Marcus Volz's blazing 100km

Mega congratulations to online runner Marcus Volz on his awesome 100km result 10.24.53 in the Ned Kelly 100km on 25/10/15. See below for his great race re-cap. 

Thank you Justin & Sharon Scholz for putting on this amazing event and for referring Marcus to us - coached by Chris Truscott. If you are wanting to complete your debut ultra or improve further, please contact Greta or Chris Truscott to chat further. Also take a look at Justin & Sharon's marvellous events via these websites: 

www.nedkellychase.com.au

www.wangarattamarathon.com.au

Here's Marcus' insightful 100k race recap:

The 'Ned Kelly Chase', a 100k ultra marathon, had a 'choose your own start time', the goal being to finish at 2pm. For first-timers like me, estimating how long it might take to run 100km wasn't easy--I had a stab and went with 12 hours.

I had barely any sleep the night before the race, which wasn't ideal given the start time. I got up feeling groggy and nervous, but managed to stomach a banana and some toast with honey.

As we drove to the start line I saw people queuing to get into a pub in the main street of Wangaratta. I wondered whether I would be better off in the queue, as the prospect of spending the next 10-12 hours running through the bush in rural Victoria was a little overwhelming.

After a quick briefing from Justin, one of the race directors, our group set off at 2am on the first of two 50k 'out-and-backs'.

I went out fairly hard to stay with the leaders of my wave who were setting a fast pace, and got to the 25k turnaround point in good time. It was going to be a hot day, and getting as much distance as possible under my belt early seemed like a good idea. I was on top of my nutrition, periodically taking in energy bars, gels and bloks, and getting what I could from the aid stations.

At  30k I started having stomach issues, and spent the next few kilometres keeping my eyes out for a toilet. No luck, and after a prolonged stretch of discomfort I had no choice but to venture into the wilderness. The excursion cost me a few minutes, but after that I picked up the pace, and by the time I reached the marathon distance I was feeling great.

At the halfway mark I was back where I started, but now it was daylight. I saw my family for the first time since the start of the race, which spurred me on. The 50k runners were getting ready to start their race, and they showed their support as I ran past.

By now I was fading slightly, but I sparked up at 60k, which marked a personal milestone, as I had never before run beyond that distance and every step from there was new territory for me. I continued to be vigilant about my nutrition, even though eating was becoming less and less appealing.

Over the many months of training for this event I experienced peak moments--particularly during organised events--in which running felt easy, almost effortless. There were also low periods where I felt exhausted and mentally drained, when the monotony of running day after day was taking its toll. At about the 65k point I began to oscillate mentally between both states, at times feeling great and at other times not so great. I had been told to expect that I would feel very low at some point late in the race, and had prepared for the mental challenge as best I could.

At the 75k turnaround point I was feeling physically and mentally stable, although my pace was dropping as fatigue really began to set in. I pushed on, continuing to take in food and water, and looking out for my family and friends, who surprised me at various points along the course. I was optimistic that I could finish, but it wasn’t going to be easy--the temperature, which had been gradually rising all day, was not far off 30 degrees.

The last 10k was the toughest of my life. It was hot, I was very fatigued and I was struggling to keep a solid pace. I thought of all of the effort I had put into training over the last six months--the Sunday long runs, the speed and hill sessions, the early morning and late night runs; on roads and trails, in the heat and the freezing rain. It would take a lot to stop me from finishing now.

After 10 hours and 25 minutes of running I finally crossed the finish line. Six months of training had culminated in this moment, and I was more than happy with the result, having exceeded my expectations. Along the way I had great support from my family, the volunteers, spectators and fellow runners.

I'd like to thank Chris and the Run With Us Online team for the fantastic service they provided. They put together a highly detailed training plan that mapped out every run, personally tailored to my capability and experience. In addition to the plan, Chris gave me invaluable advice throughout my training, such as the importance of nutrition/eating in a 100k, pacing, recovery, shoes and equipment, and whether or not to run my first 50k after a bad case of food poisoning. It was reassuring to know that I was getting advice from experienced professionals.

I haven’t decided where to take my running from here, but I would like to significantly improve my marathon time, and after a great run at the Glasshouse 50k I am also interested in doing more trail running. Either way, I will continue to run regularly for fitness, enjoyment and the positive experiences that running provides.

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If you are wanting to complete your debut ultra or improve further, please contact Greta or Chris Truscott to chat further: greta@runwithusonline.com.au or chris@runwithusonline.com.au