The Guzzler Ultra - Year 719th—20th July 2025

The Guzzler Ultras 2024: Race Preview

The Guzzler Ultra 2024

Race Preview

Meagan Brown

by Meagan Brown

17 July 2024

Welcome to year six of The Guzzler! Grab some popcorn, get comfy, and let’s check out who is
racing in 2024.

The Dry Run 10km

This year the women’s field sees Michelle Cooper returning. Michelle was 2nd last year by an oh-so-close 10 seconds, where she also ran under the previous course record. It would be great to see Michelle take the win and potentially nab the course record too, which is currently held by Michaela McDonald in 55:50.

In the men’s field, speedster Luke Davison is running hot off a win in the BTU10. Luke will be hard to beat and might also be nudging the men’s course record currently held by Zac Milligan in 47:15. Luke has lots of experience on these trails, which will play in his favour.

  • Michelle Cooper

    Michelle Cooper

    Michelle Cooper

  • Luke Davison

    Luke Davison

    Luke Davison

The Big Sipper 21km

Laura Daly is the highest placed returning female athlete from last year. Laura had a stellar run placing 3rd in a very fast field and will no doubt be looking to improve.

Andy Dey will no doubt be bringing some Half-Marathon road speed and is no stranger to the trail podium either with previous wins at WECH50, BTU110, NUT100, 3rd at Guzzler 50km last year and top 10 finishes at UTA100 and Tarawera. Look out! Peter Hosking who also placed 3rd last year is back for more. As is Anthony Gordon who was 3rd in 2021. Krispin Hajkowicz was 3rd in the Dry Run 10km in 2022 and this year is stepping up to the Big Sipper. Will any of these speedy guys take a few steps up on the podium?

The Guzzler regular Rowan Cassidy is also giving the Big Sipper a crack and if his flying parkrun times are anything to go by, he should have a good day out.

  • Andy Dey

    Andy Dey

    Andy Dey

  • Laura Daly

    Laura Daly

    Laura Daly

  • Peter Hosking

    Peter Hosking

    Peter Hosking

  • Anthony Gordon

    Anthony Gordon

    Anthony Gordon

  •  Krispin Hajkowicz

    Krispin Hajkowicz

    Krispin Hajkowicz

  • Rowan Cassidy

    Rowan Cassidy

    Rowan Cassidy

The Glass Half Full 50km

The ladies race is open for the taking! Julia Farquhar has the potential to take line honours with a 7th at The Guzzler 100 last year in her debut 100k, a 6th in The Glass Half Full 50km 2022 and top 10 results at kunanyi ultra and BTU60. Elisabeth Spits who was 4th in The Big Sipper 21km in 2020 and has had a top 10 result at Noosa 20k is also taking on the 50km. Winner of the inaugural Big Sipper 21km Kate Watson is back and it will be great to see her out on the trails. Kate is running for fun, which can often lead to a magic day out. Go Kate!

It’s exciting to see La Sportiva athlete Matt Crehan lining up in the men’s race. It’s actually difficult to summarise Matt’s achievements – there are so many. Earlier this year Matt won the Cradle Mountain 80km, he is a multiple Australian representative, top 10 Lavaredo Ultra Trail finisher, has won the Buffalo 100, Buffalo Marathon AND the Buffalo 10. Matt is no stranger to Brisbane trails as a past winner of the BTU miler. With reigning 50km champion and course record holder, Ben Duffus, lining up too, it will be exciting to see whether Matt and Ben go out fast and challenge the current 4:09:36 course record. Yun Phua has been quiet on the trails for a while but it would be foolish not to mention him. Yun is a road speedster but also a previous Blackall 100 winner and has a 1st and 3rd in the Guzzler 100, as well as a 2nd at BTU60.

  • Julia Farquhar

    Julia Farquhar

    Julia Farquhar

  • Kate Watson

    Kate Watson

    Kate Watson

  • Matt Crehan

    Matt Crehan

    Matt Crehan

  • Yun Phua

    Yun Phua

    Yun Phua

  • Ben Duffus

    Ben Duffus

    Ben Duffus

The Guzzler Ultra 100km

The ladies 100km is full of new faces and will be interesting to see how it unfolds. Rebecca Goad – who was 5th in The Glass Half Full 50 last year – is stepping up to the 100. Mountain Goat runner Rania Beattie is also toeing the line. Rania took 3rd at last year’s GSER 50mile and 5th at the 2022 West Macs Monster Ekistica. Local legend Maydelene Ceballos who placed 9th last year and has had a 5th in BTU60 will also be there. There is a dark horse in Trailien Donna Hyland. It’s her first 100km event, but I’m told that holy toledo she couldn’t be more fit and ready. Anything on top of getting to that finish line is icing on the cake especially in your first 100.

  • Rebecca Goad

    Rebecca Goad

    Rebecca Goad

  • Rania Beattie

    Rania Beattie

    Rania Beattie

  • Maydelene Ceballos

    Maydelene Ceballos

    Maydelene Ceballos

  • Donna Hyland

    Donna Hyland

    Donna Hyland

The men’s 100 is going to be another exciting one to watch. George Murray is lining up and with
wins at 2024 Mt. Oxford 50, 2023 Blackall 100, 2023 UTA 100 and 2023 WECH50 – he can definitely
have a great day out. George has had a solid training block, so can he beat Tim Locke’s course record from last year of 10:39:45? In the chase pack there could be Trailien Ben Millen who had 6th at The Guzzler 100km 2021. Benn Coubrough will also be running who has a 3rd at The Guzzler Ultra 100 2022 and a 15th at UTA 100km 2021. Phil Fowler is the highest returning place getter from last year where he finished 9th and lover of the long stuff Sam Weir is also running. Sam recently got 180km deep into the BVRT200 before he had achilles troubles so hopefully will be good to go come race day.

  • George Murray

    George Murray

    George Murray

  • Benn Coubrough

    Benn Coubrough

    Benn Coubrough

  • Ben Millen

    Ben Millen

    Ben Millen

  • Phil Fowler

    Phil Fowler

    Phil Fowler

What do you think? Who have we missed? Is anyone flying under the radar? Have there been any late entries? Be sure to let us know who your race predictions are as well. The best thing about racing – anything can happen on the day. Good luck and most importantly, enjoy!

Ladders training loop – Holmans

Ladders

Guzzler training

Loop Details
26.4km / 1,218m+
Great training for:
100km
50km

This loop isn’t about learning the course but is a great way to get to know our backyard.

Starting at The Gap Park and Ride, head out along Enoggera Reservoir, and up onto Nebo Break. The concept of the ladders is simple, every time there’s a break crossing from Nebo Break to South Boundary Road (and vice versa), take it. Descending and climbing your way up the mountain.

You can do this loop in either direction to take in Holman’s Break, Centre Rd, and Hell Hole Break. While not all these trails are on-course, they certainly replicate what you can expect on race day without having to go too deep into the national park.

  • TRAINING-ladders-Holmans

  • LR3_7371

The Guts

Guzzler training

Loop Details
34.55km / 1,043m+
Great training for:
100km

Explore the innards of The Guzzler.

This training loop quickly drops you out of sight of roads and civilisation, in to the guts of The Guzzler. This isn’t the busiest area of D’Aguilar National Park, so is a good loop to do with a friend.

Take on the longest and toughest climb from The Guzzler Ultra, 100km – Job 6 through Township Break – with the added bonus of some gruelling ascents and descents before you start it to simulate those race day feels.

On The Guzzler Ultra course for 70% of the loop.
On The Glass Half Full course for 0% of the loop.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

The most challenging areas of this run, Township Break and BS Break, do not have phone reception.

Take plenty of water on this loop as there is nowhere to fill up on the way around.

  • HellHole_TheGuzzlerUltra_BrisbanesTrailUltra

  • LR1_5294

To Hell and Back

Thirsty Pair

Guzzler training

Loop Details
32.5km / 1,125m+
Great training for:
100km
50km

You’ll visit two reservoirs on this loop but remember to take water – Guzzling direct from the source isn’t allowed or encouraged!

Local Knowledge

Public toilets are available at the base of Gold Creek reservoir but we can’t guarantee they will be open.

On The Guzzler course for 98% of the loop.
On The Glass Half Full course for 98% of the loop.

  • GL2_2690

  • MM3_5014

To Hell And Back

Guzzler training

Loop Details
23.96km / 854m+
Great training for:
100km
50km

This loop will take you from Gap Creek out into the D’Aguilar National Park on the same route as the runners in both The Guzzler and The Glass Half Full will cover. You’ll head out on trails that are relatively early on in the race and come back on sections that are also near the end on event day. So it’s kind of like a mini-Guzzler… except really not!

On The Guzzler course for 80% of the loop.
On The Glass Half Full course for 80% of the loop.

  • HellHole_TheGuzzlerUltra_BrisbanesTrailUltra

  • LR1_5294

Pinnacles Twist Training Loop

Pinnacles Twist

Guzzler training

Loop Details
18.8km / 702m+
Great training for:
100km
50km

The course follows much of route from the infamous Pinnacles Classic trail race, with a Gold Creek Reservoir single track twist.

Please note, this route also incorporates tracks belonging to multiple private land owners who are kind enough to let the outdoor loving public pass over their land. While we have gained permission to use these tracks for The Guzzler Ultra, we urge you to exercise the upmost respect during training (as we are sure you always do) to ensure we can all continue using this route well into the future, even as training traffic increases.

  • DJI_0603

  • The Dry Run 10km – The Guzzler Ultra

Enoggera Reservoir Trail Running

69 Special

Guzzler training

Loop Details
16.6km / 497m+
Great training for:
100km
50km
21km
10km

Leaving from Walkabout Creek, this run takes you on a tour of the back of Enoggera Reservoir, with a few km’s of rolling singletrack before climbing 69 Break (not part of The Guzzler) to wake you up. A short stretch back along South Boundary Rd will bring your back on course for our 50km and 100km races, before making your way back to Walkabout Creek in race direction for The Guzzler and Glass Half Full.

This is a great twist on the classic Enoggera Reservoir loop and a good way to see a little bit of the Big Sipper, Glass Half Full, and The Guzzler Ultra courses before race day.

  • The Big Sipper

  • Enoggera-Res-Drone-2022

Township

Boomtown Loop

Guzzler training

Loop Details
14.7km / 255m+
Great training for:
100km

Starting from the Boombana day use area, this loop takes you on a visit to the infamous Township Break. Township Break is 70km into The Guzzler and will wake your tired quads right up!

Running this track in the specified direction will give you the accurate Township experience for those running The Guzzler, and is also, we think, the friendliest way to visit the tributary of Cabbage Tree Creek. Quick short steps are the best way to get down this little gem and poles may help you on the way up. Enjoy!

Optional addition: Why not squeeze a BS Break out-and-back into your run?

On The Guzzler course for 10% of the loop (but its a BIG 10%).

Trail running at Enoggera Reservoir

Gap Creek to Enoggera Res

Guzzler training

Loop Details
14.1km / 469m+
Great training for:
100km
50km
21km

This loop will take you from Gap Creek out into the D’Aguilar National Park on the same route as the runners in both The Guzzler and The Glass Half Full will cover. You’ll head out on trails that are relatively early on in the race and come back on sections that are also near the end on event day. So it’s kind of like a mini-Guzzler… except really not!

On The Guzzler course for 80% of the loop.
On The Glass Half Full course for 80% of the loop.

  • Enoggera Reservoir Trail Running

    BB_5080

  • Enoggera Reservoir Trail Running

    BB_5080

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The Guzzler Ultra held in Brisbane, Queensland is a Western States Qualifier
The Guzzler Ultra, Brisbane, Queensland is a Western States Qualifying Race
Six Foot Track Marathon Qualifier
(50km & 100KM)
Six Foot Track Marathon
UTMB Index Race
The Guzzler Brisbane is a UTMB Index Qualifier Race 100K
The Guzzler Brisbane is a UTMB Index Qualifier Race 50K
The Guzzler Brisbane is a UTMB Index Qualifier Race 20K
The Guzzler Ultra Trail Race is proud to be a 1% For The Planet Member

As trail runners, we love our natural environment and believe that it is a space worth protecting, to ensure it is there for many future generations to enjoy.

One way we aim to take responsibility is by being a 1% For The Planet Business Member.

Those Guys Events acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands where we run, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

The Guzzler is hosted by Those Guys Events. ABN: 88601 37205212