SATURDAY 8TH MARCH 2025

50km LUMBERJACK RUN

AID STATIONS: 10km, 20km, 31.5km, 43km
ASCENT: 1200m (approx)
CUT OFF: 1.30pm @ 32km Checkpoint (6hrs) // 4pm @ finish (8.5 hours - with adequate grace)
RECORDS:
MENS // 3:45:14 // Dion Finocchiaro
WOMENS // 4:35:59 // Amy Lamprecht

MAP: see below or scan the QR code above on your phone (download CAPRA APP)

It's the calf-eating, glute-munching wall called 'High Lead' just after 12km that you gotta watch...

The tourism bods call the trail the "Walk Into History" due to its heritage as an old lumberjack's route the linked Warburton and the mountainous logging forests between Big Pats Creek and Powelltown to the south. But bugger walking... we'll call it the "Run Into History" instead! Actually, we'll call it the Lumberjack Run in honour of wild tales of wild logger men who used to fell giants – some of the biggest trees in the world at the time – and then literally run out of the bush back into Warburton so they could play football (on the oval that will be our event HQ), get drunk that night, and then plow back up the track into forest after church on Sunday (hard drinkin', hard playin', hard prayin' men these were! They had sins to make up for...), ready for another week of saw milling. 

Runners will begin in the small milling village of Powelltown (make your own way to the start line or book one of the event-provided buses when you register, so you can leave your car in Warburton at the finish – there is no public or event transport back to Powelltown). From Powelltown, the run jumps straight on to the Walk/Run Into History trail, paralleling and twice crossing the main road to Noojee (take care). This 11km or so of trail is relatively flat, following old tramlines through thickets of forest once out of the village. Turning north, the trail gets spectacularly pretty in amongst giant ferns before getting spectacularly steep: a near 500m vertical ascent in only 3km with grades of around 30%. Reckon you can run it? Nah!

At around 25km, runners reach a T-junction, taking the sharp right to complete an out-and-back to the famous Ada Tree. This is one of the largest living trees in the state (as opposed to the tallest). A giant Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans), it is estimated to be over 300 years old and towers over the surrounding rainforest in the headwaters of the Little Ada River. There is a spectacular loop walk to Ada worth returning to investigate, however we don't have permission to use the access trail – still, the out and back is equally stunning and also passes old milling relics from the days when lumberjacks ran these trails.

From the Ada Tree, it's a return run to the junction on onward back west, heading to Starlings Gap, and a major aid station at roughly 30km, before a long gentle bomb down for a quad-testing ten kilometres before you pop out at the small, beautiful settlement of Big Pats Creek.

Now steel yourself – there's a little bit of unavoidable (quiet country) road to pace yourself on as you head towards Warburton along Big Pats Creek Road, taking a left at Riverside Drive. Not too far along (a few kays) we're punting you through a river crossing (hello soothing waters of the Yarra!), and back on to trail (ahhh), which you'll stay on until the end. From here it's a meandering, flat, riverside run, coming in to the rear of the Warburton Caravan Park. Run through it – be respectful of its residents (which may be you for the weekend if you're camping!). Soon enough you're punted under a bridge, onto more riverside trail leading you eventually to the Warburton Football Oval and the finish line. If you're as tough as the loggers of yore, lace up some boots and have a kick of the footy. If not, just have a beer... you running lumberjack you.