Great Ocean Trail Ultra: A 100km Coastal Adventure

Runner Mick Keyte took on the 2024 Great Ocean Trail Ultra, a reimagined journey along Victoria’s iconic coastline. Previously known as the Great Ocean Walk, Mick reflects on the stunning views and the camaraderie that fuelled every step of his epic adventure.

20 NOVEMBER 2024 – GREAT OCEAN ROAD, VICTORIA: The Great Ocean Trail Ultra made a welcome return last year in 2024, managed by race directors Chris Ord (Tour de Trails) and Andy Payne (Hut 2 Hut).

It was previously called the Great Ocean Walk (GOW) founded by well-regarded race director Andy Hewat. The race has been on hold since 2019 due to Covid, but last year it came back, and I was keen to run it!

Located along the beautiful Great Ocean Road, 100km of trail following the iconic Victorian coastline from Apollo Bay to the 12 Apostles at Port Campbell is the perfect setting for a run with amazing scenery.

The Great Ocean Trail Ultra was on my bucket list, and it definitely met my expectations. With a choice of 45km and 100km in solo and relay options, there’s lots of options for all runners of all abilities. I chose the 100km and was looking forward to running the coastal single track for most of those kilometres.

There’s 100km of trails through sand, forest and cliffs following the beautiful Great Ocean Road coast. Most of the ultra is a single-track trail (around 73%), with the rest of the run on fire trail/gravel (20%), beach (5%), and pavement (2%) trails.

Kicking off from Apollo Bay at 5am, there was about an hour of running with a headlamp, first kilometre was on the road, then I hit the single-track trail. This was just the start of all that sweet single-track running and views you simply don’t see from the road.

An early start meant runners experienced a spectacular sunrise over the sea. The race runs through the Great Otways National Park, where you run amongst the giant trees and lush ferns on an undulating track. Some of this section was quite muddy under foot.

“Once out of the forest, you run past the historic Otways Lighthouse, following the coast, with more incredible views.”

Heading towards Aire River Campground checkpoint I encountered my first ‘moving stick’ (aka snake), sliding off the track, getting out the way of the runners. Chris and Andy warned everyone at the race briefing a few snakes were sighted during course marking and there was a reason why snake bandages were part of the mandatory kit. Coming out of Johanna Beach I encountered another ‘moving stick’. This one was asleep just on the side of the trail, I spied it as I glided over it. This one took me by surprise, which caused me to see about 2,435 long bark and stick ‘snakes’ for the rest of the run!

Heading into Johanna Beach there was about 2km of soft sand running. I tried stepping left to right to find hard sand, but in the end, I just had to put my head down and knock it out.

With 25km to the next checkpoint, it was going to be a long, hot run. I topped up all my bladders and soft flasks (2.5lt). Lucky I did, as I had to ration my water to get to the Gables checkpoint and had almost run out of water when I arrived. It was a hot day and all runners were feeling the heat. I would recommend taking 3lt over this section, particularly if the weather is warm.

At Princetown checkpoint about the 88km mark, I got a glimpse of one of the Apostles, and I knew the finish line was near. With 12km to go, the trail weaved its way along the fantastic coast line finishing at the 12 Apostles information centre. My legs were pretty tired by this point however the great views are a good distraction.

Being a coastal run, you may think it’s more of a flat run. I recorded 3,400m elevation with plenty of sand running, I definitely felt the burn on my legs. Next time, I’d consider using poles as there’s a surprising number of hills. I would also recommend doing plenty of soft sand running in the lead up to the event to condition your legs. I ran in La Sportiva Akasha, plenty of cushioning and support for this ultra as it’s not an overly technical course.

The course was well marked, the aid stations were excellent with water, nutrition and snacks, a lot of very helpful volunteers (thank you for all your help as we run through checkpoints hot, sweaty and tired), great information on the website, easy downloadable maps, mainly single-track trail running, bus transfers and two awesome race directors cheering and congratulating all the runners at the finish line.

The Great Ocean Trail Ultra is definitely one to schedule on your bucket list. With so much to see and do before and after the event – 12 Apostles, Apollo Bay, Wildlife Wonders Centre, Lorne, Tree Top Walk in the Otways, Great Ocean Road Drive, and lots of waterfalls, it’s an ideal holiday with a fantastic run thrown in.

Throughout the race, Andy and Chris support local environment organisations For Wild Places, which encourages trail runners to have a positive impact on the environment, and Wild Life Wonders, who contribute to the conservation of the unique Otways environment.

Overall, an amazing run along one of Australia’s most iconic and spectacular coast lines. Lots of great views, different terrains and challenges. Andy, Chris and all their helpers and volunteers should be proud of the successful return of an iconic run.

Next one is 25 October, 2025. I’ll see you next year on the trails.