Kuranda to Port Douglas Ultra Trail Marathon (26 August 2012)
Sponsor: It’s Extreme
Race Director: Sarah Griffiths
Training Runs: 28-29 July and 19 August 2012
The final and fourth race in the FNQ Trail Running series. This Point-to-Point race starts just off Kennedy Highway in Kuranda and follows Black Mountain Road that runs through native rainforest, open eucalyptus forest, pine plantations and crosses picturesque creeks. It is a scenic course incorporated in the Mowbray National Park within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The pyramid-shaped Black Mountain is a prominent feature of the race. The tropical rainforest is home to the endangered southern cassowary, a flightless bird that can grow to two metres in height.
Race Start Times and Locations
Make sure you know the start time of your race. It is recommended you get to the race at least a half hour before your race starts.
| Race | Distance | Race Briefing – all competitors MUST attend | Start Time | Location |
| Ultra Marathon | 64km point to point | 5.45am | 6:00am | *Corner Kennedy Highway and Black Mountain Road, Kuranda |
| Twin Bridges Half Marathon | 21.1kmpoint to point | 9.15am | 9:30am | *Corner Quaid and Black Mountain Rds |
| 16km Bump to Beach | 16km point to point | 9.45am | 10.00am | *Top of the Bump Track |
| 5km Beach Fun Run/Walk | 5km out and back | 9.45am | 10:00am | Beach at Surf Lifesaving Club, Port Douglas |
* Bus transfers are available to start of event and from Port Douglas to Cairns after the events.
Competitors have various options for this race:
Option 1 – Run the 64km Ultra from start to finish
Option 2 – Run the 21.1km Twin Bridges Half Marathon (Leg 3 of the Ultra)
Option 3 – Run the 16km Bump to the Beach Finish (Leg 4 and 5 of the Ultra)
Option 4 – Run as part of a team and complete one or more legs of the 64km Ultra (consists of five legs) – no split times will be recorded. Only the overall finish time. All members in the team will be allocated points according to the conditions stipulated in the ”Trophies/Ribbons” section below.
Option 5 – Run the 5km Beach Fun Run/Walk (this run/walk is not part of the FNQ Trail Running Series)
Leg 1 (14km) and Leg 2 (13km along Black Mountain Road Leg 3, (21.1km): From Quaid Road into the Twin Bridges track, then to top of the Bump Track. Leg 4 (6km): The historic Bump Track including the Slatey Pinch – a cutting through slate rock at a steep 1 in 3 grade, about 1 kilometre from the bottom of the tack. Leg 5 (10km): After following (mostly) sealed roads into Port Douglas, the race leads onto the southern end of Four Mile Beach. (Low tide is at 2.15pm).
- East Black Mountain Road
Twin Bridges track (East Black Mountain Road) follows the route of the original Black Mountain Road, to the east of the current road. It diverges from Black Mountain Road 27 kilometres from the Kennedy Highway and rejoins it 2 kilometres from the top of the Bump Track. Closed by gates at both ends, it is a multi-use track for trail runners, walkers and mountain bikers. Motor vehicles, trail bikes and horses are not allowed on this track.
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The historic Bump Track offers views of the Mowbray River valley where the Mowbray River drops through a gorge carved into the forested foothills of the Macalister Range. It was blazed in 1877 by Christie Palmerston, a prominent bushman and pathfinder of the times and was the main access from the Hodgkinson Goldfield to the port facilities at Port Douglas.
The Bump Track was infamous for its steepness. Passengers on the horse-drawn coach service had to get out and walk when going up or coming down the section known as Slatey Pinch – a cutting through slate rock at a steep 1 in 3 grade, about 1 kilometre from the bottom of the tack.
After following (mostly) sealed roads into Port Douglas, the race leads onto the southern end of Four Mile Beach. One of the many attractions of Port Douglas this fine hard beach is considered to be one of the best in far north Queensland. The sand is so firm that the beach has been used for horse races and mountain bike races and also as a landing place by Kingsford Smith and by C.T.P. Ulm en route to New Guinea with the first official air mail.
- Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas
2012 Events:
Poker Run 25 February (page 2)
NEW! Women’s Come and Try Trail Run 11 March (page 2)
Full moon Glacier Rock 6 April (page 2)
NEW! 3 Marathons in 3 Days (page 2) Register Now
FNQ Trail Running Series:
NEW! Race #1: Barren Gorge (new) 25 March (page 3)
Race #2: Black Snake 29 April (page 4) Resigster Now
Race #3: Mt Haig Trail Marathon 22 July (page 5) Resigster Now
Race #4: Kuranda to Port Douglas Ultra Trail Marathon 26 August (page 6) Resigster Now
E-mail has been from Japan.
I learned that in Kuranda to Port Douglas Trail Race 64k in the web site.
Does this race will be many people participated?
Please tell me the size of the race.
Hi Masaru, at the moment there are about 20 competitors doing the full 64km.
Hi Lorraine – a quick query….is the Misty Mountains half marathon, planned for Sept 18th still a goer? It doesn’t seem to feature on some of the calendars so I was wondering if it has been cancelled. Cheers, Sala.
Hi Sala, YES! I’ve just been too busy to also update the website, sorry. Entry form on the Events – Road Runs pages. It’s not a Cairns Road Runners Event, but we are supporting Alan Courtney, who is the race director.
Great – thanks Lorraine. I’ll drop into Cairns Family Chiropractic on Monday and submit my entry form/payment. My first ever half marathon – hooray!
How exciting, Sala. Sorry we’ve not caught up since you’ve been back! I’m not going to be there, but I’ll be thinking of you – all the best!
What is the cutoff time for the ultra and half?
Hi Mal, not sure which event you mean – the 64km and 21km of the It’s Extreme Kuranda to Port Douglas has no cut offs. The 74km Ultra on 12 November,which is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marathon Festival, has a cut off at the top of the Bump, 57km into the race – you have 9 hours to get there. I’m not involved in the 21km race, and don’t know about any cut offs. You’ll need to contact the race organisers.
Hi Lorraine
I heard that this race was on this year and I have just read the reviews in the AURA magazine. I’d love to incorporate a family holiday in Cairns/Port Douglas with this race next year.
I am not a trail runner. Do you need trail running shoes for this run or will standard running shoes suffice?
Kind regards
Dave
That’s great news, Dave. We are all very excited about 2012 and it will be great to have you and your family along. Regular road running shoes will do fine. Most of the race is on dirt roads. Online entries open early January so you can be super organised! Lorraine
Awesome – thanks Lorraine
What’s the cutoff time for Mt Haig 45K?
Hi Shobun, we encourage participation in our events, and welcome anyone along who wants to have a go! So no cut off for any of our events at this point in time. We’ll be there at the finish waiting, when you come in. The race director reserves the right to pull competitors off the course as required – this is to ensure the safety of all competitors and volunteers.
Can we upload a map of tomorrow’s training run please ?
Map of the area – does not show course. I have mud maps to hand out tomorrow at the run.
Hi there,
Looking at coming down to Cairns from PNG for the black snake run, is it open to anyone?? Cheers,
Rhys
Hi Rhys, yes we’d love to have you along. Enter before the ‘late fee’ kicks in on 19/4/2012 9:00 PM. Entries closes on 27/4/2012 9.00PM, no late or on the day entries. Entry fees vary, depending on distance. For independent runners it is as follows:
Distance Standard Late
10km $ 25.00 $ 30.00
21km $ 35.00 $ 40.00
34km $ 40.00 $ 50.00
Hi
I’m here from Canada wondering about running the 21 km black snake run on April 29.. Do I need anything special, should we be self supported ( own water etc. ) or are there drink stops? How many people usually run in this? Do I need snake bite kit or anything? Is the trail very wet this time of year? Is there cut off times?Sorry for so many questions. Thank you.
Steph
Hi Steph, always happy to help out!
Do I need anything special – just a hydrations system for example a small water bottle.
Should we be self supported ( own water etc. ) or are there drink stops? Water provided at 2.5km; 5km and 10km. No cups. If you want anything else, you can leave it in the drop box going to the turn around at the Fig Tree.
How many people usually run in this? This is the second year, we had over 50 competitors in the 34, 21.1 and 10k last year.
Do I need snake bite kit or anything? No. This is only mandatory for the 34km runners.
Is the trail very wet this time of year? Easy dirt road to run on, but you will get your feet wet crossing over a few shallow creeks.
Are there cut off times? No. This is at the discresion of the Race Officials.