The backdrop for Michael Collins’ latest long-distance running challenge was just a little bit different to the landscape of western Cape York he is used to. Photo: Supplied.
Most runners would be content with having a break after pushing themselves in one of Japan’s most gruelling endurance events, but Weipa’s Michael Collins is not most runners.
Collins was among 1,164 starters in the 2025 Kaga Spa Trail Endurance 100 last month and, while he was unable to finish the UTMB World Series event, he said he was thrilled to be able to have laced up his shoes for a challenge “well beyond my comfort zone”.
“Japan appealed to me not only for its unique and stunning landscapes, but also for the cultural experience and the level of difficulty it offered that was well beyond my comfort zone,” he said.
“This was only one of a handful of years that this event has been held; in the previous year, it was affected by an earthquake in the area; this added to my interest in the event, as I wanted to test myself on some of the world’s most epic terrain, and Japan was the perfect setting.”
After recording his highest ever altitude gain and descent – 3,764 metres and 3,405m respectively – Collins was hit with a did not finish (DNF) at the 57-kilometre mark of the 100km race when he missed the cut-off time for competitors to reach the event’s highest summit.
“It was my first ever DNF, and I was 43km short of my goal,” he reflected.
“Still, it was a massive personal best – 18 hours and 29 minutes of moving time, my longest time in an endurance event yet; the race cut-off time was 26 hours, therefore, my pace to the summit was not on par to reach this projected time at the finish.
“My race was over when a radio call received by a course marshal on the summit gave news that no more athletes were to proceed past this point.”
Only 455 athletes of the original 1,164 starters crossed the finish line on day two of the event.
Despite the disappointment, Collins said he was already contemplating tackling the race again.
“There were a heap of tumbles, stacks and bum slides on the down sections, and I learned a lot and had a blast,” he said.
“I even got to nap for a few hours after midnight within an old shrine on top of the summit, so, it was incredibly satisfying, and I’m already planning on how to come back stronger next time.”
Collins will now return to Australia to prepare for his epic Weipa-Cairns fundraising run with David Tuckwood in August, which will include being among the starters in the 2025 Weipa Running Festival (WRF) marathon on 20 July.
He said the Weipa effort would be the culmination of three marathons in three weeks.
“The WRF marathon is definitely on the cards as part of the prep, and will be the last of three consecutive marathons over three weeks for me,” Collins said.
“Also on the attack list is the Gold Coast Marathon and the Cairns Marathon.”
Collins, who is an integral part of the Weipa running community, said he relished the challenge of endurance events, adding he believed some of his Japan learnings would be put to good use on the 820km, 17-day run from Weipa to Cairns.
“For me, it’s about pushing limits, both physically and mentally, and discovering how far you can go,” he said.
“I am a believer that the only limits are the ones that you set on yourself; there’s a simple and easily accessible rawness to it (running), and all one needs is a pair of shoes to get going, and sometimes not even that.
“In events like this, where you’re out on the trails or tracks for hours, sometimes alone with nothing but your own thoughts, it’s humbling and energising.
“After everything I learned in Japan with gear, pacing, hydration, fuelling, night trekking, packing, safety and recovery, I’m looking forward to applying these lessons to our upcoming adventures.”
Michael Collins says tackling events like the Kaga Spa Trail Endurance 100 is about pushing himself physically and mentally to see what he can achieve as an athlete. Photo: Supplied.
