AROC Sport with the support of the leaders in trail running shoes and apparel, The North Face, is bringing your the toughest, the most amazing trail run in Australia. Set in the Blue Mountains, with the start and finish at Leura, this 100km includes plenty of elevation gain - around 4,500m mixed with fantastic views and a mix of terrain. It is iconic, it is spectacular. With a cut-off time of 30 hours - are you tough enough??!!!
This event is not for the faint hearted. You will need to be an experienced trail runner to complete this course.
Great prizes from The North Face and other sponsors plus:
$1,000 CASH for the first male
$1,000 CASH for the first female!!
Fit but not up to the full 100km? Find a friend and go for the team of 2 where each person completes approximately 50km.
For more information check out the TNF100 website at www.thenorthface.com.au/100
Detailed Course Maps
There have been some changes to the route. The following maps show the latest route. Please note that these may change around the Iron Pot ridge area and the Wentworth Falls area.
These are all PDF files and are 2-3MB each:
TNF100-Leg 2, Part B and Leg 3, Part A (updated 25 April 2008)
TNF100-Leg 3, Part B (updated 25 April 2008)
Course Profile: Total ascent 4,500m
Course and Event Notes
Below is updated course notes and information as at 17 April 2008.
CHECKPOINTS
Checkpoint 1: 13km, Narrow Neck. No Support Crew is permitted at this checkpoint. Water, energy drink and energy bars / gels will be available.
Checkpoint 2: 34km, Dunphy's No Support Crew is permitted at this checkpoint. Water, energy drink and energy bars / gels will be available.
Checkpoint 3: 49km, Old Ford Reserve Support Crew permitted. Water, energy drink and food available.
Checkpoint 4: 63km, Echo Point Support Crew permitted. Water, energy drink and food available.
Checkpoint 5: 82km, Queen Victoria Hospital Support Crew permitted. Water, energy drink and food available.
Support Crew
Note that support crew is permitted to assist runners only at Checkpoints 3, 4 and 5. Support crew is not permitted at Checkpoints 1 or 2.
For the pairs marathon relay, the change over point is at Checkpoint 3.
You are not permitted to change at any other point.
Gear Drops
For those runners without a support crew we will take one bag or plastic tub for you to Checkpoint 3 and one to Checkpoint 5. You will need to label your bags/boxes clearly with your name and which checkpoint you want them taken to. You might like to include extra food, spare socks, clothing, batteries, etc. Only one bag/box per person for each of these locations is permitted and must be no bigger than 30 litres each.
There will be water, Endura energy drink and food available at all checkpoints. Food available at checkpoints will include an assortment of fruit, Bounce Balls, Duck Nuts packs and fruit buns.
First Aid will be available at each checkpoint.
RACE HQ AND RACE PROGRESS REPORTS
There will be a leader board maintained at the Fairmont Resort. Your support crew is welcome to visit this leaderboard to check how you are progressing on the course. You should have an estimate of how long you think each leg will take so your support crew can use this as a guideline of when to meet you at the allowed checkpoints. You can also phone your support crew during the event to let them know your progress.
PHONE COVERAGE
The final course descriptions will identify areas of good Optus and Telstra Next G phone reception. We will have no idea about phone reception of other carriers, that is why we strongly recommend you get an Optus or Telstra Next G phone. If you need to buy a new phone, Telstra Next G works in slightly more locations than Optus.
MANDATORY GEAR
The weather in the Blue Mountains can change very quickly. It can go from being extremely hot to foggy, raining and very cold. Please be prepared for these extremes in conditions. At a minimum each participant will need to carry with them at all times the following items:
The reflective vest must be worn at night when traveling on the following roads: Megalong Valley Road, the bitumen roads through Katoomba (from Stuarts Road to Cliff Drive), Tableland Road, Hordern Road and the bitumen roads through Leura (from Bate Street to the finish).
Blister pads (fixamol), painkillers, strapping tape, vasoline, sunscreen etc is your own responsibility. We recommend you carry a basic first aid kit including all of these things.
We recommend that you have additional clothing available at the supported checkpoints. It could snow in March in the Blue Mountains, it could be wet - be prepared. You might also consider carrying an EPIRB and having a brighter light for the night sections.
TRAINING ON THE COURSE
One section of the course in the Megalong Valley goes through private property (cross hatched area on course map). This section is near Ironpot Ridge to the East of Dunphy's Camp. We have been given kind permission from the landholders to use tracks on their properties for the event day only. These landholders understandably value their privacy and therefore do not want people trespassing on their properties outside of the event day. So when training on the course you are NOT permitted to go through this Ironpot Ridge section. You must leave this section out of your training. You must not even ask the landholders if you can check out the section of course through their land as you will be putting the future of this event in jeopardy. Therefore anyone caught on this section outside of event day will be disqualified from the event and their entry fee will not be refunded. All other sections of the course are OK to train on including the Megalong Valley Road from Dunphy's to Old Ford Reserve, Nellies Glen Road and the Six Foot Track.
