How to survive Triple Top Mountain Run – Learn from my mistakes

Triple Top Mountain Run is renowned for chewing up and spitting out those who dare to take it on. I’ve had my fair share of tough times during my three runs at this event. Despite my limited experience, I’ve made enough blunders to offer some valuable advice on avoiding similar mishaps. So, here’s my guide on successfully completing the race and enjoying the journey.

Course Description

I divide the race into three clear segments. The first is a matter of survival and self preservation. The second is a time to unleash and race if you have the energy. And the final part is the treacherous descent where you essentially fall down a mountain. This can either be the most fun or the most torturous depending on how you paced the previous sections and your downhill running fitness. I like to pace the run based upon these three sections.

Part 1 – Survival and Self Preservation

The day begins with a bus ride from the Claude road hall to the start line. The bus gains considerable elevation but don’t let that fool you, there’s plenty more climbing to come. The runners start at 10am an hour after the walking category. It is tough from the beginning going straight up a massive hill. You take off up a steep road which gives runners time to spread out. After about 1.5km the road ends and it’s onto single track.

On the single track overtaking is difficult. Be wary of having someone running behind as this can make you run faster than you should and it’s still early days at this stage. It is fun and technical and the runnable trails turn into rock scrambling as you pass around the summit of Mt Claude, the first of the three mountains. After passing Mt Claude there is a a section of reasonably runnable trails, this section between Claude and Vandyke is some of the most runnable single track.

It is wise to conserve some energy along this section as there is an monstrous climb ahead. The climb up Vandyke is steep and brutal and still relatively early in the race. This steep climb has been the cause of my past struggles which I will elude to later. My personal strategy is to save myself till after this climb. I consider this to to the crux of the race, it is a hill that can destroy the arrogant (me). Unless you have been smashing the hills I’d suggest taking it easy up this one and saving yourself for the many hurdles to come. Once past this climb the trail is more easy going with no more significant steep climbs.

Part 2 – Along the back of Roland

After conquering that challenging climb, the trail levels off a bit as it crosses over the range toward the Vandyke summit. Upon reaching the Vandyke summit and beginning your descent, you might find a creek with water if there has been recent rain in the area, although I wouldn’t rely on it. This is the moment to increase your intensity if you still have some energy left. It’s an ideal time to begin to overtake those who went our hard and blew themselves up.

When I mention that the trails are runnable, some might question that, but in comparison to the rest of the course, these sections are more manageable. There is even some board walk and a mini aid station with fruit and lollies. After passing the mini aid station the trail gradually climbs up the back of Mt Roland at a runnable gradient if you are still in good shape. The trail climbs nearly to the summit of Mt. Roland and then takes a sharp right turn through some rocky, scrambly sections that require a bit of climbing. One of these sections can be quite challenging, usually with SES volunteers ensuring everyone makes it through safely. Soon, you’ll be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the valley below. Your destiny awaits, as you’re about to descend around 1000 meters in roughly 5 kilometers – a near reverse vertical kilometer.

Part 3 – The Descent

The face track has quite a reputation and for good reason. It is hardly a track and more of a shaley boulder field. This section needs to be taken with a degree of caution, taking a fall here could end particularly badly. It is often necessary to use hands to grab onto branches and steady yourself on rocks. I have had sore arms after this race from swinging and grabbing. If you are confident descending technical terrain this is a time to fly and overtake many people. After the initial steepness, the track descends into the forest, where it becomes less steep, and you can run more comfortably.

If your quads aren’t already smashed to pieces this is time to go full beast mode and smash the downs. Having the ability to run fast through this section can gain you many positions overtaking the many fallen soldiers. The forest is less steep and before you know it you are onto the road. There is a small aid station here. Don’t stop unless you really need to, you are so close now, it’s time to send it to end it.

The final few kilometers along the road are lightning-fast. If you have any energy left, you go full throttle to the finish. The road provides clear visibility of other runners ahead, which can motivate you to catch up. As you approach the finish line, more spectators will cheer you on, providing that extra push to complete the race. At the base of the road, take a sharp left turn and run the last few meters to cross the finish arch. You will be handed a cider and given access to free Lions Club sausages, what a way to finish a race.

My Race History

Year 1 – The Near Death Experience

I was naive and arrogant the first time I ran this event. With limited knowledge of the course I took off fast and got stuck running in a group way faster than I should have. By the time I reached the Vandyke climb I was in a bad way. I struggled to even walk up the hill at at snails pace while resisting the urge to vomit. When I finally reached the top of the climb I looked at my watch and saw that I had only run 7km, this broke me.

From this point it was a death march to the end that kept getting worse. I stopped caring about racing and went into survival mode. The heat of the day was getting to me and I was nearly out of water. A highlight of the day was meeting Dave Lennon and Wouter and bonding over our shared ordeal. All of us had bonked and were dragging our corpses to the end.

As we approached the face track the cramping began. A mate had offered me some crampfixx to try before the race but I left it in the car after saying ‘I never get cramps’. Descending the face track while experiencing extreme cramping is not an easy task. My legs could not be trusted as they spasmed at random. I was overtaken by so many on this final stretch.

Thankfully at the road I was able to get some much needed water then continue on the final stretch. The cramps still menaced me the whole run down and even coming into the finishing chute. I finished completely ruined.

My condition went downhill and I hit rock bottom as I lay on the ground regurgitating my lions club sausage. I sought the first aid people, they insisted that I had drank too much electrolytes?? I suspect it was the opposite in hindsight. Thankfully a friend was able to drive me back to Launceston but I was in no state to return to Hobart. I called in sick to work the following day.

My finish time was 2:48 and I had experienced ego death through running.

Year 2 – Redemption

I approached my second attempt with trepidation. The trauma was still ever present in my mind. My new approach involved carrying extra water and being extremely conservative with my pacing. This is the year that I first broke the race into stages and decided that there would be no racing till after the Vandyke climb. I had many friends participating this year so the urge to race was strong but I practiced self discipline, lest I repeat my past mistakes.

I started running with Ziggy keeping a conservative conversational pace. It was a whole new enjoyable experience compared to the previous year. I was able to take in the scenery and enjoy the company in relative comfort. Before I knew it I was at the climb that had previously broken me. I steadily hiked up feeling good and strong.

Now I was past my greatest psychological barrier I increased my pace and started overtaking people. It was such a fun experience. I soon caught another friend Dan who was struggling somewhat, we ran together for some time till I left him in my wake. Approaching Roland summit I saw Kev out in front and foolishly yelled out ‘I’m coming for you Kev’. He didn’t even look back and just took off, I didn’t see him again till the end.

This time the descent down Roland face track was so much fun and a highlight of my day. I was still suffering the pains of downhill running, but it was the good pain of racing hard. At the base of the hill on the final stretch of road I saw James out ahead and ran as hard as I could trying to catch him to no avail.

I finished in a time of 2:33. It was hard to believe that I improved by 15 minutes when I started the race practically walking. This race highlighted to me the importance of racing smart and being sensible with pacing.

Year 3 – Joyful Running

I ran the race for the third time last year. This time I approached it with a great deal more fitness and experience but a lot of fatigue. I ran the South Coast track 2 days prior with Piotr, so I went in with no expectations around performance. I paced even more conservatively from the start and it resulted in an extremely fun day out running in the rainy conditions. My easy start meant that as I warmed up I felt better and I finished feeling strong, a rare occurrence in this race.

I finished in 2:38:27. No improvement on my time, but it was close given the hectic conditions. I am surprised by my performance since I had absolutely ruined my body a few days earlier. I’ve done a full post about that day if you want to read further.

Pacing

As you have probably gathered, my approach these days it to go easy till the top of the Vandyke climb. This climb ruined me on my first run and it’s still so early in the race. Pacing this race conservatively will guarantee you have a fun day out and will no doubt get a better time than the alternative of going out hard and blowing up.

My suggestion is to start out super easy on the first climb, this will prevent you getting caught up in amongst the super fit and/or silly runners early on. There is plenty of time for overtaking people later and it is much more enjoyable overtaking rather than being overtaken. Once you’ve passed the Vandkye climb then start to up the pace and let the race begin.

Specific Training

I suggest implementing some specific training in the lead up to this event. Obviously you need to have general fitness, I won’t tell you how to get fit but consistent running definitely helps. I recommend you add the following into training as the event approaches.

• Downhill running
  • Plan a long run with a fast long downhill finish
  • Try to find long consistent downhills to run (Breakneck trail, Old Hobartians are good options for those in Hobart)
  • Do downhill workouts that leave you with DOMS in your quads, the short term pain will be worth it on race day
• Climbing
  • Uphill interval sessions (suggestion 4 x 3min up, 3 min down, add reps as you progress, up to 8 reps)
  • Increase overall elevation gain in your peak training weeks, aim for at least 1200m a week
• Technical terrain
  • Get out running on technical trails
  • Seek rocky steep scrambly trails (Hunters track and Breakneck are good Hobart options)
  • The only way to get better at running on technical trails is through practice
• Run the course
  • If possible get out on the course for a training run
  • Course knowledge is extremely beneficial
  • Specificity is important, and running the course is the most specific training you can do

Fuel and Hydration

I believe a large factor that contributed to my first time bonk was dehydration. I only carried 1l of fluids and it was no where near enough for me on a warm day. The next year I raced with a bladder filled with 1.5l of water with electrolytes and faired much better. Hydration is highly personal and you should know what you need to get through knowing that water may be hard to find out on the trail. Don’t make the same mistake as me by not carrying enough, it will end badly with cramping and vomiting. If you have any remedies such as crampfixx that you know work for you then definitely bring them along.

Most people will be taking 2.5 – 4 hours or longer to run the course. I always carry some form of fuel on any run longer than 1.5 hours. I personally like to get a lot of calories in with gels and drink mix on fast races like this. If you aren’t used to gels be sure to carry at least some form of food to see you through.

Caffeine can also be helpful on a race of this length. Some additional focus and energy from caffeine can be a life saver for the final descent. Remember than caffeine takes 20 minutes to kick in. Whenever there is a nice runnable section or a climb make the most of the opportunity by getting something down the hatch. Trying to scoff a gel while descending the face track will not end well.

Summary

I hope that those going into the race for the first time can gain some helpful tips from this post. I have covered a lot here, the key points to remember going into the race, if you want to survive and thrive are:

• Don’t be a hero at start, just walk up the hill. Don’t max out your HR trying to run
• Save your energy till after the Mt Vandyke climb, go super easy till you get to the top
• Carry enough water and electrolytes based on the conditions
• Carry some form of fuel and try to eat while running, caffeine is good if you can tolerate it
• Do some downhill training and hill climbing in the lead up to the event
• If you’ve never ran the course treat your first attempt as less of a race and more of a reconnaissance mission for future years
• Remember to eat a sausage at the end from the Lions club