24/08/2025
Mount Panorama
in order or appearance
1) selfie at km 1, you've just come up about 40m in gain during that first km, starting to wonder about the wisdom of signing up to this one. But looking at a crest that appears to be salvation just up ahead.
2) the false sense of security the overhead sign crest gave you is now becoming a reality, with only 1.25km complete your next 750m or so is going to test you. You can see the hill, there's nothing for it. Let's get up here.
3) here you are. Possibly wondering where your next breath will come from. About halfway up the hardest km of the circuit. Take it easy on yourself. If this were trail running, you'd be walking this sort of gradient.
{side note, I stick to the middle of the road here or slightly on the "outside" of the track. it's a bit counter intuitive, but the gradient you're about to see at the 2k mark is the reason}
4) here we are at km 2, that's a steep bit you've just come up. Something slightly over a 1 in 10 climb for that latter part. And this is the corner where the roads camber and grade on the inside line is what I was looking to avoid in that last image.
{I tend to use a line just right of the center. But you really could take the whole outside line here. Again, seems weird but avoiding the camber and then subsequent grade on that corner is worth the extra metre or so you might run by doing so}
5) this is around Sulman Park, and for the most part, your hard climbing is done. Between here and the KOM you've still got about 10m of gain, but it's stretched out over a good distance. If you want my advice, try to recover your breathing and shake those arms and shoulders out. Don't back off the pace though. Its about to get fast, so you want to be ready.
6) here's the KOM at or around km 3, this is the peak, you've come up another 50m in that last km and that makes it about 180m so far. Well done you! Don't back off now though. If you remembered to recover a little from Sulman to here, you've every chance to start your fast. My PR's for km, mile and 2 mile have all gotten their start at the KOM line. Don't sacrifice the next 300m of road to backing off
the pace.
7) this is on the esses, and the second spot I don't recommend the inside line. Follow that middle path for a much easier grade and better options for running form happiness
8) this is km 4 and you're about to enter Conrod. From here on the grade is much more friendly and so you should be able to send it whilst still recovering. Go hard
9) towards the end of Conrod, there's a slight incline. As you motor on down, don't let your brain fool you into thinking this is a mountain. It's a molehill by comparison. 5 metres of gain in only 250m of running. It's an incline. I know you're tired. But making it more than it is in your head might slow you down unnecessarily
10) at the crest of that deceptive molehill, you are now at km 5 so you know how to run 1.2km right? Let's go
11) as you near the hotel there's another slight rise, I get it, you're even tireder than when I last described a molehill. But this one's for real a softie so don't let it get in the way of your final push. Only about 200 metres of gentle uphill for reals
12) is km 6, you can see the finish line and hear the crowd. Watch out for photography and get your best finish line grin going.
13) possibly the hardest molehill of them all, the rise to the finish line feels unjust and I've never quite forgiven the designer of the track. You're unstoppable now. So go at that line and look strong
