After a gruelling four days and three nights, earlier this month, Pyalong earned its place on the map for hosting one of the most brutal running events.
Known as King of the Hill, the event took place on a 3.2 kilometre loop, with around 60 competitors required to conquer a steep hill on the outskirts of Pyalong, completing one lap every hour, on the hour.
The last person standing would be given a $10,000 cheque.
Organiser Ethan Fleming, who masterminded the challenge alongside his team at Hardcore Harry’s—a business built on pushing endurance athletes’ physical and mental limits through extreme challenges—said the event was crafted to ‘mentally break people.’
“The goal was to build Australia’s most toughest ultra race,” he said.
“Everything we did was about psychological burden and making people uncomfortable as possible from the first hill.
“There’s nothing more impressive and mentally tough than people running around a bloody hill every hour until there’s one [left]. It’s just the ultimate test of pain and suffering.”
The entry list was packed with seasoned ultra runners, yet by the 50-hour mark the field had been almost entirely whittled down—many dropping out within the first 24 hours, or even after just a few laps.
“A lot of the athletes were in shock of how difficult the course was, so we lost quite a lot of people … in the first few hours. By the [end of the] first day, we had … our pros left,” Mr Fleming said.
“Our average loop time was about 40–45 minutes. In that 15 minute [break], they have a little drink … some food, and if they are very lucky, they might get a minute of sleep.”
The organisers themselves faced the challenge of sleep deprivation, fearing they might miss crucial moments of the race.
“It’s so intriguing, we were absolutely mesmerised by what was happening in front of us,” Mr Fleming said.
As time went on, to raise the stakes, Mr Fleming and his team began challenging the mental state of competitors, offering and doubling cash incentives for those considering quitting.
One runner accepted a $1000 offer to finish second place after completing 69 laps.
At the 48-hour mark, competitors were hit with an unexpected twist that took the challenge to a whole new level.
Competitors faced a five minute holding period before each lap, giving them just 55 minutes to complete the course. The delay then accumulated, making each lap increasingly harder to complete.
“They had to stand … at the start line for five minutes on their feet in the sun and the cold,” Mr Fleming said.
“They couldn’t have hated us more. My small amount of empathy was starting to kick in, and it was very hard to implement.”
But winners Piotr Babis and Pyry Liukkonen continued on, and at the 75 hour mark, decided to finish together, splitting the prize money between them.
“You couldn’t break them, and they just wouldn’t let in,” Mr Fleming said.
“They made the call together to actually time out and not finish the lap, because they didn’t want to try and beat each other by a second.”
With the winners declared, Mr Fleming was overcome with emotion, unable to hold back tears.
“There’s nothing more special and more beautiful than seeing people push past what they thought was possible and come out the other side. It was probably one of the most insane levels of resilience I’ve ever witnessed,” he said.
Mr Fleming plans to make the race an annual event in Pyalong, and hopes it will become the biggest ultra race in Australia, with the largest prize pool.
“This event was about finding people’s own personal versions of hard, and finding what they are capable of doing,” he said.
“It’s about personal achievement, and that’s why we put this on—so … we could supply an event that could allow people to do that.”
Awesome!!