Jons 2005 6-INCH TRACK (ULTRA)MARATHON (45km) page
Next 6-INCH TRACK Marathon is on 16th December 2007...
Results from the first 4 years; 2008 ...2007...2006...2005
The 2005 6-inch Track Marathon was run over about 45km from North Dandalup to Dwellingup on 18th December 2005. The race briefing was at 0400, and soon afterwards 7 intrepid runners started just off Del Park road in this 45km off-road trail run challenge which Dave masterminded back in September 2005.
The 6-inch has a similiar name to the infamous 6-FOOT TRACK marathon in the Blue Mountains near Sydney. Same distance but not quite the same ascents as the 6-FOOT, the similiarities continued with the same number of particiapants in the 6-INCH as there were in the first 6-FOOT back in 1984. The Magnificent Seven on December 18th 2005 A.D., at around 0430hrs who cast moonshadows on the first climb up the severe ascent of Goldmine Hill to the Darling Scarp upper reaches were;
......Dave,......Simon/Cota,......Warren,......Andrew,......Nathan,......Jon/TB777, and ......Suzy.
18th December 2005 RESULTS;
1st Dave 4hrs 02minutes 53 secs
2nd Cota 4hrs 22 min 47 secs
3rd Warren 4 hrs 27min
4th Andrew C 4 hrs 45 min
5th Nathan 5 hrs 25min
6th Jon/TB777 6hrs 25minutes
27km DNF Suzy ...(about 3-4 hours of running?)
On the first tough climb clear patterns of pace immediately emerged. Dave set off at a blistering pace, with Cota,Warren and Andrew working together not far behind. A big gap from there back to Nathan and me who went side by side all the way to the picnic area reaching it in about 7 minutes 50. Suzy (the only woman to attempt this challenge in 2005) was a little further back.
Dave held his lead which was significantly increased when 3 runners took a wrong turn and possibly followed the Munda Biddi in a Northerly direction instead of a Southerly direction. They were not the only ones to have "navigational blips on the radar", but were able to correct quickly enough to get back in front of Nathan, but were never able to catch Dave who went on to win.
At the back of the field me and Suzy battled it out, with me finally deciding to pull away with an attacking move up a small rise just before Del Park Rd. When I saw my Fiancee KL loom up ahead he felt a surge of joy and happiness, (a) to see KL, and (b) because it meant Del Park Rd had finally been reached. According to KL, Nathan had a 16 minute lead over me at the Del Park Rd 17m mark...
For TB777 its 28km and about 4 hours to go!!
This photo above shows me (Jon aka Trailblazer777) entering the clearing about 5-10 metres from the 17km mark, which is the crossing of Del Park Rd after 2 hours 17 minutes or so of running on the gravel of Whittakers Rd and the Munda Biddi Trail.
Photo taken by KL.
As I climbed the hill above Del Park Rd he felt happy, and very motivated, and suddenly had that Shannon Noll song Lift firing things up mentally a little in the head...I worked the hill strongly, and before long was on Scarp Rd near the top of the Darling Scarp again... Soon the welcome sight of Gary his car and new drinks materialized on the side of the dusty gravel Scarp Rd, like an oasis in the desert! Time to refuel. Could not see Suzy but wanted to get going again, so I grabbed two powerades, and then made a crucial error of judgement.
Thinking "hey I really should grab one of the bottles of water, I thought naaah Ive got enough, its 2 hrs 38, and I should be home and hosed well under 6 hours, I will be fine"....WRONG!!!
As a result the last 5-10km more than 2 hours later would prove to be extremely tough as I ran out of fluids, the summer sun beat down, and a combination of muscle cramps,mild dehydration, overheating, and sheer muscular exhaustion would grind me into walking a lot of the last 15km....
to be continued...
Go HERE to 1. read Daves account of the 6-inch written a few days after the race...
2. see Cotas post showing the total ascent and descent of the race to be around 1000m up AND down.
3. Andrews post race thoughts...
4. Jon's thoughts about the 6-inch on 19th December 2005, the day after the race;
Challenges; Turned out to be tougher than I expected, some of the main challenges I encountered;
1. -my right arm cramped up/got very sore about 18km-19km mark just after Del Park Rd... So only had the left arm to help drive me up the hills from there onwards...
2. -The hills between Del Park Rd and Oakley Dam really put me through the wringer.... Ended up walking a lot of the final 15km.
3. -my last hour I was battling mild dehydration, I had run out of water and powerade, and I had "spent all me pennys" in the legs.....
4. -the heat/sun just before Marrinup where the big powerlines are, was significant...but mostly there was plenty of shade so any heatstroke was minor... (it was 32-35 degrees by 1154am according to TV news later that day, and I finished at about 1040ish...)...
5- made a minor navigation error near Whittakers that took me a little off course, but soon rejoined the MundaBiddi...can't believe I missed a turn somewhere especially as I had run that section with Dave on Recon Run #2 a few weeks earlier... [but not as big an error as some others, who decamped on the Munda Biddi in a Northerly direction instead of a Southerly direction?? which handed the lead to Dave...]...
When Dave came out on the mountainbike looking for me I was still a chance to go sub 6 hours (my easy goal time for the race--{my hard goal time if I had trained better was sub 5hrs, although I perhaps would revise that to sub 5hrs30 in hindsight}) at Marrinup if I could have put together sub 6min K's for the rest of the way...but after digging deep for about 13minutes or so...threw in the towel and walked the last 45 minutes or so to the finish... the last 30minutes or so was with my Fiancee who came out to walk to the finish with me...legs just didnt have any juice...
Some positives;
1.- I finished the toughest run/race I have ever attempted and did not let the 6-inch beat me...
2-my new DMH-Hydra hydration pack was comfortable to run with, and pretty much did the job, although I should have stocked up with more fluids at the halfway mark, but thats my error of judgement. So very happy with that.
3.-got to see some very beautiful and varying scenery, including the view looking back from top of Goldmine hill, the conveyer belt, views near Marrinup...
4.-revisited some of the trails and SCARP RD near Whittakers AND OAKLEY DAM where I did hiking camp 1987-1990, some similiar terrain to the Cardiac Arrest Hill between Gooralong and "The Swamp"...
http://www.oocities.org/Colosseum/7549/hikingcamp88.html
5.-was a very special time with my Fiancee who I really appreciated being there for me...
6-had some good chats with Suzy and Kate near Whittakers..., and enjoyed running at an easy pace for a lot of the first 17km to Del Park Rd; 2hrs 17min...
7-enjoyed the solitude and time alone away from the city, especially from Del Park Rd onwards, and enjoyed cranking up the pace running sub 6minutes per km for 4km (Del Park Rd-17km to Drinks stop on Scarp Rd with Gary 21km), and also for a short while before that when I tried to catch up to Cota,Warren and Andrew not long after Whittakers...(had them in sight, but couldn't quite get onto the train...) when they returned from their detour towards Dandalup Dam...
8-The whole experience was rather surreal at times for me in a nice way, and despite coming into the run on less than 2 hours sleep, my 2005 6-inch experience was enormously rewarding, and I am very happy and satisfied to have finished the course...
18th December 2005 RESULTS;
1st Dave 4hrs 02minutes 53 secs
2nd Cota 4hrs 22 min 47 secs
3rd Warren 4 hrs 27min
4th Andrew C 4 hrs 45 min
5th Nathan 5 hrs 25min
6th Jon/TB777 6hrs 25minutes
27km DNF Suzy ...(about 3-4 hours of running?)
See you at 6-INCH TRACK II
on 17th DECEMBER 2006!
LINKS
Genesis of 6-INCH TRACK-WA
6-inch FAQ
6-FOOT TRACK-NSW