It has been just over two years since I’ve finished a 100-mile race. In that time, I’ve had two DNFs. To say that I was nervous of a three-peat at Kosi Miler, is an understatement.

After a disastrous Lavaredo race in June, I decided I had to get a miler finished this year. I love the Snowy Mountains, so despite having a terrible Kosi 100km race in 2024, I thought I’d double down and clicked the Enter button on the flight home from Italy!

Super Crew Toy Martin (aka Mum), Super Dog Barty (aka Ash Barty) and Super Pacer Nikki Burke (aka most patient person alive), all agreed to join the adventure.

A chirpy 3am start in Jindabyne with 350 other keeners. I was fiercely determined to stay in the party pack for the first few hours. Sweaty, fainting, zone 5 heartrate Brook was not running this show.

A lovely shuffle around the lake in a comfortable conga line and the first aid station appeared quickly. A fast chat to Course Director Tom Landon-Smith about the spectacular stars and I was off. Along the Thredbo Valley Trail (TVT) as the dawn started breaking. Chirping birds, gurgling creek, all very idyllic.

Into Dave’s Party aid station (aka Bullocks Flat) and the main man himself filled up my soft flasks. I boasted how calm I was and complimented his aid station music selection. He complimented my soft flask labelling. Over-organisers unite!

As I started to climb up to Perisher, I had the first thought that 160km wouldn’t just all float by in my butterfly/unicorn/no effort state. A friendly guy named PK hiked behind me telling me it was his first miler and he started trail running last year. I kept the pace super comfy. Off PK went with a ‘I’ll see you later’. Up into Porcupine Rocks and I found the wind packing a punch.

We started traversing the dreaded serrated metal walkways (aka the cheese-grater) towards Charlottes Pass. The coordination to run harder between the gusts and crouch against it when they hit, kept my brain thoroughly occupied. Moving through the back of the 100km runner field, added to the challenge. I saved an older gentleman in an emergency bear hug/squat manoeuvre during one gust. He was very appreciative.

I found ‘white-shoes’ man who was moving at the same pace as me. We’d come up to a group of slower 100km runners and he’d slow. I’d give him a minute then tell him I was going to come around and he’d say ‘ahh, ok I’ll go pass them.’ I apologised for making him pass so many groups, but he said he appreciated being kept honest.

Into Charlottes Pass (55km) and I found Mum! Gave her my hat because it was not staying on and donned the ever-fetching buff. Milkmaid look intact, I shuffled off with a cheery ‘see you at Munyang aid station’.

Climbing up to the summit of Kosciuszko I wasn’t feeling zippy, so I focused on the 100km and miler runners coming back down. First my cheery sauna buddy Annie, face wrapped in a ninja-buff, came flying down. She was leading the women’s 100km race. Then Steph Auston the leader of the women’s miler race, who had Rocky Balboa cuts to her face and knee from a cheese-grater encounter. Then happy high-fives to friends Pia, Lesley, Jon and Erika. Finally, I saw Tom Landon-Smith again with course-markers in hand, battling the gusts. The welcome distraction of spotting people got me up to the summit well and a quick shuffle across the snow patch was scenic.

Down to Rawson’s Pass and I knew I really had to get a gel in. My stomach said otherwise. I consoled myself that I’d made it 70km before puking.

Was having a bit of a low patch on the way to Guthega when I heard a friendly, ‘Brook how are you trucking?’. My mate PK was back! He offered his company and we yo-yo’d along while he tried to contact his wife and pacer who he had missed at Charlottes Pass.

Into Guthega and more head-in-a-garbage bin. After a reminder from a nice Swedish stranger, I did take some anti-nausea tablets. It’s so hard to make good decisions 15hrs into a race when things are getting wobbly.

I was headed to see Mum and Nikki at the next aid station, so I had a great carrot to go for. A bit of dejected shuffling and ‘white-shoes’ man appeared in my downgaze. I told him how happy I was to see his shoes and he laughed. As we came to the turn off for the 100km he said ‘those milers are crazy’. Oh no, I lost my bungy cord pulling me along. I went down, down, down to Mum and Nikki through billowing dust clouds from cars racing to get to their runners at Guthega.

Into the Munyang Power Station (94km) and the smiling faces of Mum and Nikki immediately uplifted me. The over-organised notes I gave Mum said don’t take big headtorch unless it was after 6pm. Aid notes are gospel so we committed to getting the 14km loop done before dark. Nikki was chatting, taking videos and I luxuriated in using her energy to keep me moving, without having to think. Past the pretty Horse Camp Hut and we saw PK on an out and back! I have no idea how he kept getting behind me because he was running way stronger than I was.

Back into Munyang and it was not dark. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Photos were taken and in retrospect I realise I look like I’ve been electrocuted. No bloody wonder I can’t find a partner wandering around the mountains looking like this 😉

Nikki was next meeting me at Bullocks to pace. Mum was headed to Perisher to crew. I was dreading how long the climb out of Munyang might take but set the goal of no headlight until Smiggins Holes.

Headlight goal was achieved, then darkness descended and so did extreme drowsiness. Coming into Perisher I made the plan to get changed, lay down for 15min, try to eat something, leave Perisher. The hours of little nutrition had hunted me down and I had to combat it somehow.  

The Perisher plan was actioned and went well until I tried a caffeine tablet. Sudden nausea emergency and I had to sacrifice the spare safety blanket I was wrapped in. I couldn’t get to a garbage bin fast enough in the Skitube. Note to self: add puke bag to the ‘Everywhere’ aid station bag.

It’s incredible how easy it is to bleed time in an aid station, when the wheels come off. I would have bet money I was in Perisher for 30min max, but it was nearly an hour.

Off into the dark with a lot of personal pep-talking. The weird rollercoaster that is a miler continued and I started feeling good….even great! Ran down to Bullocks Flat passing a lot of 100km people. I was really looking forward to picking up Nikki again.

Good music vibes at Bullocks Flat (131km). As we left the party, we saw a super cute possum with her baby hanging on the back. Nikki saw it too, so not a hallucination.

It was a flattish 7.7km to the next aid station and I imploded taking 1.5hrs. Tripping over, struggling to keep my eyes open. The about-face from running past people just 5km earlier was dramatic. No nutrition was coming home to roost.

11km to Friday Flat was totally overwhelming and Nikki agreed when I said I had to lie down at Ngarigo aid station. The lovely medic gave me blankets and I fell asleep immediately. Nikki woke me after the allotted 10mins and told me our mate PK was there! I eventually got up after a second 15min sleep. Nikki was excitedly taking pictures of curious deer near the aid station. I ruined her photo with some foreground puking. It is a glamorous sport!

It started raining and I was kicking myself that I had stopped so long but was also pretty sure the only reason I was moving at all was because I had slept a bit. It got colder, wetter and Nikki and I decided we were in Class 2 fun territory. I declared I was only ever doing the TVT on an ebike in the future.

Into Thredbo Village Green (150km) and there was an air of desperation. Freezing, wet people trying to warm up. I got changed but couldn’t stop shaking. Nikki and Mum both told me I had to leave because we were not getting warmer. They were right. We shoved safety blankets down our chests under the long underwear, fleece and rain jackets and went out into the downpour. It was just light and I felt more alert but oh so slow. A miler girl passed me and I didn’t even care.

Up the Dead Horse Gap climb and Nikki was being the best cheerleader telling me I was doing better than last year because I wasn’t sitting down. She had to take her gloves off because they were so wet.

Up into the wind and sideways sago snow hitting our faces. It was proper mountain weather, and I found another gear to get across the top more quickly. Nikki mentioned she never needed to come back to Eagles Nest given her last two visits included horrific weather.

We passed the miler girl and I got a little competitive spark back. Into Eagles Nest (160km) and we needed the aid station volunteer to breakdown Nikki’s poles because her hands weren’t functioning.

3.6km down a technical single-track that was a waterfall. We started passing people and suddenly the miler girl and her pacer were back. I asked if they wanted to pass and they declined. She said she was fighting to stay in front of 11^th girl. I was sure she was going to try to move one more step up the ranking, lower down the mountain. The competitive spark burned hotter, and I found a gas pedal I wasn’t sure I had. I whispered to Nikki that I needed to get a cushion before the last little climb. Nikki declared she was now having fun. A proper little effort for the last km. Very happy my legs didn’t fall off and we held onto that 9^th place.

29hr 42min. 9^th Female. 2^nd Age Group.

Lowlight was not keeping any nutrition in for the last 10 hours. Huge highlights were finding finish line, never mentally quitting, spending quality time suffering with Nikki and getting to share the adventure with Mum.

Photo credits: Toy Martin, Nikki Burke, Sportograph