Two Bays 28: Racing the Mornington Peninsula Crossing

Her Trails Race Profile

Good fit if: you have a base of general trail or road running fitness, you're comfortable being on your feet for 3–5 hours, and you want a single hard climb early rather than sustained mountain climbing. It's a strong first-ultra-distance-adjacent step (28km with 705m+ of gain) for someone who has run half marathon to marathon distance and wants to move onto trail.

Not the best fit if: you're chasing a technical, high-alpine mountain experience — Two Bays is genuinely runnable rolling trail, not technical footing or sustained climbing, so it won't build the same skills as a mountain race. It also suits rhythm and pacing over raw climbing strength, so if your goal is climbing-specific training, this isn't the best proxy race.

Readiness checklist before you enter:

• You can comfortably run/hike 15–18km on trail without significant discomfort.
• You've trained on at least one steep, sustained climb (even a repeat hill session counts).
• You can run a half marathon in under 2h15, or have completed a previous Two Bays 28km under 4 hours (the event's own qualifying standard).
• You're prepared to carry a 500ml+ hydration device, full at the start, per race rules.
• You're comfortable pacing yourself under a firm 4-hour cutoff from your wave start.

Recommended Her Trails Program

Her Trails Two Bays 28km (12 Weeks)

A 12-week program that builds aerobic endurance, trail strength and climbing efficiency for a course defined by one steep opening climb and rolling terrain the rest of the way, not sustained mountain climbing.

The 12-week structure moves from an aerobic base phase into trail-specific strength and climbing work, then a build phase of longer trail runs to load the legs the way Arthurs Seat and the sandy Cape Schanck finish will on race day, followed by a taper. Weekly running frequency, exact long-run progression and strength sessions are laid out week-by-week inside the program itself once you're enrolled — check the program page directly for the full weekly breakdown.

Download the app, and don't forget to ask questions in Coaching Corner or the Community Hub. Coaching calls are on Monday.

• Official course description: twobaystrailrun.com — The Trail.
• Entrant info, aid stations & cutoffs: twobaystrailrun.com — Entrant Info.

• Aid stations: approximately every 5–7km along the course (around the 7.5km, 12km, 18km and 22km marks), each stocked with water, sports nutrition and basic first aid, per twobaystrailrun.com — Entrant Info.
• Cutoff: a single hard cutoff of 4 hours from your individual wave start time; miss it and you're recorded as a DNF, per the same entrant info page.
• Mandatory gear: a hydration device of at least 500ml, full at the start, and an inhaler if you're asthmatic (twobaystrailrun.com — Entrant Info).
• Entry standard: the event lists a qualifying standard of a sub-4-hour previous Two Bays 28km, or a half marathon under 2h15 within the prior 12 months, per the official entrant info.
• Start time: wave starts from 7:00am, at one-minute intervals — confirm your exact wave and start time on the official site closer to race day.
• Logistics: a bag delivery service runs from the Dromana start to the Cape Schanck finish on race morning; check the official accommodation page for lodging near the Peninsula.

Race-Smart Notes

Don't burn your legs on the opening climb. Arthurs Seat comes early while everyone is fresh and it's tempting to push. What's left after it determines how the rest of your race feels.

Pace for the heat, not just the terrain. Mid-summer on the Peninsula is typically warm with limited shade on the coastal sections. Electrolyte strategy matters as much as pacing strategy here.

Train the sandy finish. The soft sand near Cape Schanck loads the legs differently to firm trail, and it arrives late in the race. A little sand-specific training goes a long way.