A trip from Wodonga to Kilmore by car is very achievable in a day, but must be unheard of by foot, think again.
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Local ultra marathoner Kevin Muller aims to do the equivalent of the 250-kilometre journey down the Hume Highway when he represents the 10-person Australian team at the 24 hour World Championships in Belfast this July.
The International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) event is held every two years and Muller is hoping to eclipse his 49th place finish in 2015 with a top 10 result.
He joined Wodonga Athletics Club in 1999 to keep fit in the off-season for football and never have imagined he would become one of Australia’s leading ultra marathon athletes when he took up the sport six years ago.
Muller had a stellar 2016 season, claiming the Australian Ultra Runners Association points competition, as well as the Australian 24 hour title at Coburg in April and his maiden Coast to Kosciusko crown in December.
“Whenever I do a run I feel like I do it better, so I just want to go back and do a faster time or a bigger distance,” Muller said.
“Coast to Kosciusko was probably the most satisfying for the past year because I’ve had a few tries at it.”
The format for the World Championships is simple, with the winner decided by the number of laps they complete of a two-kilometre circuit within the 24-hour limit.
Generally a rest day for me is doing a 10-kilometre run.
- Kevin Muller
“I try to push on for the whole 24 hours,” Muller said.
“There is an aid station and table set up with all your food so I just grab it as I go past whenever I need it.
“I try to just keep moving and only have 30-second breaks for toilet stops.”
Muller said his training program varies a lot, but he sets himself a minimum of 130 kilometres of running each week.
“I probably only have a day off once every three weeks,” he said.
“I know a lot of people that have a rest day each week, but generally a rest day for me is doing a 10-kilometre run.”
The 46-year-old’s personal best in a 24-hour event is 242 kilometres, while two years ago, at the last World Championships, he ran 114 laps for a total of 228 kilometres.
“I think Coast to Kosciusko is always my favourite run, but a top 10 (in Belfast) would be a career highlight,” Muller said.
Muller has entered the Two Bays 56-kilometre event in two weeks time on the Mornington Peninsula and plans to do an ultra marathon each month before ramping up his training in June.
The 12th IAU 24 Hour World Championships will be staged at Victoria Park, Belfast, on Saturday, July 1 and Sunday, July 2.
