Marysville To Melbourne presented by The Difference: course preview 1 - trail runs

Luke and Peri introduce the race and and specifically in episode 1, the two trail run legs, discussing how to tackle each, what to think about, how to train and what the on ground courses are like.

Marysville to Melbourne Multisport presented by the Difference is a 155km multisport event that takes in a course from rural mountain country to the CBD, with six legs and three disciplines of trail running, road riding and flatwater paddling. Teams and Individuals.

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Lachie Norris takes first Kona Odyssey victory, Peta Mullens secures back to back

Giant team rider Lachlan Norris defied pundits’ predictions to win the Kona Odyssey Mountain Bike Marathon today, maintaining an unassailable lead after passing race favourite, Team Milka/Superior’s Chris Jongewaard, following the 25km mark.

Norris, a rider who tackles both mountain and road disciplines at the elite level , took advantage of Jongewaard suffering a flat tyre early on, flashing past as last year’s champion remounted to engage the chase.

It was a pursuit dogged by mishap for Jongewaard, who arrived over the line one minute and forty seconds behind Norris sporting a face battered and bloodied by several whip attacks by wayward foliage.

Norris showed himself as a star of the single trail, however, by maintain a blistering pace and holding off any attacks Jongewaard could muster to finish in 04:32:52.

“The last few years I’ve had a real crack here and come very close, so this is just awesome to win this year and put everyone away," said Norris, who once ahead was not aware that Jongewaard was constantly within two minutes of his rear wheel.

“It was tough out there as it always is," said Norris of the hot conditions, which contrasted starkly to last year’s mud fest. “I just wanted to keep the tempo going without going too hard and blowing. Once I got to the Shotz Singletrack loop, I was ready to put the hammer down to get some more time. Once we came through the village for the final loop I was pretty confident I could hold him (Jongewaard) off, although the legs were pretty sore on that final climb."

Having raced the Tour Down Under road event earlier in the year, Norris credits the stamina on display today to increasingly long hours on the road.

“I’m pretty used to being in the saddle for five hours day in, day out now, so that definitely helped."

The 1-2 result was foreshadowed by three-time Odyssey winner Jongewaard who, asked on the starting line to name contenders likely to halt his tilt at back-to-back wins and title number four, nominated Norris as the likely contender.

“Lachie has been pretty strong on the mountain lately," said Jongewaard,“And my lead-in performances have been a bit average, which has put me back in my place a bit, so he’ll be taking it to me for sure."

Jongewaard’s prediction came into focus at the 67km mark with Norris a good two-plus minutes ahead. The defending champion passed through the transition at the Forrest event village steaming and determined to give it all in the final 33km to gain the lead. Passing back through at the 87km split, Jongewaard had pulled in half a minute, but the final 13km was not enough time nor was there enough in the legs for Jongewaard, Norris taking the winner’s tape comfortably maintaining 2 minutes 19 seconds over Jongewaard’s second place (4:35:11).

In third place was Team Merida Flightcentre rider, and 2010 Odyssey winner, Adrian Jackson, finishing in 4:42:27.

In the women’s field, last year’s winner, Team Merida Flightcentre rider Peta Mullens, was out to prove a point after her 2011 title was shadowed by Gracie Elvin taking line honours ahead of her only to be penalised for on-course assistance, elevating Mullins to the prime podium position.

Mullen’s efforts in the heat today showed her as a deserving back to back winner, however, passing Adventure Racing World Champion, Frenchwoman Myriam Guillot, who led until approximately the 50km mark. Mullens then held off a late sustained challenge from Giant rider and Forrest local, Jess Douglas, who slipped into second place after the 87km split.

“I wanted to come here this year and prove I was good enough to win on my own merits," said Mullens, who was worried about a lack of endurance conditioning prior to the race.

“It was still tough out there – my glutes were cramping so much in the last five kilometres that I couldn’t sit in the saddle!"

Mullens and Douglas worked together for the first half of the race to get over the range before the gloves came off.

“I was with Jess for the first fifty kays – she was pretty much babysitting me because because I had not done an endurance ride for a little while so I was a bit nervous. Then I saw an opportunity at the fifty, but afterwards worried that I’d gone too early. So yes, I’m stoked with my win."

Like many of the elites racing today, Mullins now lines up for the Australian XC Championships next weekend looking for a national title.

Spurred on by passing Guillot in the second half, Douglas made the decision to go hard and reeled Mullins back from a three-plus minute lead at the 87km mark to a 1 minute 15 second final gap at the Kona finish arch.

“That was probably my best [Odyssey] race ever," said Douglas shortly after crossing the line. “I sort of felt it in my bones, so to speak. Just in the last thirteen kays I was thinking ‘Oh, do I have to fight for this?’ But then I thought ‘Do you want to come third or second and then you never know you might come first, you just never know’," said Douglas, who attributes her last energy push to a bottle filled thirds with Coca Cola, Red Bull and water.

Guillot, who recently won the Anaconda Adventure Race in Lorne and took a fourth last weekend in the Speight’s Coast to Coast multisport event, crossed 4 minutes 45 seconds behind race winner Mullens, declaring the Kona Odyssey “her favourite race".

www.KonaOdyssey.com.au

Results

Men’s 100km Kona Odyssey

Lachlan Norris 4:32:52

Chris Jongewaard 04:35:11

Adrian Jackson 04:42:27

Women’s 100km Kona Odyssey

Peta Mullens 05:50:42

Jessica Douglas 05:51:58

Myriam Guillot 05:54:13 FOR KONA SHORTY 50KM RESULTS SEE NEWS ITEM HERE.

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