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Trail running has its origins deep in the past. Today information is transmitted in a fraction of a second using electronic devices. Before electronic communications developed , horse riders delivered messages ; but even earlier , in Ancient Greece ,the information carriers were the hemerodromoi - ‘day runners’. These were an essential part of the Greek army and travelled by foot across rugged trails and roads to gather information and deliver messages.

Day runners could traverse in the order of 100 miles ( 160 km ) in a day and they did this without the benefits of modern footwear and by living off the land. Pheidippidies was one of these day runners. Legend has it that that he carried the message of the victory over the Persians from the Plains of Marathon to Athens and then dropped dead. This is fiction. Before the battle he had run from Athens to Sparta in a vain attempt to enlist help for the battle over the Persians. The Spartans were regarded as the toughest of the Greek soldiers. His run is commemorated each year by the Spartathlon , a race of about 240 kilometres over trails and roads from Athens to Sparta. The ancient Olympics were originally designed to allow the members of the Greek army to display their various skills. The long run ( equivalent to today’s marathon ) was probably to allow the day runners to show their prowess.

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Modern trail runs vary in distances from the four to ten kilometre ‘cross countries’ to the hundred mile endurance runs which are popular in the USA. These one hundred mile runs evolved out of horse endurance rides over this distance. In the mid seventies Gordy Ainsleigh was supposed to ride his horse in one such event , the Tevis Cup , across the Sierra Nevada range using parts of old indian trails between Salt Lake City and Auburn in California. Unfortunately his horse went lame before the event and Gordy decided to run the course on foot. Most endurance horse riders will spend considerable time running beside their horses in such events to avoid having their horses vetted out. Gordy completed the distance in under 24 hours and thus started the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run from Squaw Valley to Auburn. The competitors in this event have 30 hours to complete the 100 miles. If this is done in under 24 hours they receive a silver buckle. Those who complete the course in under 30 hours receive a bronze buckle. The Western States Run is the most popular of these 100 mile runs in the USA but there are about fifteen to twenty other events and numerous shorter trail runs over 50 miles or 50 kilometres. A maximum of about 400 competitors are allowed in this event each year and since more than this apply, a ballot is conducted over six months prior to the event to determine the field. I was fortunate enough to be able to compete in this event in 1995. Perhaps it was not the best year to compete as the snow had not melted and thus the first 25 miles had to be run through snow. To make matters worse there was a heat wave that weekend with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius at the other end of the course. It did not help matters that I had developed a severe head cold on the Tuesday prior to the start ( on Saturday ). Nevertheless I decided to persist and managed to fall across the line five minutes before the 30 hour deadline. The camaraderie and the scenery during the event were superb and this inspired me to organise such an event in Australia.

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Since 1990 I had been organising trail runs over shorter distances ( from 10 to 80 kilometres ) in the Glasshouse Mountains area about an hour north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. In 1996 the first hundred mile trail run was conducted in Australia in this area. Only five people attempted this distance and not one finished. The weather turned out to be extremely hot and most of the runners had never tried such a challenging event before. Since then the number of competitors has slowly increased to sixty- nine in 2013 and 45 managed to finish with the winner Ben Blackshaw from Sydney being well outside the record in the hot conditions. This record was set in 2011 when Mike Le Roux from Cairns ran a time of 15 hrs 38 mins

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. The first person to finish the course successfully was Graham Medill of Toowoomba , Queensland , in a time of 22:46:22 in 1997. There have been numerous competitors from overseas and interstate in the years 1996 to 2013 , some successful and some not , but all have enjoyed the challenge and appreciated the way in which the event was organised.

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There are also shorter runs (100 , 50 , 30 , 10 kilometres ) held in conjunction with the 100 mile run. So if you are seeking the ultimate endurance challenge held in Australia, this is it.

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Like guardians the Glasshouse Mountains dominate the scenic Sunshine Coast. They are trachyte mountains, the remains of past volcanic and igneous activity , and offer scores of magnificent views. The Glasshouse trail runs are held in May ( 50 , 30 ,11km ) , July ( 50 , 25 , 10km ) and September ( 100 miles , 100 , 55 , 30 , 10km ).The Glasshouse Mountains Sportsground was used as the base for the September run but since it was only available at the end of September when the temperature can be very high the base is now at Beerburrum State School and the run is on the weekend of the second Sunday of September.

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Runners get to view the mountains from different aspects and enjoy a variety of terrain. Some of the course follows fairly flat forestry roads through slash pine plantations but a large percentage is on trails through natural vegetation. There are some areas, referred to as ‘goat track’sections, where the runner is challenged by short, sharp , roller coaster type trails

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Early in the 100 mile/km event the competitors are required to ascend Mt Beerburrum and return.Individual competitors in the three ultra events are required to hand in a

Medical Form prior to the event and undergo a check of their weight before they start and this information is on their race number. Whenever the competitors pass through some checkpoints, they are required to stop for check. If their weight has shown a significant drop they will be advised to rest and rehydrate or in more serious cases, to withdraw. A Medical team led by Peter Boardman, a Sports Trainer who belongs to Sports Medicine Australia, keeps an eye on the entrants. Peter has been present at Glasshouse trail runs for over twenty years and when the 100 mile was started he worked under the direction of Dr June Canavan a prominent sport’s medicine physician who was tragically killed in a plane crash on her way to traverse the Kokoda Track.

All finishers receive distinctive pottery mugs rather than medals although the 100 mile and 100 km receive special finishers medals.. The shorter runs are unusual in that the women outnumber the men, something not encountered very often in running events. The entry fee includes a Friday night meal at Beerburrum School (for the 100mile/km entrants ) and a feed at the end of the

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run for all entrants. Overseas visitors enjoy the sights and sounds of the flora and fauna of Australian bushland.

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All finishers receive distinctive pottery mugs rather than medals although the 100 mile and 100 km receive special finishers medals.. The shorter runs are unusual in that the women outnumber the men, something not encountered very often in running events. The entry fee includes a Friday night meal at Beerburrum School (for the 100mile/km entrants ) and a feed at the end of the run for all entrants. Overseas visitors enjoy the sights and sounds of the flora and fauna of Australian bushland.

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As far as the 100 mile event is concerned the main things that stop the runners from completing the course are: dehydration, insufficient food intake , blisters and muscle soreness. The weather in the area in September can have temperatures ranging from 20 to over 30 degrees Celsius. Runners who have not prepared properly for this type of heat and who do not drink the required amount of fluid between stops are soon in trouble. It is a requirement of the runs that each competitors must carry at least one water bottle. In the hotter weather it would be wiser if more than one was carried. Food of an appropriate type (this varies from runner to runner ) must be taken in small amounts at frequent intervals from very early in the 100 mile race. It is also vital that competitors pay attention to their hydration in the 48 hours prior to starting such a long endurance run. There is a website www.glasshousetrails.com.au which gives a link to on line entry forms and information on the trail. There are also reports and stories of individual runners on the TRAQ website www.traq.org.au.

Blisters have stopped some runners but with these prevention is better than cure. Runners intending to try the Glasshouse 100 mile should determine during long training runs where they may be susceptible to blistering and use appropriate protective products before they start. The sections of ‘goat track’ and

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the descent of Mt Beerburrum can play havoc with the leg muscles , particularly the downhill sections. It is wisest to walk these in order to minimise the muscle soreness. One hundred mile runs are won in the latter part of the run rather than in the early stages.

The eleven checkpoints on the course are well stocked with appropriate foods and drinks and thus entrants do not need anyone to crew for them. Pacers are not allowed . All finishers in the 100 mile may order a special polo shirt to commemorate their achievement.

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THOSE WHO BENEFIT:

Local accommodation venues- these are usually booked out for the weekend in September.Some entrants pitch a tent on the school oval. Some will use accommodation further away eg Caloundra, Caboolture.

Beerburrum School – The school provides their facilities and supplies food from their canteen. This year they received $4,500.00 from TRAQ and made extra from the sale of food and drink.

Checkpoint Groups – GROUPS are contracted to look after the many checkpoints eg Glasshouse Mountains Advancement Network, Moreton Bay Road Runners, Run Inn Runners.

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PROBLEMS

Unfortunately in recent years there has been a massive increase in the number of trail bikes and 4WD’s using the roads and trails in the area. Many even go out there in the wet weather which creates massive damage to the roads and trails. This is detrimental to the scenic nature of the area and some sections of the course are so damaged it requires course changes.. Although ‘Road Closed’ signs are placed out during the event ( particularly where the tracks are narrow ) these are ignored by many of the motorised users. There needs to be a series of marked multi user tracks for non-motorised use established in the area. Course marking is difficult because of the multitude of roads and trails. The area is mainly forest plantation ( Hancock Qld Plantations ) with patches of National Park or Conservation Reserve controlled by Dept NPRSR.

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