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There is always a buzz around the trail running community of South-East Queensland in July because it marks the build up to one of the most-loved races on the calendar - The Guzzler.

I have to declare an interest in that the races (there are four distances) are run on Mt Coot-tha, which is more or less my backyard, and the race has a close affiliation with my trail running club, The Trailiens. However, I’m confident that by any objective measure this is an excellent event.

The trails are top notch, the race shirts are iconic and the vibe is great. The races are as close to 100 per cent on trails as you can get and the courses, especially the 100k, are challenging. Very challenging.

But all that is for next week’s event preview. Today, I’m looking at all the work that goes into ensuring the event runs to plan, and all of us runners have a great weekend.

To find out just how big a lift it is to stage an event that involves four distances and hundreds of runners, I spoke to Katie Lovis who is part of the team organising this year’s event.

Katie is herself a gun runner. Just a few weeks after The Guzzler, she’ll be heading off to the US to compete in the iconic Leadville 100 mile race, one of the original trail running events. (More about that in a coming post…)

She says moving into the logistical side of racing was a natural progression for her. “I think when you love racing, you're quite happy to give back because you want to continue racing. So it's a really wonderful community mentality that keeps the sport rolling well,” she says.

She cut her teeth helping organise events in her native WA, including the Margaret River Ultra. She moved to Brisbane 12 months ago and almost immediately found herself volunteering at The Guzzler, despite being heavily pregnant at the time.

This year, her role is more formal. And it’s a big job. “There are nearly 2,000 athletes over the course of the weekend and over 200 volunteers,” she says. “Four races, obviously different distances, different routes. So it's a big event.”

She says preparing for an event like this is not just about the week leading into the race. “I'd say one of the biggest things that people don't realise is a lot of the stuff that has to be done way in advance,” she says.

Permits are one of the biggest challenges for the team. “You've got to deal with Parks and Wildlife, SEQ water, Queensland Police Service, Queensland Fire Service, you deal with the local council.

“You should never assume just because it was approved last year, that it'll be approved again. You've got to resubmit all the paperwork. You've got to have all your fire evacuation plans. You've got to have all your medical plans. So it's just enormous getting all that stuff done.”

Then there are medics who need to be organised and rostered, with a certain ratio required per runner. Protocols are also required to ensure plans are in place in case a runner is hurt on one of the less accessible parts of the course. And on much of the 100k course you can’t just drive an ambulance in to collect them.

That’s not to say all the work is done months in advance. There’s plenty to do in the final days and weeks leading into the event too. The opening of registrations kicks off a series of tasks.

“There's an influx of special requests. And then as time gets closer, you're getting withdrawals, refunds, transfers, so you're dealing with all of that. Even silly little things like everyone who registers before a certain day gets a T-shirt. What are their sizes? Where’s it getting produced? What's the design?

“All the bibs as well. So, there are just so many little parts.”

There are also lots of humans to coordinate. “There's also a lot of communication with everyone involved. The volunteers, the competitors. So a lot of email work just answering questions.”

Wrangling volunteers is close to a full-time job in itself. Recruiting them and then ensuring they are allocated to checkpoints around the course and around the clock would put the most organised person to the test.

But anyone who’s run a long race will know the vollies at the checkpoints are an essential part of any race. My UTA50 experience was living proof of this - without the intervention of two volunteers at the 28k checkpoint I almost certainly would have pulled out. Instead, with their encouragement, I was able to finish the race.

So if you’re lining up at The Guzzler later in the month, or at any race for that matter, spare a thought for those people who’ve put in countless hours to make sure you’re set up for a day you’ll never forget.

The run to Big Jesus

As I wrote last week, I’ve spent some time working in Timor-Leste this month. This has given me the opportunity to run around the capital, Dili. Running a city is one of the great ways to get to see the sights, and one of the greatest sights in Dili is Cristo Rei, also known as “Big Jesus”.

Cristo Rei is a 27-metre high concrete statue of Jesus which sits atop a globe, arms aloft, looking out over the ocean. It’s situated on the peak of a cape west of the city centre, a good 8k run from my hotel in central Dili.

I wanted to get there as the sun was rising, and also to get back before the heat of the day kicked in, so I set off before sunrise. It was worth it, arriving just after sunrise was spectacular. It made the 8k run there and the 570 steps to the summit well and truly worth it.

There was so much to see along the way too. From the goats foraging along the roadside to the roosters doing the same and the dogs - lots of dogs - wandering about. Slightly unnerving given people are dying from rabies in Timor right now. I decided just to put that out of my mind…

I also saw two young boys singing their hearts out sitting atop an old wooden boat that was pulled up onto the beach, drumming away on the bow of the boat with rocks. They are in the Insta post embedded above. You can’t watch them and not smile.

And that’s what I mean when I say running a city is a great way to get the vibe. You almost become become part of it, as opposed to being a detached observer. That’s how it felt for me anyway.

Coach Bennett update

I’ve now been following Coach Bennett’s marathon plan on the Nike Run Club App for six weeks, and - who knew - following a program actually seems to work! Despite having had a cold at one point, and spending 10 days in Timor, I’ve managed to complete almost all the runs and I am feeling stronger.

The guided runs have been interesting. Paula Radcliffe has told me all about how she set the marathon world record at London. Shalane Flanagan has told me how to eat better to fuel my running.

Many of the recovery runs have featured chats between Coach Bennett and Andy Puddicombe, the British founder of the Headspace app.

But today, Coach Bennett was joined by a guest with a much more poignant story - Sudanese refugee Lopez Lomong. This really was worth listening to. Lopez was kidnapped as a six year old during Sudan’s brutal civil war.

He was taken to a camp to be trained as a child soldier, but escaped with three older boys and ran for days to cross the Kenyan border where they were rescued and sent to a refugee camp.

I’ve only heard part one of his story, but it’s gripping. How he survived is astonishing. And it made me reflect on just how grateful I am simply to be able to run. Which, coming full circle, is something Andy Puddicombe underlines as part of his mindfulness schtick - feeling gratitude is a great de-stressor.

Which, now I come to think of it, is also one of the main reasons I run.

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 Australia.