ROBBIE RACES THE TRAIN

Our superstar Bartender Robbie competes at the Cairns to Kuranda where he will race 31km against the Kuranda Rail from Cairns, up the range and ending in Kuranda., learn more about him here..

What do you find to be the most rewarding thing about running?

I would say that for me personally the most rewarding thing about running is the high you get, there's nothing else like it. I takes a little time to get there but once you are reasonably fit it becomes addictive, it also spills over in other areas of your life like gaining more confidence and trying other things.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about the sport or runners in general?

I would say that people assume you have to be a certain "type of person" to run, that's not true anyone can run.

What in the world motivates a person to run long distance?

I guess it depends on the runner, and that is a relative term (Long distance) but for many it's about the challenge both mentally and physically. Running is a solo sport so you're testing yourself all the time, when you sign up for a long distance event you can see how much your preparation and planning has paid off.

Describe the training process for this race. How did you prepare–both mentally and physically?

For me personally I don't change to much training wise. I generally run mostly trails that have hills, which is the main part of this race so I may do a bit more hill work and increase my distance slightly but that's about it. I don't get overly technical about my training! But if you were a road runner a big part of your preparation would be to get some trail running in, it's quite different to road running so it's a good idea to get used to running trails.

What kinds of things do you think about as you run?

I tend not to think about much, which is also why I love running it gets you out of your head and into the "zone" if your mind starts wandering chances are you'll trip over a tree root or rock! But I'm certainly aware of how my body feels, are my legs getting tired, how is my breathing etc....

Day of the big race…how are you feeling? Are you performing any superstitious rituals?

A little bit of nerves, which is really just excitement! No rituals lol Just make sure I'm hydrated and warmed up.

Are you planning to run another race soon?

I'm going to aim to do as many of the trail runs I haven't already done, the next one be Goldsborough Rush trail run. I'm also contemplating doing the 3 marathons in 3 days challenge, I've never done anything close to that distance so it'll be a huge step up for me.