We protect what we love

FRIDAY . 01 . 04. 22 .

Whoa! The Pilliga Ultra weekend was nothing short of amazing!!!

On behalf of the FWP team, I'd love to thank the wonderful people at Pilliga Pottery and all of the amazing partners, sponsors, runners and volunteers who not only made this event possible, but contributed to such an incredible, warm and welcoming atmosphere. It's one thing to have an event, but to feel a sense of safety and belonging amongst such a diverse crowd of people is pretty special - and that's what the Pilliga Ultra was.

Although the rain dampened the finish line flag, making it hang about 1m lower than initially installed, it didn't dampen spirits! Stoke levels and energy remained high - as did the pre-race nerves.

20km runners starting to huddle at the start line.

A huge thank you to some incredible volunteers - from those who endured the Friday night rain to register runners and check mandatory, to those who ensured the aid stations were set up and ready to go. Your help is very much appreciated, and the event is not possible without you.

Following the running, we were privileged to have the Gomeori people perform traditional dancing, and have the local band entertain us well into the night.

Gomeori dancers.

I can confidently say that the inaugural Pilliga Ultra was a success. I spoke with a few runners who participated in either the 20km or 50km event about their motivations, experience, sports activism, small scale carbon footprints and key takeaways. These runners are:

Russell and Gareth Kindler

Who formed the "Frack Off Brothership", pictured with their mum in the middle

Damon Angelopulo

From Outdoors People for Climate Action and Blue Mountains guide

Julie Steele

Seasoned and inspiring ultra-runner, who has completed events all over the world

Alexandra Ewen

An artist whose practice is informed by the relationship of our species to the ecological, social and political impact on the planet (pictured far right)

Below are a few responses, and the full interviews can be found on the FWP blog.

QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION WITH A FEW RUNNERS

It takes a special kind of person to commit to running 20/50kms through rugged wilderness and raising much needed funds for local communities. What motivated you to take part?

Russel & Gareth: The majority of the time, our pursuits in nature are selfish. Now felt like a great time to reset this trend, and start to offer something back. The opportunity to combine these individualistic pursuits with a broader purpose with meaning i.e. empowering communities to conserve our wild places whilst also challenging us, is something we will always jump to participate in.

Majell preaching the art of trail running to the younger generation.

Alexandra: I moved to Australia three years ago from Canada, and have always wanted to do something impactful for the environment, especially with the acceleration of natural disasters I’ve witnessed over my short stint in the country.  Not to mention running hasn’t always been my strength so this seemed like the perfect challenge.

Are you able to describe the general atmosphere at Pilliga Pottery?

Julie: Being family owned and run by a close-knit group of artists, Pilliga Pottery provided an ideal welcoming atmosphere for this inaugural event. Maria and her staff went out of their way to meet the needs of all the runners and their supporters. They provided us with hearty meals and spaces to stay dry despite the often-torrential rain. By offering a variety of accommodation types, homemade food at the café and places for runners to chat, Pilliga Pottery created a warm community feel, with fabulous opportunities for runners and their families to interact before, during and after the run. There were also plenty of activities for non-runners, including kids, such as feeding farm animals, pottery classes and bushwalking, making this a truly family experience.

Finish line vibes - thanks Stone & Wood.

Are you able to describe what it was like running through the Pilliga?

Russel & Gareth: It was breathtaking. Sure, the running might have been contributing there but we reckon it was being amongst the undulating hills, narrow gorges, eucalypts, lichen, rock formations, grasslands, and birdsong. It reminded ourselves of the overwhelming importance of these forests, as a carbon sink, as key biodiversity habitat and as a place for future generations to get to know too. We were a bit patchy with the training for this one so whenever we felt the pain, hearing Majell's voice, we looked at the surrounding nature and were spurred to continue; left foot, right foot.

Got to love an "out of the boot" aid station.

Damon: The Pilliga forest is stunning and made for some challenging and technical running. There were so many great lookouts and running for that distance on those trails really allowed us to get a proper taste of what the Pilliga is like and how diverse it is as well as giving some context to just how big it is.

Do you think that sports activism, such as the Pilliga Ultra, is an effective way to raise awareness of environmental injustices (and broader socio-political issues in general)? Why/why not? Do you think there are other more effective ways?

Julie: I strongly believe that events such as the Pilliga Ultra are an effective way to raise awareness, particularly of environmental injustices. They provide another tool to add to the plethora of other activism strategies. During such an event, participants are immersed in the environment of concern for an extended period, being "forced" to focus on their immediate surroundings to safely traverse the terrain. This provides an ideal opportunity for the participants to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the environment that they are advocating for. The extensive opportunities for photographic posts on social media following such an event also allow participants and organisers to showcase features of the environment that would not otherwise be seen, raising awareness of threatened environments to the broader community.

There seems to be some general criticism that trail runners are "contributing to the problem" - the problem being climate change. And it's true that the Pilliga Ultra did have a carbon footprint and impact on trails. I'm keen to hear your thoughts on this. For example, do you think that trail runners and sports activist NFPs such as FWP, should be doing more to protect and give back to the environment? Or do you think that small scale carbon footprints/trail impacts are necessary to raise awareness about larger issues?

Damon: The carbon footprint and minor trail impacts of an event like this are grossly outweighed by the positive impact which this event had. To have the best chance of stopping and ultimately reversing global warming, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and absolutely must stop new fossil fuel projects. At times it's easy to have too much of a focus on our own individual and comparatively tiny carbon footprint, instead of putting our time and energy towards creating the larger system change that's actually necessary to address climate change. This event was an example of people coming together to raise awareness and funds that will contribute to ultimately stopping this extremely damaging fossil fuel project from going ahead, and in doing so help to address climate change.

Damon on the Santos Gasfield Inspection Tour.

What's your key take away from the Pilliga Ultra event?

Julie: Events such as the Pilliga Ultra provide opportunities for the trail running community to use their passion for running to help raise awareness of, and much-needed funds, to protect the pristine wild places from destruction.

Alexandra: There were so many takeaways from this event, the determination, dedication and efforts put forward by the locals and surrounding land Gomeroi Traditional Owners fighting to keep Santos off the Pilliga (Narrabri) is admirable. The immense connection to the land, combined with how the Women of Gomeroi Govern the water systems and it is their job to protect the sacred water and country makes you want to fight even harder. 

It's sometimes hard to comprehend the beauty of the place via photos, but when you arrive and begin to explore the vast landscape, then is when you truly understand the magnitude of space and its importance. Also, everyone at this event was kind, open minded and here for the most important reason of all, and that is to ensure a better future for the next generation. 

PROJECT: RUN FOREVER

On Friday 8 April, dedicated ultra-runner and wild places protector, Tom Batrouney, will be putting his body (and mind) on the line by running an indefinite number of 10km laps of Manly Dam. As long as the donations keep coming, Tom will keep running. All proceeds will go to FWP and the Seabin Project - two environmentally focused organisations that seek to leave the land and waters of this world in a better state for future generations. Tom is the perfect example of how an individual can make a big difference.

How can you get involved?

Whilst donations are fantastic (here is the link to donate), you can also sign up to run with Tom.

If running isn't really your thing, you can get down to Manly Dam and show your support. For Wild Places will be setting up an aid station, as located on the map below, so come and say hi and stand with us as we cheer on Tom and give out some hi-fives. We will also have some provisions available for anyone who will be running with Tom.

Aid station located at the main entry on King Street.

We appreciate the support. Happy Trails and, as always, thank you for taking the time to support wild places!

Elanor & the For Wild Places team.

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We acknowledge the the First Nations people who have been custodians of land, waters and culture for tens of thousands of years. We pay respects to First Nations Elders past, present and emerging.

This email was written on Gadigal lands of the Eora nation. To these people, we pay our respects.

Always was, always will be.