Chasing Summits and Ultras

Clare, a passionate hiker and ultramarathon runner shares their journey of discovery, from a childhood yearning for adventure to conquering mountains like Kilimanjaro and the Annapurna Circuit. They delve into their training regimens, memorable moments on the trails, and the lessons learned from overcoming setbacks and pushing their limits. The conversation highlights the transformative power of nature, the importance of responsible travel, and the unwavering spirit of an individual driven by a love for exploration and endurance.

Can you share a little about your background with us?

I grew up in Melbourne, and from a young age I loved dancing. I danced until I was 16 years old. As a family, we didn't really go hiking or explore the outdoors too much. I remember going on a family holiday at Dean's Marsh near Lorne on the Great Ocean Road when I was about 10 and begging Dad to go for a hike one day, even buying a couple of Mars Bars for us to eat on a break during our hike. While I didn't get to experience hiking or adventures much as a child, it was something I yearned to do, often reading biographies and stories of people who had climbed up Mt Everest or gone on amazing adventures (such as Into Thin Air by Jon Krakouer, Lionheart by Jesse Martin and 5 months in a Leaky Boat by Ben Kozel).

What motivated you to undertake such challenging hikes and expeditions?

The biggest motivator for me undertaking challenging hikes and expeditions is that I view them as an adventure. There's nothing quite like the experiential learning that comes from immersing yourself in the classroom that is the natural world. You can learn a lot about yourself and the world around you by simply looking at a map, finding someplace interesting to explore and getting outside. Coupled with this is the opportunity that an adventure brings to discover new skills like how to navigate from point A to point B, problem solving when you might have to do a water crossing, and the sensory aspects of surrounding yourself in nature, and being in awe at the beauty of the natural world.

How did you prepare yourself physically and mentally for hiking the Annapurna Circuit, Gokyo Lakes and Everest Base Camp, Camino De Santiago, Kilimanjaro and Mt Toubkal?

Generally, for the physical preparation, I do a lot of walking in my normal day-to-day life, so this helps with base fitness. The preparation varied a lot for each one - for the Annapurna Circuit I also prepared by swimming, and I feel this helped with my breathing in the thin air at altitude. For Kilimanjaro, Mt Toubkal and the Camino De Santiago, I was living and working overseas, so on my days off work I would go for a hike or climb a mountain. Everest Base Camp and the Gokyo Lakes was different preparation entirely again - lots of walking, and I also did three back-to-back ascents/descents of the 1000 steps in the Dandenong Ranges to get some hill climbing conditioning into my legs. I must admit I didn't do much mental preparation other than lots of research, with the exception of the Camino de Santiago. The French route of the Camino De Santiago commences in St Jean Pied De Port and ends at Santiago De Compostela. I decided about a third of the way through the Camino to throw the guidebook out and to walk each day based on how I was feeling. There is a mantra that one of my fellow walkers said which was "eat, walk, sleep" as you could generally stop at the end of the day whether you had walked 5 kilometres or 50 kilometres.

Could you share a memorable experience or highlight from one of these hikes?

For the first few days of Kilimanjaro, I was hiking by myself with a team of porters and guides. On Day 4 of the Lemosho Route to the summit, the Barranco Wall is a steep almost vertical climb, and it can be a bit of a traffic jam of hikers. As we were climbing up the Barranco Wall, I met somebody who would become a lifelong friend, all the while climbing up this steep rock face. Another memorable experience on Kilimanjaro was the morning of our summit attempt, looking away from the mountain face and seeing the stars in the sky appear directly in front of you, and my trekking guide started softly singing. It was an ethereal experience. There's something to be said about being high up a tall mountain, and looking down onto what seems like a carpet of clouds, with the sky above showing beautiful hues of pink, purple or blue that no photograph can truly capture the essence of the beauty of such a sight.

How did these hiking experiences contribute to your personal growth and development?

There's definitely something to be said for the resilience you can gain from committing to a goal such as climbing up a lofty mountain or going for a two-week hike. You will always encounter obstacles, and a big part of the personal growth that I think comes from exploring outdoors is that you often need to improvise or find a solution to a problem you may not have expected you would encounter. For example, at high altitude in Nepal, your water bottle will freeze overnight. So, to make sure on the days we would be summiting or climbing over a mountain pass, I realised I could wrap a sock over the water bottle to stop it from freezing.

What difficulties or obstacles did you encounter during these hikes and how did you overcome them?

It takes a mistake to learn what not to do! Whilst trekking the Annapurna Circuit, which was a three-week trek, my ankles started swelling up two weeks into the trek. This was the first multi-day hike I had ever done, and I didn't know how to handle it. I remember we went to the Tatopani Hot Springs, but instead of joining everyone else in the hot springs, my trekking guide made me soak my ankles in the river, which was being directly fed by a glacier, so the water was extremely cold. A big lesson from that experience is that it is crucial to look after your feet and ankles. The next time I returned to Nepal to trek to the Gokyo Lakes and Everest Base Camp, every single night in the teahouses I would do "legs up the wall" pose to alleviate some of the fluid buildup in my ankles, feet and legs.

How did you manage your time and resources during these expeditions?

For most of the multi-day hikes I have done overseas, I conducted research on who the most reputable companies were to assist with the hike. It's really important to make sure that the people whose feet on the ground are supporting you as porters, sherpas, guides, cooks are looked after by their employers and also keep you safe. I have seen climbers be pushed to continue climbing up a mountain by their guides where it was quite clear it was unsafe for them, and the guide was obviously aiming for a completion rate target for his clients. So, it is really key from a livelihood perspective for both you and the people helping you to do your research and find a reputable company that will look after both its clients and its staff. For sherpas and trekking guides, this is their livelihood and main source of income, and it is a dangerous job to have. I particularly noticed on Kilimanjaro, that it is not as well-regulated as in Nepal - I saw some really dangerous and stupid things happen - such as a porter carrying a trestle table on his head up the mountain so his clients could sit down at a table for dinner halfway up the mountain. To that end, being ruthless in what you pack and consider a necessity is critical whenever you set out to go for a trek or climb a mountain.

Can you describe the physical and mental demands of training for an ultramarathon?

It takes me 6 months to train for a 100 km ultramarathon. Physically, I am not able to run back-to-back days as I am quite injury prone, so I need to make sure my training plan accounts for a gradual build of distance and time on feet, factoring in as well elevation. For me, the most mentally demanding part of training for an ultramarathon is making sure I stick to my training plan - I might be having an amazing 5 or 10 km run, and feel like running further, and sometimes it can be really hard to stop. Mentally, the biggest demand is actually having a voice of self-doubt when injuries or setbacks arise. I also chose some "power words" to keep telling myself whenever that inner voice of self-doubt started getting too loud during the ultra-marathon - repeating these power words to myself in the latter stages of the ultra-marathon once I had "hit the wall" helped me to continue forging forwards, even if it was slowly, towards the finish line.

What strategies do you employ to stay motivated and disciplined during your training for the 100 km ultramarathon?

For me to stay motivated for an ultramarathon is the perspective I have - I'm not going for a training run but I'm going for an adventure. By telling myself it is a 30 or 40 km adventure rather than a 30 km or 40 km run, it invites a different mindset to my training runs - as they aren't challenging or difficult but rather, they are opportunities to be curious and to explore. I also like to do a preparation trail event to check to make sure all my gear, equipment and clothes are tested prior to my goal run. To stay disciplined, I also balance out the run training with yoga, which compliments the high impact running on my joints and muscles.

Have you encountered any setbacks or challenges while training for the ultramarathon, and how did you overcome them?

Yes, I have had several injuries, mostly due to over-training. I've realised the hard way that I need to supplement the running preparation with strength training and resistance training. I was doing a lot of sand running to prepare for the Surf Coast Century last year and injured my hip about a month before the Surf Coast Trail Marathon. It meant the lead up to this race was less than ideal, and I wound up having to walk for several kilometres on the sandy stretches of the course. I also have been managing achilles tendinopathy for the past few months, which has been the longest injury I have had to ever deal with. There has been a lot of daily rehabs as well as adapting to the circumstances based on the injury, but there have been a couple of ancillary benefits to this as well - I have had to do more running on the flats with a high cadence - so I have set a few personal bests which I otherwise would not have done.

I suppose the main thing with setbacks is to view them as obstacles to overcome - you might not be able to go out and do what you had originally intended but think about what it is you can do with what you have got.

What lessons or skills have you learned from your hiking experiences that you apply to your training for the ultramarathon?

There are always lessons to learn, but I think the greatest lesson to experience is to take a moment every now and again to take in your environment - draw in the visual beauty of where you are, what sounds can you hear - are there birds singing or leaves rustling in the wind, can you feel the warm sun or light raindrops on your skin, perhaps you can smell eucalyptus or wildflowers. It can be very easy to fall into the trap of wanting to finish your hike or a trail run by a certain time, but there's no point to trying to set a record if you can't enjoy your surroundings.

How do you approach goal setting and planning for your hiking expeditions and ultramarathon training?

Typically, I plan 6 months to a year ahead. After completing the Surf Coast Century 100 km ultra last year, it took about 4 months for my energy levels to restore back to normal. I'd go for a run or do a bike class at the gym, and I would be exhausted afterwards in the first couple of months immediately post-ultra, so this is something I've factored into my plans for this year so I am not biting off more than I can chew, by attempting to do too many ultras.

I do like to set New Year's Resolutions but also as well, at the start of each month, I will set a couple of goals for the month.

Have you ever had to make difficult decisions or sacrifices during your hiking or training journeys, and how did you handle them?

I started getting unwell on the trek to Everest Base Camp with Khumbu cough, which is a dry hacking cough many trekkers experience due to the thin mountain air. This meant I had to make a difficult decision to stay back rather than climb up to Kala Patthar. While this was extremely disappointing, my health was more important than any mountain peak and I took solace in the amazing experience I had of trekking to the Gokyo Lakes, beautiful turquoise high-altitude lakes. Ultimately it was the Gokyo Lakes rather than Everest Base Camp which I wanted to see, so I had to put this into perspective when missing out on climbing up to Kala Patthar. Even though I was disappointed, I know I will return to Nepal again one day for another adventure and to climb another mountain.

How do you manage and mitigate risks during your hiking expeditions and training for the ultramarathon?

Intuition and gut feelings. As I was preparing for the 100 km ultra last year, my training plan had a 50 km run and I just had a bad feeling about it. I had already completed a 50 km race in the lead up to the 100 km event, and I felt like I would have pushed my body too hard if I tried to back it up and do another 50 km run so close to the lead up. For the long runs and hikes, I will have a plan, but I will adjust it based on how I am feeling. If I am feeling tired or sore, I will modify my plans based on how I feel and generally I think this is a good approach to take to avoid getting injured or sick.

Can you explain the significance and impact of these hiking experiences and the ultramarathon training on your overall well-being and personal fulfilment?

I have never felt bad after going for a run or a hike. My overall wellbeing has improved dramatically since the COVID-19 lockdown era because I have been able to go outside and go for adventures most weekends. There's nothing quite as personally fulfilling as putting your runners on and heading outside - it allows for greater clarity of mind, including making decisions but also provides an emotional release from any built-up tension or stress. I am familiar with the benefits of "Forest Therapy", where the evidence suggests that phytonocides, which are bioactive chemicals released from the immune systems of trees and plants are able to provide human beings with significant physiological and medical properties. Simply from being outside in nature.

Do you have any future hiking or endurance goals beyond the ultramarathon?

I was able to gain a spot in "The Lap" which is a 75 km trail run which is a lap of Lake Windemere in the Lake District in the UK later this year. I am also hoping to climb up Ben Nevis in Scotland. I have a few other long-term goals, such as to return to Nepal and summit a non-technical trekking peak over 6000 metres in altitude. I have managed to set a "fastest known time" FKT along the Penola to Coonawarra Rail Trail, and I am keen to set a few other FKT records on some other rail trails around Victoria. I'd also like to successfully complete a 100-mile trail run.