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Mt Bogong To Mt Hotham 60 Km Trail Run

Report by Ian Wright

This year was the second time I have participated in this event. If you are unfamiliar with the race and decide to have a go next year, there is a lot of information on the web.

The route follows part of the Alpine Walking Track which in its entirety winds its way 680 km from Walhalla in the ranges east of Melbourne to Tharwa in the ACT. The event starts at Mountain Creek near the town of Mount Beauty in Victoria and proceeds to the summit of Mt Hotham via Victoria’s highest peak Mt Bogong and thence across the Bogong High Plains. The High Plains and the surrounding peaks are covered in one to two metres of snow from June to October. Over a 60 km course there is 3200 m of ascent and 1800 m of descent.

What makes this race especially challenging is the 5.5 hour cut off at the 34 km mark (it sounds easy but by this stage you will have ascended 2300 m and descended 1300 m) - there is definitely no time for sightseeing in the first half. Since 1994 there has never been more than 11 finishers for the entire distance - finishing times usually range from 7.5 to 10 hours. This year there were 23 runners that nominated for the full distance (there is an option of running only half the course); 10 finished and 8 did under 9 hours.

Amongst the finishers were: -

• Nigel - former world rogaining champion and national 100 km champion
• Martin - second in last years Glasshouse Mountains 160 km ultra
• Kelvin - “I was a bit tired as I ran a Marathon race last Monday”
• Jonathon - strong performances in the Hardrock 160 km race in the USA and other trail runs
• David Turner - sub 4 hours in the Six Foot Track trail run
• Rudi - in the 10 days before the race ran first half & back one day (68k) and second half and back on another (52k)
• Richard - New Zealand Coast to Coast finisher

….so, perhaps I should retract my last years article in which I played down the sort of running background needed to complete this event ?

Mike Grayling was the new race manager this year and got us all started at 6:30 am. The weather for the ascent of Mt Bogong was clear and warm but past Cleve Cole Hut we descended into a warm fog band. David Turner stuck with me as I knew the way and this was his first time - but I could sense that he was cruising as he had time for the occasional photo. I stopped for a few minutes after 2.5 hours to eat a jar of “the good stuff”. David was worried about the cutoff but I knew we would be OK provided we didn’t take a wrong turn. After wading across Big River the track up Duane Spur was easy to find - unlike last year. This is a relentless 900 metre climb to Ropers Hut, which we did at a fast walk. We were in the fog again from this point to the southern edge of the Bogong High Plains above Cobungra Gap - about 25 km. Fortunately this was not too much of a problem as the route from here on follows snow pole markers that are spaced about 50 meters apart all the way to Mount Hotham, though there are some confusing junctions with roads and other pole lines, which may require reference to a map if a course marshal is not present. We reached the cutoff point with 20 minutes to spare.

Meanwhile, a small drama had unfolded further back in the field. Sean Greenhill fell heavily on Mt Bogong sustaining a deep laceration to his knee and was assisted back to the start. After getting Sean’s leg stitched up at Mount Beauty hospital, Sean and Mike Grayling proceeded to the halfway point in the mini-bus containing the runners’ drop bags. Understandably therefore, they arrived too late for some of the leading runners.

After I had consumed another jar of “the good stuff” and a bottle of soft drink, David and I kept running - we were last to start the second leg of the run. At the Omeo road we were on the High Plains again; even the pole line was difficult to see in the thick fog but fortunately there was a marshal to point the way. I started to fade a bit here and David soon disappeared from sight as he felt more confident about the route. The track did not allow a steady stride - it was too narrow and I was constantly clipping my ankles together; out of the track was tussock and heath. For a while I was telling myself that I would never run this course again - it was just too demanding - I just wanted to finish.

I passed two weary runners near Mount Jim and coasted down the long descent to the Cobungra River leaving the fog and grasslands behind. It had taken 7.5 hours to here and after another 8 km and a long ascent which fortunately coincided with a surge in my energy levels and renewed enthusiasm, I reached the finish at Mount Hotham; eighth in 8h 57 m - six minutes quicker than last year. It was 11 degrees and foggy again and I was shivering as we waited for the bus and our gear. Fortunately, Pat Pelly was there kindly providing support as he has for most of the 14 previous races and we were all very glad for all the old clothes he produced from his car - though what must the locals have thought of a haggard looking group shuffling around Mt Hotham village in old dressing-gowns and blankets.

Nigel Aylott won in convincing style in 7h 31m with Rudi Kinshofer second in 8h 4m.

It is a great event and it is logistically difficult to organise - thankyou Mike and all the helpers.

Ian Wright
Canberra, Australia

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