Hanmer Holiday Homes Alpine Marathon

The Hanmer Holiday Homes Alpine Marathon is somewhat mysterious in its succinct description: Start (Lake Tennyson, at 1087m) and finish points (Hanmer Springs) are referred to, then a brief hint is given at the gruelling nature of the last 10km of the marathon.

Such a description both intrigued and mildly terrified this girl born and bred on the flat country of South-East Queensland.  So a good challenge to set myself, then. The numbers cap (max 60 marathoners) also suited my preference for friendly, community-centred races that celebrate participation.

With my most recent race experience being the intensity of the Macpac Motatapu Marathon back in March 2020, my trepidations were many. One night I woke up, having dreamt I missed the plane, and then the bus, got to the start of the race, and then succumbed to IT band syndrome as I tried to catch up.  Hubby assures me my sleep commentary was quite entertaining. Yet despite the ever-reliable race-week jitters, none of these fears were actualised, and I happily trotted up to the start line with my fellow runners at 7am on the Saturday morning.  Many of my lingering questions were answered during the race briefing – no river crossings, aid stations every 5km, leave everything you don’t need to carry in the back of the truck.

We wound our way between the historical St James and Molesworth stations, tackling undulating sections that were steeper than anticipated (I counted at least a dozen rises). The terrain is loose gravel the entire way, with no shade or coverage to be found in the valley. Around Fowler’s Hut (approx. 18km mark), the wind gusted through the mountains and threatened to barrel us over.  The strong gusts demanded Schwarzenegger-style arm pumps and leaning forward to embrace the wind.

True to their promise, aid stations were reliably at every 5km mark – staffed by friendly, generous volunteers who continued to encourage me to push on.  One gentleman even took my water bottle, and told me to keep my pace while he filled it and ran after me to give it back to me.  I was feeling so good, I didn’t even bother to eat half the gels I had packed.

As I hit the infamous 33km mark, I had determined not to slow down, and found the gradual climb of 3km nowhere near as arduous as I had imagined. But as I came over the top of Jack’s Pass – and took in the stunning view of the valley below– my quads decided they’d had enough and that downhill was certainly not recompense for the morning’s efforts.  The last 6km felt much harder than it probably should have, and I started to regret deviating from my nutrition/hydration plan.

Despite all this, I managed to finish – in a time far slower than I’d hoped, but fast enough to come 2nd place in the women’s division.  A sausage sizzle from the Lion’s tent, and a long soak in the Hanmer Hot Springs later that afternoon, went a long way to placating my protesting body.

For a destination race that has more technical challenge and better scenery than a city marathon, this one is primo.  It’s also a reasonable option for first-time-marathoners, thanks to the high level of support out on the course.

Takeaway lessons:
·       train hill sprints and downhill techniques; this is not a ‘flat and fast’ cruiser
·       be faithful to the nutrition plan
·       carry emergency gear regardless of forecast (it is alpine country, after all), but don’t worry about a bladder – a couple of 250ml bottles is sufficient
·       wear a neck buff for the dusty roads, and sunnies or a visor for the unrelenting glare (there are no trees the entire route)

Congratulations to all race participants at the Hanmer Holiday Homes Alpine Marathon 2020 – and my special thanks to the organisers and volunteers for making it such an enjoyable experience.
Hope to see you at Hanmer Springs 2021!