We follow the former trail and cross-country runner, who has set himself a mountain goal in the Alps this month
Two years after earning his first international mountain running vest and just 18 months after taking on the ultra-distance events, Kate Avery’s victory at the recent Ultra Trail Australia 50 (UTA 50) – a 50km UTMB World Series event over 2200m on – was another example of his exceptional range and talent.
The 32-year-old is a former NCAA champion and multiple British and Northern Ireland European Cross Country Championship medalist. He also shone on the track, winning European age-group medals over 3000m and 5000m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and finishing fourth over 10,000m.
By 2022, he had already started to make a name for himself on the trail and mountain running scene, finishing 10th in the uphill-only race and 11th in the uphill race at the European Off-Road Championships at his international mountain in Spain. launch debut in July of the same year. He was then selected for the World Mountain and Trail Championships in Thailand and finished 20th (uphill only) and 26th (uphill and downhill), winning team silver in both events.
Avery moved from England to Australia in January 2023 with her husband and former British Athletics physio Lashi Bromley. He won the Two Bays Trail Run (28km) within weeks of his arrival before running his first 50km at the Tarawera Ultramarathon in New Zealand. he finished third.
Avery has never been afraid to take risks. He’s certainly no stranger to change, either, and a win at the UTA 50 highlighted his transition from mountain runner to longer trails.
Orsieres-Champex-Chamonix (OCC), described as the ultimate challenge for middle-distance ultrarunners and the “final of the 50km category” for the UTMB World Series (55km/3400m+) – is his target race for 2024 on Thursday on August 29. , but after her experience last year (“It kicked my ass,” she says), she’s leaving no stone unturned.
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“There aren’t many trail runs that have the altitude of Chamonix, so it’s about being as prepared as possible,” says Avery. “Doing the UTA 50 (in the NSW Blue Mountains) was pretty good preparation. Obviously it’s great to win, but I was more satisfied with how I felt. I just felt good doing it.”
His training for the UTA 50 included regular outings to Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges, where he ran several laps of a 5km/400m training loop called ‘Glasgow’. Avery is currently in St Moritz in the Swiss Alps for a period of high altitude training as he builds towards the OCC.
“I definitely had it in mind that I wanted to try the 50km and to be honest I think even last year was probably too soon,” he admits. “Last year I was looking at things and thinking: and I think it’s about getting the balance right. There’s a lot of things you can work on in trail running – uphill running, long tempos, downhill technique, speed – so it’s trying to balance it out and figure out what my strengths are. I think I learned a lot from last year.
Kate Avery (Mark Shearman)
“My long runs feel better this year, they feel more comfortable. I would never run more than 1 hour 30 minutes before during 10km and cross-country training (I don’t think it’s necessary, so getting used to being on your feet for four or five hours is completely different.
“Coming into the OCC, it’s a lot about leg condition and being able to go up and down and then go up another mountain again and then when you’re down for 40 minutes, you actually feel good at the end of it, not your legs feeling like that. mush.”
Kate Avery (Paul Frere)
Avery’s recent progress has been impressive and his UTMB profile shows seven wins and a total of 10 podium finishes from 13 appearances. Keen to run for GB & NI at next year’s World Mountain & Trail Championships over 50km in Spain, he is keen to change that and is fully capable of earning another international vest in this new and challenging discipline.
The OCC is a chance to make a name for yourself at one of the most famous events in the world.
» This feature first appeared in AW Magazine. Subscribe here
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