Category Archives: Blog

Dec 22
0

Strength and Suffering in the Headlights 

By | Blog, Charity, expedition | No Comments

A baptism of darkness and rain for the start of my running legs.

Not long after my jaunt on Survivor and trip to the United States I found myself physically unprepared but mentally willing to begin the Sub Three Project. In fact, I had only landed in Adelaide from a road trip down California less than 18 hours earlier. Normally jetlag would be a major concern before embarking on an endurance feat, but time zones were irrelevant as the project was a non-stop 800km relay from Adelaide to Melbourne.…

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Sep 22
1

XPD ~ where less is more

By | Blog | No Comments

Have less, think simply and embrace the unknown

Over the past few years I have been less motivated by racing and more drawn to endurance pursuits that focus on the journey in between the start and finish. I know that racing inherently has its own degree of ‘adventure’ – such as the uncertainty in how things may turn out and the terrain you can cover, which is particularly special in trail races.…

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Jun 12
4

Variety is the spice of life: adventure racing

By | Blog | No Comments

Part 1: From Ultra Runner to Adventure Racer

This year I decided to cross over to the wild side, and with no MTB or paddling experience I joined a team of 3 lads to tackle this years XPD in Townsville (a 700km expedition length adventure race in August).

My coach Ray Zahab calls the guys in my team "The Thunder"

The physical undertaking was, and is still very daunting to me. As far as the physical challenge will take me out of my comfort zone, it is the component of sleep deprivation that puts knots into my tummy. …

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Mar 13
1

Beyond the Tights

By | Blog | No Comments

Since returning from South Africa I have become an avid fan of hot yoga. More specifically, I have become an ardent supporter of a studio in Bayswater called Pure Hot Yoga.  In my early 20’s I would drive 40kms from my parents home in Narre Warren North to a Bikram studio in Richmond, often at 6am before I needed to get to university which was another 20kms away. The classes were 90 minutes long and I was never able to sustain my dedication for more than a couple of months here and there as the time commitment wasn’t suitable for a law student trying to hold down several jobs.…

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Feb 15
2

15 days into a 1968km run

By | Blog | No Comments

This piece was published in TrailRun Magazine Issue 15 – You can download this article & many lovely pieces here.

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We are 15 days into our 32-day run across South Africa and I can tell I am fixating on little things. With just under 1000kms completed, it is these little, insignificant things are becoming utterly consuming to my brain. I can’t seem to let them go which makes me more frustrated.…

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Jan 12
3

We’ve now crossed the finish line

By | Blog | No Comments

On October 25th Mimi and I completed our 1968km run across South Africa’s Freedom Trail. We felt elated and a tad delirious, especially after we gulped a glass of champagne whilst dehydrated at the finish line. For just over a month we managed challenges that consisted of navigation, technical trails, changes to our well devised plan, running an ultramarathon for 32 consecutive days and living in a bubble that consisted of two runners, 7 crew members and the landowners to the homes/properties we stayed at each night.…

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Jul 21
0

Badwater Ultramarathon – #teamcath

By | Brooks, Charity, Race, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Taking part in an event like Badwater reminds me of my performing arts days when I was in dress rehearsal and performance week for a show. Both of these experiences are like entering into a cocoon where you interact very little with those outside of that experience, and it feels like your whole world revolves around the preparation for that show or race. It is utterly consuming and your focus and commitment are at an all time high.…

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Mar 28
0

How do you recover?

By | CW-X, Injury, Race, Training | 2 Comments

The race season is in full force and most weekends are now packed with great adventures all across Australia and New Zealand. Just over the past few weekends, trail and ultra runners have had the choice of running at the inaugural Brooks Mount Baw Baw Trail Run Fest, Six Foot Track Marathon, Tarawera Ultra Marathon, Roller Coaster Run, Alpine Challenge– to just name a few. Gone are the days when these events were few and far between!!…

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Mar 17
0

Brooks Trail Run Fest | Mount Baw Baw

By | Brooks, Race, Race Ambassador | No Comments

After a big month of work I had been desperately looking forward to escaping to the mountains as a chance to relax and breathe in some fresh air. I had become a wound up ball of stress and I was struggling to find perspective and unwind each night when I came home from work. My patient, loving and supportive fiance (Dr Dan) watched as I furiously packed my gear after flying back from Sydney and commented that this weekend away was exactly what the Doctor ordered.…

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Mar 04
1

No finish line

By | Charity, Crossing the Simpson, media, Race, Uncategorized | No Comments


A piece by Charlie Syme… 

I had the delightful opportunity to work with good friend Charlie Syme in a video he put together for the Australian Human Rights Commission.

In my few short years of ultra running, I have been fortunate to travel and run in some unique location.

I have met beautiful people from many walks of life.

I have learnt the boundaries of my physical capabilities whilst constantly realising my mental capacity is as far as I want it to be.

…
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