§staticmap(12453,4,450,250)Hello, on January 13th 2013, you’ll be organizing the Two Bays Trail Run 56km. Can you tell us where it is located?
Bottom right hand corner of Australia. On the Mornington Peninsula, not far from Melbourne. It’s where a lot of Melbournites spend their summer, so it has a real vacation vibe at that time of the year.
The 28km event starts from Dromana on the Port Phillip bay side of the peninsula and runs across to Cape Schanck on the Western Port bay / ocean side of the peninsula. The 56km event this year is planned to start and finish at Cape Schanck with those runners doing a dual crossing of the peninsula.
How old is the race and why was it created in the first place?
Well the race started out as a FATASS (unofficial event) in 2005, but it grew so much it attracted the attention of the local authorities (I was fined!) So after that we had to go official and do all the plans, get the permits, run aid stations, get medals done etc. The 2013 edition will be the 9th running of the event, but the third official one.
It’s got a lot of variety. Mostly trail, but with a couple of sections of asphalt and dirt road connecting the bushland sections. The first highlight is running up the rocky trail of Arthurs Seat which gives you spectacular views of the surrounding area.
The Greens Bush section is dense bush with kangaroos, echidnas and the occasional snake. Unfortunately the lead runners scare off most of the wildlife before the majority comes through. The Cape Schanck end of the trail has a lot of sandy single track and the views from the cliffs around Bushrangers bay are a special reward. Cool eroded rock formations.
How many runners do you expect on Sunday morning? What type of runners do you plan to attract?
This year we expect to have 1,000 people running. The field is really varied. At the front end of the 28km field we tend to have some 2:20 marathoners.
Do you organize other races during the Weekend? If so, on what distances?
There are two distances. The 28km run which is a one-way crossing of the Mornington Peninsula and the 56km run where runners make a two-way crossing.
At that time of the year, what kind of weather can we expect?
It’s summer in Australia. The area has a variable climate, but the average daytime maximum at that time of year in the area is 25°C (77°F). Be prepared for a potentially hot run though.
Two Bays Trail Run is a festivity for a lot of the runners!
The race finished, what advice would you give a runner who has never been to Cape Schanck before? A good restaurant, a fancy sightseeing?
We’d suggest that visitors book early as the accommodation down on the Mornington Peninsula fills fast for summer and that they spend a few days in the area visiting beaches, National Parks and wineries – some of which have great restaurants attached.
In a single sentence, what would you tell the readers of ahotu Marathons to make them register for the Two Bays Trail Run 56km?
This is the premier trail run in the state of Victoria and one of the biggest in Australia with a spectacular point-to-point bushland and coastal journey.
Interview with Rohan Day, race director for the Two Bays Trail Run. Rohan describes himself as “just a guy who runs a bit and accidentally became a race director through happenstance. I used to run in this race when it was unofficial and found myself organising it one day…”.