The Glass Half Full

Brisbane’s 50km Trail Ultra-Marathon

The Glass Half Full Ultra

50km

24th—25th July 2021

$220

EARLY BIRD (UNTIL 1ST MARCH)

Enter Jan 31st

Course Description

While The Guzzler is the main event of the weekend, the Glass Half Full packs a punch of its own, taking you around some spectacular and challenging trails. We’ll show you what locals know and love about our green city, just how much fun and how much nature you can reach directly from Mt Coot-tha, completely on foot, completely on trails! You’ll tour two of our reservoirs in the order they were built, soaking up fire trails, single track, rolling hills and some mean ones too! Let us take you on an adventure in our backyard.

Entry Includes

Bright and funky technical training tee
Vibrant start & finish event precinct
Challenging courses, exploring Brisbane’s beautiful reservoirs
Epic finisher medal and optional finishers’ prize*
Comprehensive, environmentally-friendly, course marking
Professional event timing with live feed for spectators and crew
Amazing volunteer support at each fully stocked checkpoint
Emergency medical support on-course
Comprehensive participant guide
Gear deals from The Trail Co.
*Finisher’s Prize can be added on after entry

Stats

Distance
51km

Elevation
2,102Meters+

Runners
500+

Duration
4-12hrs

UTMB & ITRA Points

2 points

You’ll receive 2 ITRA and UTMB qualifying points for completing The The Guzzler Ultra. These points can go towards your ITRA tally, allowing you to qualify for a variety of races around the world.

Check here for more information about qualifying for races in the Ultra Trail series.

Course Timing

The Glass Half Full Starts at 7:00 on Saturday Saturday 24th July 2021. You’ll have 12hrs to complete The Glass Half Full. This cut-off should ensure that most runners are able to complete the distance, if you put in adequate training. We’ll also have checkpoint cut-offs along the way. See Checkpoints below for more details about these.

Checkpoints

Location	Distance	Cut-Off	Food*	Crew & Spectators
Start				Crew & Spectators
CP1: Walkabout Creek	18km	NA	Fruit, chips, lollies, Coke	Spectators Only
CP2: McAfees Lookout	24km	NA	Tailwind, fruit, chips, lollies, Coke, Clif Bar	Not Permitted
CP3: Gold Creek Reservoir	32km	3:30pm	Tailwind, fruit, chips, lollies, Coke, bakery goods	Spectators Only
CP4: Gold Creek Reservoir (2nd time)	37km	3:30pm		Spectators Only
Finish		7:00pm	Fruit, chips, lollies, Coke, bakery goods.	Crew & Spectators

*Due to our COVID-safe event plan, we’ll be limited as to what types of food we can make available at checkpoints and may need to make changes at short notice

Segments

The races you didn’t even know you were entering…

King & Queen Of The Mountain

Introducing the race you never knew you were entering…The King & Queen of the Mountain

Taking in the first 3.1km of both The Guzzler and The Glass Half Full (yep, from the start line!), The Trail Co. King & Queen of the Mountain will present competitors with a quandary like no other. Do you go out fast in a bid to become KOM or QOM, or do you hold back and chase overall Guzzler glory.

The KOM stats:

Start : The Guzzler Start line
End : Channel 9 – the yellow gate at the top of Powerful Owl track
Distance : 3.1km
Elevation gain : 220m

Check out the Strava segment and KOM below:

King & Queen Of The Mountain Rules

There will be ONE female Queen of the Mountain (QOM) and ONE male King of the Mountain (KOM) winner selected. Unless otherwise specified, KOM refers to both the male and female races.
Winners will be the fastest person of their gender to complete the timed KOM section of The Guzzler / The Glass Half Full, as determined by our electronic race timing system, or manual timing backup in accordance with the race gun time.
One winner per gender will be determined from all runners across the Guzzler AND Glass Half Full. For example the first runner across the line in The Guzzler may later be beaten by the first runner in The Glass Half Full, if their KOM segment time is shorter.
To qualify to win the KOM, the racer MUST complete the whole of their registered event, within the designated race cut-off times, as per the race rules. If the fastest KOM racer later withdraws or is disqualified for any reason, the KOM title will roll down to the next eligible competitor.
The King of the Mountain winner does not need to be the overall race winner of their registered event.
Play nicely! Any pushing, jostling, obstructing of members of the public or other anti-social behaviour may see you disqualified from the KOM or potentially the whole event.

Hell Hole Hustle

We have thrown down one ripper challenge for you all: the ‘Hell Hole Hustle’. The fastest guy and gal to make it through Hell Hole will each win everlasting fame and fortune as well as an awesome prize pack^*.

After the excitement of our K&QOM race start, the Hell Hole Hustle will present you with another quandry. Do you go all out through this section to be crowned grittiest Guzzler.. or do you pace yourself and chase overall Guzzler glory? Maybe you even have the trifecta in you?

And as though the bragging rights weren’t enough, we have put a prize pack on the line – one each for the Hustle King & Queen!

The Hustle stats:

Starts: Exit of McAfees Lookout Checkpoint
Ends: End of Hell Hole Break (exit onto South Boundary Rd).
Distance: 3.3km
Descent: 243m
Ascent: 176m

Check out the Strava segment and KOM below.

^*Fame and fortune not guaranteed.

*Please note: the Strava segment has been made slightly shorter than the event day Hustle. This was done to allow everyone to compare their times during training without worrying abut GPS inaccuracy. Event day results will be tracked via live timing mats at the start and finish of the race segment.

There will be two winners. ONE female GRITtiest girl and ONE male GRITtiest guy.
Winners will be the fastest person of their gender to complete the timed Hell Hole Hustle (HHH) section of The Guzzler / The Glass Half Full, as determined by our electronic race timing system, or manual timing backup in accordance with the race gun time. Placement of the electronic timing mats will be fixed throughout the duration of the race to create a fair and comparable HHH split time.
One winner per gender will be determined from all runners across the Guzzler AND Glass Half Full. For example the fastest runner in The Guzzler may later be beaten by a faster runner in The Glass Half Full, if their HHH split time is shorter.
To qualify to win the HHH, the racer MUST complete the whole of their registered event, within the designated race cut-off times, as per the race rules. If the fastest HHH racer later withdraws or is disqualified for any reason, the HHH title will roll down to the next eligible competitor.
The HHH winner does not need to be the overall race winner of their registered event.
Play nicely! Any pushing, jostling, obstructing of members of the public or other anti-social behaviour may see you disqualified from the HHH or potentially the whole event.
While live tracking of the HHH will be available, we reserve the right to adjust the segment times of runners if required due to calibration or any other error of the live timing system.

Mandatory Gear

While we hope you have nothing but fun on The Guzzler course, sometimes things go wrong. The mandatory gear that every runner must carry will help reduce the risk of anything happening or, if it does, will improve your chances of a smooth rescue and recovery.

Please note, mandatory gear is gear you MUST carry. For you comfort, please consider the weather conditions on race day and carry whatever gear you feel you need to keep you happy through the event.

Click on each item if you’d like more details and feel free to contact us at The Trail Co. if you’d like more guidance.

Key

Mandatory
Required in some situations
Recommended

Capacity to carry 2 litres of water

This may be in the form of a reservoir, soft flasks, bottles or any combination of these.

You don’t need to have 2L of water in there at all times (after all – you should be drinking it!) but do need to be able to carry that much to ensure you can safely complete the distance between each checkpoint.

Every runner must carry a working mobile phone. Please ensure it is fully charged before starting the Event and that emergency and event phone numbers are saved and easily accessible.

For international guests, you may need to purchase an Australian SIM to use during the event or may be able to access an Australian network using roaming.

In case we need to contact you while you are out on course, please log back in to the registration platform prior to race day and ensure the number of the phone you intend to carry is up to date in the Event Contact Details section.

All runners carry a headlight, regardless as to whether you think you’ll be running in the dark. If you become lost, ill or injured, you may be out there much longer than intended.

A minimum brightness of 300 lumens is recommended so you can confidently run through the bush. However, for the 50km, if you expect to arrive well before nightfall a smaller light just in case of emergencies will be fine.

Compression bandages will be useful in the event of a snake bite or sprain, if applied correctly. It is advisable that you learn how to use a compression bandage, and other basic first aid, before beginning the event.

As a minimum, the compression bandage must a heavy-weight, crepe bandage that is 7.5cm wide x 2.3m long (when unstretched).

An emergency survival whistle will allow you to make yourself more audible to rescuers than simply yelling can achieve.

It must not use a ‘pea’ to create a sound as these can become sticky when damp causing the whistle to fail – that means no sports whistles.

Many running packs include a whistle and The Trail Co. also sells some small, inexpensive whistles that can be attached to your pack.

Emergency Blanket

If you become too injured or ill to continue, an emergency blanket will prevent hypothermia while waiting for rescuers.

All runners must carry the course map loaded in the Maps.Me or an equivalent application on you mobile device.

maps.me allows you to find your location in relation to your current position even if no cell reception is available.

Please test this application and the map (see below) well in advance of the event weekend.

Get Course Maps

Thermal Top

This must be a long-sleeved, thermal base layer made of polypropylene or wool which will keep the participant warm in addition to their race clothing.

Cotton, Coolmax, lycra, compression garments and thermal compression garments are NOT suitable to be used as the ‘Thermal Top’.

Spare Food Portion

An extra portion of food (eg gel, bar, sandwich), must be carried at all times in addition to the fuel you intend to use if all goes to plan.

This extra portion may prove vital if you are ill or injured and find yourself taking longer to reach the next checkpoint than expected, or if you are waiting some time for aid to reach you.

For our November 2020 event we want to STRONGLY encourage you to include a small sunscreen & cap in your gear due to the high probability temperatures on course will be hot.

A good-quality waterproof jacket will keep you dry while allowing sweat to escape. It can also be useful for added warmth or protection from the wind.

At a minimum, the jacket must fit you and be fully seam-sealed, waterproof, and not include any large mesh vents, even if covered by flaps. Minimal underarm vents are allowed.

GPS Track Data & Maps

Our interactive courses are best viewed in full screen. Click the following links to open the course in a new window.

Wondering about how we mapped the course? Find out more here.

While training, and as an emergency backup on race day, we recommend you download and use the free maps.me mobile application. This will allow you to see, in real time, your location in relation to the course you’re following.

To follow the 50km course, after installing maps.me on your mobile phone please download this .kml file and select “open with” Maps.me application.

If using a different application or gps watch you may also need to download the 50km .gpx file instead.

Download KML File

Download GPX File

Download KML File

Download GPX File

Rules & Docs

You can download copies of all of the important documents below. Your registration for any of the events will be taken as understanding and acceptance of the terms and conditions in each of the documents.