Breathtaking Bogong

Sunday January 10, 2010 (Run, Walk, Crawl - 26km)

I have never been to the Victorian alpine country - so what better way to commit to the trip down south than to enter a trail run – the ‘Rooftop Run” – 64km from Mt Bogong to Hotham. I knew I would not be any condition to run the distance so I entered the shortest version that would give me a taste of what this race is about. I had entered the 26km option to the top of Mt Bogong and back, while The Hammer entered the full distance. Based on previous race reports, it promised to be a tough run in a beautiful alpine setting. I had imagined a stroll through the high country knowing that for me it was only ever going to be a test of physical recovery and a training run for Six Foot Track Marathon in March. Arriving on Saturday afternoon and seeing the mountain for the first time gave me butterflies in the stomach. Like all big mountains, Mt Bogong stood imposing in the distance. And to scare me further, record high temperatures were predicted for the 25th running of the Bogong to Hotham trail race.

I knew I would be in for a tough day. It was 35 degrees when we arrived and the temperatures were predicted to be even higher tomorrow. To avoid running in the heat the race start was moved to 5.20 for everyone. After an awful dinner at Bogong Hotel and a restless night sleep we were up at 4.00 am to get ready. We arrived at the Mountain Creek campground at about 4:45 to find runners milling about in the dark, chatting in very hushed tones. Not sure if the hushed chatter was because we were not fully awake or just being careful not to wake up any unfortunate campers who were not running. After picking up our timing tags, few stretches - it was light enough to start. The first two kilometres of the run are on a narrow flat dirt road with several creek crossings. The track was wide enough to accommodate the runners without crowding, but I found the early morning grey light difficult as my contacts don't work so well in the poor light. Being careful not to trip early I was slow getting to the start of the climb up The Staircase, a 7km trail to the top of Mt Bogong.The elevation gradient on this section ranged from 16% to 20%. I very quickly found out that indeed my heart can fit through my throat and sit thumping between my ears for quite some time. Thankfully the temperature was lovely and cool while the trail was in tree cover for at least four and a half kilometres. I was breathless most of the time partly though the exertion of clambering up the steep gradient and partly through the stunning views of the sunrise hitting the valley below glimpsed through the trees as I continued to climb. By 6km into the run the group had pretty much sorted itself out, I had stopped a few times to take pictures and let quicker climbers get past. Once above the tree cover the mountain top can be seen sitting proudly in a lovely blanket of alpine flowers and short tufting grasses carpeting the ground amongst the granite boulders. I was elated to be so close to the top and feeling great I wandered off daydreaming when I noticed that the trail was dropping down and I still had not reached the summit. Also the runners that were in front of me and behind me had disappeared. I could hear some distant shouting; I turned around to see the summit behind me. Doh... I missed the deviation to the timing tag at the top of Mt Bogong so I turned around and ran back to the top with a steady stream of runners passing me. I made it to the summit, quick picture and register with the marshals and I was off in almost last place down the 4km section to Cleve Cole Hut where I was going to turn around. Again I started daydreaming about how beautiful this must look in winter when you could cross country ski across this open saddle. I found it difficult to run this section as the track was only about 10 inches wide and lots of sharp rocks protruding. I was carefully picking my way through being mindful of how I got injured previously. So a slow descent through the trees to reach the hut in 3 hours. I was a bit disappointed with the time but I kept reminding myself of what my goals were - test the body, not get hurt and enjoy the scenery. So far these goals where ticked. The track back to Bogong from the hut seemed to go forever and knowing I was alone made me wander if I was on the right track. But before too long I could see the marshals waiting for me to pass before they could leave the mountain. They ticked me off and informed that there was one more runner behind me. Yippee I was not going to be the caboose. The breeze on top of the mountain was lovely but the sun was out and I could feel it burning the back of my legs, so I was keen to get down to the tree cover as quick as possible. I fell over almost as soon as I started the descent. Skin off the left knee and left hand but not a big fall so I was good to get going quickly. The descent down the mountain was even trickier that the climb, the steepness was almost nauseating for someone who does not like heights. I focused on small section of the trail in front rather then looking down. But for the most part I was going down sideways to stop myself from sliding down. It amazed me how quickly the caterpillars were back out on the trail, dangling in my face, getting caught on my cap and shirt. I let go of any time goals and just focused on running the section I could safely run, which were not many, and controlled sliding down the rest. Five hours twenty and I was off the mountain and back on the road leading to the campground. I thought if I run this hard I can probably finish in less than five hours thirty minutes. The road was in full sun and I felt great to stretch out and run without fear of tripping or falling over. I ran through all the creeks on the way and got to the finish in 5:32. Very happy with my effort - no pain a little skin missing but nothing serious, I survived the climb up and the slide down. Temperature was 32 degrees when I finished at 11 am and the March flies, whilst slow moving, were fierce biters. Almost as soon as I was in the car I thought how great it would be to come back, fully fit and give the whole course a go, but not on a day like today. The Victorian alpine country is stunning. The Hammer like many others suffered in the heat and did not make the cut at 35km where he was very relieved to stop and wait to be picked up. The winning male finished in 7:20 and the winning female in 9 hours. A truly impressive effort by both winners.
A long soak in the cool waters of the creek, with kids floating past me on inflated tyre tubes, capped off a great day in the mountains for me.