Her Trails Coaching
GPT 100 Miler Staged (solo)
Program for Women
The full 162 kilometres of the Grampians Peaks Trail, run over four days. Same mountain terrain, same total elevation, but with overnight recovery between stages. This program prepares you for the specific demands of multi-day racing: cumulative fatigue, daily recovery, and the ability to start each morning and do it again.
The Course
Running the GPT100 Staged
The GPT100 Stage Race covers the entire Grampians Peaks Trail from Mt Zero to Dunkeld, the same 162 kilometres and 7,700 metres of climbing as the continuous 100 Miler. The difference is structure: four days, four stages, with overnight rest in Halls Gap between each one.
That overnight rest does not make this easy. Each stage is a demanding mountain ultra in its own right, with daily cutoffs between 10 and 13 hours. You wake up the next morning and do it again on legs that carried you over sandstone, through boulder fields and up steep climbs the day before. The physical challenge is cumulative. By Day 3, every ascent carries the weight of everything behind it.
This program coaches you as a whole runner: building the mountain fitness, recovery discipline and day-to-day composure that multi-day racing requires.
The Four Stages
What you will actually run
Each day is a standalone mountain effort with its own start, cutoff and finish. Understanding what each stage asks, and where it sits in the four-day sequence, shapes how we train for it.
How We Train For It
Training for four days, not one
A stage race is not four separate ultras. It is one event where the challenge compounds. The 16-week program moves through four phases: Foundation (aerobic base and recovery habits), Building (progressive volume and elevation), Endurance (multi-day simulation and fatigue tolerance), and Taper (a deliberate reduction that protects freshness across all four days).
Each week is released on Saturday and adapted to where you are, physically and hormonally. Cycle-aware coaching is built in. Approximately 80% of sessions sit at conversational effort, with higher intensity layered in during Build and Endurance phases only. The focus throughout is durability: the ability to perform, recover, and perform again.
Climbing and Hiking Power
With 7,700m of climbing across four days, you will hike significant portions of each stage. Power hikes, tempo climbs, run-to-hike transitions and sustained ascent work are programmed throughout. The difference is you need this capacity four mornings in a row, not just once. Climbing efficiency on tired legs is trained specifically with back-to-back sessions.
Technical Descent Control
Sandstone slabs, boulder fields and stepped trails appear on every stage. By Days 3 and 4, the technical sections become genuinely risky on fatigued legs. Dedicated descent sessions train foot placement, quad preservation and movement efficiency on rocky surfaces. The goal is controlled descending that does not destroy your legs for the next morning.
Multi-Day Recovery
In a stage race, the hours between stages are as important as the stages themselves. The program trains your recovery protocols: evening nutrition timing, compression and movement routines, sleep discipline, and morning activation sequences. Back-to-back weekends simulate the exact pattern of run, recover, run again, building confidence in your body's ability to reset overnight.
Cumulative Fatigue Racing
The second morning is not the same as the first. By the fourth, it is a different event entirely. Progressive back-to-back weekends build toward three and four consecutive days of running with elevation, teaching your body and mind how to start again when everything is already tired. The ability to run well on accumulated fatigue is the defining skill of stage racing, and it is trained deliberately.
Stage-Race Fuelling
Each stage demands 10 to 13 hours of fuelling on trail, then a complete evening recovery meal strategy to replenish before the next morning. Gut conditioning is built into long runs. Evening refuelling protocols, morning pre-race nutrition and on-trail eating for each stage are practised during training so nothing is left to guesswork on race week.
Day Four Composure
The Serra Range on spent legs, with the tightest cutoff of the event. Signal Peak, Mt Abrupt and Mt Sturgeon are relentless stepped climbs that arrive after 129km of mountain running across three days. This program includes specific mindset work for deep fatigue: breath patterns for sustained climbing, internal dialogue frameworks, and decision-making practice for the moments when stopping feels more rational than continuing.
Before You Begin
A staged 100 miler is a multi day commitment with back to back demands. The 20-week build assumes a strong existing base, the ability to recover quickly between sessions, and the lifestyle space to absorb a high training load.
- Running 50 to 60 km per week across 4 to 5 sessions before week one
- Recent finish of a marathon or 50km event within the past 18 months
- Willingness to commit to 8 to 15 hours of training per week, including planned back to back long days
- Access to terrain with sustained climbs and varied surfaces for stage simulation
- Confidence with daily recovery practices: nutrition, sleep, mobility, and gear management
- Medical clearance if returning from injury, illness, or extended time off training
- Support of household and work life across the build and during race week
What's Included
Everything you need, in one place
- ●20-week structured training program - progressive build from base to race-ready, designed for the unique demands of staged racing
- ●GPT 100 Mile Staged training program - race-specific preparation, stage previews and pacing guidance
- ●HT Community Hub - connect with your cohort, ask questions and share the journey with women on the same path
- ●Coaching Corner - live weekly coaching every Monday with Sam Gash, offering real-time support, clarity and grounded guidance
- ●GPT Community Hub - your dedicated space for all things GPT: course intel, logistics, and race-week prep
- ●Access via desktop or the Her Trails app - train wherever you are
Core Details
The race at a glance
- EventGPT100 Stage Race
- LocationGariwerd / Grampians National Park, VIC
- StartMt Zero, 6:00AM, Thursday 5 November 2026
- Total distance162km over 4 days
- Total elevation7,700m+
- CourseThe entire Grampians Peaks Trail
- Event villageHalls Gap
- Prize money$1,000 for Female and Male winners
- Program access begins20 June 2026
Race Mechanics
The four stages
Stage 1 - Mt Zero to Halls Gap
Thursday | 49.5km | 2,000m gain | 2,040m descent | Start 6:00AM | Cut-off 7:00PM | 13 hours
Begins with the iconic climb up Flat Rock revealing the Taipan Wall. The trail moves between rocky terrain and smooth dirt ribbon, passing numerous waterfalls, with panoramic 360 degree views across the Grampians.
Stage 2 - Halls Gap to Mt William Carpark
Friday | 37.5km | 2,350m gain | 1,625m descent | Start 5:50AM | Cut-off 6:00PM | 12:10 hours
Continual long climbs demanding foot placement and ankle stability. The 15km through the Seven Dials and Redmans Bluff is the most technical stretch of the entire race - then the trail opens to spectacular clifftop views to Mt William.
Stage 3 - Mt William Carpark to Griffin Fireline
Saturday | 42km | 1,795m gain | 2,540m descent | Start 6:00AM | Cut-off 6:00PM | 12 hours
Net downhill but don't be fooled - a challenging 19km across the Major Mitchell Plateau peaks at Durd Durd (1,167m asl). A very steep descent to Jimmy Creek Rd is followed by punchy climbs, fast flowy trail and rocky terrain to Griffin Fireline.
Stage 4 - Griffin Fireline to Dunkeld
Sunday | 33km | 1,555m gain | 1,585m descent | Start 7:00AM | Cut-off 5:00PM | 10 hours
The most scenic stage of the race. Three separate steep summit climbs - Signal Peak, Mud-Dadjug/Mt Abrupt and Wurgarri/Mt Sturgeon - before a beautiful river trail descent into Dunkeld. Brutal but breathtaking.
Aid stations: 2 per day at road crossings, trailheads and public campgrounds Huts: 12 stunning backcountry huts along the route
Also Worth Considering
Training for more than one goal this season?
Instead of purchasing individual programs, many runners choose the Her Trails All-In Membership for broader training support across the year. If you plan to complete more than one program this season, the All-In Membership is usually the most cost-effective option and gives our coaching team the ability to support you as you transition between races, training blocks and recovery periods.
Best Value
Her Trails All-In Membership
$220 / quarter
- ✓Access to every Her Trails program including trail, road and strength
- ✓Community and coaching platform with weekly coaching calls
- ✓Strength and mobility training for runners
- ✓Coaching support between races and training blocks
- ✓Ongoing community support and accountability
- ✓Discounts on merchandise and selected partner opportunities
