Hounslow Classic is such a cool event, even for those not running. Allview is one of the best race hubs I’ve ever stood in. Looking out over the Grose Valley on a perfect weather weekend, it’s a glorious place to hang out, whether you’re running or not. I’d never been up to Hounslow and had only previously glanced over the Grose Valley, so its splendour was mostly unknown to me.
Ziggy and I journeyed up to Blackheath to volunteer and race before jumping on a plane to Vietnam for the VMM 100k. We managed to link up multiple races into a single itinerary. This post is about our weekend in Blackheath of racing, socialising and volunteering at Hounslow Classic.
📋 The Weekend at a Glance
| Day | What happened |
|---|---|
| Fri | Shakeout run with Ziggy, ASICS shoe test |
| Sat | Ziggy ran the 42k, I volunteered at Pinnacles aid station |
| Sun | 17k race |
👟 Friday: Shakeout and New ASICS
Ziggy and I travelled from Hobart with heavy bags. I was packed for Hounslow, a 100k race in Vietnam then a week of work in Haiphong. This entails a diverse array of utensils, the heaviest of all being a cumbersome gaming laptop for work purposes. We flew to Sydney then caught the train to Blackheath where we were staying for the weekend without a car. The startline at Allview was about 4km from where we were staying, so we decided that was a runnable distance and jogged there for the Friday arvo shake-out run.
This was my first time to Allview and I was awestruck by the expansive views. It is such a cool place for a race hub. We mingled before the shakeout and I realised that ASICS had shoes there for us to try. I went over to inspect the offerings and saw the Metafuji 2 there as an option. I discussed with the guys how I really disliked the original Metafuji due to stability issues and even sold my pair. I was convinced I would seriously injure myself if I kept trying to run in them.
They assured me the new model was significantly improved, so I borrowed a pair to wear on the shake-out and they offered to let me keep the shoes all weekend and even race in them if I wanted. I was apprehensive but decided to give them a chance.
The shakeout run was relaxed and gave me a little glimpse into the trails I would be running on the Sunday for the 17km race. I did a few little bursts in the shoes to test out their race readiness and they seemed quite solid. It left me thinking about possibly racing in them on Sunday so I decided to keep a hold of them and decide later which shoe to race in. After the shakeout run Ziggy and I found a lift back to Blackheath, got some delicious Thai for dinner then went to bed early. Both of us with big days ahead.
🙌 Saturday: Life on the Other Side of the Tape
Ziggy was up super early to get to the 42km race start. I woke up with him, but promptly went back to sleep. I had the late shift volunteering at the Pinnacles aid station, so I slept in a little. Then I wandered back down to Allview to report for my role. On the way I perused the live results and saw Piotr sitting in 2nd place with Jerome right behind him in 3rd. Both Tassie runners and friends of mine, I felt proud of them out there smashing it!!
The Pinnacles aid station is all the way across the Grose valley. To get there involves a 40 minute drive. We all met at the race hub and carpooled across to the aid station. I was in a crew of three other ladies, all of them legends. One a local and the others from Newcastle. We had a great time chatting on the drive out before the carnage of our aid station shift.
This was my first time officially volunteering at an aid station. I’ve been around many over the years as support crew and helping out but not done a proper shift. I chose one of the most intense aid stations, at one of the most busy times to get my initiation and I had so much fun!!
Pinnacles aid station is the pivotal position in the race, where most runners need a lot of support. When they arrive then are around 30km into a race and have just dropped down into the valley and climbed back out in the scorching heat. The mid pack runners were in varying states of cookedness and it was our job to nurse them back to health and motivate them to head back across the valley for a second time which is a hard to grapple with mentally.
From the moment I arrived it was super busy. I felt like I cracked into an aid station flow state. It’s probably the closest I will ever get to experiencing what it’s like to work at McDonalds during a dinner rush, unless I fall upon hard times and end up having to get a job there. The afternoon passed by quickly, and gradually the flow of runners slowed down. The mid pack was turning into the back pack and these folks needed a lot of help to get back out. We were all perplexed when a couple of walkers arrived at the aid station to head down the path towards Lockleys. The road was closed and we had special access for the event, we had no idea where they came from. Turns out they’d walked all the way on from the boom gate.
As cut off time approached we worked hard to motivate the few stragglers to get back out there. Then the aid station was quiet. It was a crazy few hours and I had so much fun. We had such a good crew manning the station working in harmony like a well oiled machine. Our job was almost done, we helped to pack away till Colin told us we were good to go. So we drove back out the closed road to find the two hikers walking out looking displeased and dehydrated.
On the way back to Blackheath I revealed to my new friends my goal of 1:40 for the 17km, they were impressed at how fast I was aiming to run and I felt compelled to chase that goal after stating it in public. I got dropped at our motel where I found Ziggy, cooked and satisfied with his day of running. He ran a good race, only bonking on the climb back up Perry’s, but finished fairly strong and happy with his result.
We went out and found ourselves some food, grabbed some beers and relaxed. Neither of us had drank any alcohol in over a month. Ziggy was ready to break the drought after his run. I probably shouldn’t have caved in, I was racing the next morning, but sometimes the desire to crack a beer after a big day is irresistible.
🏁 Sunday: The 17k
This time I was up early while Ziggy slept in. The race start was 6am, so I was out the door at 5:30, thankfully getting a lift to the start saving myself the run down the road. The predawn light over the valley was beautiful. I felt mildly nervous; short fast races sometimes scare me a little due to the impending pain. But it was the good nerves, the excited anticipation of a fast race. In training you rarely get the opportunity to go as fast as possible on trails, races are the perfect testing ground of fitness and skill. Plus I just love trying to run really fast on technical trails. Adding to the nerves was my decision to race in the Metafujis, a risky choice that could have dire consequences.
At the starting area Colin (the race director) approached me filming with his camera and said ‘There were some good performances yesterday from Tassie folk, do you feel the weight of the island?’, I replied ‘well yesterday we got a 2nd (Piotr) and a 5th (Jerome), so that leaves a big opening for 9th!!’, this was a completely random off the cuff prediction.
The starting corral was packed in tight, even with waved starts. The pace out of the gate was super fast for the loop around Allview. By the time we closed the small loop I was falling off the lead pack and I decided that was a good idea. There were some weapons in this event and I knew trying to stay with them would have disastrous consequences for me. Once we hit the single track I was kind of on my own. I often fall into a no mans land position in races. Too fast for the mid pack and too slow for the lead. I was cruising along loving life till I reached an intersection where there were no markers. I looked down at my watch and it looked like I had made a wrong turn. So I back tracked but then a group of three other runners came towards me.
I said ‘is this the right way?’ and they responded ‘I think so’, so I turned around and ran with them till they reached the same intersection and we all realised it was definitely a wrong turn. I essentially made the wrong turn twice. I was frustrated with my mistake but I had only lost about 50 metres and maybe a minute, so not all was lost. I channelled my frustration into running hard and trying to make up lost ground.
I overtook numerous people over the next few kilometres, and soon forgot about my wrong turn and focused on running. I ran through the Grand Canyon completely alone. While descending I took a fairly big fall from my foot slipping out. It was entirely my fault, I couldn’t blame the shoes. The fall was so sketchy it forced me to focus and stop being so reckless. I fell into a good consistent mid race intensity. It was fun to push myself at close to tempo pace. I tried to moderate the intensity knowing I still had quite a way to go. Grand Canyon was glorious but quite difficult to run through, especially in the sections that required ducking down to avoid smashing your head on rocks.
Occasionally I looked up from my feet and marvelled at the place. I really should go back and experience the place properly. My brief glances didn’t give me time to truly appreciate the place, but I had to focus on staying upright and moving fast. The climb out of the canyon was good. I felt myself building strength which is always a good sign, especially when I had already been racing for close to an hour. On the path up I saw Joe Dorph and Colin again, they both filmed snippets that made it into my short recap video.
At the aid station I looked at my watch and was certain that my time goal was within reach. I was motivated and fired up to finish strong. On the final stretch back to Allview I caught sight of another runner, gradually closed in on him and zoomed past going up a stair climb. I wasn’t sure of my position after the wrong turn dilemma, but I was now also motivated to try and come 9th to fulfil the prophecy. I continued pushing hard and came upon another straggling runner who I overtook aswell. I felt the boost of the overtakes and also felt the need to hold my newly gained positions, so I kept my foot down.
When I was approaching the finish I could hear Dave on the microphone and knew I was close, my time goal was also close. So I dug deep and pushed through to the end. Finishing in 1:39:38 in 9th place!!
Achieving my time goal and my place goal. Colin was there at the finish and couldn’t believe I had called it. I didn’t really care about the position, but I was stoked with my time, especially given my wrong turn.
✈️ Onward to Vietnam
After the race wrapped up, Ziggy and I hung around to help pack up the finish line. Then we ventured to Katoomba, where we stayed a night at the YHA. We ate burgers, drank beers and revelled in the satisfaction of a big weekend of running, while also buzzing with anticipation for the next adventure. The following morning we were heading to Sydney to fly to Vietnam. That story will have to wait for the next post.
Hounslow Classic gave me a bit of everything: a new view of the Grose Valley, my first proper aid station shift, and a fast race that went almost exactly to plan, wrong turns aside. Seeing the event from both sides of the aid station table made me appreciate just how much goes into a race, and I’m already keen to go back and explore that country properly. For now, there’s a 100k in Vietnam to survive.
Thanks for reading. I hope you found it entertaining and informative.
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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