Alpine Race Report Part 2: Up to Warby Corner

Race day started at about 3:15 in the morning. Our little cabin was full of activity and nerves as we all rushed around getting ready. Todd and I were ready to walk to the start line around 4:10, but Tamyka still seemed to be getting ready. I knew something was wrong but didn’t want to bother her when she looked stressed. Todd and I headed up and hoped to see Tamyka soon. Luckily, she knew what she was doing, because signing in took all of 30 seconds, and she was there with plenty of time to spare.

The race started out the front of Bogong Jack pub in Bogong Village and we headed up the road briefly before joining the Magazine Cable Track. I started with Tamyka but she was struggling with an upset tummy and soon it was just Todd and I together. Not long after we came to Spion Kopje fire trail, I let Todd run off in front of me and I was just surrounded by people I didn’t know, but happy to not be alone. Everyone seemed to be in teams and it was pretty easy just to follow them.

The Rocky Valley Creek Ford arrived in no time. This has been greatly improved since the last time I did it, when I ended up with water up to my thighs and struggled to find any stable ground on the rocky, uneven and slippery surface. I grabbed the chain and charged through the water, across in no time. Then it was up Spion Kopje for quite a few kilometres. It was in that time that my tummy started to cramp. It wasn’t too bad just yet, but I knew it was probably going to get worse.

Spion Kopje was not as bad as I remembered. Although it was a long climb, it certainly wasn’t as steep as it seemed in 2009. It is amazing how some fitness changes your perspective on what is steep. I think the other big difference was that the trail wasn’t blocked by massive trees that had fallen down in storms. During our hike, Tamyka and I had to throw our packs over these huge trees and then crawl or climb over ourselves. The tree fall this time was not such a hindrance as the trees were quite small.

Finally, after gaining about 1000m in elevation, the climb up Spion kopje was over. The trail was just a little bit runable now and I started to move quicker. I even passed a couple of people. Running along the aqueduct I easily located the crossing and was then off to Warby Corner.