Participants crossing Bell’s Rapids, part of the 65km course.
In this interview series, Ahotu will be speaking with the people behind some of the most unique races across the globe. We’ll be discussing the history of the event, challenges and how to overcome them, attracting sponsors, reaching new runners and more!
Thanks for joining us guys, could you introduce Transcend Trails and yourselves?
Shane: We setup Transcend Trails in 2020, hosting the Transcend Ultra for the first time in 2021, it’s a 65km Ultra race across varied terrain in Western Australia. I’ve been involved in the local trail scene for a while and have taken on some of Western Australia’s longest trails and competed in a large variety of events across the globe.
Mitchell: I’ve been involved behind the scenes of large scale events i.e. IRONMAN. We combined our experience with the shared mission to deliver an event close to Perth that provides a big race feel. We want people to be as passionate about trail running and adventure as much as we are, so a premium and exclusive experience was an important part of the vision. We’re both Exercise Physiologists with a passion for adventure, we worked together for 10 years prior to setting up Transcend Trails.
Where did the idea for the race come from?
S: I’ve participated in trail races for years, but after picking up a virus in 2020 (which they thought had caused myocarditis), I was told to take it easy and do minimal running. I turned to hiking and was determined to make a trail closer to home, through the untouched Avon Valley.
M: We discussed the idea and both felt we could bring something special to Western Australia. It was a convoluted web of 10 key stakeholders but we finally found a path through to Cobbler Pool from Walyunga National park. The route now connects two national parks, one regional park, a wildlife sanctuary, two local government authorities and four privately managed land holdings.
Given the long distance and varied terrain, what challenges does the location / course present to you as race organisers?
M: Perth isn’t well known for hills but the Avon Valley offers plenty of elevation with 2,700m over the 65km course. This kind of course can be a bit of a shock to locals who typically run on flat footpaths. Additionally the valley in the winter after rain comes to life with a raging river full of rapids, we have one decent water crossing at Wooroloo Brook which adds to excitement but precautions have to be made.
S: The course has limited or heavily restricted access due to also being a rail corridor, so we decided we needed to keep an eye on our runners as close as possible. Every runner is issued with a tracker so we can tell if they have been stationary for an extended period of time, or if they have managed to go off course. It is also nice to offer an option for people to watch from afar.
The first edition of the race took place in the midst of the pandemic, which must have felt like a leap of faith. What made you decide to take the plunge and launch the race for 2021?
S: We started the Transcend pipedream pre-pandemic and had put so much work into getting approvals, we decided to power on and hope that a bit of luck was on our side. Perth had virtually been Covid-19 free through the pandemic, so the isolation bubble gave us more confidence that we would be able to make it happen.
M: We have an amazing trail community in Perth and knew that we could get enough participation from Western Australia alone, even if travel domestically wasn’t an option. As it was, we were able to have interstate runners take part which was great.
What did you learn from your first year putting on the event?
M: There is a massive amount of challenging terrain to cover. Setting up all the course markings, aid stations, takes days to weeks to get right. Then you finally get to the event which has a 14 hour cut-off time. It was definitely draining on the energy and sleep bank. Last year we had a lot of rain during the event and we found the clean up took much longer than the set up. Shane thinks running a 200 miler is easier and quicker to recover from!
Has the trail / ultra scene in Australia changed during the time that you have been involved? Are there any trends / changes you are seeing within the sport?
S: I ran my first trail event around 2008 in Perth, at that stage It was very much a new sport in Perth and if 100 people came to an event it was a massive turnout. Since then it appears there has been a shift from outcome based events to experience based events. People are shifting towards cyclocross, mountain bikes and trail running rather than pounding concrete or hitting the tarmac.
M: The calendar is now full of trail running event options and attendance is growing rapidly. There is still plenty of growth to happen and now that Ironman has bought out UTMB we will see it become more of a professional sport, which is exciting for youth coming through.
Australia is a huge country with Perth a few hours by plane from some of the other major Australian Cities, where have your participants come from previously and where would you like to see them come from?
M: Our aim is for Transcend to be inclusive, with all nationalities being welcome. Despite the international borders being closed for 2021 we were really pleased with how multicultural the event was. We also had more people travel over from the east coast than we would have expected for our first year, hopefully this will only grow. Teaming up with World Marathons is a great opportunity to put our event in front of those interested in adventure travel.
What can participants expect from the Transcend 65k Ultra?
S: The 65km course has a bit of everything, single trail, fire trail, steps, steep hills, goat trail, creek crossings, paddocks, ladders over fences and some rocky outcrops. We also have a diverse range of flora and fauna across the valley which all adds to the beauty of the region. The team aspect helps to make a great atmosphere at each aid station, which is great for keeping you motivated.
Shane recce’ing the Transcend Ultra route
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for runners when booking and attending races. Do you take any measures to reduce the environmental impact of the Transcend Ultra?
S: Transcend Trails has a Give. Gain. Grow philosophy. A part of this is looking after the environment and doing everything we can to be an eco-friendly event.
M: We’ve included a range of measures to reduce our impact on the the trails and local ecosystem including;
- It is mandatory to show evidence of collecting 5 pieces of rubbish from the trails or surrounding community
- Runners are given the option to opt out of an event shirt
- We up-cycle wood shingles from an old gaol for our podium trophies, We don’t provide cups at aid stations and ask runners to pack a reusable cup
- Instead of a finisher medal the finishers plant a tree
- We encourage carpooling and offer a bus transfer
What are your hopes / plans for the race / company over the coming years?
M: We are hoping to livestream the race this year which will compliment the tracker aspect and enhance the spectator reach and experience.
S: We’d love to see more runners appreciating the route and enjoying the Avon Valley over the coming years.
When is the next edition taking place and where can our audience find out more information about the event?
S: The Transcend Ultra takes place on the 26th of June 2022! Runners can visit our website for more information https://transcendtrails.com/ or follow us on Instagram @transcendtrails!
Entries are open on our website and World’s Marathons – https://worldsmarathons.com/marathon/transcend-65km-ultra
Thanks for speaking with us guys, best of luck with this years race. We look forward to watching the race continue to grow in the coming years!
Interested in taking part? You can register for the Transcend Ultra on Ahotu – Transcend 65km Ultra & Team Relay
To feature in our interview series you can drop us an email on [email protected]
Interested in promoting your race with World’s Marathons or Ahotu? Contact us on [email protected]