Support, mental grit drives Donaldson to ultramarathon finish

WITH ankles the size of tennis balls, Dan Donaldson absorbed pain with each downhill step he took to conquer a gruelling 231km ultra-marathon in May.

The Barwon Heads Cricket Club captain-coach and Torquay Coast Primary School Grade 3 teacher has enjoyed reflecting on the hardest event of his life.

For the first time, Donaldson completed the Sonder Monster, which is the largest course in the West Macs Monster trail running festival.

He took in the sights of the spectacular Larapinta Trail in the West MacDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs.

“You’re climbing up boulders, you’re going through water, you’re going across riverbeds, you’re up and down,” he said.

“There’s probably 10 pretty brutal peaks, which you can only really find in Alice Springs.”

Donaldson completed the 65km course in 2022, which was his first ultra-marathon, and thought he’d never take on the West Macs challenge again.

But after pacing another competitor for the Sonder Monster in 2024, he found inspiration.

To prepare, Donaldson did the course in two parts last year.

The hard work paid off as he beat the 60-hour cut off time, which was a huge feat as 10 people retired.

He was eighth overall in a time of 56 hours, 48 minutes and 44 seconds, at a pace of 14.45/km.

He said he was immensely proud to have finished.

“To cross that line was just relief, particularly [considering] the state I was in at about the 100km mark; I was struggling to walk.

“I pretty much pulled the pin. I was in tears; I was in a bad way.”

He rolled his left ankle at the 45km and 95km marks and it – along with his right ankle – blew up to the size of a tennis ball.

“It’s amazing how a bit of morale and some support from some friends can bring you back,” Donaldson said of how he remained in the race.

He said an accidental 2m fall into the icy Hugh Gorge at about 130km “reset” him and “was a massive turning point”.

Another strategy he had was targeting the next aid station rather than thinking about the end goal.

While he could barely walk after he’d crossed the finish line, Donaldson said he had enjoyed a pretty good physical recovery.

He said the mental fatigue had probably taken more of a toll, after going two days without sleep during the event.

“It was about seven sleeps afterwards, that I was waking up, drenched in sweat midway through the night.

“My body was definitely in a state of shock but that’s, touch wood, hopefully all behind me.”

He said his school and students offered great support while tracking his progress online.

“I did have people at aid stations and my crew reading out messages from my class, my colleagues and family and friends – I think that was a lot of the motivation [to finish] as well.”

Donaldson gave a shoutout to his crew which included his brother and a friend pacing him as well his parents and friends supporting him along the way.

He also thanked the event organisers and volunteers.