Two years ago, Australian runner Michael Kelly signed up for a 100km trail race on a whim — after a chance chat at the Gold Coast Marathon Expo left him with just ten weeks to prepare. He finished, vomited his way up a 32°C climb on the Sunshine Coast hinterland's Bluff, swore he'd never do it again, then promptly lined up for several more. His write-up in Wild Magazine is a useful reality check for anyone eyeing their first ultra.
His first piece of advice: stop overthinking it. Kelly argues that "analysis paralysis" is what keeps most aspiring runners on the couch — you can spend five years wondering whether you're ready, or you can set a goal that genuinely scares you and go after it. His caveat is that scared doesn't mean reckless. He hired a coach, followed the plan, and credits that structure with a top-10% finish in a later 50km race despite describing himself as a generous mid-packer.
The second lesson is the one he learned the hard way: nutrition. At 48km into that first 100, his Maurten gels came back up. His guidance is simple — train with exactly the food you intend to race with, and remember there's no universal fuel. Some ultra runners tolerate real food deep into a race, others run on gels alone. Long training runs are the place to test, not race day.
Third, expect things to break. Sixteen kilometres in, Kelly rolled his ankle descending a hill and spent fifteen minutes on the ground convinced his race was over. His framework for these moments: if it's safe, get to the next aid station, reassess, and ask whether you can move a little further. Usually the answer is yes.
The payoff, he says, is momentum. Finishing something that once felt absurd built the confidence to aim higher — he's now training for his first 100-miler, the Kosci100 in November 2026. His takeaway is that the trail community cares less about finishing times and more about showing up, whether that's a first 5km parkrun or a 200-miler.
For travellers, this doubles as a nudge toward Australia's trail-race scene. Events like the Blackall 100 in the Sunshine Coast hinterland and the Kosci100 in the Snowy Mountains pair serious running with genuinely beautiful, holiday-worthy corners of the country — and most big races offer shorter distances, so you don't have to start at 100km. If a trail ultra is on your someday list, the practical reading is: pick a date, get a plan, rehearse your race-day food, and book the trip.
