In a couple of days I will be lining up for my third Cradle Mountain Run. On the first Saturday in February each year, 60 privileged individuals gather, pre dawn, at Waldheim Chalet (just up the hill from Ronny Creek) and run, amble, skip and trip their way to Cynthia Bay, some 78 kilometres south along the famous Overland Track. This run has an old-school feel with some organisers involved in its entire 45-year history. Places sell out within minutes of entries opening in October each year.
31st of December was the cut-off for refunds for anyone not sure about their fitness to compete but withdrawals are welcome right up to the event. WIth no aid stations and no road access for the entire length it is not the place for uncertainty. Ideally I should have had my final test run earlier but, sometimes, life happens and I wouldn’t have it any other way! So… On the 2nd of January I set out to give my body it’s last major workout before committing to the start line at Cradle.
Three Caps is an ideal testing ground. Sneaking in on the old Denmans Cove Track, popping out to Capes Pillar and Hauy and finishing at Fortescue Bay totals 52km with just under 2,000m ascent. This more closely resembles the Cradle run compared with the vert-heavy jaunts on our usual backyard kunanyi / Mount Wellington trails.
Back in September, Kylie had a ripper run on the Capes setting a household benchmark of 7 hours 36 minutes. For the first half of my run I was feeling good. The undulations to Surveyors Cabin went by swiftly and it felt great nipping over Arthurs Peak, scooting around Mt Crescent, wandering over the Ellerwey Valley, ducking in to the new lookouts at Tornado Ridge and on to my second water refill at Munro Cabin.
At the Blade, on Cape Pillar, I was within minutes of Kylie’s time and, as I turned around at the mighty Chasm, I wondered if I might be able to maintain the pace. It wasn’t to be. Kylie is an amazingly consistent runner. I, on the other hand, start strong – and fade! By the time I refilled at Munro (again) and at Retakunna, Kylie’s splits were skipping off into the far distance ahead of me.
On the steady Mount Fortescue climb I phoned Kylie for moral support so I could listen to her modestly say what a freakishly good day she had in September while I truly enjoyed the lush cloud forest slowly plod by.
The forested descent past Pillars of the South and on to the Hauy junction was actually delightful. Even the thousands of stairs en route to and from the Cape were bearable as I worked my way through a throng of day-walkers and last-day Three Capes Experience side-trippers. The view down to the Totem Pole never ceases to amaze!
At Fortescue Bay I was happy to have recorded a slightly better time than my other effort some seven years ago. As my Strava comment says, it was also a chance to appreciate Kylie’s wonderful endurance and consistency with her time a solid 80 minutes quicker than mine.
…and the verdict on the Cradle Run? I’ll be lining up on 7th Feb! If my various niggles can survive 50km of bone-jarring stone steps and compacted gravel on the Capes I reckon they’ll cope with a jaunt down the OLT.
