Mick's Story: From a Last Minute Half Marathon to 280 km Around the Eiger

Mick's Story: From a Last Minute Half Marathon to 280 km Around the Eiger

Mick is a supported Infinit Nutrition athlete. This post shares his personal experience.

Seventeen years ago a mate rang me the night before the Barossa Half Marathon. I had never run before and had done no training, but I lined up anyway and finished in 1:29. So naturally I thought, "hey, let's do a marathon" 

PHOTO: Mick on the trails

How it all began

And so it began. I've now completed around 14 marathons, with a PB of 2 hours 39 minutes. Then I decided to do an Ironman. First I had to learn to swim, and seven Ironmans later my PB sits at 10 hours and 15 seconds.

In 2013 I hit the trails and haven't looked back. I've completed more trail events than I can list and travelled the world racing, fitting events in around holidays.

Representing Australia in Annecy

2015 was a very solid year on the trails with some great results, so I applied for selection in the Australian long distance mountain running team for the World Trail Championships in Annecy, France. Annecy is a beautiful French town surrounded by mountains.

I trained my butt off for this one. Adelaide has lumps and bumps rather than real mountains, and nothing long and continuous, so I did rep after rep of hills to get ready for the vertical in Europe.

Two weeks out, during my taper, I twinged a calf on an easy run. I was gutted. I stopped running until race day and hoped it would hold. It was fine for the first few flat kilometres, but once the first climb started I knew I was in for a long day. My goals changed and the aim became simply to finish.

I got to the finish. I was disappointed because I'd been in great form in the lead up, but that's racing, and I was lucky enough to be selected to represent Australia.

The Dolomites: trail heaven

My favourite race is the Lavaredo Ultra Trail in Italy's Dolomites, 120 km of amazing scenery. I've been to many places in the world, but for scenery, mountains, food and weather, the Dolomites are the best I've ever run. Simply spectacular.

It's a very hilly race for 120 km, so once again it meant plenty of hill reps back in Adelaide. Poles definitely help on the ups and the downs and save your quads.

Aid stations in Europe are very different. The food is savoury: salami, meats, cheeses and quiche. Fortunately I had my trusty Infinit on board and in my drop bags, because I could not stomach a salami and cheese sandwich mid race (:

I've been back a few times just to explore. You can literally walk out of your accommodation, head straight up and discover epic scenery.

280 km around the Eiger

Any race in Europe is incredible, and I've been lucky enough to do a few. My longest was in Switzerland, around the Eiger: 280 km with 15,000 m of climbing, done as a team. A little crazy, but a wild journey.

It started when my mate asked, "So I've seen this race, what do you think?"

My response: "Why did you ask me? Lock it in."

His response: "I was hoping you'd say it's a silly idea."

It took us 72 hours, and I had about 30 minutes of sleep across three nights. I find it amazing what the body can do. At the end I felt totally fine, like I hadn't done any hills at all. Very odd after such a crazy adventure.

My race day fuelling plan

For long ultras I always carry a custom mix of Infinit in my bladder. I can fit around three hours of nutrition in it and restock at the aid stations. It's simple, easy on my stomach, and I can mix it to the formula that works best for me.

I always say it's 80% training and 20% nutrition. Nutrition is such a key part of the puzzle, and so many people either get it wrong or don't think about it at all.

My number one tip: fuel early. Don't wait until it's too late.

Thinking about your first ultra?

• Pace yourself. It's a long way, and you will blow up if you go too hard too early.
• Nail your nutrition. Fuelling your body properly over such long distances is so important.
• It's OK to hike the hills. Save your legs for the flats and the downhills.
• Don't run through an injury. In my experience, taking time off to rest and recover gets you back quicker than pushing on and doing more damage. Listen to your body, and see a physio if something isn't right.

Giving back

These days I'm giving back to the running community by guiding blind and vision impaired athletes to achieve goals they never thought possible: marathons, half marathons, triathlons, rides, or simply getting out for a walk. Achilles Adelaide is a great organisation supporting people with vision impairment who want to get out and exercise. It's amazing to think that one hour of my time guiding an athlete on a run can make their week. Pretty simple, but extremely rewarding.

Right now I'm training a young blind woman for her first triathlon. We recently did our first ride with a run off the bike. Welcome to "heavy legs", as she found out. A few swear words, but a great laugh.

I was also a key player in starting parkrun in Coober Pedy, a remote town in the far north of South Australia. It brings the community together, gets people exercising and draws tourists from all over the world to complete it.

What's next?

Now to plan another one!

Follow Mick

• Instagram: @mickrunkeyte