Six Foot Track
Six Foot Track
And they’re off! The first Six Foot Track Marathon gets underway in 1984.
“The Magnificent Seven” – the field of the inaugural Six Foot Track Marathon.
30 Years of the
SIX FOOT TRACK MARATHON
With the Six Foot Track Marathon celebrating 30
years since the first race in 2014, John Bowe takes an
in-depth look at the race that lay the foundation for
Australia’s present-day ultra and trail-running scenes.
IMAGES COURTESY OF CHRIS STEPHENSON, SUPER SPORT IMAGES
AND KEVIN TILLER
F
ew events in Australia can be
considered to have a heritage equal
to that of many of the world’s iconic
ultras, but the Six Foot Track Marathon
can legitimately make that claim.
The race was run for the first time 30 years
ago, to commemorate the 100th anniversary
of the surveying of the track. It had been
first marked out as a bridle and walkers trail
back in 1884 to shorten the journey from the
marked tree at Katoomba to Jenolan Caves
via Coxs River. It was six feet wide so that
two loaded drays could pass each other at
any point. Nowadays, this approximates to
the distance required for two leaden-legged
runners to pass each other as they make their
44 RUN FOR YOUR LIFE
way along the Black Range!
It was not until 1937 that the track became
more formally known as the Six Foot Track.
By the end of World War II it had fallen into
disuse, but it the early 1980s local historians
and the Orange Lands Office worked on
re-establishing the right of way of the track,
erecting sign posts and stiles.
Katoomba newspaper The Echo had the
idea to invite some runners to christen the
track on re-opening. Sister paper The Manly
Daily, who sponsored the Manly 100-miler,
contacted Manly race director Ian Hutchison
to organise runners just two weeks out. With
the help of “Big” Chris Stephenson, he pulled
seven runners for the inaugural edition.
On March 24, 1984, the track was
formally re-opened, and the Mayor of the
Blue Mountains, Peter Quirk, triggered the
starter’s gun. Armed with bushwalking maps,
the seven runners set off, splitting into two
groups. There were no aid stations, so along
the way they drank water from Little River
and a few muddy puddles and, according
to Six Foot Track Living Legend Max
Bogenhuber, even politely declined the offer
to share a barley sugar. Wives and partners
met the runners with some food at Caves
Road, and on they ploughed to Jenolan Caves
House – a far cry from the 17 fully stocked
aid stations now spread over the course
length.
The race has continued
to strengthen and
grow over the years,
establishing itself as one
of the first, toughest and
most prominent ultra
trail-running events in
Australia.
Bob Marden was the first to reach Jenolan
Caves House 46.6km later in 5hr 26min,
followed by Stephenson, Bogenhuber (the
only runner who has since finished every
race), Ian Taylor, Hutchinson, Geordie
Fitzgerald and, bringing up the rear in 6hr
21min, Bill Miller.
Word quickly spread, and 35 runners
toed the line in 1985 at Jenolan, with the
course direction reversed. Kevin Skelton
broke the four-hour barrier for the first time
with 3:45:12. As with South Africa’s famous
Comrades Marathon, it was originally
intended that the race would alternate
direction each year, but finishing in a car park
at Katoomba didn’t quite measure up to the
dramatic finish at Jenolan Caves.
After assisting with getting the inaugural
event off the ground, Stephenson officially
shared the race director role with Hutchison
from 1985 to 1992. He continued on solo
in the role from 1993 to 2000 before Kevin
Tiller took the reins, with current-day
director Colin Jeftha first assuming the role
in 2010. Since 2001, the Sydney Striders and
its volunteers have been formally supporting
and administering the race and providing
a rallying point for volunteer support from
across the broader running community.
Emma Murray on her way to a race record in 2006.
The race has continued to strengthen and
grow over the years, establishing itself as one
of the first, toughest and most prominent
ultra trail-running events in Australia. In
recent years it has been quickly filling to
capacity, with 850-900 runners toeing the
start line – this despite the requirement to
run a pre-qualifying marathon or ultra event
in the 18 months prior. Demand now well
exceeds capacity, which has helped encourage
a spillover effect and stimulated interest and
participation in many other ultrarunning
events emerging around the country.
There is a magical and unique community
spirit to the event thanks to the essential
support of the volunteers of the Rural Fire
Service at the aid stations along the course.
Each year, participants nervously make their
way in the early dark to the Explorers Tree
and are greeted with traditional billy tea,
damper and syrup, or “cocky’s joy”. There is
the “champing at the bit” dash of runners in
five successive waves to the head of the stairs,
with the course width narrowing to 50cm
about 800m into the race; the constrained
but impatient procession down Nellies Glen,
which gives the quads an early workout;
the knowing looks of veterans as the novice
greyhounds rip down the single track towards
Coxs; the momentary jolly while holding the
rope crossing the Coxs River, (knee- or neckdeep, depending on your height!) followed by
the foreboding, slow and steady grind uphill
to Pluvi; that unrelenting solitary journey
through the Black Range, where the adequacy
of your preparation is tested and your soul is
laid bare; and that final exhilaration triggered
by the sound of a cowbell and the cheering of
FEBRUARY - MARCH 2014
45
Six Foot Track
It is a unique finish
where both runner and
spectator are aware of
each other’s presence,
with the awaiting crowd
cheering and willing the
oncoming finisher for
about 4-5 minutes while
the runner hears the
ever-increasing cheering.
The legendary Max Bogenhuber, the only runner to
complete every edition of the Six Foot Track Marathon.
the crowds in the valley below.
Says Race Director Colin Jeftha of the race:
“If you ask any bystander at the amphitheatre
that is Jenolan Caves, it is a unique finish
where both runner and spectator are aware
of each other’s presence, with the awaiting
crowd cheering and willing the oncoming
finisher for about 4-5 minutes while the
runner hears the ever-increasing cheering.
This is one of the big reasons that the
spectator becomes next year’s novice. The
atmosphere of the finish is something not
replicated at many other races.”
As well as the iconic nature of the race
itself, many formal and informal traditions
have also established themselves as part of
the Six Foot experience: the panic to run a
pre-qualifier event; making sure you finish
before the seven-hour sweeper; earning
your belt buckle and a guaranteed entry on
finishing for the sixth time; running a further
six races to earn the belt to match the buckle;
adding your name to the small handful of
race legends that have completed 24 races
(Bogenhuber, Dominic Boidin, Peter Barnes
46 RUN FOR YOUR LIFE
A jubilant Tony Fattorini
celebrates victory in
the 2013 Six Foot Track
Marathon.
and Bob Fickel), thus earning the right to a
permanent race number; running a “Six Foot
Sicko” time (i.e. less than the 4:11:05 set by
Tiller in 1994 and beaten by his wife, Dawn,
just 12 months later); or participating in
that race within a race – the unofficial ‘’Beer
Bet”, run by a motley crew of has-beens and
wannabes more intent on bragging, sledging,
wagering or bludging their way across the
finish line to win the beer awaiting them at
the finish line.
The race is run as a not-for-profit event
and is supported by volunteer runners and
the NSW Rural Fire Service Blue Mountains
District, who have provided essential
logistical support since the early years of the
event. It also provides the RFS volunteers
with an invaluable training opportunity,
with financial proceeds from the event, after
costs, donated in support. That amount grew
to almost $40,000 in 2013, and considering
the tough start to the fire season in late 2013,
that mutual support is an integral part of the
community spirit of this event.
As with many events run by volunteers,
there is a wonderful sense of organised chaos
and a can-do attitude that pervades the Six
Foot Track. Every year, plans have to change
last-minute and miracles are performed.
The beauty of the environment the race
runs through also means there is a need to
stand ready and prepared in anticipation
of bushfires, extreme heat, drought and,
inevitably, floods. In 2012 all involved
watched in awe as Coxs River peaked – that
year the weather won, and for the first time
in its history, there was no choice but to
cancel the event.
Many of Australia’s best ultra trail runners
have been drawn to the Six Foot Track
over the years. The men have included
Don Wallace, Paul Arthur, Tony Fattorini,
Andrew Lee, Alex Matthews and course
record-holder and Blue Mountains resident
Ben Artup.
Wallace is arguably the definitive legend
of the Six Foot Track, having eclipsed
Matthew Cull’s 1987 mark of 3:28:17 in
taking the 1991 race in 3:24:44 – back
when the race was run over the original
46.6km course. Despite the course length
being reduced to the current 45km from
1992, Wallace held the race record for the
next 15 years. In 2013, 22 years later, he
finished well under four hours and again in
the top 10, crossing in 3:37:17. Between 1991
and 2013 he has had seven finishes, all of
them under 3hr 45min.
In 2007, Fattorini finally lowered the race
time on the new 45km course to 3:24:11.
Barry Keem shaved another minute off in
2008 to make it 3:23:13, with Artup setting
the current course record of 3:15:25 in 2009.
The women have included Dawn Tiller,
Vanessa Haverd, Jackie Fairweather, New
Zealand’s Anna Frost and female course
record-holder Emma Murray, who was first
female and fourth overall in 2006 in 3:37:27.
Tiller boasts one of the more extraordinary
records over the race; she won the women’s
title an unequalled six times over a 10-year
period (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003,
with the four missing years due to pregnancy
with four children) and held the women’s
course record of 4:10:51 from 1995 to 2005.
There was great excitement in the running
“Twitterverse” in early 2014 as news spread
that Australian Olympic and Commonwealth
Games representative Marty Dent would be
racing the Six Foot in 2014. Dent completed
his first ultra event with victory in race
record time in the 60km Kepler Challenge in
late 2013, and with Dent sure to be in shape
for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games just
20 weeks later, he may well give Artup’s race
record a shot.
Gill Fowler is one of the leading women to
watch in 2014, coming off the back of winning
the GNW 100-miler in late 2013 in a race
record and second place in the recent Bogong
to Hotham Rooftop Run.
As anticipation builds towards the Six Foot
Track’s 30th anniversary, it is this strong
sense of community ownership, of something
special that needs to be protected, of the
many intangible things that make it what it
is, that will ensure this much-loved race will
continue to grow and to thrive for at least
another 30 years.
The 2014 Six Foot Track Marathon is on
Sunday, March 8. For more information,
visit www.sixfoot.com
Former race record-holder Don Wallace continues to
be one of the Six Foot Track’s top performers.
SIX FOR SIX
Six questions for six of the big names of
the Six Foot Track: Dawn Tiller, Alex
Matthews, Ben Artup, Max Bogenhuber,
Dominic Boidin and Tony Fattorini.
1. What do you love most about Six
Foot?
DT: It’s a very honest race – [there’s] great
scenery, but you need to have put in the effort
to be able to race it or else you will get found
out on those big hills.
AM: The camaraderie of other runners out
on the course, supporting while fighting their
own battles. I also love the challenge the race
that serves up – there are plenty of tough
sections that will find you out if you are not
fighting fit.
BA: I love that it’s just up the road from
where I live and that I get to sleep at home
the night before the race, and that I can
train on the course easily when I need to. I
also love how challenging the course is. Its
brutality challenges you like no other race.
MB: It used to be the privileges I was afforded
(parking at the start, start in Wave 1) as the
only runner to have run them all since its
inception – plus the fact that I wanted to
keep that streak of running every one alive.
Starting with the number “1” bib does give
you a special feeling.
DB: In the early days, it was running it with
my father, brothers and mates and enjoying
the company of like-minded people running
through the beautiful Blue Mountains. But
now it’s being a part of an event that I have
supported for many years, and I’m still really
enjoying the challenge.
TF: The excitement of the final descent to
Caves House. Nothing beats that sense of
relief at seeing the finish line.
2. What distinguishes it from other
races you have run?
DT: The finish is just so spectacular when you
hear the people cheering and come charging
downhill to see hundreds of people gathered
around. It’s very emotional, and I have never
seen anything like it at any other race.
AM: The challenge of the rugged terrain,
humid weather and tough competitors – and
the bragging rights that go with running a
successful race!
BA: While there are now other great trail
races that are as technically or vertically
challenging, to me this is still the main race.
Its long tradition and the way race directors
have cultivated that tradition also makes the
race different to others. Where else do you
get free entry for the rest of your life if you
just keep turning up for almost a quarter of a
century?
MB: The aid station being manned by the
RFS. They do a fantastic job, and without
them there wouldn’t be a race.
DB: I’ll be poetic and say it’s like “The Man
From Snowy River” without the horses.
Runners champing at the bit, raring to go
and see who can lead the mob home in
mountainous country. It’s a great event that
has no equal.
TF: The enthusiasm and spirit of volunteers
who make it happen and the lack of any
commercial incentives make it very special.
A for-profit event could never have the same
atmosphere.
3. What is your most memorable
moment?
DT: Not just winning, but also beating my
husband’s best time (by about a minute) and
having him there with our kids at the finish
line.
AM: Winning the 2010 Six Foot Track in
3:20:58.
BA: Bizarrely, one of the most defining and
memorable moments (in a painful way) was
my 2007 race. It broke me in a way I had
never been broken before, both physically
and mentally. It taught me to respect the race
and that it can’t be compared to any other
race. I had agreed to quit running forever
in the last 5km, but as soon as I finished I
thought “wow”. I had seen a dark and sorry
side of myself I’d never seen before, and that
excited me.
MB: I have two memorable moments:
• In 2001 I ran as the sweeper. I wore a grim
reaper outfit and was carrying a rather loud
whistle. As I came along the Black Range,
I sneaked up on a lady who was dropping
behind schedule. As I got close I blew my
whistle really loud. The lady turned around
and got such a scare she jumped about six
foot in the air.
• I can’t say for sure which year, but in one
of the early years the Cox’s River was so high
the RFS had put two ropes across for us to
hang onto as we crossed. It was a real sight to
see, all those runners over their head in the
river, hanging on to those ropes for dear life.
DB: I have many! Being a sweeper in 1992
with my two brothers was a highlight, but
becoming a Legend in 2009 was by far my
most memorable moment. This was the same
year that my mate Ben Artup set the current
course record, making it extra special.
TF: Overtaking Paul Arthur in 2007 and
thinking, “Shit, I’m in the lead!”
4. What is the hardest part?
DT: The undulations along Black Range Road
(26km to 35km), especially in the heat.
AM: Navigating down Nellies Glen staircase
without falling over.
BA: Everything between the start and finish
lines, but especially that first climb after the
river up to mini saddle.
MB: The three-month period leading up
to the race. At my age (I’ll be 72 in a few
months), it is really hard to put in the miles
required to do the race justice. In the race
itself, the hardest part is the section from the
Pluviometer to the road crossing. I always tell
people the race starts at the Pluviometer.
DB: The hardest part is during the race.
FEBRUARY - MARCH 2014
47
Six Foot Track
You never know what
may happen on the
day. However, I’ve been
fortunate enough to get
through all my Six Foot
Tracks unscathed.
TF: That short steep
climb just before Caves
Road – makes my lungs
explode every time.
5. What draws you
back?
DT: When you are
doing some serious
training, it’s like an
annual test to see
how you are going.
AM: The fact that
the race throws
up a number of
challenges, together
The Six Foot Track’s “First Family”,
with the sense of
Dawn and Kevin Tiller.
achievement in
finishing unscathed.
BA: The fact that you need to be so versatile to do well.
You need speed, endurance, strength and an ability to climb and
run down hills well. Where else do you get all that? It’s a race that
takes maturity and strategy.
MB: Keeping the streak alive.
DB: The challenge of this iconic event, supporting the RFS,
catching up with the old crew and being a part of the local running
mob, the Blue Mountains Marathon Clinic (BMMC). The bottom
line is I just love doing it because I still can!
TF: Knowing how good it will feel to sit in the sun with a cold beer
afterwards.
6. Which other Six Footer has inspired you most?
DT: Max – doing anything for 30 years is a big part of your life, but
to keep coming back and finishing Six Foot in a good time is just
too hard to comprehend (he ran 5:29 in 2013 for his 29th finish).
AM: Ben Artup was a machine in 2009!
BA: The people who inspire me are the Living Legends of the race
and those, unlike me, who can keep coming back to the race every
year – people like Dominic Boidin, in particular, who also first
introduced me to long runs as a kid when my dad asked him if he
could take me on a few trail runs (I think I was getting in trouble at
school and running was meant to burn off teenager energy). Also
Don Wallace, who has shown that even after 18-plus years you
can run similar top-level times. That changes your thinking about
running performance as you age. I don’t know many other races
where a person has been able to do this, apart from Dave Scott at
Hawaii. But even he only had 14 years between his first win (1980)
and an amazing second-place finish (1994).
MB: In the early years there was a guy by the name of John
Williams. He taught me to run/walk the hills. Until I had spoken
to John I never walked a step, trying to be the tough guy. But John
taught me that you can’t beat the hills, so it is best to adopt a run/
walk strategy. It was this strategy that gave me my fastest time
(3:58:48, when I was nearly 46 years old).
DB: Without a doubt Max Bogenhuber – one of the originals and
an incredible athlete who is still going strong. It’s runners like Max
that inspire the current league of Six Foot Track participants and
keep this event strong and healthy.
TF: Tough call – can I have two? Ben Artup’s record-breaking run
was incredible. He prepared perfectly and ran a brilliant race all on
his own. But I’m also blown away by Don Wallace’s recent times.
On an age-adjusted basis, he’s in a class all of his own.
48 RUN FOR YOUR LIFE
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