The GPT100 miler stage race is arguably the best way to run the entire Grampians Peaks Trail over 4 days. After running the full GPT100 last year I was keen to return but not ready to take on the full miler. The stage race appealed to me having never done one. My friend and housemate Sam Webb (AKA Ziggy) was also intrigued. We both signed up with the early bird entries at the beginning of the year. Then spent much of the year training together along with Justin who was running the full miler again. He had unfinished business to attend to.
We had an amazing time running with and against each other over the weekend. Facing many challenges, mostly heat and dehydration and the rough terrain. It was a weekend of many ups and downs including a mid race cancellation. In the end the ups far outweighed the downs. I left with my love of trail running stronger than ever and many new trail running friends.
This post is a recap of each day of the race and some reflections on my experience running the GPT100 stage race in the notorious 2024 edition.
| Stage Race Summary | Stats |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 49.5 km ⬆️ 2000 m |
| Stage 2 | 37.5 km ⬆️ 2350 m |
| Stage 3 | 42 km ⬆️ 1795 m |
| Stage 4 | 33 km ⬆️ 1555 m |
| Total | 162km ⬆️ 7700 m |
| Official website | Link |
Stage 1 – Suffering in the Heat
With a forecast high of 32 degrees I was scared for my life. I did my fair share of passive heat adaption in the sauna beforehand but it’s no substitute for experience running in the heat. I stood on the start line with my broad brim hat, light coloured shirt and a frozen water bladder hoping these futile efforts might help in some way.
Ziggy and I started out together. This was the beginning of a long weekend of running together as friends, but also fierce rivals. For once I was the less mentally prepared one for this race. I hadn’t thought about target pacing or anything like that. But Ziggy had a goal of getting the first day done in 6 hours so I decided to steal his goal and run with it.
The start of the race is majestic. Flat rock immediately gets the calves hurting, blood pumping and the views are breathtaking. It’s hard to start sensibly when there’s so much excitement and fresh legs. My heartrate was over 165bpm, not sustainable for a long day in the heat but I ignored it and pushed on caught in the moment.
The first leg is runnable and fast so my strategy was to make hay before the sun shines. The more distance I cover before the day heats up the better. Running along the ridge before dropping into Gar, Stone a veteran runner from Hong Kong caught me and I let him pass. Ziggy and I follow him down into the aid station. He moves effortlessly and smoothly at a high pace.
The first aid station was a whirlwind of cold water and ice. Justin and his family came to help support us. With their help I was in and out quickly. I didn’t see Ziggy and presumed he had gone before me. I ran on my own for quite sometime not knowing if I was ahead or behind. As I climbed Mt Difficult I heard hollering from down the hill and saw I was some way ahead.
I was on my own for the best part of an hour before I heard the footsteps of Ziggy behind me. We were both feeling the increasing heat and it was zapping our energy and reducing our pace. It was good to have a companion to distract from the struggle. We were both rationing our fluids so they last till Mt Difficult. If I were to ‘drink to thirst’ I would have been constantly drinking.
The Mt Difficult aid station offered us salvation and temporary reprieve from the heat. With plenty of ice in my neck scarf and heaps of cool fluids we headed out into the final leg of the journey. The 6 hour goal still within reach. When we reached the honeycomb rock I accidently dropped my camera. By the time I picked it up Ziggy was off in the distance having finally made his move. I was too weak to chase.
On my own my condition continued to deteriorate. Nausea and the beginnings of cramps. I went into damage control scoffing fluids and smashing as much crampfixx and I could without vomiting. When I reached the flowy runnable trails that lead into Halls Gap, what should have been easy became torture. I mustered all the willpower I could to push on. The more I pushed to keep moving the sooner my suffering could end.
At the top of Chataqua peak my cramps intensified. I had to walk up the small stairs straight legged like a person with no articulated knees. I ground my teeth and pushed myself to keep moving. There was no enjoyment anymore just pain and fear for the coming days of worse heat. I alternated walking and running. As I passed our accommodation I resisted the urge to head straight home.
Passing the school there was a whole class of kids out cheering. Begrudgingly I ran all the way past feeling obliged to run while they cheered. Eventually I reached the streets of Halls Gap and lumbered in under the finishing arch and straight onto a seat.
I was in a sorry state. The medic asked me how I was and when I told him the truth he didn’t let me out of his sight. I sat with my legs outstretched to prevent cramps looking like a pale shell of the man I once was. Ziggy achieved the 6 hour goal, I came in 17 minutes behind. As I cooled and drank fluids my condition improved enough for the medic to finally discharge me from the finish line hospital ward. Ziggy and I spent the afternoon and evening voraciously eating and drinking hoping to revive ourselves for the following days battle.
| Stage 1 | Mt Zero to Halls Gap |
|---|---|
| Dist | 49.5 km |
| Elevation Gain | 2000 m |
| Elasped Time | 6:17:55 |
| Strava Activity | Link |
Stage 2 – Surviving and Thriving
My mission for the day was to focus on hydration at all costs. I’m certain that my day 1 troubles were all hydration related. The race start time was brought forward an hour to 6am to beat the heat. There was no complaints about waking up an hour earlier, I think everyone was thankful for one less hour in the oven.
The day began at a super fast pace. Ziggy and I went with it and both felt surprisingly great. Typically it takes a few ks to get warmed up on big back to backs. We stuck with Stone and our newfound competitor David Gomez on the first climb. David blew up even harder than I on the first day so we were surprised to see another runner up front with us. Ziggy and I were 3rd and 4th overall at this stage. A fellow from New Zealand, Aditya was already far ahead with a convincing lead. He was operating in whole other realm.
Both Ziggy and I were scared of the heat impending so we stuck together and made good time over the Pinnacle and back down to the Rosea carpark. We were moving quicker than anticipated but feeling great. I drank diligently from the very start noting my consumption. As soon as I sweat I am starting to go into deficit and need to be on the front foot.
It was only a little after 7am and I was already employing cooling strategies with my ice scarf on and cool water doused all over me before heading out onto the next leg. Ziggy and I were starting to get more efficient with our transitions. I think it’s always a good sign if you are able to plan our your transitions before arriving and have flasks ready.
We climbed Rosea together. The sun now peaking over the hill and bringing it’s heat. As well as hydration I determined to focus on nutrition and moderating exertion levels. Full self preservation mode was in order to prevent history repeating. The climb up Rosea was so much fun, it’s a rocky maze obstacle course. We scrambled with enthusiastic vigor.
Once we passed Rosea summit we reached the glorious flowy descent into Burrough huts. It’s about 7km of the most runnable trails on the whole course. Wanting to make use of it I began gradually accelerating to see what the legs were capable of. We started out relatively slowly but as the legs warmed up we were soon approaching 4:30 m/km pace, this became our cruise velocity for the remainder of the descent.
The tired legs made their feelings known but co-operated. It was nice feeling joyful running again after yesterdays stint in the torture chamber. We arrive at Burrough Huts ahead of schedule. It was agreed that this would be an extended stop to recharge and ensure we had all the supplies needed to survive the next section. Last year I ran it in the dark, foggy, stormy night with Ziggy as my pacer and we are both wary of this challenging leg bringing us unstuck again.
Mark comes into the aid station just as we leave, he’s a local runner who has been hot on our heels. We move at a relaxed pace conserving ourselves for the biggest climb of the whole course to come. It’s still early in the morning but the heat is cranking. We look at the time, it’s 930am and it must already be over 30. The climb is hard and I start to worry I’m on a downward spiral. So I double down and keep imbibing fluids at a rate higher than ever before.
Amongst the super scrambly technical terrain at the top of big climb Ziggy started fading. While he struggled I felt my strength returning. I pushed on ahead and looked back to see Ziggy shoveling mashed potato that has melted into a liquidy paste into his mouth. This was the last I saw of him till the finish. I made a decisive move, pushing hard to get a decent gap. Once Ziggy was out of sight I backed off a little but still maintained a consistent forward motion.
It’s as if a spark ignited in me and I felt my energy levels rising. I decided to ride the wave. Pushing myself till I start to feel uncomfortable I am enjoyed walking the exertion tightrope. If I keep my fueling and hydration coming in and ensure I am not overextending it feels like I could go forever. This is not a new revelation. Ultrarunning is a complex puzzle to solve, when it clicks it feels euphoric.
At the top of Redman’s Bluff I decide to take on the technical descent and do it elegantly. Skillfully and smoothly hopping along the rocks brings immense joy. I repeat the mantra ‘smooth is fast’ while focusing on every foot placement. I think this is part of a mantra used by Lucy Bartholomew. Conquering this leg is redemption for last year when it destroyed me.
I am able to bring it home strong. My confidence is restored and I manage to put about 8 minutes on Ziggy. There is still plenty of work to do but things are looking up.
| Stage 2 | Halls Gap to Mt William |
|---|---|
| Dist | 37.5 km |
| Elevation Gain | 2350 m |
| Elasped Time | 5:42:52 |
| Strava Activity | Link |
Stage 3 – Dropping the Hammer
With my confidence restored I was ready to race again. The day began with another early start to beat the heat. I took off with enthusiasm up the steep climb towards the summit of Mt William. Once the summit was achieved it was straight onto the technical singletrack. I took flight and was surprised to keep Stone and Ziggy at bay.
It was full concentration running. On the big climb up to Major Mitchell plateau I could see Stone on my tail but I was able to stay ahead. Once I reached the plateau the running flow state took over again and I was rock hopping smoothly. I started passing 100 mile runners. I was happy to pass Thierry then Lou Clifton. Both DNFs from last year now further along the course than their previous efforts.
I was making extremely good time. On the runnable fire trails I took off. I was on a mission to make up time on Ziggy. It was only on the final descent down to Jimmy creek that Stone finally caught up to me. I ran behind him most the way to Jimmy creek. I watched him move gracefully and tried to emulate.
Before arriving at Jimmy creek I had my transition all planned out. Drink mix was ready, flasks out with lids off. When I arrived David Gomez was still there and Stone had only just beat me. I was quick to restock and get cool with water and ice and hit the next section. The trail between Jimmy creek and Yarram gap is deceptively difficult. I always think it will be easy but it’s super rough and undulating.
I passed many hikers and a few 100 milers. The day was heating up, it had never truly cooled off from the previous day. The heat and my hard push at the start was starting to take it’s toll, so I reduced the pace a little and injected fluids and gels to maintain a working constitution. I passed Pat, a local running the 100 miler moving well and in a good position. My reduced pace allowed me to recover and prepare for a final charge to the finish. I was physically and mentally preparing to turn on the after burners and finally get ahead of Ziggy.
Yarram gap aid station was an efficient stopover. In and out and back on the trails. In my heightened state of fatigue I often feel emotions rise to the surface. I was thinking about Justin who was out running the 100 miler. He dedicated a whole year to training with the goal of finishing strong. Last time I checked he was in 3rd place. I had a tear in my eye thinking about how proud I was of him and his efforts especially in the extremely challenging conditions. Shortly after I ran past a group of 4 hikers that shocked me saying the race had been cancelled. I thought they must be joking as hikers sometimes do but they seemed serious.
I continued on for a few hundred metres processing the news before stopping to check my phone. The event was cancelled due to the medical staff being overwhelmed by cases of heat stress. I called Ziggy, he decided to head back to Yarram gap. I decided to push on to the road. I took the news well and completely understood the decision but felt sadness for the 100 milers who had put in so much work. With the race cancelled I just jogged it out. No point wasting my legs when there was still hopefully another day of running ahead.
At the road I was stopped and told to wait for a bus. While I waited David Gomez pulled up and offered me a lift back to Halls Gap. I accepted and had an opportunity to get to know another of the main competitors. Back in Halls Gap the vibe was weird. The 100 mile runners had been dropped back to Halls Gap. It was akin to a zombie apocalypse of morose runners. I found Ziggy having a beer with a few of them at the brewery.
Ziggy and I wandered back to our accommodation feeling uncertain about our future. It wasn’t till later in the afternoon that we were informed that our final stage was still going ahead. The final showdown was on. Ziggy and I were pretty much even on the results but it was hard to tell given the cancellation. The final day was going to be the ultimate decider.
| Stage 3 | Mt William to Griffin Fireline |
|---|---|
| Dist | 42.2 km only got 39.4km |
| Elevation Gain | 1795m |
| Elasped Time | 5:33:07 (unofficial) |
| Strava Activity | Link |
Stage 4 – Full Speed Race Day
I was feeling uneasy and slightly nauseous before we started. Possibly from the bus ride. Once we got running it felt hard and the humidity was intense. Sweat was pouring out at a higher rate than any of the preceding days. The first climb was laborious. Ziggy and I were pushing ourselves, it felt like a proper race.
After the first large climb there is fun and fast runnable trails. I got ahead of Ziggy and David was just ahead. I decided to hold onto him for dear life and see how long I could last. It lasted all the way into the first aid station. He was in and out super fast with the help of a support crew. I took a bit longer but was out before Stone or Ziggy arrived. This made me realise I had already built a decent buffer.
As I began climbing Signal Peak I listened back to hear the cheers from the aid station and judge how far behind my competitors were. Expecting to be caught by Stone at any moment. It was around this point that I decided to go all out. I was feeling strong and after 3 days of practice my nutrition and hydration was locked in. The preceding days also honed in my technical running skills and I was moving fast over the rocky terrain. I decided to treat this day like a 30km race on it’s own.
The climb passed by quickly. It’s always a good sign when time flies by. If time slows it’s usually due extreme suffering. I passed Majell who was filming content. He asked if I was taking inspiration from Justin. I said I was finishing it for him. I kept charging up the hills. It is an awesome feeling being able to run strong on day 4.
Approaching the summit of Abrupt I see a drone filming me then more photographers ahead. Inspired by their presence I ran hard up the final section of the climb. I did the little out and back, touched the summit trig point then started sending it down (see the reel for downhill running footage). I love the descent from Abrupt, it is fast and treacherous. I flew down the hill. Bounding down the stairs 2 or 3 at a time.
When I made it into the final aid station David Gomez was just leaving and I was still in 3rd place. I stocked up quickly and headed back out before others arrived. It was time to engage caffeine mode. I wanted all the energy I could muster. At the trailhead for Sturgeon, Sange Sherpa, the 100 mile race winner was sitting spectating. He told me David was 3 minutes ahead. Still within reach this motivated me to dig deeper for the final climb.
At the top of Sturgeon a couple of hikers told me David was within ‘touching distance’. I was making up ground and with caffeine coursing through my veins was ready to unleash on the final downhill. Throwing myself at the hill I chased like a man possessed. I started getting glimpses of David ahead. We played cat and mouse all the way to the bottom.
The final 3km into Dunkeld is relatively flat. I could see David about 250m ahead. Initially it felt impossible to catch him but I gradually gained on him. I was redlining at 4:10 pace keeping him honest. The farm gates slowed us and at each one I got closer to him till I eventually reached him at a gate. He stopped and let me through saying ‘you’ve got this brother’. I encouraged him to come with me but I think we was happy to concede after the long chase.
Now in 2nd place I continued to maintain the high speed all the way through to the finish. Racing was so much fun, I was surprised to be able to pull off such a performance. David came through about 40 seconds later. Stone and Ziggy came through over 10 minutes later. It was an epic way to finish 4 amazing days of running.
| Stage 4 | Griffin Fireline to Dunkeld |
|---|---|
| Dist | 33 km |
| Elevation Gain | 1555 m |
| Elasped Time | 3:40:58 |
| Strava Activity | Link |
A Luke Barrett event reel using the drone footage, see if you can spot me running down Mt Abrupt with the blue pack.
Overall Results
After the final showdown I secured 4th place overall with a time of 15:40:03. I finally got ahead of Ziggy by 14 minutes, he claimed 5th. The cancelled leg was not counted towards the overall result so my official time looks shorter than it should. I had a goal of under 22 hours for the whole thing but I won’t ever know if I achieved it.
I roughly estimated that I could probably have finished stage 3 in 5:30. Based on this assumption I would have finished in 21:10, goal achieved theoretically ✅
Reflections
I had so much fun running over the weekend. My first day was a dumpster fire but I was able to rise from the ashes and perform so well that I impressed myself. I learned so much that I will dedicate a whole blog to my stage race learnings. Ziggy and I left feeling inspired, both talking about returning next year to take on the full miler. With the knowledge gained from this race and my previous runs I think our Tasmanian contingent should be able to do well.
Stage racing is fun. Hanging around before and after are where all the relationships are formed. Friendly rivalries are formed and like ultra running the format is a long game, there’s no prizes for winning day 1. It is such a social type of racing and I made many new friends throughout the weekend. Stage races are like ultimate ultra practice. I felt so comfortable with my gear, aid stations, hydration requirements and nutrition by the final day.
The 100 mile race positions were based on where runners were when the cancellation text was sent. Justin was in 3rd place when the race was called off so he made it on the podium!! I am so proud of his effort. I have asked him to write an account of his race that I will publish on the blog in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading and look out for more GPT100 content coming soon.
Joseph Nunn: An avid trail runner based in Hobart, Tasmania. He loves getting out for big days on the trails with mates or racing against them.
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Hey Joe, brilliant write up of an extraordinary event and achievement. Merran
Thanks Merran. I’ve got Justin writing up his race experience so you’ve got something to look forward too in the next post!!