Mount Coot-tha Surefoot Race Report

As soon as this race was announced I new it was an event I wanted to be apart of the overwhelming success of the Mountain Goat Trail Running group’s Hightail trail event last year led to the Birth of the Mountain Goat Trail Series and the finale was a 21.1km 1000+m course set throughout Brisbane’s Mount Coot-Tha Forest.

Coming off the back of 2 weeks away and with very little training I knew my main challenge would come from the short frame vertical within the course. I made the decision early to focus my goals on time rather then position knowing that if I could break it down and have the goal of sub 2 hours as a target things would be more manageable.

Pushing through the pack on the Powerful Owl Trail

It always helps when a race is in your own backyard, each section is broken down you know what’s coming and you know how you have tackled it in the past, today the only mystery was how my body would react after 2 weeks on hiatus. The start was a familiar climb from the Hoop Pine picnic area across and up the Powerful Owl tracks, there is no time to get your legs in as this undulating first 3km  is notorious for spreading the field early. A small reprieve on the decent down Eugenia before a constant yet runnable climb back up Eugenia short switchbacks.

The next 5km through  Ghost Hole, down the Jacksonia decent and out towards Gap Creek was an opportunity to  pick up the pace and get into a nice consistent stride, by this stage the legs were holding up but things began to get tough with the climb up, then decent of Scorpion followed quickly by the steep reservoir incline. The decent down Chapel Hill Road Track has always been a catalyst of mine and today was no different, I took this section conservatively sticking to the edges using the trees as support. After ascending the trails up around the quarry it was time to open the legs up again down Mahogany and along the footpath to the final climb by now all I could muster was a constant hiking pace as things had finally caught up with me, urging myself to the finish line with my goal time insight.

It was always going to be a tough day at the office after a couple of weeks away but today’s race served it’s purpose, a solid training race and although possibly not my strongest run with my target time achieved and another top 10 finish in a field of consistently strong runners I can take a lot of positives out of today.

Results:

Finish time: 01:58:31

Place: 9/139

Thank you to my Family, my coach Ben Duffus, my Physio Mat Britton and my BTR family, Tailwind Nutrition Australia, Inspire Athletic and Huck Nutrition. The support from all of you makes this journey so much easier and fun along the way.