Catching Ben Duffus
For those of you that have ever raced with Ben Duffus this may be the view you are used too.He has fast become one of the top long-distance runners in Australia, racking up an impressive resume of top finishes in events such as 2nd in the UTA 100 in 2016 and 1st in the Hounslow Classic in 2015, as well as representing his country on the world's stage.I was lucky enough to catch up with the Brisbane based runner, as he travelled to the township of Bright in Victoria to train, after coming 3rd in this years Bogong to Hotham.
I started by asking him why he was is Bright and what type of training he'd been doing ?
Ben: My incentives for coming to Bright to train in January were twofold.Firstly, I was looking for some bigger hills to help me prepare for TranGrancanaria. While I’ve been down here my focus has been on longer days in the mountains, building up time on my feet.The second reason (which if I’m being honest, is probably the main reason) is to escape the heat of Queensland – there’s still been some 30+ degrees down here, but at least my sweat evaporates and cools me down rather than just pooling in my shoes like at home.
What is the most import factors for you when planning your training and races for the year?
Ben: My major focus is actually UTMB 2018 – my choice of races for this year are designed to help prepare me for that.Having said that, I’m pretty excited about all of them – my guiding principles for choosing races are to pick 2-3 big races that excite me the most and use those as my A races.I then choose some shorter events that will help in my build up towards those ones.
Why the move to Europe and how do you think this will benefit you?
Ben:I’ll be spending 7 months abroad this year for few reasons.Obviously I love travel, and working as an online running coach with Mile 27 allows me to work from anywhere.Europe not only has big mountains to train on and super competitive events to race, but also has a rich and diverse culture that I’m looking forward to experiencing more of.Hopefully I’ll come back a better runner and overall better person.
What races are you competing in ?
Ben: My tour of Europe kicks off in the Canary Islands with TransGrancanaria and once I hit the mainland, my main focus will be on the CCC.Along the way I’ll be racing at the Maxi-Race marathon in Annecy, the Mont-Blanc VK in Chamonix and the Eiger 51km in Grindelwald.
Where can people find out more about you and follow your adventures?
Ben: I offer online coaching at Mile27.com.au and anyone who’s interested can follow my Facebook page (@BenDuffusOfficial), Instagram account (@benduffus) or my blog ( benduffus.com).
Big thanks to Ben for taking the time to speak to me.
It is always great to get out in beautiful locations, running with great athletes to inspire you to keep pushing in your own training and goals.
LOOKING FOR A NEW CHALLENGE?
Bright is an amazing place to run, it also hosts the Buffalo Stampede every year (24-26th March 2017).
See our View Below from last years event.
