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Two bays 28kms 2020

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

Two bays recap 

Grab a coffee and settle in as this may be a little bit of a read and a little disclaimer I am in no way a great writer so it’s a little(more like a lot) rough around the edges 

Two bays trail run is to me the pinnacle of trail events in Victoria I may be biased only cos it’s really not that far from my house and  it always looks like so much fun on insta and I also know the views are impressive.

When I started running about 5 or 6 years ago I did my first ever half marathon and loved it so I looked into doing more, I found a nice one again really not that far from home and was on the cheaper side  and thought why not? That was the roller coaster run at mount Dandenong 

I should of known by the name and the location that it wasn’t going to be the Melbourne marathon 😂

Anyways I finished it in 3.50 yep that’s 3 hours 50 minutes for 21kms it’s bloody hilly (1000 meters of elevation) anyway when I crossed the line someone cheering said you qualified for two bays and I was all like what’s two bays 🤷‍♀️

Fast forward a year or so later and every summer the two bays trail run is ran and I would see it on insta and Facebook and all the running pages I’m on and was like I want to do that run 

BUT

You have to qualify! I was like what qualify? 🤷‍♀️

I totally understand why 

So as I am as slow as an elephant in peanut butter my half marathon time is too slow to qualify 

  • Note qualifying times are either run a half marathon in 2.15 (I’m too slow 😂) or a half marathon in a half Ironman In 2.30(which I thought I could do but nope as I choose a hilly half Ironman I was dead by the run 🤦‍♀️) 
  • Roller coaster run in under 4 hours – I can do that 🥳

So February last year I was like ok sign me up for roller coaster 21km I know I can do that 👏

That day came and that box was ticked ✅

Fast forward to January 2020 two bays was a go! I signed up back in June(early bird for the win) we are good to go well sort of!

Deciding to do this event was not the smartest idea as trying to train for this in the middle of the busiest time at work was not ideal, let’s just use one word for work at this time of year HETIC!! 

Anyway I did get a few long runs in at lysterfield lake I also did 20kms on the course but technically only did 10km of the course as it’s a one way course and I had to get back to the car and that bloody hill up from the dam F***😳

Sunday 12th Han  rolls around I was up at the crack of dawn and  usually not hard for me as I’m awake that early for work but I had been on holidays so that was hard!  I drive the 20 mins to get there parking was good as I’m always early 😂

First Toilet visit no cues ok I can’t seem to find the bag drop no biggy I can leave it it in the car it’s pretty close to the start line, I get everything ready think ok I’ll go pee again and went to the porta loos yep that cue is not moving an inch 🤷‍♀️

5 mins before and finish at toilet i work my way to back of the pack I see Ben and Craig at the start like quick hug and a have fun and we are off 🥳

Right dick head take it easy don’t get dragged along you know the drill 7 kilometres each hour will get you over the line and you know the first 7 are straight up! 

First 2kms we are on the road working our way up to where the trail starts at the bottom of athurs seat this is where it’s starts getting good. 

I was super lucky enough to have done all but the last 5kms since August so I knew what was coming.

Just walk the inclines as you are no mountain goat people are running but there is people EVERYWHERE 1100 people roughly doing the 28kms 

The steps going up the hill was slow going a lot slower than I normally power up them

But that was a blessing to be honest no heart rate spikes just slow and steady then it thinned out a bit to the single trail and the ladies around me where going at a lovely pace we chatted away about the views as they are so good! 

To the top we got then it opens up to a dirt/gravel track that a car could use slightly downhill to the massive down hill towards the dam and I am very thankful we didn’t have to go up cos that hill is a bitch as I commented on before 😂

Down I cruised being careful of my knees as they had been giving me grief for a few weeks, down to the dam across to waterfull gully rd right 1 hour in and I’ve done 6.5kms im 500 meters behind where I need to be, not as bad as I thought I would be, through a few streets (which I have delivered before for work and didn’t relise how hilly it was while I was on a motorbike 😂) through a little boardwalk to some more streets up through duells rd then we get some lovey green sections wind our way through for a bit then all of a sudden the leaders of the 56km come through! Holly shit they are so fast and they fly past within 4 or 5 people Benny flys past high 5 and he’s off, I can hear the aid station on browns rd /Hyslops Rd it’s going off as all the 56kms are flying past I look to my right and who’s standing there 

Lucy bartholomew I may of fan girled a little but was to nervous to ask for a photo 🤦‍♀️

Those volunteers at the aid stations were so awesome they were handing everything out from lollies to bananas zooper doopers 😍

Hyslops Rd seemed like a never ending dirt rd a constant uphill I was cheering all the 56kms running past and I think that was my favourite part.

Then we hit more bush land and we headed away from the others coming the other way, this is where it got quiet which was lovely I had a couple of people around me but not too many, oh and did I say photographers there were so many I was like oh another one how cool and they were In the most awesome spots for epic shots.

By about now we are 2 hours in and I’m at 13.8kms so only 200 meters behind where I needed to be, we ran through ferns and so many black boys sand openings down on board walks with little streams it was so stunning just keep swimming I was saying to myself and I knew Boneo rd was coming I could hear them all cheering I come through an opening and I then I  seen mum I was like what the?? I told her not to bother to come down  as she wouldn’t be able to see me well I was wrong wasn’t I? 

Right 21kms In and I was bang on pace, 7kms to go can I do this but let’s see what happens as I don’t know this part of the course let’s do this!

Power along i did, just run when you can and try to only walk the up hill bits! We cruised down hill for what seemed like forever which In fact was not! I was sitting behind a guy that nearly tripped a dozen times but everytime he tripped I had stopped cos I felt like I was too close which was so lucky! Down we go and I look up and I see stairs I was like are you joking but then I see a sign that said 120 stairs to the end I was like oh is that all I can do that! 

My tree truck thighs came in handy today! I powered up them and prou got past 20-30 people that were just cooked (sometimes there are advantages of being as slow as an elephant 😂) I was watching that clock and doing the maths in my head!  best I push it it’s going to be a close one then all of a sudden I could see the light house it looked so far away.

Around another bend and there were so many people on the side of the track but I still had 1 kilometre to go!! With 8 minutes to do it!! Shit shit shit get a move on women run run run around one more bend and I see the blue arch are you joking that’s end you little ripper I bloody made it and with 5 minutes to spare arms in air like I just didn’t care no tears but they were dam close 😭

I can see mum I get the epic medal and a can of Coke (best post race drink ever

Ok cider would of been better just sayin 😂) 

I sat for a minute and then was like oh shit I don’t know if I can stand my knees are wrecked 😳

Quick Post race de brief with mum then back on the bus back to the start line the bus was a buzz with everyone chatting away and I had nothing left so just sat there taking it all in as I bloody did it! I honestly thought I could not make that cut off I honestly thought I would be DNF (that would of been a first) 

I was also lucky to not be a DNS with the smoke that he been hanging around but it was all good! 

All in all it honestly was one of the best events I have done the on course support was next level and it’s no surprise people go back year after year and now that I have an automatic qualification for 2021 I’ll be back 🥳🥳

Put two bays on them list people it bloody epic! 

If you got to the end of my ramblings thank you xx

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