Puffing Billy's Great Train Race 2016

Thirteen-point-five kilometres.

Two hundred and fifty metres of elevation gain.

These are not words that usually strike fear in the heart of ultra runners. I've been on "recovery" runs longer than 13.5K, with twice the amount of elevation. So why did I have pre-race jitters in my legs and stomach?

Because, thirteen-point-five kilometres with two hundred and fifty meters of elevation gain is a bastard of a distance when you're racing it, that's why. And I was about to re-discover this all over again, having not fronted up to Puffing Billy's Great Train Race since squaring the ledger at 1-1 with the train back in 2012.

In beating the train in 2012, I managed 56 minutes dead, back when the course was 13km. It had since been extended by around 500m, apparently for safety purposes (although the particular part of the course they have cut out seems fine to me). Given there was an extra 0.5km, I was hoping to finish around the same time, i.e. 56 minutes. For that to happen, I'd need to run just under 4:10/km on average, although with the nature of the course, there would have to be a few sub-4 minute kms thrown in there on the downhills.

A good contingent of Dandenongs Trail Runners had made their way to the start line in Belgrave. In the four person 'DTR Rockets' team I was a part of, we had Jonathan Coles, Davern White and Lauren Starr (Coles White Starr - sounds like some private label supermarket brand). Jonathan was with me in the first seeded group, with Davern and Lauren joining the other DTRs in the second group.*

The DTR crew

(L-R: Cassandra, Christian, Cameron, Jonathan, me, Lauren)  

As Jonathan and I lined up nervously near the start line, we observed that the train driver seemed to have his game face on. And he was disconcertingly young - not an old jovial fellow with a big belly and bigger beard (so in other words, he wasn't Santa Claus). If push came to shove, we thought, this driver would have no hesitation doing both. We'd find out just how prophetic that observation would be in a little more than 56 minutes' time.

After the customary rendition of Advance Australia Fair by Mike Brady (no, not that one), we were off, with the first 1.2km a downhill dash to the foot of the first hill. This first climb goes for about 1.7km at 4% and I felt pretty good, averaging 4:10/km on the climb and getting through the first rail crossing ahead of the train. About a kilometre into the following descent, I passed 4km in 15:30 - 35 seconds ahead of my planned split. Hmmm, had I gone out too hard?

There's more descending between the 4km and 5km marker, before the biggest hill on the course, which starts soon after 5km. The hill, the second part of Selby-Aura Road and Menzies Road, is 2.25km at 5% average gradient, but there are sections that are probably 10% or more. I was pushing pretty hard on this hill and passed a number of people, but I was about 5 seconds per kilometre slower than I'd planned, so I was hoping this wasn't the beginning of the end. Just before the Menzies Road section, I went through the second rail crossing and asked a volunteer if we were still ahead of the train. Yes, by about three minutes, came the reply.

The climb dispensed with, there was then a sharp descent (400m @ 12%) to the third rail crossing. Through that, and then a small rise and descent, bringing you to the start of the final climb (it feels weird calling these 'climbs' after what we tackle on the trails, but bear with me, here). Somewhere in that section, I passed my 8km split about 45 seconds ahead of plan. But I was starting to pay for it with my legs feeling heavier and heavier.

The last climb is the most gentle - 1.7km at 3%, but again, there are some steeper sections in it. Near the end of it, at 10km, is the final rail crossing. About 300m before the crossing, a sound entered my consciousness and it took me a while to realise it was a steam engine. That didn't sound like three minutes any more! I focused on the crossing and looked for signs that the volunteers were going to stop the runners. They weren't.... yet. My pace, which had been a steady 4:30/km on this climb, shot up to 3:55/km and I got through the crossing and soon after that, the end of the climb.

That little 300m interval before the crossing felt like it maxed out my legs. As I started the 3km descent to the finish line, there were people passing me and I couldn't respond. I wasn't even looking at my watch any more - splits be damned - I was just focused on running as fast as I could to beat that infernal machine into Emerald Lakeside Park. I could hear its whistle and its engine and you could sense the mild panic starting to spread amongst the runners nearby. I got some sort of rhythm back, though, and as I passed the 12km marker, all I was thinking was "1500m to go - you can do this!".

You enter Lakeside Park at 12.5km with a steep descent. I flew past a few people on the downhill (thankyou, trail running) and cursed the extra distance added to the race. Pushing very hard, it wasn't until I had about 500m to go that I allowed myself to admit that I'd be beating the train. There's a final, very short, sharp rise to the finish line and I passed at least three people struggling up it, but by that stage, I don't think individual places were important - we only cared about beating one specific competitor.

I crossed the line in 55:04, in 142nd place (of 2,742 runners). A PB by one minute, on a course that measured 540m longer than the last time I raced it. To put it in perspective, I later used my GPS data to estimate that I would have run approximately 53:10 on the old course. I always thought a 53:xx time was beyond me. Today, I got lucky, with some good conditions and an injury and illness-free preparation.

About a minute later, I saw the train driver run past the finish line and then I noticed Jonathan, who was out of breath. He explained that the driver pipped him by about 20 metres, after unleashing a devastating sprint on fresh legs in the closing stages. It was still a two minute PB for Jonathan, but his disappointment was palpable after coming so close.** We then saw Davern come in and all three of us were ushered away from the finish area which was getting pretty congested. It started to rain and we headed off to find our bags and warm clothing. A few minutes later, Lauren completed the DTR Rockets' race and we later found out we finished in the top 10 teams (10th of 49). What a performance!

I had entertained the notion of running back to Belgrave after the race, but even before the rain got heavier and the temperature dropped a few degrees, I decided there was no way I was in shape to do that. I had nothing left to give and was just looking forward to putting my feet up and getting a coffee (or three) into me. Lauren and I joined fellow DTR Cassandra and a friend of hers on the first train back, as the inclement weather set in. To say I'd made the right call not to run back is a massive understatement.

So, after the 2016 edition of the Great Train Race, the score reads: Cimdins 2 - 1 Puffing Billy. One part of me would like to retire in front and this year's result gives me a chance to do that. On the other hand, I've got many years of running ahead of me and pulling the pin in my 30s seems a little silly, all for the sake of preserving a lead over a train that could beat me hands down if the driver really wanted to.

The other thing that can't be underestimated when it comes to this event is its point of difference with almost all other races. I will never win a race, unless the field is incredibly thin. In the Great Train Race, however, I'm not really racing the other runners - I'm racing the train. And that's a contest I can win, given the right circumstances. It's hard to explain, but that makes a big difference to me. I feel something that I don't feel when I'm just racing against other runners. And on the two occasions I've crossed the line before the train driver, the sense of satisfaction is enormous. In fact, I'd go so far as to say my 2016 Great Train Race is the high water mark of my short running career.

Wouldn't I want to feel that buzz again? Let's see what the future brings.

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Postscript: it is now a bit more than a week  since I took on the train and this race has left me battered and bruised like no other race of its distance. I have pulled up better from 50km ultras. I arguably pulled up better from the 100km Surf Coast Century. Being in a close race with the train is relentless - when you get to the top of the hills, you just run harder down them to extend your lead or to make up lost time. I guess that's why it's so damned satisfying.

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* Davern did well just to make the start line. A tree across the Metro train tracks just outside Ringwood had Davern and many other runners scrambling for taxis early on Sunday morning. 

** According to the official times of each runner, Jonathan finished with a faster time than the train driver. Maybe he was delirious when he approached the finish line... 

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