Surf Coast Century Ultra 2025: 50k Race Report
- Jen Bloss
- Sep 17
- 10 min read
An Object in Motion...
Well, my quest to run an ultramarathon on every continent has been on a crazy roll. Just a few months ago, in May, I ran an ultra in Chile. After realizing that I was not injured after that one, I decided to squeeze one more race in order to capitalize off that training block. So in June, I ran a 55k in England. And then after that, I did a 27 mile crazy adventure run- the Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop- through the mountains in Colorado. I thought that one was going to destroy my legs (very high altitude, lots of vertical gain). But to my complete shock, I wasn't even sore after that really tough day. Soooo I started planning my next continent. I had an Asia race picked out already, and I knew I'd need a break after that. So again I pondered… could I squeeze in one more race before that one? I think that is becoming the theme of this project– “just squeeze in one more”. And so I looked at my September calendar to see where I could have a stretch of time off of work in which I could travel to Australia.
Embracing AI in my Running
ChatGPT has definitely helped me in my run planning! It helped me find potential races for dates I thought I could get off of work, without having to comb the internet for hours. This is how I found the Surf Coast Century Ultra. It looked like a friendly race, was not too complicated to get to, and not crazy in terms of elevation gain. Registration was still open and I could find an affordable place to stay- so I booked it! But I was at a loss of how to train- coming off of 2 ultras and a high alpine marathon, now with 2 more ultras planned. How can I do this and stay uninjured, but also be fit enough to succeed? So I again fired up both ChatGPT and Google Gemini, gave them all the info of what I've been doing, my plans, my injury history, and my desires for training, and voila! Out popped a few training plans. I compared the plans from both sites- and they needed some tweaking of course- but eventually I found something that looked reasonable. And so I've been using that as a guide for training right now. The low mileage makes me a bit nervous (my longest long run before the Surf Coast Century 50k was 18 miles), but I also think it's what I can handle after this crazy stretch of races.
Surf Coast Century Ultra 50k: Where and What
The Surf Coast Century Ultra takes place in Anglesea, Victoria, right off the famous Great Ocean Road. It is about 1.5 hours West of Melbourne. It calls itself the “Feel Good Ultra” because it is so welcoming and puts a huge emphasis on first-time ultra runners. About 40% of the 1,400 runners were first timers. I love a friendly and supportive race environment! One example of this was having a mini number bib with each runner's name on it for wearing on the back of your pack. This was so you would know the name of the runner in front of you! That was awesome- many runners were out there addressing each other by name with encouragement. There are two distance options: 50km and 100km. The race only had about 3,300 feet of elevation gain for the 50km. The race goes through a number of different terrains: coastal bluffs, actual beach running, scrub brush area and other bush areas that I would not know the correct terms for. The 100km course also goes through some wooded areas, I believe. The weather at this time of the year is spring, so 50s-60s, which is fantastic! It was much colder and had rain in the week prior to the race, but we got very lucky on race day.
Pre-Race: Travel and Accomodation
I flew into Melbourne, and then the day after arrival I rented a car and drove 1.5 hours to Anglesea. I flew into the main Melbourne airport (MEL) and got the car in Melbourne, but I flew out of the Melbourne satellite airport, Avalon (AVV) after the race. Avalon is much closer to Anglesea, a pleasant 45 minute drive without the big city traffic. To me, this convenience was worth paying the fee for different pickup/dropoff locations for the rental car. Accommodation in Anglesea that I found on AirBNB and Booking.com was crazy expensive- perhaps because I was searching only a few weeks in advance. However, the race thankfully had partnered with the local YMCA camp to offer affordable accommodation options for the race, and I took advantage of it. I ended up with a bunk room all to myself, shared a bathroom with one other person, and had some basic kitchen items (kettle, fridge, microwave) available to me. I was also able to rent my linens from the camp. It was very comfortable and had everything I needed (including heat, which I was nervous about since it was a camp!). I also enjoyed chatting with some of the other runners who were staying there too. The race also put on a pasta party at a local hotel the night before the race. The pasta was excellent, and again I enjoyed meeting fellow runners.
Race Morning
I had looked at the map and realized that my accommodation was about 1.2 miles from the start line, and about .6 miles from the finish line. I originally thought I'd drive in order to save my legs, but eventually realized that would be way more of a hassle and stress. So I bit the bullet and walked to the start line in the morning. What's another mile when you're already going to put 31 on your feet for the day? It was a pleasant walk to the start, weather about 50 degrees (warmer than expected) and I quickly fell into step with crowds of other runners walking to the start. To my surprise, the start line was actually ON the beach! That is definitely a first for me. The sun was rising as I reached the beach, and I was thankful to pass several real public toilets near the start too- what a treat! They had a few start waves for each runner to self-select, each separated by 8 minutes, which nicely reduced crowding. The vibe was relaxed and exciting at the start- many runners had family members there to see them off. At 6:55am, my wave started, and we commenced with our first section of sand running.
So Far From Home, Yet So Very Familiar
To be honest, I didn't pay attention to the course description beyond elevation gain before I signed up. But then I watched the course preview videos and realized two things: there was going to be a lot of running ON the actual beach (at least 5k), and also that it looked a lot like home (Torrey Pines, in particular)! Nothing like flying halfway across the world to run somewhere that looks familiar! The beach section of the course truly looked just like some areas of San Diego! But the thing is, when I am at home, I virtually never run on the beach. I run near it, above it, along the boardwalk, but rarely on it. It never crosses my mind to do so- and if it does, I consider the hassle of figuring out the tide or getting sand in my shoes, and I then promptly talk myself out of it. Sometimes it takes a change in scenery or routine to make you appreciate something!
A Moment of Gratitude
The first section of the race was on hard-packed sand along gorgeous sandstone cliffs, with the waves crashing next to us and the smell of sand and salt. It was so beautiful. I was filled with immense gratitude to God. For being there, for experiencing such beauty, and for the sport of running. Gratitude that my body could do this and that everything worked out to get me there at that time; gratitude for how He has used running to give me joy, perseverance, and drive. I was smiling so hard and told myself how lucky I was to be there. I also made a mental note to run on the beach more often at home.
The Terrain: A Beachy Adventure
In the first section before Checkpoint (aid station) 1, we ran along the beach which was hard packed and low tide, and then back up onto a coastal trail, multiple times. Up, down, up, down. We'd heard rumors about the course and that we would definitely get our feet completely wet, and one runner even told me she’d had to wade waist high in water one year. But for a while, all was good.
And then the beach sections got more adventurous. First there were rocks. Lots of rocks that we used to dodge the tide pools. They made me nervous because they were pointy and slippery, and I didn't want to think about what would happen if I slipped. We had to go quite slow in these sections, and it was quite welcome. I love a good excuse to slow down in a race, it's a nice little break. And every time I was down by the waves and dodging things, it felt more like an adventure and less like a race- it was super fun! At one point we had to cross a very thick kelp bed, and it felt like walking on a trampoline. There were a few unavoidable areas of deep sand though, and it was impossible to not kick those little granules into your socks. I was very thankful for having tall socks and calf compression sleeves on, because that really helped keep the sand out.
We had some steep staircases in this section as well, that went up and down the cliffs as beach access. And finally, just when I thought I'd escaped with dry feet, that idea got busted. I ended up next to a rockwall and the tide came in, with nowhere to go. I got soaked by the surf, albeit briefly, up to about knee height. Darn! Now that each foot was waterlogged and a pound heavier apiece, I slogged on and hoped they'd dry out along the way.
The beach sections ended after Checkpoint 2, and many people had drop bags with extra shoes and socks at this point. I had extra socks as a backup plan, but my Injinji socks have never failed me on the blister front, so I never had a problem.
Once we got to checkpoint 2, I realized my time was pretty fast and that I could potentially PR if I kept it going. But that was NOT my original plan for this race! I said I wanted to go really slow and chill, as this was supposed to basically be a long supported training run where the only 2 objectives were to finish and not get hurt. Howevver… I've never stuck to a plan like that in reality. I think I've said that for at least 3 races now, but I always throw that plan out the window.
Terrain: Off the Beach and in the Bush
The other sections of the course after Checkpoint 2 were great in very different ways. I'm not sure what to call most to the terrain- bush, scrub bush, both? Lots of tall trees and brush, but most importantly, flat groomed dirt trails!I kept remarking to myself at how runnable and non-technical the trails were! I'm used to lots of ankle-rolling rocks on my trails, so this was fantastic! There was one section that had some rocks and roots, but it's nothing crazy. Many of the trails were dotted with yellow flowers, which apparently is the Golden Wottle, Australia's Floral Emblem (I only know this because there was a sign).
I also had my eyes scanning the eucalyptus trees for koalas, to no avail. However, I did hear a bunch of cool birds. At mile 30, I heard what sounded like a bunch of monkeys playing around. I asked a fellow runner what it was, and he told me those were kookaburras laughing! The course also went along coastal trails, which ran above the beach yet along the water. The course was a great variety of terrain that often kept things interesting. There weren't too many major hills either. A few, yes, and some stairs, but if you'd trained well, all of them would be pretty runnable. But personally, I'll never pass up an opportunity to hike!
Checkpoints and Such:
The checkpoints/aid stations in this race were pretty decent. Checkpoints 1 and 3 were small, had some gummy snakes and salty chips, fruit, water and Skratch. Checkpoint 2 was a big checkpoint, and here they also had sandwiches (cucumber, raspberry, not sure what else), some fruit cake, and OAT SLICES. Those were heaven! I ate two on the spot and took 1 to go (and ate the next day). I need to find a recipe for those! There was an option to have a drop bag at each checkpoint, which was great. I had one at checkpoint 3 so that I wouldn't have to carry all of my gels in my pack from the start.
One of the amazing things about this race were the plentiful public restrooms along the course. There were so many of them interspersed throughout the course, because the course went through parks and beaches. No need for portapotties– what a luxury!
The Finish:
I did not maintain my fast pace for the second half of the run. I was getting tired and things were starting to hurt. The last 10km of the race had a lot of downhill, some of it steep. Normally this would be nice, but this hurt my knees and it was too painful to run. But I made it, and in under 7 hours! Not a PR, but definitely one of my faster races!
The finish area had some good food vendors, and a gong that all first-time ultra marathoners got to hit once they finished. But best of all was the recovery area. This area had Normatec boots and free massages! I actually left, took a shower, and then came back to take advantage of these. WOW. I might need some of those boots, they were amazing!
I will say that the race medal was pretty basic. It was a colorful, flat wooden medal, but nothing special. Finishers of the 100km in under 12 hours got a giant glass beer stein. The race shirt was quite nice, but it was another one of those odd scenarios where they make you pay extra for the race shirt if you want it! This was an expensive race, so it is quite surprising that a race shirt is not included.
Final Thoughts on the Surf Coast Century Ultra
This was a lovely race. It was a beautiful course and the beach running was very unique. There were a lot of options for on-course support, the trails were very runnable, and it was a very friendly race. I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for less remote/rugged ultra. It is a great race for a first-time ultrarunner. I had a fantastic time and met a lot of friendly fellow runners along the way!
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