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I’ve been struggling with my running of late. I suspect this is partly because I’ve not been able to run consistently. The combination of injury, man flu and the aftereffects of having a skin cancer taken off my lip has kept me off the trails.

But I’ve also just been very sore - back, hip, feet and neck. I’ve found it difficult to determine which of these is down to injury and which is a result of the inevitable march of old age. After all, my 58th birthday is fewer than eight weeks away.

While I wouldn’t call it an existential crisis, it has given me pause for thought regarding my running ambitions. I’d like to run the Blackall 100 in October. But in the past fortnight I’ve been pondering whether I should give up the long distances and focus on the 20k-50k range.

In many ways this would be a shame, because I enjoy the mental and physical challenge of the longer distances. And I feel like I have plenty of unfinished business there, having run only one 100k race and nothing longer.

Around the time I was having this internal debate, I heard Ludo Pommeret had won the Hardrock 100 - one of the most revered trail races in the US. In the process he set the course record. It was his third consecutive win. And did I mention, Ludo has just turned 51!

Now there are two ways to respond to this - be depressed or be inspired. Luckily I’ve always been an optimist, so I’m going to go down the inspiration trail and see where it takes me.

What can I learn from Ludo?

To start with, I did a bit of a deep dive into what makes Ludo Ludo. In his post-race interview with Dylan Bowman on the Freetrail podcast, Bowman started by asking Pommeret how he was feeling. He said he was in pretty good shape, but “when you get old you always have a pain somewhere”.

Oh Ludo, I know that feeling!

Closer examination of Pommeret’s tactics now he’s in his 50s reveals it’s basically a whole lot of common sense. He’s not got the physical capability he did in his 20s and 30s. Now he relies on what he does have more of - experience.

He’s spent years slowly eliminating weaknesses. While he’s never super-fast, his pace is very consistent. He’s also now focused on long events where endurance trumps speed and the advantages his experience brings pay real dividends.

Pommeret focuses on things like pacing and mental preparation to give him the edge. “At least when you are old, you have this experience, so that is good… If you have not the young muscles, you have at least an old brain.”

I definitely have an old brain, but I’m not sure there’s much else I have in common with Ludo. But perhaps I can mimic his approach to training.

Pommeret spends most of his time training at low intensity. In fact, he says he’s not a runner, he’s a hiker - being perhaps a touch too modest. I reckon I can implement a long, slow, low intensity training plan. ✅ 

Another ingredient in Pommeret’s sustained Hardrock success is preparation. He travels to the San Juan mountains in Colorado, home of the Hardrock, around a month ahead of the race. He lives out of his car for those weeks, hiking the course with his wife.

This serves two purposes. He’s able to familiarise himself with the route, which is helpful for race day strategy, and acclimatise to the altitude - Hardrock’s average elevation is 11,000 feet (3,350 metres).

I guess I could camp out in the Sunshine Coast hinterland and check out the course, although I’m not sure my wife would be exactly thrilled about accompanying me.

When it comes to training, Pommeret has a pretty relaxed approach to training. He doesn’t seem to follow a structured plan, relying more on feel. He also does a lot of cross-training, in particular ski mountaineering which keeps him fit during winter.

Even in the depths of a Brisbane winter (it’s dipped into single figures here once or twice this winter 🥶 ❄️), I’m not sure that “skimo” is an option for me. Maybe some gentle cycling?

In an interview with The Running Dutchman, Pommeret had one tip I can implement. “I do take more time to recover. I listen to what my body needs.” No problem there. Of late, my body’s been telling me it needs to recline on the sofa watching the Tour de France.

“Some runners listen too much to their bodies. They stop running at the slightest discomfort. If you do that, you spend more time on the sofa than on the trails.” Hmmm. That one might be more challenging to replicate!

So, on reflection, it may be a little unrealistic for me to model my running on Ludo. But there is one sentiment we share: “Defying the passing of time is a deep motivation for me,” he told The Running Dutchman.

I may not be winning Hardrock, but I suspect for Ludo and I, running long on the trails is how we rage against the dying of the light.

On balance, seeing a man in his 50s win a race like that is inspiring, not depressing. And that’s motivation enough to keep pushing for those longer races.

Finally, a quick salute to Courtney Dauwalter who won the women’s race at Hardrock, her fourth victory there. She also set a clockwise course record (the race alternates between clockwise and anti-clockwise directions each year). Courtney’s a spring chicken at just 41 but if anything, she’s even more impressive than Ludo. And that’s a high bar!

Upcoming Events

There are way too many events for me to list everything that’s happening around the country, but here is a selection of upcoming races (with a bias towards South East Queensland).

The Running Calendar website is a great source if you want a comprehensive understanding of what’s available around the country.