'I needed this day. I needed to reignite my passion for running and remind myself why I love this. Now, I’m motivated to train harder for the next goal ahead.'

Simon was aiming for a PB at the UTA22, but life had other plans. Instead of disappointment, he found something unexpected — a deeper resilience, a renewed purpose, and a reminder of why he started running in the first place. 

 

On Friday, 16th of May, I embarked on the adventure that was UTA 22. I initially had a goal of running sub-4 hours, but as life happened, I lost a bit of running motivation and didn’t get a proper training block in before the race.

Still, I held on to the dream and the goal. The two weeks leading up to UTA were horrid. I ran a poor race at the Sydney Hoka Half, my twins got sick with RSV and Flu A, and then I caught RSV and Flu A myself—just four days out from the race. But nothing was going to stop me, even if it meant walking the trails. UTA is such an incredible experience; you're surrounded by stunning scenery, and it’s a day I wasn’t willing to miss.

I carb-loaded and prepped as best I could. But the night before, sleep was non-existent. Taking two-and-a-half-year-old twins to the Blue Mountains—away from home and their routine—probably wasn’t my brightest idea. I ended up with just three and a half hours of sleep before race day.

The odds were stacked against me for a sub-4 finish, but that didn’t stop me from putting together a Garmin PacePro strategy and holding onto hope.

I jumped on the shuttle to the start line at QVH, and the nerves started to settle in—just like they always do before a race that means something to me. At that point, there was no use dwelling on the poor lead-up. It was time to get on with it and race my heart out.

The first stage of UTA 22 is almost all downhill into the Kedumba Valley. As a bigger runner with strong legs, this is where I could make my mark. I was flying—sprinting like a gazelle—for those first 8km.

But what goes down must come up.

The first climb arrived. By then, I had built a 10-minute buffer on my 4-hour goal. I was feeling good and running strong, so I decided to walk the first few climbs and reassess later in the race. I used that time to zone in and reset. After a few climbs, I reached the Aid Station. I felt good, didn’t want to linger too long—refilled my water bladder, ate a couple of orange slices, and off I went.

Right after the Aid Station came a 3km climb that really humbled me. That 10-minute buffer slowly slipped away. But I had planned for that, knowing I’d run a positive split race. By the time I reached the top, the estimate showed I was trending about 5 minutes over my goal.

Once I conquered that climb, I hit some rolling hills and descents—the perfect chance to pick up the pace. I got cracking, knowing sub-4 was still within reach. I attacked the downhills, fast-walked the uphills, and kept pushing. As the kilometres ticked over, it looked like I might just pull it off. Regardless, I was proud of the effort. I was sick, sleep-deprived, and the conditions were far from ideal—wet, muddy, with rain on and off—but none of that took away from the magic of UTA.

At the final kilometre, I looked at my watch—3 hours and 45 minutes. But I still had the Furber Steps to climb: 300 metres of elevation in the last stretch. At that point, I was slightly delirious. Fatigue had set in, I’d run out of water 3km ago, I had definitely under-fuelled, and the sickness was catching up. But I had a job to do. Climb those steps.

It took longer than I hoped, but I got there. Once I reached the top, it was just 200 metres to the finish. I tried to run hard, but my calves and quads weren’t happy with the sudden tempo change. The last 50 metres were all about elongating my stride to keep the cramps at bay.

But I got it done.

Finish time: 4:16:56
A 19:59 PB from last year.

No training. No sleep. RSV. But I dug deep, hustled through UTA, and got it done.

I needed this day. I needed to reignite my passion for running and remind myself why I love this. Now, I’m motivated to train harder for the next goal ahead.