Forty-nine hardy souls are on Friday tackling a race many would find too daunting – running from sea level at Eden to the peak of Mt Kosciuszko.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Even more impressive – or foolhardy depending on your outlook – it’s expected the front-runners will clock in at the finish line less than 30 hours after the starter’s pistol.
The Coast to Kosci Ultramarathon has been running since 2004, each year becoming more popular and attracting greater numbers of prospective competitors.
It started, as all great events do, as a challenge over a few drinks with the idea that running from the coast to the country’s highest point would be something worthy of completing.
Now race organisers have to limit competitor numbers due to its increasing prestige and popularity.
Participants have to have completed at least a 100-mile race as well as a 100km run to even qualify.
This year, competitors come from every Australian state, as well as New Zealand and even China.
The youngest competitors ever to complete the race were 24 years old, while three 62-year-old men have been the eldest.
The race record for the 240km footrace is held by Andrew Tuckey, who in 2014 completed the event in 24hours 33minutes and 14seconds. For the women, Jess Barber has the record, set in 2013, of 30h4m28s.
And while the peak of Kosciuszko may seem daunting, once racers reach it they aren’t yet done – the finish line is back down to the car park at Charlotte’s Pass.
Each competitor will have a support vehicle, with several planned rest stops along the way.
The ultramarathon runners – 38 men and 11 women – will set out from Boydtown Beach south of Eden at 5.30am Friday, December 9.
Front-runners are expected to reach Rocky Hall around 9.30am and Cathcart about 11.30am, before making it to Dalgety before sundown Friday.
The cut-off for the entire journey is 3.30am Sunday, with presentations later that morning at a post-race breakfast at the Lake Jindabyne Hotel-Motel.
For more details on the race – and to keep up to date with live race coverage and real-time tracking – visit www.coast2kosci.com.