Mick Campbell pictured with 2018 participant Isabella Petersen
Today we hear from Mick Campbell, co-founder of the Krazy Kosci Klimb. Mick shares his wisdom and experience to ensure the best possible Klimb with these 10 training tips:
1. MOST IMPORTANT TIP: Never try anything new on the day of the Krazy Kosci Klimb – always introduce and break in anything new in your preparation/training. This applies to everything, be it clothing, footwear, headwear, wheelchairs, equipment, nutrition, hydration or morning routine!
2. THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS FITNESS: An 18.4km round trip from Charlotte Pass to the summit of Mt Kosciuszko, and back, awaits everyone which includes an elevation increase of 463m. National Parks and Wildlife Services grade the walk as medium difficulty, with short sharp hills, taking between 6-8 hours to complete => the walk is arduous, but it’s well within everyone’s capability so long as you train for it!
3. TRAIN TO MINIMISE INJURY: Simply don’t overdo it! IT’S ALL ABOUT TIME ON YOUR FEET, so build this up gradually – look to start off with 2-3 small walks during the week with a longer walk at the weekend. And then gradually increase the time of all these walks over the weeks, so that with a couple of weeks out from the Krazy Kosci Klimb, you’ve completed a 6-8 hour walk.
4. WALKING IS GOOD FOR YOU: Remember that walking is one of the most under-rated forms of gaining fitness – I guarantee you that after a month of consistent walking, you’ll be feeling like a new person!
5. KEEP IT FRESH: Keep your motivation levels high by varying where you walk, who you walk with, what time of day you walk, and the terrain on which you walk. And ultimately with 2 weeks out, you want to try and emulate the Krazy Kosci Klimb, so commencing at 7am, go for 3-4 hours which includes short, sharp, uphill climbs, returning the same way so that you have 3-4 hours of short, sharp downhill climbs. And ensure you incorporate the pushing and braking of a wheelchair if you’re in a team where the lead participant is non-ambulant.
6. HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE: If you can show up for training day in, day out, you’ll smash the Krazy Kosci Klimb. And the easiest way to do this is if you regularly walk as a group, where you can hold each other accountable – if you’ve made a commitment to walk with a team in the morning, it becomes so much harder to press snooze on the alarm clock and roll over! Alternatively, tell everyone you know from the highest rooftop that you’re doing the Krazy Kosci Klimb…and this will help you make the right decision when you don’t feel like going for a training walk!
7. STURDY FOOTWEAR IS A NECESSITY: Feet blisters are easily the biggest complaint – ensure you wear trail running shoes or hiking boots which are more durable and offer more stability and grip. Click here for more tips on selecting footwear.
8. PLAN FOR MELBOURNE WEATHER: On every mountainous area throughout the world, the weather is more extreme as compared to sea-level and can be quickly changeable. The Snowy Mountains is no exception, so you need to prepare for four seasons in one day, from extreme heat to extreme cold, from horizontal rain to wind gusts.
9. YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE EFFECTS OF ALTITUDE: At 2,228m, Mt Kosciuszko is Australia’s highest point and you’re likely to feel fatigue and shortness of breath. If this happens, simply stop and perform deep breathing, so breathe in through the nose, feel the breath firstly in your belly and then in your chest before releasing through the mouth – and if you can, do this 20 times leaving no breaks between the inhalation and exhalation.
10. THE SUMMIT IS THE HALFWAY POINT: Most people think the job is done when you have reached the summit, but it’s only halfway! You need to retain enough energy and focus to get safely back down off the mountain.
