I drove the MR2 1700km to run an ultramarathon

"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12) 03/05/2020 at 16:17 • Filed to: None

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And it was rad. I camped 2 nights, saw countryside, mountain ranges, and almost almost nothing on the car broke.

I signed up for the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! a few months ago with a friend, with the knowledge that:

neither of us had ever run 50km

neither of us were capable of running 50km

this was going to be an especially hilly 50km, with much elevation

So we both bought running bags that can hold several litres of water and set to training. As !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! as a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of 40km+ runs, I turned my 5km run commute to and from work into a 12km detour through the city, around the botanical gardens and along the river home. It was wild.

The next problem was getting there. He’s in Sydney and I’m in Melbourne, and the run was in Jindabyne which is somewhere in between. I opted not to drive the 8.5 hours the day before the run, and again afterwards - instead I’d break up each drive into 2 days and camp overnight in between. This meant taking Friday and Monday off work.

In the end, all came together. He completed the run in 5.5 hours, me in 6.5. My pace wasn’t blistering, but the hills around the 30km really undid me, and the ending was rough. I was happy enough to finish at all. The camp sites were fantastic, just free sites out in the bush. I saw roos, both living and dead, many dead wombats, no koalas, some vultures, many cows, an eagle and a pelican.

The MR2 performed spectacularly. Parts of the Snowy Mountains Highway through the Kosciuszko mountain range, and the Murray River Road that follows the river, are twisty as you could hope for. And they’ve got the sort of high forgiving speed limits you only find in legitimate countryside. I did the entire trip with the roof off, though it wasn’t ideal during the long stretches of 110km/hr on the Hume Hwy. Saw a lot of burned bushland, was driving through it for hours. It is hard to grasp the scale of the bushfires until you’re traveling through the affected region for a full half day.

I also broke my handbrake cable. First night as soon as I got to the first campsite, I pulled it on and it just snapped. The MR2 hasn’t had many breakages in the time I’ve had it, but now there’s this.

Here are some pics.

First day, driving to the border. Clean MR2

On the Murray River Rd

First campsite, Barrowye Reserve on the Murray. That’s NSW across the river

Saturday morning, packed up and about to hit the road

A wedge-tailed eagle lookout

This is a poor photo of me stopped for some cows on the road. Shows how the grass has returned after the fires

On the left, one of several charred road signs

A lookout showing some of the extent of burnt land. In reality it’s so, so much more than this picture can convey

Made it to Jindabyne NSW, with a beer which is made here. This is the Kosciuszko Mountain Range. The beer wasn’t that great

A brewery which is next door to our accommodation. Very good.

Very start of the run. It starts just before sun up, so this is us about to pass into the sunlight for the first time. From this point, the sun is a constant companion, getting hotter and hotter over the 6 hours of the run.

The trails had some nice scenery of course. Thredbo River

Clear line of dirt on my legs, 6 hours of dust took its toll

This is the 2-3 hour trip back to a campsite after the run. Trying to get in early-ish to avoid the roos that come out at dusk. Don’t want to drive too far as I’m tired as can be

Last campsite, on Blowering Dam. Shortly before the sun went behind those hills. Roos came to visit the site in the night, it was creepy

Home at last, 3pm Monday. MR2 still dirty

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Nauraushaun 03/05/2020 at 16:38

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Second this emotion.  My 1992 MisterTwo Turbo has been astonishingly reliable.  I almost feel guilty for taking its reliability for granted, but in a sea of fickle cars in my garage?  The thing just runs and runs.

Textured Soy Protein > Nauraushaun 03/05/2020 at 16:52

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I’m a very fitness inclined individual but that kind of endurance shit makes me like...

MoCamino > Textured Soy Protein 03/05/2020 at 17:06

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A guy I know at work has done several 50 mile and 100 mile runs.  At one point he had a serious problem because he had been so hard on his body his internal organs started shutting down.  He laid off running for a while, and after several trips to the doctor figured out how he needed to change his regimen and now he’s back at it.  I respect him for it, but MAN, there is no way I’d be trying to run that far.  I don’t know that I’ve run 100 miles in aggregate over my entire live, much less at one time.

Textured Soy Protein > MoCamino 03/05/2020 at 17:15

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Endurance training is one of those things where it’s nominally about health and fitness but actually taking it to its full extent isn’t the healthiest thing to do. Too much wear and tear on the joints and it creates lots of stress hormones that have all sorts of effects.

Same applies with bodybuilding. People who don’t know any better sometimes refer to me as a bodybuilder but I’m just a fit, relatively large guy from lifting. I’m not nearly as dialed in as a real bodybuilder nor could I compete as one.

You can lift a whole lot of weights, and do a whole lot of cardio, eat well, and be very healthy, but getting to the super-low body fat percentages that bodybuilders compete at requires combining that same exercise regimen with extreme amounts of cardio and dietary restriction. Long term that’s neither healthy nor sustainable. Even the bodybuilders are only at that body fat % for the show they’re competing in and then they immediately relax the dietary restrictions.

More power to the people who can go to this extent but I’m not one of them. I just want to be healthy and look relatively jacked but I’m not going to twist myself into a diet pretzel to hit single-digit body fat %.

Getting back to the endurance stuff, it’s not merely a “I’m going to run a bunch and be healthy” kind of deal, it’s definitely about achieving the crazy goal. Which some people get their rocks off on and I certainly don’t begrudge them that. 

Nom De Plume > Nauraushaun 03/05/2020 at 17:28

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If you get any deeper, do yourself a favor and bring someone to do the driving and take care of you.  

Nauraushaun > Textured Soy Protein 03/05/2020 at 18:09

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It fucked

Nauraushaun > MoCamino 03/05/2020 at 18:10

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Wow. Internal organs. Maybe he should take that as a sign haha.

Yeah it’s pretty intense. Not sure how far I want to go. But it feels like an achievement so that’s good.

Nauraushaun > Textured Soy Protein 03/05/2020 at 18:11

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Yeah it’s totally not the sort of thing you want to do every week or month. I think the sweet spot in terms of health is doing some exercise, doing an insane amount isn’t necessarily better.

Moderation of the insanity ;)

Nauraushaun > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 03/05/2020 at 18:12

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Terbs. Nice. I’ve had mine for years and it’s just not been a problem. And it’s 30 this year. It’s a good feeling.

Nauraushaun > Nom De Plume 03/05/2020 at 18:12

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A good idea. I was careful not to try and drive too far in one day, or too far after the run. But bringing someone along for such an adventure isn’t as easy as it sounds!

SmugAardvark > Nauraushaun 03/05/2020 at 18:29

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Good on you. I feel tired sometimes after driving 50km...

MoCamino > Nauraushaun 03/05/2020 at 18:34

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Much respect to anyone who can push their bodies that far. I just know it’s not gonna be me.  

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Nauraushaun 03/05/2020 at 20:02

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Huh. I guess I never thought about the back window having a curve like that.

Longest distance I have ever run is a half marathon, and that was a few years back. Unfortunately having three kids has put a damper on getting out for a run. Mrs. BaconSandwich and I have volunteered a few times for one of the local ultra marathons. It’s a 50 km, 100 km, or 100 mile run through the river valley.  Maybe some day I’ll actually train, get in shape, and do the 50 km one.  It looks like they’ve now also added a 200 km route to it.  A few years back (when I was in shape, the rules were a bit more loose), I ran (as a guide) with my brother in law for 12 km or so.  I found the running at night actually preferable to running during the day.  When you’re out in the wilderness like that, the stars are really nice.

Cash Rewards > Textured Soy Protein 03/05/2020 at 20:11

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50km isn't insanity, it's the 50 and 100 milers that are batshit. That said, I ain't doing it. Did a marathon and won't run a foot further

Cash Rewards > Nauraushaun 03/05/2020 at 20:13

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That's amazing! I did a marathon, and nope, never again.

Nauraushaun > BaconSandwich is tasty. 03/05/2020 at 23:41

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People have said to me it must be expensive to make that way. I figure every piece of glass on every car is bespoke to the car, so probably not. And how would you ever break it?

Volunteering, nice! Night time sounds sweet, as long as you’ve got enough light. Reduced heat is definitely a good thing as is no risk of sunburn. 6.5hours in the sun is a lot.

Nauraushaun > SmugAardvark 03/05/2020 at 23:41

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Totally. Same.

Nauraushaun > Cash Rewards 03/05/2020 at 23:41

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I do know that feeling. But now, days later. I’d do another.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Nauraushaun 03/05/2020 at 23:52

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Yeah, that’s definitely a long time in the sun.  I’d be burnt to a crisp if I spent that long outside.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Nauraushaun 03/06/2020 at 06:38

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well done on the run.

you’ll have to sell the MR2 now, its broken and worthless.

i’ll give you $3

:P

Nauraushaun > pip bip - choose Corrour 03/06/2020 at 17:12

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Thanks pip!

Also, screw you pip!