GEELONG endurance athlete Blake Hose has set a new record for the gruelling Great Ocean Walk 100 (GOW 100) ultra-marathon.
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Hose, 22, clocked nine hours, eight minutes and 28 seconds for the 100-kilometre trail epic from Apollo Bay to Port Campbell on Saturday.
The time smashed his 2013 effort by almost 20 minutes and shaved 8.13 off the previous record, set by Brendan Davies in 2012.
Sam Maffett was second in 10.13.03, with Gill Fowler third in 10.30.45. Fowler was the first female home, more than half an hour ahead.
Race director Andy Hewat said he was stunned with what Hose, who placed sixth at the World Skyrunning Championships in June, had achieved.
“It was a tougher course than when the record was set. There was more road on the old course and the distance is the same. It was a class run,” he said. “He’s only 22 years old. He’s got a huge future in terms of his potential.
“He’s a local runner from Geelong and he was a pro cyclist for a while, did a bit of triathlon now he’s graduated into trail ultra-marathons.
“He’s got a very mature approach to it. He’s got talent but he’s not going out running everything he can, he’s picking his races and running them maturely.”
Hewat said Fowler likewise deserved credit for her “spectacular” effort.
The Sydneysider contested the GOW 100 seven days after finishing third in the Australasian 24-hour Rogaining Championships.
“She did a 24-hour event the weekend before and came out and smashed the women’s record,” he said.
“She’s taken it down to 10.30 and blown the field away. She was third overall, she beat most of the men home as well. That’s phenomenal.”
Hose and Fowler were among 62 individuals and four teams who braved the arduous GOW 100.
Bushfield entrant Nicole Barker was 15th overall and fifth female in 12.50.29.
Hewat said the event was a major success, with all but three competitors reaching the Port Campbell finish line.
“We did have quite a few runners who suffered from the heat and struggled, but they spent some time at the checkpoints,” he said.
“We’ve got a really good support system there. They nursed them along a bit, got them on their feet and they finished.
“And there were some good stories of camaraderie of runners in the same situation, struggling and partnering up to help each other through to the finish.”
But Hewat believed the GOW 100, into its sixth year, had the potential to grow.
He said the 70-runner limit imposed by Parks Victoria could be increased with no impact on the environment.