Wagga Wagga Trail Marathon 2008 Options

[Ultraphil]

Good news for the running community with the Wagga marathon to continue in a new form.

http://planetultramarathon.wordpress.com/2...-marathon-2008/

See you here in August! (17th to be precise). Hopefully they allow the 5-6hr types to enter!

Phil

This post has been edited by Ultraphil: Apr 13 2008, 06:10 PM

[Ultraphil]

I have just updated the blog post with some more information.

Saves people trying to read the newspaper article....

[Anth]

After being badgered by Kaz all weekend about whether we can go to Wagga for this one, I'm eyeing this one off with great interest. I used to live in the Riverina (Yanco to be precise) so it would double as a great opportunity to go back and see the area as well as run a marathon.

Will be keeping an eye on this thread with great interest and hoping to see some other CR's there on the day.

Thanks for putting the newspaper article into a blog format Phil, most appreciated.

[Ultraphil]

Entry form and more details for you:

http://planetultramarathon.wordpress.com/2...rm-and-details/

Phil

[Ultraphil]

Got this link from the organisers:

http://www.waggaguide.com.au/?id=waggawaggatrailmarat


Phil

[Reddog]

Have entered this one, hope people give it the support it deserves. A new trail marathon event should be a big incentive for those looking at some of the longer events we are also lucky to have.

[Eagle]

I haven't run at Wagga Wagga for 8 or so years. Then it wasa drive out to the start and a run back into town. It uits me this year to run a Wagga and the new format being and out and back and being on trails is a great reason to enter. Also wonderful part of NSW that I don't visit often enough.

[scurry711]

I am interested in this one. I am an old Riverina boy (well sort of) having lived in Gundagai from 1980-1984 and spending many days in Wagga including 6 weeks in traction in Wagga Base Hospital after falling out of a tree. Anyway, this one certainly looks good and a nice lead in to the Fitzroy Falls Trail Marathon in October.

[BlueBel]

I have this one on my calendar. But there are a few big runs between now and then. So hopefully I am in still in one piece as I would love to do it.

[RunBare]

12Ft, Wagga, Willy 2 Billy, Trailwalker... well that's August all set Bluebel, now how about September?

[Gentle Runner]

Anyone know if this is relatively flattish?

[Ultraphil]

Gentle Runner asked "Anyone know if this is relatively flattish?"

I would say so, but I will confirm the next few weeks (after Ive covered the various stretches of the course). Im thinking there maybe one climb.

Phil

[Gentle Runner]

Gentle Runner asked "Anyone know if this is relatively flattish?"

I would say so, but I will confirm the next few weeks (after Ive covered the various stretches of the course). Im thinking there maybe one climb.

Phil

Thanks Phil

[Phoenix]

the Fitzroy Falls Trail Marathon in October.

TH CR calender has this one listed on Sept 27 this year - just one week after the Sydney Marathon.

[Anth]

Bumpety bump.

I"m sending in my entry form for this one today and can't wait for it.

Who else is a definite starter? Anyone else going to do the pasta party thing at the Riverine Club the night before?

Does anyone (UltraPhil?) have an idea of what the course is like?

[Reddog]

Bumpety bump.

I"m sending in my entry form for this one today and can't wait for it.

Who else is a definite starter? Anyone else going to do the pasta party thing at the Riverine Club the night before?

Does anyone (UltraPhil?) have an idea of what the course is like?

Hi Anth

I'm in, entered back in April,I was talking to an organiser after the Bush Capital Marathon on Saturday in Canberra, he said the course was flat for the first 10k then some hills until 30k then flat so very doable, see you all at the carbo loading party, looking for a cruisy 4.20- 4.30

[Eagle]

I entered a little while ago. It's a 'healthy' 3 weeks from the M7.

I have teaching on the Saturday in Sydney - so I am trying to work out if I fly down late on Saturday or try to get away earlier than I should and drive late into the night.

Anth we might try to lower that PB again but this time me staying the distance with you.

[Fit&Fast]

I've entered the 10km. Do we receive confirmation or a course map in the mail or on the web?
This is the first of a string of events for me, but as far as I know it is Sun Aug 17, not the 27 Sept.

[djbleakman]

I'm in for this one as well. Another off-road marathon looks like a great reason to have a stroll on a Sunday morning...

[Eagle]

This is next weekend and I thought this thread needed bumping after that small jaunt to the beach is now over.

[Anth]

I'm not normally one for pasta parties but I'll be there on the Saturday night for it, given that I dont know what else is around. Not feeling very amped for the marathon however due to work pressures and poor preparation, but it will be good to see some old and new CR faces.

This post has been edited by Anth: Aug 11 2008, 10:15 AM

[Eagle]

Looks like I will fly down and back. Arriving at 8.10 on Saturday night and catching the 5.15 flight out on Sunday. I guess any pasta party will be over by the time I arrive. I am staying at he place referred to in the enrty form. As I understand it close to the start/finish.

[djbleakman]

Still debating whether to drive or fly. A nice 14kms 'sprint' yesterday in the City to Surf as good prep for this. Far too many people in that though, this will be more like it

[Fit&Fast]

Yes, I just can't bring myself to do the City to Surf run because of the crowds, whcih apparantly don't really thin out - is that true?
A country town fun run can be the best and I'm sure the event organisers will have set us all up a good one, being the first time this one is being done.

[Anth]

Looks like I will fly down and back. Arriving at 8.10 on Saturday night and catching the 5.15 flight out on Sunday. I guess any pasta party will be over by the time I arrive. I am staying at he place referred to in the enrty form. As I understand it close to the start/finish.

Eagle - I'm staying at the same place. Flying in earlier in the day though. If you want I can see if I can sort something out at the pasta party for your consumption when you arrive.

I think that the final of the Men's 100M is on at 12:30am on Saturday night. If I look a little tired at the start line on Sunday, you know why.

[djbleakman]

Yes, I just can't bring myself to do the City to Surf run because of the crowds, whcih apparantly don't really thin out - is that true?
A country town fun run can be the best and I'm sure the event organisers will have set us all up a good one, being the first time this one is being done.

It wasnt so bad if you got yourself up in the red group. Having not done this before I requested a start time, so managed a red bib. But I just found the atmosphere a little strange. Even at the start there were far too many people taking themselves too seriously, and pushing to get to the start of the queue in the holding pens (in the red section that was). I was a bit like "Get over yourself", the chip doesnt start til you cross the line. As for a clear run, well it was OK actually until the last 4kms which are downhill. This is where you should literally fly down, but it was quite funny seeing all those people who'd knackered themselves out doing the first 10kms and had nothing left for the last 4km. Anyway, it was a nice event to do, but I wont be doing it again. I prefer races like the Hunter Valley marathon and looking forward to this one at the weekend. The Hunter race had such a great atmosphere and great cameraderie between runners... prefer these 'smaller' races much more.

[MrD]

Was going to, now not. A shame really, sounds great.

Travel and time a bit much at the moment. Have entered the Hidden half.

Good luck Eagle, Anth and co. You'll rip it.

[Anth]

Was going to, now not. A shame really, sounds great.

Travel and time a bit much at the moment. Have entered the Hidden half.

Good luck Eagle, Anth and co. You'll rip it.

Thanks MrD. It's a shame that you wont be there - I was going to try win some money off the locals by betting on you to win it. I think you're too well known in the Bankstown area for me to try that trick there

[Ultraphil]

Havent been training enough to do the Marathon, but i will see people there and I'll be doing the 10km! Look forward to meeting all of you!

[Eagle]

Eagle - I'm staying at the same place. Flying in earlier in the day though. If you want I can see if I can sort something out at the pasta party for your consumption when you arrive.

I think that the final of the Men's 100M is on at 12:30am on Saturday night. If I look a little tired at the start line on Sunday, you know why.

Anth looks like I will now be driving. Don't even ask why!!

Anyway I still look like I will get there at the same time. By then the pasta party will be well under way/over. I will phone and find you. If the rom has a TV I will also be watching the Olympics. See you there. No predictions but some where around 3.40 - 3.45 will be fine. I think I will enjoy the scenery a bit in this one.

This post has been edited by Eagle: Aug 13 2008, 08:45 PM

[seris]

Come on Ray and Anth.......
Give us your race reports.... anyone home yet?

[Eagle]

Come on Ray and Anth.......
Give us your race reports.... anyone home yet?

Okay. Arrived home about 6.00 last night but watched the Ollympics.

I had some teaching to do on Saturday and so I couldn't leave Sydney until 3.30 pm. I decided to drive . It was picturesque in the late afternoon in the Souther ighland with the yellow wattle in full bloom. Made even more spectatular by the light of the setting sun from the west and dark storm clouds to the west.

Arrived at Wagga at 8.00 am and was staying at was was prevuoisly the Wagga Gentlemans Club build in the 1880's. It maintains a lot of the characteristics and charm from that era. Stayed up and watched the 100 meters final. Wow 9.69! and slowed down to celebtare before the finish.

A late start for the marathon at 8.00am with the temp below zero. A pleasant but tought course with trail running, roads, steep long hills, short sharp hills and a whole lot of other types of terrain. I had no idea aboutthe course and so just ran alone and was steady. The biggest climb between 10 - 15 k was tough and I was not sure if more was to come.

So I just kept it as steady as I could but beause of the changing terrain that was difficult. Made halway in about 1.49. I then started to struggle and was dropping back to past 5.30ks. At 30k we seemed to come into a residentail area. I was told that most of the run home would now be on roads and bike paths. Now that sound more like my style and then manged to pick the pace up and picked up the last time and got home in 3.38 for close enough to an even split.

The last 10k's being the quickest of the day.

Not a flat course but very challenging and varied. Wonderful orgaisation. Well worth the 4/5 hour drive from Sydney.

This post has been edited by Eagle: Aug 18 2008, 07:05 AM

[djbleakman]

Agree with Ray's comments there. This was a toughie. The first and last 10kms were nice and flat, with a few pig stiles thrown in for good measure, but the middle 20kms were very tough gravel tracks and some serious hills. Ray said at the end, "You know you're high when you run past the town's radio past", wise words!

For me personally, I set out with Anth and we ran the first half way too quick, although Anth left me at about 15kms. I came through the first half in 1hr 41min, which I knew was way too quick, and I paid for it on the second half - not helped with a calf strain at around 17kms.

I think I could describe this race as 'character building'. At one point the wheels well and truly came off, and the dummie was firmly spat out, but strangly, the last 7kms were nice and steady and dare I say quite enjoyable. All in, I came in around 3 mins behind Anth, and Ray was lining me up on the home straight, but thankfully the finish saved me!

As with Ray's comments, great race and route, and the organisation was spot on. These guys have spent a lot of time and effort getting it right, and with white arrows every 50metres or so, there were no issues with markings or getting lost at any point. The volunteers were also great and a big thank-you to everyone who took their time out to direct us around the course and provide water. If you're looking for something different, with some great scenery and a friendly well organised race, then you should do this next year.

[Anth]

Thanks to the Wagga Wagga Road Runners for putting on what was an enjoyable weekend away. The pasta party the night before the run was absolutely superb - three courses of homemade soups, pastas and dessert with everyone's tasted catered for (i.e vegan, vegetarian, carnivore) in what was an extremely friendly and welcoming atmosphere. In a similar vein, the race was well organised, with loads of volunteers and aid stations, well marked out with more arrows on display than a fashion show aboard the First Fleet, and the lucky dip at the end saw pretty much everyone taking something home (everyone except djbleakman that is!). Congrats to all involved in the organisation and I hope that this event grows and continues to attract runners from near and far.

The multitude of choices at the pasta party the night before was only outdone by the multitude of terrains that the course itself threw up. Single trails, hills, golf courses, hills, a stretch of sand, a tunnel (!!!), a few bridges, some rock faces, 9 sets of stiles (steps over fences) and some stairs were added to stretches of running through suburbia. It was tough work and for someone who has never run a trail marathon before, it was eye opening. I think the thing I found toughest about the course was that it always seemed to be going up - you had long stretches of uphill running and then any downhill was steep and short, so there was nothing to be gained and no releif from the next uphill stretch. i thought it was like running in an Escher drawing - you know the one where the water is always flowing downwards - this was the inverse.

I went out far too quick in the first half, but did so on the basis of two schools of thought. a) I wanted to push myself hard in the first half and see what I had left in the second half, and b ) I'm navigationally disadvantaged, so when we were running through the woods and trails, I thought it best if I just hung onto the girl in front of me who seemed to know the way. The problem with these schools of thought was a) the terrain belted my body around and left me in a poor shape for the second 21km, and b ) the girl I was following was a national 800m runner and eventual winner of the female race and probably not the person I should have been pacing myself against.

In cricketing terms, my tactics could simply be termed as "poor shot selection".

The second half provided no relief for the body, and I didn't help matters but stumbling a few times in a couple of kilometres, putting more strain on the knees that had already copped a beating. It was simply a case of keeping on, keeping on, and even though I faded even more over the last 5-7km's, I managed to get across the line in 3:33. No PB, an unnecessarily hard way of learning that Eagle's oft-vaunted "even splits" approach is the way to go, but it's another 42km's under the belt and I'm happy that I'm at least consistent in my times of late regardless of terrain.

The performance of the day in the Anth family went to my better half Kaz who put in a very tidy 64 minutes for the 11km race and is looking in good shape for a debut half-marathon in the near future.

Congrats to all who participated on their efforts, and as always it was great to spend some time with a number of CR's (Eagle and djbleakman in particular).

Now for some more ice and rest ahead of Mudgee this weekend.

This post has been edited by Anth: Aug 18 2008, 10:04 AM

[Sludge]

[quote name='Anth' date='Aug 18 2008, 09:59 AM' post='368897']


Just out of curiosity, any idea how many people competed in the marathon?

I'm moving to Wagga in a few months and look forward to joining the running scene in the Riverina.

S.

[Anth]

Just out of curiosity, any idea how many people competed in the marathon?

I think there were approx:

49 for the marathon
120 for the marathon relay
25 for the 10km
a handful for the 3km.

Those figures are merely what I've heard second-hand during conversations on the weekend

[Hymie]

I ran the "10km". First time I've raced over a trail course. I hadn't really known what to expect when I got there. My wife ran the Wagga to Junee about 4 years ago and that was all on roads and I was expecting a similar course. Crossing the styles was interesting, but I have to admit I was kind of over them by the 10th one (5 going out and 5 comming back).

Course was well marked and no chance of getting lost, which was just as well cos' I spent 90% of the run on my own, the front markers cleared well away.

I ran 51.52 and I couldn't work out why my time was so slow. Even though the course was relatively flat, I found the twists and turns and ups and downs hard going. I didn't feel real great during the run and I did have a bit of trouble breathing in the ultra cold air, but I didn't think I was going that poorly, I had been training fairly well. The organisers let us in on a little secret when we got back. The 10km was actually 11km as they had to put the drink station, turn around at a point where they could get vehicle access.

My wife had entered the marathon, but pulled out the night before due to injury.

After the run we went out to the 20km and 30km point to cheer on some friends who were running their first marathon. I made sure I gave a cheer to every cool runner I saw. I agree it looked a tough course, but I think I am keen to step up to the longer distance next year.

A wonderfully organised race, that I would highly recommend.

[Eagle]

After the run we went out to the 20km and 30km point to cheer on some friends who were running their first marathon. I made sure I gave a cheer to every cool runner I saw. I agree it looked a tough course, but I think I am keen to step up to the longer distance next year.

A wonderfully organised race, that I would highly recommend.

I ran in a CR cap and seem to rememer the energy and spirit boosting 'Go Coolrunner' call at both the 20 and 30k's. You may not realise just how much of a boost that call can be.

Try the longer stuff as it is a wonderful way to explore and challenge your perceived limits both physical and mental

This post has been edited by Eagle: Aug 18 2008, 11:17 PM

[djbleakman]

I ran in a CR cap and seem to rememer the energy and spirit boosting 'Go Coolrunner' call at both the 20 and 30k's. You may not realise just how much of a boost that call can be.

Try the longer stuff as it is a wonderful way to explore and challenge your perceived limits both physical and mental

Agreed, it was nice having some cheering as we rocked on through, it does give you a big mental lift! Thanks to all those supporters

[Mick]

got home in 3.38 for close enough to an even split.

Hi Eagle,

Quite impressed that you keep doing regular marathons at 3.3x, how many marathons have you completed, or perhaps you have lost count ?

[Eagle]

Hi Eagle,

Quite impressed that you keep doing regular marathons at 3.3x, how many marathons have you completed, or perhaps you have lost count ?

I have not lost count but I do sometimes have a seniors moment. Wagga was number 95.

In the second half of the year I really run them at a steady controlled pace as a build up to a couple of ultra's. They are training runs but in this sense -

* they are run with no real taper (just two days of no running before but full weeks of training before)
* the pace is steady and even so that I can resume training within a couple of days

After the last ultra usually GNW in mid November I have a short break and then start on the build up for Canberra, McLeay River and Gold Coast where I train for speed (well as much as these old legs will go) and I focus on those 3 marathons as being the fastest of the year if I am injury free etc. After Gold Coast in early July the focus and the training totally changes for the ultra's.

[seris]

Is there a thread for this year? I'm in