2011 Mud Run – A Southern Perspective by Jade Stack

I’ve always been a casual road runner, just running in my own time wherever and whenever I can and I’ve been doing this for 10 years. Living in Sydney led me to casual runs through the botanical gardens, along ocean pathways and around my local area. Moving to the Sunny Coast has seen me do much the same. Running to work 3 days a week and the occasional weekend/night run have really been my routine. I completed a mini triathlon last year and the Bridge to Brisbane and enjoyed both events as they were a bit of fun and gave me something to train for. I guess you could describe me as a casual runner who runs to stay fit and healthy and to clear my head, but nothing serious.

When I decided to visit Cairns for the weekend, a friend of mine suggested I enter the Dirty 30 and Sweaty 60 and he described it as “a bit of fun”. I checked out the website and registered online without a second thought. I was hesitant at my friend’s idea of ‘fun’ as I know he is a sucker for punishment. I knew it would be muddy and fun or muddy and punishing but was happy for it to be all three.

I first got a glance at the track on Saturday morning and was shown the 40m creek dash. Did I seriously have to run up the creek, scramble under cargo nets through the mud and climb up a rope ladder? And what was the black snake all about? These were certainly not part of my running regime at home. I was excited by what I saw but also very nervous knowing my inexperience of trail running. I knew I wanted a challenge, I wanted to get dirty and I wanted to have fun, but I didn’t want an injury and I certainly didn’t want to make a fool out of myself, especially in full view of others. To the more experienced trail runners, you probably didn’t think twice about the event, what’s to think about? Just run. But for me, on my first trail run, I was nervous.

Arriving at the event and seeing very experienced runners ready for the Sweaty 60 made me wonder if I had too much confidence and should have stuck to the Dirty 30. I thought “what the heck” and decided to go for it. The very helpful Sean had offered me some hints and tips and I felt ready to start. My plan of attack was to stick to the same running pace the whole time. I am much more about distance than speed. I would briskly walk up the really steep parts, pick up the pace on the flat parts and step up the mark a bit on the downhill. The first lap nearly killed me and I was wondering why the hell my friend called this ‘fun’. I was sore, my legs were burning and my heart was pumping out of my chest. The creek was fun, the mud was even better but the black snake surely had bite. My second lap found me in a bit of a rhythm and feeling good. When I finished my second lap, I was told that I had 15 minutes left. I knew I wouldn’t finish the third lap in time, but I had the energy to keep going and I did. I was the last to finish, but didn’t care. I kept the same slow pace the whole time and finished without an injury.

I’m now hooked on the idea of trail running and would like to bid farewell to concrete and bitumen as being my only running surface. I now need to find an equivalent club on the Sunny Coast that is just as organised and as fun as Adventure Sport NQ.

Thanks Chris for the idea. Thanks Shane, for being there with your oxygen mask in case I needed it. Thanks Sean for your hints and tips and thanks Muzza for making me laugh on the last lap.