Running 106km Around Australia’s Alpine Apex

Back in December, ultra-distance runner Giles Penfold completed the Kosci100 – but not without a touch of suffering. Here’s why he’ll be back again this year.

 

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Walgalu and Ngarigo People who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

The Race

The Kosci100 is one of four trail race distances organised by Ultra Trail Kosciusko (by UTMB), with the 30km, 50km, and 165km versions all taking place on the same weekend.

The 2023 edition was its second year running, starting and ending in the village of Thredbo in the NSW Snowy Mountains. I was one of 614 runners who laced up on a cool December morning to take on a formidable course – 106.4km long, with an elevation gain of 3055m – that included reaching the summit of Mount Kosciuszko, at 2228m, Australia’s highest peak.

614 slightly insane people! | @koruptvision

My (Ambitious) Goal

I wanted to clock under 13 hours – ambitious, but I rated my training in the lead-up to the race consistent enough to dare to dip my hand into the jagged jar labelled RISK. Playing it safe has got me to the finish in ultras many times – this time, I intended to tinker with my comfort zone, to push hard, and really test my limits.

My second intention was to stay present and soak up every moment, no matter what. As a sort of antidote to the punishing mind games and self-doubt that had dogged me before, I’d strive to focus on the sensory experience: the stunning landscape, the smell of the bush, the rhythm of my foot fall, the wind in my face.

My additional goal was to acknowledge and thank the volunteers at the aid stations. Without them, events such as this aren’t possible. It’s something you tend to forget when you’re doing your best to stay alive.

Something I Didn’t Anticipate

That there’d be 70km/h winds in the morning, high temperatures, and little cloud cover in the middle of the day, and a fierce thunderstorm in the afternoon.

Heat and exposure proved a cruel combination for which I wasn’t prepared. At 9am, I arrived at Charlotte’s Pass (26km) drenched and dehydrated.

My Dad, who’d driven the 500km from Sydney the previous day to act as support crew, asked how I was feeling.

‘Yeah, not bad’, I lied.

Cool, cool, cool, cool – everything is fine | Photo by Tim Bardsley-Smith

By noon, it felt like the sun and rugged terrain had taken a contract out on my life. Over the next eight hours or so, it proved impossible to replenish the fluid I’d lost. Maybe a drone flying next to me, drip-feeding me two litres of electrolytes an hour, might’ve done the trick.

It was some comfort to meet plenty of my fellow runners as deep in the hurt locker as I was, yet fighting to keep going. Eighty-five clicks in, there was a gorgeous stretch of 20km between aid stations where I passed nine runners, all walking, all smoked. Sean, an Irishman I’d shared a few kilometres with earlier, was among them.

‘Do it for the zombies!’ he called out as I ran by. I can only hope I did the undead proud.

Where I Stuffed Up

My desire to flirt with discomfort got the better of me. I took it out too hard and suffered as a result. On the upside, it’s empowering when you’re forced to rely on your mind to help pull you through and you do.

The first 5km of the course required us to climb 650m. As I pushed, endeavouring to stay close to the lead runners, my poles ripped into the ground and my lungs heaved as if I were sprinting. The sprawling views over the valley proved a spectacular distraction from the internal dialogue of, ‘Shit, am I cooking my race here already?’.

About an hour in, I reached the summit of Kosciuszko.

Can’t believe I ran to the top of Kosci | @koruptvision

White zebra stripes of show punctuated the grey 360° panorama. It was here I realised there was a price to pay for running 5km at tempo pace, at elevation. I felt lethargic and dizzy – and only had another 100km to go. How good!

It was a solid suffer-fest up until kilometre 65, where my legs finally came back to life.

The Best Moments

Having my Dad crew for me was special. As a former runner who’d wrecked himself going a little too hard back in the day, he’s no fan of my ‘self-sabotaging’ to run vast distances. I did my best to hide how terrible I felt during the race, because parents love to worry too much, but I was grateful to have him there.

The beautiful and unforgiving landscape of Kosciuszko National Park was a high point (pun intended).

Much of the course hugged the Snowy and Thredbo Rivers, taunting me to dive into their icy waters headfirst to cool down and slake my thirst.

A goosebump moment was running past a gaggle of supporters by the side of the trail at the 90km mark. The five cheered as loudly as they could, one woman’s yells of ‘You’re my hero!’ somehow sent a surge of energy through my body. It’s wild how just a few loud people can psych you up so much.

What I Learned

The beauty of Mount Kosci and its environment will truly take your breath away – but for a lung-busting experience, try running 106km through it at an ill-advised pace. I suffered immensely because of it.

It left me breathless in inspiring and challenging ways | Photo by Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB

Looping back on my initial goal, I didn’t tick off the STAY PRESENT box at all times, but I did put a healthy dent in it. The name of the game wasn’t to remain perpetually grounded and present, but to observe and understand what was going on in my noggin.

The more I did this, the better I became at noticing when a seed of thought was worth watering or burning. Remaining attentive to the thoughts that flowed through my mind had compounding effects on my performance and demeanour. I struggled less and ruminated more. The key learning was the power of reflection over reaction.

Reflection > reaction | Photo by Tim Bardsley-Smith

Why I’ll Go Back

I have unfinished business at UTK. I was given a painful lesson in 2023 – next time, I want to feel comfortable for 80% of the race, running within myself, only gently pushing the boundaries.

I’ll never tire of the rugged beauty of these wild areas. The Snow gum forests, boulders, lakes, rivers, and peaks added to what was already an incredible experience.

The volunteers were caring and engaged, and the energy of everyone involved was infectious, sometimes making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Thousands of people coming together to celebrate trail running and the immense challenge never gets old. The atmosphere at UTK was electric, and I know I’ll be back.

See you again soon! | Photo by Tim Bardsley-Smith

The 2024 edition of Ultra-Trail Kosciusko will take place on the 28th & 29th of November. For more info and to sign up, check out the Ultra-Trail Kosci website.

And to find more races, head to our event calendar!