Course changes made Saturday’s Ultra-Trail Australia races an even tougher slog but the majority of Bathurst competitors were able to pull through for strong results.
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After weeks of preparation for the gruelling event runners were faced with a late course change at the Blue Mountains race due to rain in the lead up.
It was a big blow in particular to the 50 kilometre course contenders who had just a small stretch of their original trail left on the new track.
One of those runners was Wes Gibson.
The Bathurst competitor and coach had prepared for a hillier challenge but the new course took in the opening half of the 100km trail, making for a completely different experience.
Luckily for the field the weather on race day was sublime.
“The course was completely different than what we had prepared for. I was prepared for more stairs so it probably suited the guys who were faster on the flat,” Gibson said.
“Those changes were a testament to the organisers because a lot of other events probably would have pulled the pin.
“The 50km field was ridiculously strong this year, probably stronger than the 100. I didn’t have the best race but it was far from the worst I’ve had.”
Gibson finished the 50km race in five hours, 17 minutes and 46 seconds for a 37th placing overall.
Two of Gibson’s members at UP Coaching Bathurst, Steve Paterson and Blair Hurst, took on the blue ribband UTA100 event.
Hurst was short of his personal best with a time of 13:26:42 but, thanks to finishing under 14 hours, was enough to earn a coveted silver buckle.
Paterson finished in 18:08:28 to claim a bronze buckle for going under the 20-hour mark.
Bathurst’s Arthur Sargeant came just shy of claiming a buckle with his time of 20:20:20 while Cath McEwen just missed the four-hour mark (4:00:36) in the 22km event.
Lithgow’s Florentina Caldwallen (6:11:42) was a standout performer from Gibson’s coaching group in the 50km race, finishing inside the top 20 for her age division.
“Steve Paterson did really well. He had a few issues early in his race but he managed to overcome them,” Gibson said.
“My crew in the 50km race did exceptionally well. They had a great day.
“Everyone from my group finished and everyone, with the exception of Blair, scored a personal best.”