of setup?
01:10:24
Speaker
By virtue, I guess it's the only way um for me unless I were to cave in. ah But I'm saying that like I would wouldn't want it, but I reckon would be fun. I like being with people. um I don't care if they're holding a camera or or holding a drink bottle for me. Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely in a position where um any umm I'm trying not to fall into social media and I'm more than happy to create content.
01:10:58
Speaker
But Joey and I, half of our runs are just filming random stuff and trying to make funny reels. Yeah. So, yeah, I don't know. No.
01:11:09
Speaker
No, i think it's I think it's interesting because, yeah, if you if you don't have your own personal Instagram following, which like, there's no reason why any trail runner or runner necessarily would like ah filming yourself every day and sharing a bit of content or having to create something like that is often not.
01:11:28
Speaker
in keeping with the typical trail runner ethos of playing in the mountains and all that kind of stuff and like being immersed in what you're doing but if you're happy to have people following you and doing it for you I think that's a great great idea and especially like it's cool to see so much of what obviously we don't know percentage this is but a large budget being put towards somebody having professionals do it for them rather than a brand signing signing someone and being like hey we expect this amount of content from you go yeah exactly um I wouldn't say it's higher media but like If you can get story out of something that's more engaging than showing off a water bottle, um yeah there's a story to be enjoyed by all.
01:12:08
Speaker
no yeah only problem The only problem is that it costs a lot of money to tell those stories. Yeah, exactly. so yeah that But I think that that's the difference between, let's say, a $30,000 sponsorship and a $80,000 sponsorship.
01:12:23
Speaker
that's I think you still can get a good sponsorship by just being a good athlete, um but you definitely get a better sponsorship where they see more value because a good athlete gets injured doesn't raise for six months a year you know not much value for them but somebody that's still telling stories and maybe does their recovery process and tells a story about coming back from injury would have some marketing value for a brand yeah like i'd i'd love to see
01:12:54
Speaker
George getting followed for this year with a videographer and just perhaps capturing all the events, whether they go well on or not, like just to see what this year of you committing to it looks like, it would be, would be epic. So yeah. i think I think George is such a different character than most trail runners, you know? So I think that would be actually very entertaining and something that would be happy to watch as well. So make sure when you are talking to those brands, George, you see if they can Get you a full-time videographer to follow you around. Yeah, I'll see what I can do. Because that's a story, like the story that's going on right now with you is pretty special and it's probably not going to happen again. Like, you know, in two years' time, you're going to be a bit more of an established trail runner or runner and it's going to be different than the George that just gets into this sport
01:13:45
Speaker
without too much planning and too much pressure and just has fun in the mountains, you know? so um so yeah, see if you can get those big brands too to send somebody to be there with you.
01:14:00
Speaker
Yeah, I will also just say single track, like Colin and Michael have definitely done a lot of help in promoting me, so to speak.
01:14:13
Speaker
So thank you, Ty. No, I think it's well, and anyone that knows Colin knows that he's, he's probably one of the the biggest opponents of growing the sport in Australia. So I think when he sees someone that he wants to, uh, that he thinks is going to fit that he's, he's a, he'll never say it and he'll never come out and from the shadows, but he, uh, he definitely wants to see people grow and, and, and take on the world essentially from trail running. So, but no, I think it would definitely be if,
01:14:40
Speaker
this would be an epic year to to follow go say because you're incredibly likeable you're unique you're in a situation which theoretically should never happen again you should like you shouldn't be able to re reproduce this level of sort of like increase if you can then like that would be amazing because yeah mean we we might might be talking to to Jim here in a couple of years but um it yeah it it would be it would be very fun but I just saw the to go out the article i thought the the article was interesting um and I think just sort of points to a lot of the conversations we've had that the it's kind of the the the debate of whether it's good for the sport or bad the sport is kind of uh non-void now because it's going to happen and we've just got to sort of ride the wave but make sure we try and stick to stick to what makes it all fun for us rather than getting lost in the uh the kind of new media ecosystem but that's really all there is from end news at the at the moment uh unless flag there's anything you've seen pop up you've
01:15:37
Speaker
No, no, no. All right. So moving on to the results now, we've got the Sydney Trail Half Marathon, that autumn edition. So on the men's side, we had Kieran Henning taking out the win in So some very close racing, two minutes separating the top three there and on the women's side, we had Libby Blundell taking out the win in 2.12.26.
01:16:05
Speaker
Indy Blundell, second in 2.16 flat. And then Helena Christensen in 2.18.15. So again, pretty pretty close racing up there. Outside of that is a very quiet weekend. We had the Fools Creek Fun Run, which yeah was one in the, sorry, was going to get the overalls here. um it's not That's not showing me the right results. I'm going to come back to that one. We also had the Beechworth Easter Fun Run, um which is just a nice simple trail out and back local to me here. Matt Dorey, who's the guy that I do the Riverina Trail Running Series with, it's good to see him him back racing. He took out the win in the 12K in 48.56. And Christy Rigby took out the win in 58.03.
01:16:50
Speaker
o three And I don't think this result is going to work for me for the fun run. put everybody into age groups. So I can't, ah at least Marcianti took out the win for the women's 26-46 and for the men's it was won by...
01:17:10
Speaker
ah No, I can't find it. There we go. Jai Hao Chan in 21.33. well done those guys. Coming up this week, we've got a few more things hitting the schedule. So you got Delirious West over in WA, the 100 mile and 200 mile events there. Alpine Challenge, you've got 100 mile, sixty five k that the the twenty five now The 100 mile has Jill Fowler and Jordan Mackie Richards stepping up. So that's going fun. And then it's also got Sanjay Sherpa, which is a fun name to see jump in. And i i sent Joe a message and he said, yep, now he is he is in there. And then the 65K has Jared Owen and Man Kumar Rogan in as well. So backing up after the Buffalo 100K two weeks later with another 65K whilst over here. Elsewhere in the country, we have run Tarabulga in Victoria, Jebelani Challenge in New South Wales, the Grand Clifftop Race in New South Wales. So it looks like a ah new new event up in the Blueys. And then Elliot's Revenge Trail Runge up in Queensland.
01:18:09
Speaker
Cool. Guys, we made it. George, thank you so much for coming on. It's been great to get to hear your your ah your your story. And it's been a a good week for it. We're in light on on the news. and Vlad and I can sort of pepper you for an hour. So we do appreciate your time. No, thank you so much.
01:18:23
Speaker
Vlad, it is a pleasure as always and everyone else that is listening. Thanks so much joining in. I hope you enjoy getting to know George as as bla Vlad and I, I'm sure you're now very excited to follow his his year and everything coming and we can press every brand that you know to send them messages and emails to say that we want George to get a sponsorship that has videographer that's going to follow him for an entire year and so that we can all we can all enjoy it. so that is That is the goal. That is objective. Everyone out there, as always, if you enjoyed it, please do give us a rating. You can leave a comment on Spotify. we We do all look at them. If you're not already a member, Patreon, that is where we've sent out the ask for questions for this week's episode and for George. And then we we do our little Patreon bonus after this for for the Patreon questions non-relating to the guests. So hopefully we can join see everyone on there. But otherwise, have a great week. And yeah, George, again, thanks jumping on.
01:19:14
Speaker
Thank you. See ya.