SIX INCH APPROVED

[dave]

DEC has granted approval for 6 Inch this year. It will therefore be an official race with an entry fee of about $15.
There will also be a half distance support race starting at 7am from the Turner Hill mountain bike trail.

[Nathan]

That's some fantastic news!!!!!!! Finally we have an official race - Have you let AURA know?

[robd2]

Well done Dave. That's brilliant news.

[trailblazer777]

excellent!

[sal]

Message from Steve, he is unable to log in to the website at the moment:

Not really sure why this is such great news, what difference is it going to make other than now incur an entry fee. Granted last year we had a voluntary contribution but by now imposing an entry fee entrants will expect and rightly so, something for their money. What will be provided in the way of support during and post race, will the race be covered by some form of insurance and will we require entry forms? If a runner gets into trouble on the course what provisions are in place to aid and evacuate them or will there be liability waivers on the entry form? What exactly makes a race official or unofficial anyway? Do groups of MTB riders need to get permission to ride together on the Munda Biddi?



Don’t get me wrong I’m still running because it’s a great day but I don’t understand why we need “official” recognition. If there’s a valid and logical reason then that’s great.

See you all in Dwellingup for a pre-race beer or 8....
Sal and Steve

[dave]

Steve (&Sal)
By gaining approval we can then apply to AURA for insurance (which has already been granted in advance pending approval). We can also get in contact with potential sponsors for prizes and are free to advertise to competitors allowing for a bigger field size.

I'm not sure why this is the case but many runners have expressed their desire to run the race when it is offically approved. I have enjoyed the last 4 fat-ass editions but look forward to a bigger and better event this year.
Drinks will be available at the usual spots.

[Nathan]

Imagine running a 6-Inch with drink stations every 5k that had stocks of water, sportsdrink, gu, powerbars, fruit etc No longer need to race with a pack/handheld. Race fields would increase dramatically adding to the atmosphere of the event, attracting interstate and international runners and reducing race records. Decent prizes can be awarded for placegetters and spot prizes on offer as well. Time splits, finishers photo's, competitors race bags with a bunch of free stuff. Running into dwellingup to see heaps of spectators gathered in the park, all cheering and applauding your efforts. Sound unlikely - well this is all possible now the we have approval.

Obviously more work to be done in terms of support and it will be, but there can be no doubt that this is a landmark decision in favour of trail running in WA. Really, this is the first trail run of it's kind to be officially approved in WA. I mean 40miler, bold park, KOM are great runs but don't use the best trails in WA (Bibbulmun, Munda Biddi, Eagle View etc). This is a recognition of trail running as a sport and shows that the local authorities are willing to support that. This race will grow and I believe that it has the potential to become and feature event in the WA running calendar.

[robd2]

I guess the question is whether we want to keep trail running to the same couple of dozen faces we all know, or would like to see the sport expand and grow so we have races of 50 or 100 participants, more people to run with on weekends etc.

Making the race official will allow us to ask WAMC to include the event on their calendar. That will help generate some interest. AURA will also include it on theirs, so we should see more people come in from other States for the event.

There are local people I know who have entered 6 foot for next year, but have never run a proper trail race in WA. That doesn't make sense to me...hopefully if we can get some traction around 6 Inch to make it a bigger event, people will choose the option to run local first.

[sal]

Again, Steve's thoughts below.....

I’m really not sure I want to imagine any of those things. Do you really want all of those things and all the fanfare that goes with them. Imagine the race getting closed down after litter issue’s along the track, Gu and Powerbar wrappers, no accommodation in Dwellingup, qualifying times, $50.00 entry fee’s…..

Just my thoughts, this will only be my second 6” so maybe I shouldn’t voice my opinion, I’ll keep running it as long as I enjoy it and am able to. As I’ve said previously I love the informality of Fat Ass running and will continue to run trails accompanied, alone or with the same dozen or so regulars as long as my body allow’s.

PS: Sal and I signed up for the Libyan Challenge 2010. Before anyone jumps in, yes it is organised, supported (to a degree) and we do have to pay an entry fee but it is in Libya, it’s exotic, scary and very exciting.

[duffer]

Makes me feel tempted to give it another go and try to get an official victory/course record. Not this year though, got to stay focussed on my main priorities.

[Nathan]

FYI: AURA stipulated in 2008 that we needed DEC approval to qualify as an AURA sanctioned event. All the other boxes are ticked so it's a sure thing.

Don't stress! Many things are already in place for the improvement of Six-Inch and some have been for years. There is a vision for the race and that vision will not be realised in 2010, but now we can begin to work towards it.

Nate

[simmo]

Dave, Nathan and Robd2, I'm inclined to think that trail running would grow quicker if the main (only) race on the calendar were not marathon length. Very many potential trail runners are put off by the distance of this event, and even by the distances that you advertise for training runs in another thread. I know the nirvana of trail runners in Australia is the 6 Foot, but before we try to imitate it, how about running some shorter races (5-10km) on quality trails?

[Nathan]

A valid point simmo and something that has been raised before - note that this year there is a half distance option starting at 7am, this has the potential to attract runners not up for the full distance. One of the main problems is that Six Inch is sanctioned by AURA, allowing the use of their insurance policy, obviously they would not sanction an event of the marathon distance or shorter. Only other option is the WAMC establishing more trail races but they have shown a clear preference towards road races - the trail races they have do not use the best trails, no doubt due to the problems with gaining approval. My guess would be you would need to invest a lot of time getting a 10k trail race up and running

The idea of a Trail Running Association of WA has been floated and investigated but I feel that WA could not support another running association that would be in competition with the WAMC - maybe I'm wrong. This would also be a lot of work and would require large cash injections to setup an association and gain an insurance policy.

With over 700 marathoners at C2S and over 500 at the Perth Marathon - there's plenty of people in WA who are capable of running marathons and if people are put off by the distance then that's ok - give it a few years and then have a crack. The race is not easy, that's the point! It's a challenge, some are up for it some are not. Be aware also that growing fast is not the goal, nor the desire for the race. The faster it grows the harder it will become to manage and the more problems we'll encounter.

The potential of trail running in WA is huge and exciting, but let's just work with what we've got for now and not get too far ahead of ourselve. We have a passion for Ultra running and want to see the growth of the sport in WA. If someone else has a passion for shorter trail races then I would help out however I can and be a certain starter at all of them.

Nate

[bernadette]

I, too, am really stoked to hear about the official approval for Six Inch and what it suggests for the growth of ultra trail running in WA.

It's nice to see a lot of thoughtful comments being posted.

I agree with Simmo that having a series of short-course events would be a nice addition and the idea has certainly been floated around amongst many of us. Just takes someone to commit to leading it....the thought's been serious for me at times, but I really don't think there are the racers to do it at this point.

Being from Canada and living in a mecca for ultra running race options, I'd like to throw in a bit from that perspective. There is one "cross-country" series of short races in my hometown - those are somewhere in the 10k range. Not that many of my ultra friends actually bothered with them, though. I never did one. They were actually put on by the local "roadrunners" association. The reason they were even attended, I think, was because of their convenience - being right in the city - Calgary had several trail options. However, Perth only has Bold Park as a "trail" course. We'd have to look at places like Lesmurdie Falls, John Forrest, Munda Biddi, Bib....

From my experience, the way the sport is growing in North America seems to go something like this:

There are so many races that a number of people are training at any given time for the ones they've chosen for the year. Training runs bring people together (as Rob commented). The training runs give people the experience of running 15-40k of trails at a time. People introduce others to the sport by word of mouth - inviting friends to come out to a training run. If you're not up to the full distance, you go shorter - do an out-and-back - or start earlier so the bigger group catches you - if you want to learn the sport, you find a way. It gives you incentive to improve because you see what other mere mortals have accomplished. The camaraderie is fantastic.

When I started trail running, I had no plans to even race. I was hobbling and nauseous after my first 15k run in the foothills of the Rockies in calf deep snow in the dark! But I went back, determined to improve. That mentality is part of what makes an ultra runner. After 8 months of consistent running, I decided to try my first 42k trail race in British Columbia.

Contrary to Nate, however, I would hope that trail ultras never have aid stations every 5k. I don't think they're made to be that way. It takes some of the 'wilderness' and personal challenge out of the experience, to me. I haven't ever heard or seen that - does Six Foot do that? Maybe I've never seen it because I think you might be hard pressed to get enough volunteers at an ultra to man 50, 80 or more kms of trail in the cold/heat, dark, rain....But if the demand was there for aid stations every 5k and the support was there, so be it!

Steve - Ultra trail runners never drop Gu packets. It goes against our ethics. And if someone 'accidentally' did, the next guy coming along would pick it up. Litterbugs don't want to be trailrunners. It's a contradiction of ethics.

And as for the Libya comment - justifying it as exotic and scary.... Running 46k on the Munda Biddi is pretty exotic and scary for a lot of people. We've got snakes, heat, rocks, intersecting trails to get lost on, roos, and even some decent hills! I think that's the point Simmo was making about trying to have 'milder' options for people. I think we have to remember as we become freaks of ultras and don't bat an eye at a 200k race that 46k is a darn serious event for a lot of people. WA is probably even rather "exotic" for those from the East. And an ultra friend of mine living in Singapore now is really keen on seeing races in WA, as it's a good travel option for him (and getting away from their humidity).

Long live dirt running

[Nathan]

Bernadette,
Drink stations every 5k was just an idea and in some respects I am with you in the sense that it would take some of the wilderness out of it. It is just about getting the right balance of enough drink stations so as not to put people off, but not too many to detract from the race.

Lots to consider