Bec and her besties are winners

As Bec Cladingboel crossed the line of the Buffalo Stampede marathon, she took a moment to grab her daughters, Isla (aged 9) and Ivy (6), taking them across the line with her.

After 11 hours and 11 minutes on the 75km course up Mt Buffalo in Victoria’s high country, Cladingboel was the first to cross the line to be crowned the Oceania Skyrunner champion.

‘‘To have my girls there made it that much more special,’’ she said.

Remarkably, it was the first time Cladingboel had competed an event of its type — she previously thought people were mad to take part.

‘‘I used to look at these events and wonder how people could put themselves through it,’’ she said.

‘‘But after completing several triathlons and ironmen I thought it was time to give something new a go.

‘‘The further I got, the more comfortable I began to feel.

‘‘I found the physical demands more challenging than the mental ones.’’

Training for the event was a must, but given the flat surrounds of the region Cladingboel was forced to hit the road, travelling to Bright to focus on the correct techniques.

Back home she would sometimes run twice a day, or push herself through a two-hour bike session before running.

‘‘The training can be quite taxing on the body and mind,’’ she said.

‘‘Coming down the mountain, I need to take quicker steps rather than looking to slow myself down too much.

‘‘It was quite the reward teaching myself those techniques.’’

On course, keeping energy levels high was a key to the victory.

Cladingboel’s original plan was to stick to salted potatoes and protein balls but in the latter stages of the race that fell apart.

At the final checkpoint, 15km before the finish, barbecue flavoured biscuits and hot chips were on the menu.

‘‘I was craving something different,’’ she said.

‘‘It got to a point where I couldn’t stomach the thought of potatoes.

‘‘The change in food made a massive difference, even if it wasn’t overly healthy.’’

When Cladingboel did cross the finish line, she was overcome with emotion.

‘‘I honestly couldn’t believe I did so well,’’ she explained.

‘‘Mentally I was exhausted, I couldn’t have pushed myself much further.’’

Despite qualifying for the world championship event, Cladingboel said she didn’t have any plans to compete.

Yet.