2016 is upon us, and I've again inked in some events which I plan on tackling over the next 12 months (and perhaps pencilled in a few others...don't tell my wife).
The first six months is focused on Ultra-Trail Australia in May, specifically the UTA100 event. After what was (for me) a solid first crack at the iconic Blue Mountains course in 2014, I have high hopes of chipping a chunk of time off my 2014 result.
As a lead-in to UTA100 I will again be running the ridiculously spectacular Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon (SMMM) across the ditch in New Zealand (Feb), followed up with Running Wild's Mt Solitary Ultra (MSU, Apr), which covers a section of the UTA100 course (albeit in reverse) as well as the peak responsible for the name of the event. SMMM and MSU will be "B" and "C" races respectively, with the eye always being on UTA100. That said, I'm particularly excited about having a trot on the MSU course, given I have run both UTA100 and SMMM previously. Opportunities to run new courses and locations are what really get me excited.
My second half of the year is less clear, but I have plans to atone for my DNS at Great Ocean Walk 100s (GOW100) on the Surf Coast in Oct. My back was extremely unkind to me the week prior to GOW100 in 2015, which saw me laid up on the couch instead of flying south to run, meaning I missed the chance to run on what has been described by many as the most authentic 100km ultra in Australia. Much like Mt Solitary, the Surf Coast is somewhere I haven't run previously, so I'm uber-excited to see the area and put last year's disappointment of missing out behind me.
If last year proved anything to me, it's that even the best laid plans can come unstuck, but body and circumstances willing, I'm hopeful of having a fun and adventurous 2016 of event running.
What are your plans for 2016?
See you out there - Juddy