- Sydney Striders

SYDNEY STRIDERS
ROAD RUNNERS’ CLUB
AUSTRALIA
EDITION No 107
JAN
-
APRIL
2009
Maestro musters magnificent mile mastery
T
he club’s open results don’t show it but Keith
Bateman is effectively Striders’ top runner. World
Masters (An association for athletes over 35 years
of age) ranked Keith 1st for 1500m, 13 th for 5000m and
7th for 10000m last year. Those are World rankings, folks.
This is no mean achievement especially given that the
1500 replaced the former one mile distance, one that
carried glamour and mystique from the 1950’s because
Having
completed
the “out
and back”
Marathon
course in
record
time, Keith
felt
obliged to
do several
laps of
honour.
of the struggle to break the 4 minute mile. The 1500 only
reduced in importance as popularity arose for the 100
metres when getting through the 10 second barrier
became an issue. But today, there is no shortage of good
older runners lining up for the old mile equivalent given
that they all lived through the times of the mile greats.
And today, with the 3¾ laps of the track taking 4minutes
11 seconds, our Keith can beat them all!
The 1500 has always had its champions
and their names are unforgettable:
Bannister, Landy, Elliot, Snell, Bayi, Walker,
Cram, Ovett and more latterly the great El
Garouj. These were the main ones. There
were more.
Although 3000m is more usually a
steeplechase distance, it seems to be
Keith’s preferred running distance. He has
broken the Australian mark twice since
first knocking off Ron Peters’ record last
year. Peters still holds several other
Australian records but Keith is not far
behind. He is now National record holder in
his age group for the 3000m, a distance
that really has his name written all over it.
He has hammered it with regularity for 3
years, gradually bringing his time down
until the huge breakthrough on 31 January
where he took a massive 10 seconds off the
old (his own) record!
Continued on page 2
INSIDE BLISTER 107
Wise words on World Masters Athletics
100 days ways pays, Rob says
Parisian chaps punctuate cheery chill
Swish Skort seems set to suspend pants
Horrie’s feat: sorry, sleet!
Sharon stays the 100k’s
Orlsortsa uthastuff
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL
2009
Club Phone Contacts
President
Jim Moody
0411 258 589
Vice President
Brian Ogilvy
0410 694 875
Secretary
Ross McCarty
0403 557 127
Treasurer
Charles King
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Acknowledgements
Website manager
Linda Barwick
Lorraine Spanton, Andrew Smith, Darryl Chrisp (Research) Brian Ogilwy, Cool
Running (photography) Jess Baker, Amanda Underwood (Puzzles)
Database Manager
TBA
About the Blister
Results Manager
Chris Graham
0419 162 538
Blister Editor
Dennis Wylie
0404 898 661
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Barbara Becker
0402 967 697
10k Timing & Results
James Moody
0411 258 589
Adam Moody
0410 766 5866
Paul Hannell
0412 042 950
6 Foot Track Manager
TBA
6 Foot Track Run Manager
James Moody
0411 258 589
Super Series
John Van Yzendorn
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Continued from cover
He also holds several other State Masters records (see Simon Butler-White’s
article within).
Back in November last year, Keith was given the honour by his fellow team
mates of being last runner in our 200+relay team that broke a State record for
4x1500m. When you break a record, you beat all comers over all time; not just
the ones you are up against on the day.
Last year Keith had the highest, single occasion, age and gender points for the
year, in the club. Everyone in the club gets them for every race, so, on his best
performance for the year he beat the best performance of anyone else for the
whole year.
Putting Keith’s 1500 performance in another way, it is possible through the use
of calculators (available from Masters) to determine how Keith, now 53, would
be performing if he were a younger runner. If he were 25 again (he can only
hope), Keith’s 1500 time (4minutes 11 seconds last year) would be
approximately 3minutes 41 seconds. He would miss out on Olympic B selection
by two seconds and Olympic A qual by 5 seconds. He could overcome this by
either: disguising himself as a woman and entering as a female, probably
winning but subsequently failing the sex test, or: insure a B Qualifier by just
running a bit harder ( he needs half a second per lap). I reckon you’d opt for the
latter if you were that close to Olympic selection. Having said that, if we moved
back in time and Keith was running as a 25 year old and running as well as he is
now, on present results he probably would have gone to the Olympics because
the qualifying standard would have been lower back then.
2
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
TH
By SHARON CALLISTER
NOVEMBER 8 2008 ITALY
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ULTRA RUNNERS
100km
Wow ….100km
road race, it’s a
tough gig and
not for the faint
hearted! So why
did I do it?
How did I get
selected? How
did I train…and
what was the
experience like?
Those
questions and
more
are
answered
below.
W
orld Cup
Race Training
Training
for
2008 Comrades
and Trailwalker
had given me a
fantastic base
fitness
and
strength,
however doing
both of these
events within
the space of 10
weeks
had
really taken it’s
Shy Sharon requested that the lights be dimmed so that the ever present paparazzi
toll
on
my
could not film her trademark cartwheel across the finish line. Such pictures are only for
ageing (47 year
sale from her website.
old)
body.
Why did I want to be part of this event?
There was approximately another 10 week gap between
Trailwalker and the World Cup, so I decided to do a
Apart from sheer stupidity and or insanity as so many of maintenance program but to also try to add a bit of speed
my friends thought, there were some very good reasons into the schedule. This is where my troubles began as
for wanting to be part of this race. Firstly it was a great every time I tried to put the work in I seemed to get
opportunity for me to represent Australia. A few years injured.
ago I never would have thought such an opportunity
would come my way, so when it did, I jumped (or ran) at I look back now and it is clear my body was in need of a
it. The second reason was that in my two previous ultra rest but of course I had other ideas, just one more race
road races, Comrades 2007 and 2008, I felt I had for 2008! So, in the space of eight weeks I had two calf
underperformed, so I wanted to use this opportunity to strains, bilateral planter fasciitis and a suspected tibial
improve on those results. Thirdly I can’t resist a stress fracture. Three weeks before we left for Rome I
challenge and this one was huge.
had a bone scan which thankfully showed all clear. Now I
know you probably think I am crazy for pushing on, but
How did I get selected?
given the money we had invested in this (did I say there
is little sponsorship) and the appeal of running for my
The Australian Ultra Runners Association or AURA, as it country, I felt I had to give this a shot. I probably would
is better known, is responsible for selecting the never be in this position again.
Australian Team for the World Cup. All hopeful athletes
apply for selection and the qualifying event was held in So for my pre race preparation I had to be mostly
July 2008, the Gold Coast 100km. You must also be a satisfied with rest (and, of course, worry from not
member of AURA to be selected, something I would training!). By the time we got on the plane to Rome, you
recommend regardless of whether you do this distance could say I was absolutely terrified about what I had to
or shorter ones; it’s a great association and complements do on so little training, I definitely do not recommend
what Sydney Striders provides to its members.
this but, as you now know, I had no alternative.
As I did not run the Gold Coast event, I used my
Comrades times and my 42.2 km marathon time in my
application. It’s not hard to describe the joy and
excitement of being advised I was on/ in the team. My
family thought I’d gone nuts, however once the
excitement wore off, anxiety about this awesome
challenge set in and remained with me until I had
finished the race.
The World Cup Experience
For me, these words sum it up…. awesome, incredible,
brilliant. Every bit of hardship, injury, stress and
difficulty was worth it. It was an amazing time and I am
so thankful I had this rare opportunity.
However, I don’t want to mislead you that it was all
3
BLISTER 107
terrific either as much of the event
did not go to plan and without
generalising too much, the Italians,
or at least their organising
committee, were disorganised and
just not up to the challenge of
putting this event together.
Some of the more experienced
team members, who had done this
event over a number of years made
it quite clear that this year’s
organisation was not typical of
what you can expect, so for all
those of you now planning on being
selected for 2009 in Belgium, don’t
worry; things will be more
organised for you, I am assured.
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
Match the Facts
By Jess Baker
How well do you know your fellow Striders? The names on the left do NOT
match the FACTS on the right. See if you can match them correctly.
NAME
FACT
Michael Key
Has 4 adopted siblings (and a couple of show-downs on trains)!
George Lisson
Was a commercial pilot who enjoyed landing planes on Mount
Tarawera's 1400m peak to the sounds of his passengers'
frightened screams - and used to own and fly a gyrocopter
Allison Lilley
Has had an out-of-body experience, a pierced nipple
and broken at least 14 bones!
Saved a train crash!
There are also a lot of positives I Dennis Wylie
can recall about being in Italy for
this event and a key one that come
Brian Ogilwy
Cycled from Broome, all the way across Australia to Sydney,
to mind is that it’s arguably the best
timing his arrival perfectly for Christmas eve.
place in the world for carbo
loading. Oh yes, I ate and ate and
ate for three days on delicious
win the event he was right up there with the fastest of
pasta, risotto, pizza, you name it. I even snuck in a few them. He was closely followed by team captain Jo Blake,
Vino’s - usually a big no-no for me pre race.
Tim Cochrane, Magnus Michelsson and David Eadie.
Darren Benson was in touch with the race leaders until
The pre race opening ceremony saw the 33 competing 42kms, where he experienced respiratory distress and an
teams come together. I found this very moving and is
asthma attack, which had him spend the next hour in the
now firmly etched in my memory. The Australian team
medical tent. Whilst disappointed with this, he was
had 10 members, six male and four females.
philosophical about the need to actually be able to
The race started in the town of Tuscania and finished in breathe properly before you can do anything else!
Tarquinia, both towns just over an hour out of Rome. The
course was a 37km “straightway”, four laps of a 14km
circuit and then a final 7km to the finish. It was supposed
to be a flat course but the first 37 kms did resemble in
part, an “up” year at Comrades, although some would
argue that. Race start was at 10am so for the slower
runners, like me, it meant we finished in the dark.
The girls performed extremely well with Kerrie Bremmer
just missing a sub 9 hour finish; she was closely followed
by Susannah Harvey- Jamieson, then Viv Kartsounnis and
finally yours truly. My time of 10 hrs 54 mins, whilst slow
by international standards was, in my book, sensational. I
cannot believe I had the strength and endurance to get
this result, which, by the way, I’m happy to say, blew my
Comrades times away.
So there I was standing on the start line, after putting on
a good few kilos carbo loading and totally freaked out
about what I had to do on this day especially in the world
class company around me. Well I was determined to have
a good day and I am pleased to tell you, I had a fantastic
day.
One beautiful and lasting memory is that of my last few
hours of the run, when the sun had gone down and the
road was lit by large candles on either side of the road
about a metre apart, I have rarely seen a more beautiful
site.
I started out conservatively and kept a steady pace
throughout. One thing that really helped keep me
focussed was that in doing four loops I got to see most of
the team at least once and all our support crew regularly.
All of whom performed outstandingly. In particular, our
team manager Nick Drayton did a brilliant job and,
somehow, got our team organised and ready. My
husband Euan was also brilliant, even if I did shout at
him for not having my drinks ready when I passed by.
So if you ever get the opportunity to do something like
this, I would encourage you to take up the challenge, but
maybe do a few less events than I did on the lead up.
APOLOGY
In the last blister, in the 5 years ago section, Steve Urwin
was recorded as having completed the Marathon de
Sables in over 70 hours. In fact, that time must have
included his warm down run back to the start where he’d
left his keys. He actually did it in 31 hrs 02 minutes
The first Australian home was Dean Cooke in a
sensational time of 7 hrs and 48 mins, while he did not
4
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
REPRINTED FROM Hobart MERCURY January 05, 2009
series leader, made her debut at the distance last year to
win her first major fun run.
Yesterday's time of 1hr23min11sec was some eight minutes
faster than her first effort.
Christie Harris, from Hobart, was second, ahead of Julia
Davies who took third.
SYDNEY runner David Criniti lead home one of
the largest fields to compete in the Cadbury
Marathon.
Criniti's time of 2hr29min55sec was the fastest since 2000
and a great start to the year for the ultra-running dynamo.
His form had been strong, with second placings at the
Canberra and fifth in the Melbourne marathons last year.
The Parramatta athlete was the one to beat heading into
the race and was kept company by Darren Moyle, of
Sydney, early on before opening up an ever-increasing lead
on his way to victory.
STRIDER
RESULTS
Distance
42.2km
42.2km
42.2km
42.2km
42.2km
42.2km
21.1km
21.1km
21.1km
Place
1
5
30
91
105
106
46
63
93
Strider
David Criniti
Darren Moyle
Jess Baker
John Palmer
Chantel De Abreu
Shaun Blankfield
Bruce Horsburgh
Lisa-Anne Carey
Melissa Selby
Time
2.29.55
2.47.04
3.16.58
4.09.27
4.34.20
4.34.21
1.31.57
1.35.32
1.39.56
"It was a fantastic way to kick off 2009 and it's exciting to be
in that good a form and hopefully, in 2010, I can give the
legendary Colin Oliver's course record a shake," Criniti said.
The last time Liz Bennett, of Canberra, ran a marathon was
in 2008.
Her time of 3hr16min14sec yesterday was faster than her
winning effort of five years ago and will provide the
confidence she needs as her next challenge will be
ultra marathon runs this year.
The race for the minor placings in the men's
marathon turned into the battle for the Tasmanian
championship, between defending champion Jarrod
Shaw and former Athletics Tasmania staffer Daniel
Smee.
The pair are regular training partners and only four
seconds separated them.
Smee gained the upper hand at the top of the hill
coming into the Cadbury Estate, to bolt to the finish
and claim second overall.
In 1984, Robyn Wallace won the Cadbury Marathon
and returned yesterday to come second, 25 years
later. Wallace had been living in Queensland, having
only just moved back to her former state, where she
is now the state champion.
Jess Baker, of New South Wales, was third only
seven seconds behind Wallace.
A record field of 352 lined up in the half marathon.
The men's race was won by Launceston's David
Thomas in 1hr10min59sec ahead of local athletes
Jason Allie and Damon Court.
The women's half marathon was dominated by
This time the organizers were well prepared for Dave’s anticipated
sudden desire to tunelessly belt out “Old Man River” and rushed
defending champion Angela Grimmond, of Hobart.
forward with a large roll of muffling tape.
In 2008, the Tasmanian Distance Runner of the Year
Darryl Chrisp has two motivational quotes, he says, both
emerge mid-race (over and over and taking turn):
or
2. "Gee I feel awful. I think I need to stop and walk. I am
never doing this event again. But at least, everybody else
feels as bad as I do."
1. "Gee I feel awful. I think I need to stop and walk. Is that
somebody not far ahead? I think I can catch them."
5
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
By SIMON BUTLER-WHITE
Masters Athletics
Fancy breaking a state record? Joining the New South Wales Masters
Athletics Association not only offers Striders extra competition
but the chance to hold a State record too
New South Wales Masters Athletics (NSWMA) is the state
association that caters for athletes above the age of 30.
It’s based in Sydney and is affiliated to Athletics New
South Wales, the body that administers Open athletics.
Women 30-34
1500m: 4.42.7 – Kerry Bray, 1995.
3000m: 10.42.26 – Alison Rothwell, Campbelltown, 2006
5000m: 17.03.13 – Billinda Schipp, Blacktown, 2008
10,000m: 35.07.4 – Billinda Schipp, Blacktown, 2008
10km road race: 43.16 – Desie Joannides, ACT, 1993
Half marathon: 1.28.49 – Alison Rothwell, Sydney, 2006
Marathon: No record currently exists.
NSWMA’s aim is to provide the advice, structure and
organisation for athletes to compete in the full range of
track and field events, as well as walks and distance
running. Competition is held in five-year age groups,
starting from 30. At world level, competition starts from
age 35.
Women 35-39
1500m: 4.43.6 – Anne Forbes, Sydney, 1996.
3000m: 11.33.78 – Cristine Suffolk, New Zealand, 2007.
5000m: 17.18.4 – Fiona Wick, 1993.
10,000m: 37.27 – Carol Horn, Homebush, 1996.
10km road race: 41.27 – Cristine Suffolk, Homebush, 2008
Half marathon: 1.50.26 – Desie Joannides, Sydney, 2001.
Marathon: 2.40.13 – Joanne Cowan, ACT, 1994.
Joining NSWMA gives Striders members the opportunity
to compete at all Masters events, including the NSW State
Titles and at the annual Australian National
Championships; be eligible to win medals and awards;
and to set NSW State records. There are no qualifying
standards – the emphasis in Masters Athletics is on
participation.
Women 40-44
1500m: 4.42.01 – Anne Forbes, Brisbane, 1998.
3000m: 12.20.5 – Caroline Yarnell, Homebush, 2005.
5000m: 17.00.65 – Joanne Cowan, Homebush, 1998.
10,000m: 38.51.0 – Maria Guano, Homebush, 1996.
10km road race: 36.16 – Joanne Cowan, ACT, 1996.
Half marathon: 1.55.59 – Desie Joannides, Sydney, 2005.
Marathon: 2.41.48 – Joanne Cowan, 1995.
Sydney Striders members who have competed
successfully in Masters events in recent seasons include
Ray Wareham, Ron Schwebel, Caroline Yarnell, Dennis
Wylie and Keith Bateman, who holds a clutch of NSW
State records, including the M45 half marathon (1.17.03,
set in 2005) record and the M50 1500m (4.15.25; 2006),
3000m (9.10.03; 2006), 10,000m (33.20; 2005) and half
marathon (1.17.25; 2005) records.
Women 45-49
1500m: 4.52.81 – Judy Bandiera, Japan, 1993.
3000m: 11.14.37 – Margaret Beardslee, Homebush, 2005.
5000m: 18.16.57 – Joanne Cowan, Bankstown, 2001.
10,000m: 39.22.0 – Norma Ducker, Adelaide, 1986.
10km road race: 37.54 – Joanne Cowan, ACT, 2002.
Half marathon: 1.22.46 – Joanne Cowan, Sydney, 2001.
Marathon: 3.45.40 – Dorothy Siepmann, Eugene, Oregon, 1989.
There are many State distance-running records that may
be within the grasp of Striders athletes once they’re
registered with NSWMA. Over some distances, no
records have yet been set.
Women 50-54
1500m: 5.18.30 – Beth Stanford, 1994.
3000m: No record currently exists.
5000m: 19.45.58 – Beth Stanford, Homebush, 1994.
10,000m: 42.40.42 – C. McCardle, Hobart, 1992.
10km road race: 51.58 – Dianne Hillsdon, ACT, 1999.
Half marathon: 1.41.40 – Caroline Yarnell.
Marathon: No record currently exists.
The 2009 NSW State track and field titles will be held at
The Crest athletics track, Bankstown, on March 28-29. A
draft program of events can be viewed at
www.nswmastersathletics.org.au.
The 2009 Australian Masters Athletics National
Championships will be held from April 10 to 13 in
Adelaide.
For
more
information,
go
to
www.samastersathletics.org.au
Women 55-59
1500m: 5.42.7 – Norma Barwick, 1991.
3000m: No record currently exists.
5000m: 21.38.9 – J. Cox, Canberra, 1991.
10,000m: 46.05.77 – Judith Joyce.
10km road race: No record currently exists.
Half marathon: 2.00.46 – Dorothy Siepmann, Sydney, 2002.
Marathon: No record currently exists.
Membership of the NSWMA costs just $35 a year. To join,
and for more information about NSWMA, go to
www.nswmastersathletics.org.au
Following is a list of current NSW State Masters records.
6
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
M30-34
1500m: 3.41.48 – Glenn Ritchie, Sydney, 2008
3000m: 8.33.70 – David Lewis, Randwick, 1990
5000m: 14.51.80 – David Lewis, Randwick, 1989
10,000m: 31.06.50 – Glenn Ritchie, Sydney, 1995
10km road race: No record currently exists.
Half marathon: No record currently exists.
Marathon: 3.02.13 – Peter Spehr, Canberra, 1995.
Half marathon: 1.17.03 – Keith Bateman, Canberra, 2005
Marathon: 2.25.51 – Bill Raimond, 1982
M50-54
1500m: 4.15.25 – Keith Bateman, Homebush, 2006
3000m: 8.59.62 – Keith Bateman, Sydney, 2009
5000m: 16.02.20 – Jim Seymon, Melbourne, 1987
10,000m: 33.20.30 – Keith Bateman, Sydney, 2005
10km road race: 33.56 – Jim Seymon, Eugene, 1989
Half marathon: 1.14.32 – Keith Bateman, Sydney, 2008
Marathon: 2.36.30 – Tony Larkum, 1991
M35-39
1500m: 3.54.64 – Glenn Ritchie, Sydney, 2000
3000m: No record currently exists.
5000m: 14.58.20 – Horst Wegner, 1982
10,000m: 31.30.0 – Horst Wegner, 1984
10km road race: 56.56 – David Smith, Gold Coast, 2006
Half marathon: 1.18.06 – Roscoe McDonnell-Sorr, Melbourne,
1995
Marathon: 2.56.08 – Marty Weston, Canberra, 2008
M55-59
1500m: 4.30.70 – John Warren, 2008
3000m: 10.27.00 – Dennis Wylie, Sydney, 2008
5000m: 15.57.00 – George McGrath, 1986
10,000m: 34.28.17 – Adolf Blonner, Turku, Finland, 1991
10km road race: 35.55 – Dennis Wylie, Sydney 2008
Half marathon: 1.22.08 – Dennis Wylie, Sydney, 2008
Marathon: 3.00.23 – Richard Magee, Canberra, 2007
M40-44
1500m: 3.55.40 – Glenn Ritchie, Homebush, 2002
3000m: 10.21.01 – Garry Womsley, Homebush, 2005
5000m: 14.50.08 – Albie Thomas, 1975
10,000m: 31.17.06 – Horst Wegner, Melbourne, 1987
10km road race: 36.36 – Col Condon, Melbourne, 1995
Half marathon: 1.27.11 – Garry Womsley, Sydney, 2004
Marathon: 2.29.08 – Horst Wegner, Melbourne, 1987
M60-64
1500m: 4.38.69 – John Warren, Brisbane, 2001
3000m: No record currently exists.
5000m: 17.31.35 – Adolf Blonner, Buffalo, 1995
10,000m: 36.22.77 – Adolf Blonner, 1995
10km road race: 40.47 – Roger Hillsdon, Canberra, 2004
Half marathon: 1.25.11 – Ian Graves, Sydney, 2004
Marathon: 3.01.45 – Richard Magee, Sydney, 2004
M45-49
1500m: 4.09.09 – Ian Melrose, Melbourne, 1987
3000m: 8.56.34 – Jamie Harrison, Sydney, 2009
5000m: 15.23.6 – Dave Power, 1980
10,000m: 31.49.20 – Dave Power, 1981
10km road race: 40.41 – Jeff Newey, Eugene, 1989
N.B. For the sake of brevity, records for women 60 years and over
and men over 65 have been culled from this article. You will
have to go to the website to see them. Did you spot
the Striders above?
Who am I?
1.
In the last 12 months I have set new PBs for City to Surf (1.01.10) and half marathon (1.35.04).
2.
I won a silver medal in the men’s 35 – 39 y.o. 10000m track race in February 2009.
3.
My favourite events are the 800m and 10km on road or track.
4.
My least favourite events are Mt Wilson to Bilpin and Woodford to Glenbrook but I race them both every year
to test my endurance.
5.
In 2008, I won the following medals in ANSW events:
3 gold medals – 800m and two team medals;
2 silver medals – 10000m and 10km team 35+;
1 bronze medal – 400m plus Australian masters 10000m.
By Amanda
Underwood
6.
So far, in 2009 I have won 2 silver medals – in pentathlon and 10000m.
7.
I share my birthday with Glenn McGrath – 9 February. However, I am one year younger, having been born in
1971.
8.
I’m aiming to do my one and ONLY marathon in Sydney in September 2010.
9.
I am known for my sprint start in races, and like to lead the front runners out.
10. I’m a Tigers supporter, but I have always supported the Maroons at State of Origin.
7
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
- Jeremey Horne’s 4th place in the State 10km champs
- EJ Davie, winner of a silver for his age group in the
Pentathlon.
EMAIL INVITATION
Pasta party
Hello Striders,
this email may be of interest to you if you are going to be in
Canberra for the Marathon on the weekend of 18th/19th
April.
The MTG traditionally organise a pasta party for the Sydney
Striders and their friends and families. It's a great time to
discuss race day strategy with other Striders.
Note that this is a SEPARATE pasta party to the Canberra
Marathon-arranged party.
No, you shouldn't pay for the pasta party on your entry
form for the Canberra Marathon (apologies to those who
have as refunds are not usually provided).
With a few events to go including, the Master Track
championships from10-13 April. The season leads into
Winter, with our own 10k in May being the first event.
The winter season is a season in which the Striders have
a history of performing well, and a number of teams
looking to backup to win premier status again and some
to improve on last year’s efforts. Come join in the fun of
competing against other clubs and don’t be afraid.
Men contact: Glenn Guzzo
Women contact: Dale Thompson
Juniors contact: Caroline Yarnell
This year's pasta party will be at the same venue as
previous years:
Cafe Pronto
14 Lonsdale St
Braddon
Date: Saturday 18th April
Time: 6:00pm start (early start as we have a little running to
do Sunday morning!)
RSVP: to Phil Skurrie by 1st April
Cost: $27.00 payable on the night.
Includes pizza, pasta, breads & salad (carbs, carbs, carbs &
not-carbs)
Friends and family welcome.
Please RSVP as it is a reasonably small venue and having 10
people show up unannounced on the night will cause
problems.
Striders’ mascot
Did you know that Striders sponsors a Cheetah at
Taronga Zoo? We also donate to the friends of Lane Cove
Park because it is where we have many of our races. We
have donated to other causes in the past.
Thanks, and see you there.
Phil Skurrie
By GLENN GUZZO
ANSW Report
The summer season is almost gone, and the track has
been a place of reckoning for some Striders as they
push on for glory.
Some of the highlights include:
- Keith Bateman's wiping 9 seconds of his own
National 3000m record for 50+, under 9 minutes
- Melinda Vernon's 2nd place in the State 3km & 5km
- Melinda and Marnie Ponton's effort (4th and 7th
place) on a warm day at the Mt.Stromlo Cross
Country selection trials & Melinda's subsequent
selection to represent Australia in the World Cross
Country Champs in Amman, Jordan on 28th March
- 3 Strider team golds with 1 State record broken for
Male 200+ in the State Relay championships
8
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
By MARGARET KREMPFF
C
ourir le monde
Back in late November last year I had the
pleasure of spending a week in Paris
with my 16 year old daughter who was
on a student exchange in Brittany over
Christmas. I had lived in France for three
years a long time ago and visited several
times over the years and know it well. I
wanted to see it again, show it to Sheena
in all it's glory and experience it from the
perspective of a runner.
very civilised 9am after a heart-starting short black
coffee at Place de la Nation. It was a run that I will never
forget, looping around the centre of Paris and taking in
many well known sights and exploring hidden corners
full of surprises. Jean-Claude turned out to be the most
informative guide imaginable. He has lived in Paris all his
life and at 58 has run many, many marathons. I can't
express how beautiful it was to run through the quiet
wintery streets of Paris, empty of crowds, along with
other keen runners. It is, as we all know, a brilliant way
to discover a city. At the end of the run, one of the group
gave me his running cap, or buff, and I was really
touched. These guys had never met or spoken to me
before yet turned out and made my day spectacular. I
was overwhelmed.
I did some searching on the internet and came across the
group Courir le Monde, or translated, Run the World.
What a find this turned out to be. I sent off an initial
message to the site, stating the dates I would be in Paris
and expressing my desire to explore the city with some
French runners. Over the following weeks, I could not
believe the enthusiasm with which the group responded
to my enquiry.
My first contact was with a guy who lives in Cannes,
Henri, who started the group a few years ago. It's a
France-based organisation that seeks to promote
distance running, and most of it's members seem to have
run, or are aiming to run, a marathon. Many run several a
year. There are about 2,000 members, not all living in
France, but all communication on the site is in French.
As if that wasn't enough, prior to the Sunday run JeanClaude emailed me on my arrival in Paris to say that he
and a friend were running in Paris one night to see the
Christmas lights that had just gone on. Would my
daughter and I like to join them? I explained that Sheena
wasn't a runner and the response was, “No problem, she
can ride my bike”. So that's what we did. 20k through the
city by night was magic, and a highlight of Sheena's 2
months away. Looking down over the city from
Monmartre was magical.
To access the forums on the site and participate in the
discussions generally you need to sign in and establish
“un pseudo” to use. I'm “aussierunner”...for obvious
reasons. You can browse the site as a visitor without
signing up. It's an incredible resource for running in
France and Europe. I don't know how many marathons
and ultras there are in France each year, but it must be
hundreds. These are detailed on the site as RDVs, rendezvous. Anyone intending to run in a particular event puts
their name down in that RDV and so it's easy to see who's
running where and when at any time. Each member also
has a profile giving information about what they've run
in the past and their plans for future events. It's an
incredibly efficient way of staying informed about a vast
number of runners and races all over Europe, so if you
want to run with someone, it's very easy to make contact
and get together.
I would thoroughly recommend that anyone heading to
France make contact with CLM. If the idea of putting
together a few lines in French fills you with dread, I
would always be happy to translate. Many of the guys I
met actually spoke good English, so once you're there it's
less of an issue. If you’re curious about the run I did, you
can go into the photos on the CLM site and see it in
pictures under, again, Une Australienne a Paris.
Getting back to my experience in Paris, over a period of
several weeks before I left Sydney, a forum was set up
called Une Australienne a Paris. Instead of the usual
weekend long run in the Bois de Vincennes, a Parisian
runner, Jean-Claude, took it upon himself to organise a
30k scenic tour of Paris that I ran, along with a group of
local runners, on a snowy Sunday morning. We met at a
All this is to say that running is a brilliant way to connect
with people where ever you are. It's an activity that
seems to bring out the best in people. And there's
something about the pace of running, especially the way
the slower runners amongst us do it, that gives you
plenty of time to take in your surroundings and
appreciate all that's around you.
9
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
developing cataracts compared to the least-fit men.
A second study found that running appeared to reduce the
risk of age-related macular degeneration. In the study, 152
men and women reported being diagnosed with the
disease. Compared to people who ran less than 1.2 miles
per day, people who averaged between 1.2 and 2.4 miles
per day had a 19 percent lower risk for the disease, and
people who ran more than 2.4 miles per day had between
42 percent and 54 percent lower risk of the disease.
“These findings are compelling because of the large size of
the study, and the fact that we are looking at something
that is fairly well defined: vigorous exercise, as opposed to
more moderate exercise,” says Williams.
Most of the runners in the study exceeded the current
public health recommendations for physical activity, which
is at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activities such
as brisk walking five days a week, or smaller doses of more
vigorous exercise such as running. It is unclear whether
people might also lower their risk for cataracts and agerelated macular degeneration by walking.
“We know there are important health benefits to walking,
including lowering heart disease risk,” says Williams. “It is
quite likely that the studies’ results might apply to a lesser
extent to smaller doses of more moderate exercise.”
Williams also adds that further research is needed to
explore why there is a link between vigorous exercise and a
decreased risk for eye disease.
“We know some of the physiological benefits of exercise,
and we know about the physiological background of these
diseases, so we need to better understand where there’s an
overlap,” says Williams.
The studies are published in the January 2009 issue of
Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. They were
supported in part by grants from the National Heart Lung
and Blood Institute.
Researched By LORRAINE SPANTON
Vigorous Exercise May Help
Prevent Vision Loss
There’s another reason to dust off those
running shoes. Vigorous exercise may help
prevent vision loss, according to a pair of
studies from the U.S. Department of
Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory. The studies tracked
approximately 41,000 runners for more
than seven years, and found that running
reduced the risk of both cataracts and agerelated macular degeneration.
The research, which is among the first to suggest that
vigorous exercise may help prevent vision loss, offers hope
for people seeking to fend off the onset of eye disease.
“In addition to obtaining regular eye exams, people can take
a more active role in preserving their vision,” says Paul
Williams, an epidemiologist in Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences
Division who conducted the research. “The studies suggest
that people can perhaps lessen their risk for these diseases
by taking part in a fitness regimen that includes vigorous
exercise.”
A cataract, which is a cloudy opacity of the eye lens, is the
leading cause of blindness. More than one-half of people in
the U.S. over the age of 65 suffer from some form of
cataracts. Age-related macular degeneration, which is
damage to the retina, is the leading cause of irreversible
vision loss in older white Americans, affecting 28 percent of
people aged 75 and older.
The diseases have several known risk factors, such as
sunlight exposure and diabetes in the case of cataracts, but
few interventions. Now, it appears that vigorous
cardiovascular exercise may be one way to derail the
diseases.
To conduct the research, Williams analyzed data collected
in the National Runners’ Health Study, which he established
in 1991 to determine the health benefits of running.
In this case, he followed approximately 29,000 male runners
and 12,000 female runners for more than seven years. Of
these people, 733 men reported being diagnosed with
cataracts on a questionnaire filled out at the end of the
study. Too few women reported cataracts to track.
Men who ran more than 5.7 miles per day had a 35 percent
lower risk of developing cataracts than men who ran less
than 1.4 miles per day. The study also analyzed men’s 10kilometer race performances, which is a good indicator of
overall fitness. The fittest men boasted one-half the risk of
ScienceDaily (Feb. 14, 2009) — Adapted from materials
provided by DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Email from GEORGINA MOORE
HI Dennis,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyiApzjIuzw&feature=P
layList&p=8F3FEB2FC75D63FE&playnext=1&index=3
The above link is the one I was telling you about on Sunday.
It is an incredible story of a man who completes marathons,
triathlons and iron men with his son, who is quadriplegic. In
the triathlons & ironman competitions, the father swims
with his son lying in a rubber boat tied to his back, then
carries him to a specially designed bike so he can ride him
through the cycle leg, then transfers his son to a specially
designed wheel-chair and pushes him the entire way
through the final leg of each race. For anyone with a heart,
you will need a box of tissues to watch this - but the impact
of this 10min clip is incredible.
10
BLISTER 107
Awards Brunch
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
AWARDS PRESENTED AT END OF YEAR - 2008
Equalizer Cross Country Award
Winner
Time
Runner up
Time
Open Male
Open Female
David Criniti
Jenny Wickham
0.53.54
1.00.59
Tony Fattorini
Suzanne Kelly
Internal Handicap Half Marathon Award
Sharyn Hill
1.49.17
Michael Key
10k Series
Handicap
Age and Gender Adjusted
Open Male
Open Female
PreVet Male
PreVet Female
Veteran Male
Veteran Female
Masters Male
Masters Female
Seniors Male
Seniors Female
Super Senior Male
Legends Male
Alex Douglas
Dennis Wylie
Chris Truscott
Joanne Cowan
David Criniti
Lisa-Anne Carey
David Burgess
Lisa Carroli
Stephen Jackson
Joanne Cowan
Ray Doran
Tina Campbell
Manfred Fiedler
Ron Daly
Points
599
6791
883
806
884
819
851
804
905
937
896
700
800
2 00
Kevin O'Kane
Chris Truscott
David Criniti
Lisa-Anne Carey
Chris Truscott
Zoe Cameron
Martin Lord
Karen Canfell
Dennis Wylie
Mary Stringer
Robert Connors
Helen Wilson
Frank Dearn
Points
542
6666
881
790
883
797
790
755
900
876
867
210
695
Fastest 10k Male
Fastest 10km Female
Jeremy Horne
Melinda Vernon
0:31:18
0:34:48
Chris Truscott
Jenny Wickham
0:31:52
0:35:24
The Super Series
Age and Gender Adjusted
Open Male
Open Female
PreVet Male
PreVet Female
Veteran Male
Veteran Female
Masters Male
Masters Female
Seniors Male
Seniors Female
Super Senior Male
Best Age and Gender
Dennis Wylie
Shaun Atchison
Lisa-Anne Carey
Shaun Atchison
Lisa-Anne Carey
Peter Hibberd
Lisa Carroli
Dennis Wylie
Mary Stringer
Luigi Criniti
Tina Campbell
Manfred Fiedler
Keith Bateman
6432
730
773
348
401
354
376
403
410
428
262
369
929
City to Surf
Stephen Jackson
Dennis Wylie
Lisa Carroli
Tim Cochrane
Zoe Cameron
Glenn Lockwood
Danielle McCormack
Stephen Jackson
Pauline Evans
Graham Osborn
Helen Wilson
Frank Dearn
Jeremey Horne
6047
686
731
326
333
333
337
391
334
377
113
295
892
City to Surf
0.54.47
1.04.30
2.24.29
Half Marathon Awards
Open Male
Open Female
Winner
Jeremey Horne
Jenny Wickham
Time
1.08.55
1.18.03
SMH
Sydney
Runner up
Time
Chris Truscott
1.10.20
Danielle Langsworth 1.25.50
Gold Coast
SMH
Veteran Male
Veteran Female
Richard Palmer
Danielle Langsworth
1.18.08
1.25.50
SMH
SMH
Greg Donovan
Kathryn Holloway
1.18.59
1.27.59
SMH
SMH
Masters Male
Masters Female
Keith Bateman
Joanne Cowan
1.14.32
1.31.10
SMH
SMH
Christopher Dwyer
Mary Stringer
1.21.38
1.35.36
Gold Coast
Sydney
Senior Male
Senior Female
Ray Doran
Tina Campbell
1.36.40
1.54.22
SMH
SMH
Darryl Chrisp
Helen Wilson
1.36.58
2.04.27
Striders Internal
SMH
Super Senior Male
Manfred Fiedler
1.55.12
SMH
Frank Dearn
2.45.58
SMH
Legends Male
Ron Daly
2.24.44
SMH
11
BLISTER 107
“Core
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
B
limey”
WHAT IS CORE STABILITY, AND SHOULD RUNNERS BE DOING IT??
The personal trainer screaming out in a somewhat
contrived American accent “come on, contract your core,
everybody!” is a refrain that reverberates around many
of the gyms (and parklands) of Sydney. Physios, Pilates
instructors and yoga teachers are frequently talking to
their patients/clients about the merits of “having a better
core”. Well, what is the “core”, what does it mean to be
stable and is it beneficial for runners?
from your pelvic floor at the same time. Practising this
movement will train these muscles.
Importantly,
contracting the core muscles is not “bracing” the tummy,
it is not “sucking your tummy in” and it is not “tightening
your buttocks”, all of which are frequently evident when
people think they are doing it correctly. It appears that
when people undergo specific retraining to contract
these muscles, building the contractions into everyday
life, they go on to get less back pain in the future. So, if
you are asked to “contract your core” in one of those
exercise classes, at least try to do what I have described
here.
The word “core” does not commonly exist in credible
scientific research. In its strictest sense, it is a term that
has been coined to refer to muscles of the trunk that
would appear to work in quite a unique way. Whereas
we normally think of muscles as “motors” that move our Interestingly, what I have said so far is all that the
body parts, it seems that the core muscles are not really scientific research has comprehensively shown. There
involved in moving us from point A to point B. Research are lots of other claims made about stabilising exercises,
dating back to the mid 1990s found that
but there is very little good quality
certain deep abdominal and back muscles
research evidence supporting these
(called the Tranversus Abdominis and
claims. For example, there is no evidence
Author of this article,
Deep Multifidus respectively) were active
that practising these muscle contractions
Timothy Austin,
no matter whether you were bending
before you get back pain will prevent back
is a long time
forward, bending backwards or raising
pain episodes. There is no evidence that
your arm to the front or back. Therefore,
runners get less injuries anywhere in the
Sydney Strider, and
those muscles were considered not to be
spine or legs or run faster (!) by practising
Principal
“moving” muscles, but “stabilising”
such movements.
Physiotherapist at
muscles. Perhaps you could say that the
Camperdown
stabilising muscles held your spine in a
In more recent times, the role of the
controlled position while your moving
buttock muscles as other “core” muscles
Physiotherapy
muscles moved you from one place to
has gained prominence. The simplest way
another.
to think about this is to picture a skeleton,
with the pelvis having two legs descending
Core stability exercises were developed from attempts to from it (at the hip joints). If you stand on one leg,
help people overcome low back pain. The research went obviously the pelvis is going to fall towards the side that
on to demonstrate that the brain actually turned on the no longer has a leg to support it. Well, that is what would
stabilising muscles one-fiftieth of a second before the happen if you didn’t have buttock muscles keeping you
moving muscles. Therefore, it is assumed that the brain upright!! Obviously, it is a little more complicated when
is trying to ensure that the spine is stable before the body you are running, but the same concept holds. That is, the
starts to move. Interestingly, people who have low back buttock muscles of the leg that strikes the ground when
pain have been shown to lose this earlier contraction of you run need to work powerfully enough to stop your
the stabilising muscles, potentially a reason why they pelvis “flopping about”. Clearly, if your pelvis lacks
suffer an injury.
control, there is potential for all sorts of lumbar spine,
hip and knee injuries. Again, there are not a lot of quality
So, how are these stabilising muscles contracted? There research papers demonstrating the effect of buttock
is actually a very precise way of learning to contract stabilising exercises, but I have seen numerous people
these muscles, and my experience tells me that most who have had their injuries resolve with a precise
people are not doing it correctly (probably due to poor program that retrains their gluteal muscles.
teaching). It is a little hard to teach you through the
Blister, but I’ll give it a go, and you can try it in the quiet Now, whilst it might seem that I, your humble physio, am
of your own bedroom. Put simply, firstly you must start a sceptic about core stability, I’m actually a big fan of it.
with a relaxed abdomen – that’s right, let your tummy However, I believe that there are exorbitant claims being
hang out! Then, gently draw the lower part of your made about the necessity and advantage of core
tummy (below your belly button) inwards towards your exercises. Core stability programs have gained cult
spine. It often feels that you are muscularly pulling up status, whereas the precise benefit of stabilising
12
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
exercises is somewhat of an enigma, and the perfect
prescription of the regime is elusive.
running injuries around your back/hips/buttocks/knees,
investigating whether your stabilising muscles could
work better may be helpful. However, I do not believe
that every runner needs to do core stability exercises as a
maintenance approach. Finally, beware the advice
(direct or implied) that stabilising will fix any problem
you have.
My advice is that evaluation of the stabilising muscles is
an integral part of any good physio treatment following
any episode of back pain. Also, if you have had recurrent
By SUE LOGIN
Running in a
S
kirt
Ed, obviously puzzled by the recent phenomenon of gals running in skirts, requested a bit of an article
on what was going on so I’ll spill all now …… there is no mystery - you either like it or you don’t…. a bit
like running (right, left, right, left).
I heard about the “skort”, as it is called, and didn’t know
what all the fuss was about but thought I’d give it a go.
Since
donning
the
aforementioned item I have
been asked about it by the chaps,
the gals usually asking if they
can feel it. My response, whilst
running up the hill on the black
stump run was very short, so I
will explain in a few more words
here. My reason d’etre was that it
would look more appropriate at
the cafes after my run - nothing
to do with speed or comfort! In
fact the skort is really
comfortable, incorporating a
pair of shorts in a thinner
material under the skirt and this means they are cooler
and more breathable, a point noted by Ed when I
informed him. In fact, so taken was he with this that I
think we should have uni-skorts for men and women.
They could be a bit like the unisex top! Now that I’m on
the subject, what is unisex and average for a man and a
woman? A one-breasted Amazon? Hence the uni. Sorry,
rant over. But perhaps we will see the uni-skort for both
sexes. I am an ardent fan of the kilt, something to do with
my Scottish ancestors or the fact that any man looks great
in one. Even Jean Paul Gautier tried to bring in the man
skirt in the early 90’s. Perhaps we will see a striders
version with a cheetah leaping across the back, maybe a
Drizabone version for the wet winters. But, for me, based
on my current training, I will probably look for a nice
tweed version for the winter which I will wear with a
warm pair of boots as I have a long brunch instead of
running.
Next issue, read Sue’s follow up article,
“Running in a long Skirt”
13
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
By ZOE CAMERON
Tri Tri
T
ry
The Sri Chinmoy Triple Triathlon is a 9-leg multisport event of 3 off-road triathlons
back to back, held in Canberra each November. Every leg is different and
the course includes 9 mountains, 3 lakes and miles of scenic trails.
I first took part in this event in 2004 in a team of 9. Back
then completing just 1 swim leg was a challenge for me.
My team was disqualified for failing to make a cut-off, but
I was hooked. I completed 2 legs in 2005 and 3 legs in
2006. So, what next? In 2008 I decided to go solo.
worried about cramping. The day was warming up and it
felt nice to be in the water and resting my legs. At one
point I got a nasty cramp and hung on to the kayak - this
is allowed as long as the kayak is not moving forward at
the time. The cramp passed after a gel and a drink, and I
assured Dad I was fine and pushed on. I was excited to
finish the big swim with no real problems and looking
forward to the next ride.
Leg time: 1:12
Cumulative: 5:57
Leg 1 - 1.5km swim
The 3 female and 4 male soloists gathered on the bank of
Lake Ginninderra at 5.30 am. The race briefing was
succinct: "You all know where you are going and what
you are doing, right?" and the race director said "Go". I
was surprised how quickly the males disappeared but
not too worried. I left the water in front of the other 2
girls but I lost time in transition and they both got on the
bike ahead of me.
Leg time: 29:07
Leg 5 - 40km mountain bike
This leg feels pretty mammoth, as you ride over some
decent hills - down to Coppins Crossing and up Mt
Stromlo. I felt good as I rode around the lake and even
passed some team riders. I also caught up to a male solo,
my friend Steve and we chatted for a while. The climb up
Mt Stromlo was long and hard but I kept plugging away
and got there eventually to cheers and a kind offer of
being 'sponged'! The trip down Mt Stromlo is on some
fun single track, so I enjoyed that. But I soon started to
feel sick and bloated. I was aware that I hadn’t eaten for
awhile but I didn't want anything – highly unusual for
me. Despite this I enjoyed the final section of the ride
around the back of the suburbs of Duffy and Chapman. It
is very scenic and easy riding, but with reminders of the
devastation that the Canberra bushfires brought there.
Leg time: 2:40
Cumulative: 8:37
Leg 2 - 35km mountain bike
The 3 girls rode together for the first kilometres of the
ride and we had a nice chat. We all agreed that our
primary goal was to finish. It was a beautiful morning
and I rode along feeling great until the infamous ‘push
bike hill’ up Black Mountain, when I did as the name
suggests. After a technical rocky descent it was a lovely
ride over ridges, paddocks, bike path and single track and
I arrived at transition 2 feeling good and ready to run.
Leg time: 2:16
Cumulative: 2:45
Leg 3 - 20km run
The first and longest run leg is wonderful - straight up
and over Mt Majura and Mt Ainslie then down to Lake
Burley Griffin. I walked some steeper sections but ran
most of the way and was soon at the top of Mt Majura. I
ran down on the road cautiously as I didn't want to
antagonise a dodgy knee. The course then passes through
some single track which is fun to run, like being on a
rollercoaster. I happily ran along the trails and was soon
near the top of Mt Ainslie. I took in the views and started
slowly back down the steep paved descent. I wanted to
go faster but I was cautious, knowing I had to look after
my knee and quads to get through the next 2 triathlons. I
was passed by a lot of team runners all having a blast.
Leg time: 2:00
Cumulative: 4:45
Leg 6 - 12k run
As I started this run a friend encouraged me and said this
was leg was "the hard one". I hadn't run it before and
naively thought – “it’s 12km, how bad can it be?” Well,
the start goes straight up Mt Taylor and I was quickly
reduced to walking and feeling awful. Once I got over the
top and started down I could run, but my stomach hurt
and running made it worse. I decided to make myself
vomit, having heard of this being a cure for tummy
troubles. I stuck a finger down my throat, but to no avail.
So I plodded on and soon a solo woman caught me and
said hello. This woke me up and I tried to keep up with
her. Down the mountain we went together, and along a
mercifully flat bike path towards our third lake. In
transition I stressed about what and whether to eat
because I still felt sick and now I had to swim again. But I
was through 2 triathlons and starting to feel that I was
going to make it, so that cheered me up.
Leg time: 1:19
Cumulative: 9:56
Leg 4 - 3.5km swim
Solo competitors are allowed to have a kayak with them
and I had recruited my Dad for this task because I was
14
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
was probably my quickest transition of the day because I
was so keen to get running.
Leg time: 1:59
Cumulative: 12:29
Leg 7 - 1.2k swim
I don't think I have ever swum so slowly in my life. I felt
like I was going in slow motion. I couldn't kick for fear of
cramps and had to concentrate on keeping my legs
relaxed. Fortunately I had my Dad paddling again, though
at one point it looked like he was having to paddle
backwards to keep near me. I kept at it and knew I would
get there ... eventually. The ladder at the end out of the
water was a big challenge, but fortunately my legs and
arms were working just enough to get me up it. In
transition I think I managed to eat a bit more but my
tummy was still sore.
Leg time: 30:04
Cumulative: 10:30
Leg 9 - 13km run
It just wouldn't be right if this leg was too easy, so there
were still some decent climbs to complete. I ran, walked
and shuffled over the hills. I felt very tired and thought I
could easily lie down and sleep. A bus stop bench looked
particularly inviting. But the last 5 or so kilometres are
flat, lovely bike path and I can honestly say I enjoyed it
immensely. I was able to run and I felt remarkably good.
The crowd at the finish was small but very appreciative
and I felt like a star being cheered by my family and
friends. As I crossed the line I unexpectedly started
crying - really happy and really exhausted.
Leg time: 1:31
Leg 8 - 25k mountain bike
The first part of this leg was a long, flat bike path, into a
headwind. I now concede that it probably wasn't quite
gale-force, as I thought at the time. There are fantastic
views on this leg but you have to climb some nasty hills
to get to them. It is all a bit of a blur, but I do remember
at one stage I was pushing my bike 1 or 2 steps, stopping,
gathering all my strength, taking another 1 or 2 steps, etc.
I was veeerry tired and still feeling sick, but I think the
problem was I had lost it mentally. I wasn't even trying to
go at any sort of decent pace. At one stage I saw my
support crew and I could tell from their worried faces
that I looked bad.
My total time was 13 hours, 59 minutes and 17 seconds
and I was 2nd of the 3 girls. It was a bonus to finish while
it was still light and with time for a shower before the
presentation started.
The presentation is one of the best parts of the Triple Tri.
They put on a big spread of vegetarian pasta, curry, rice
pudding, fruit, hot chocolate, etc - heaven! They also have
each solo finisher make a little speech, which makes it
special. I never dreamed that one day I would be one of
those "crazy" people and I really enjoyed my moment.
Once you have done it you know it’s not that hard, but
the uninitiated don't know that and they think you are
nuts.
Finally I reached the little tunnel, which is one of the
coolest parts of the course, rode it successfully and
emerged into the transition to the final leg. Yippee! This
As soon as it was over I started thinking about how much I want to do it again and how I could improve. I highly
recommend the Triple Tri solo experience to anyone who loves going long and being off-road. If I can do it,
you can too. Alternatively it would make a great day out for a team of adventurous Striders.
By SALLE-ANN EHMS
How
I
I
came to be a Strider
was out of Sydney for the week when a call from my
husband announced that a package from the Striders
had arrived. Once home and the obligatory try-on of
the singlet was over, I sat down to reading my very own
Blister and recalled that it was September 2008, when I
decided that the time had arrived to officially join the
Striders.
also participating in the very same Trailwalker. Monday
evenings were interesting as my husband and I traded
stories; his relayed from chat over morning tea at work
and mine from my team’s Sunday training. On many
points the teams were diametrically opposed, our team
goal was to simply finish within 48 hours, theirs’ was to
win!
However, my journey to this point started back in 2005
as a participant in the Oxfam Trailwalker event.
Ironically, the team of which I was a member was named
“Only Run When Chased”. At that time, coincidently, a
work colleague of my husband’s was a Strider who was
With great eagerness and many fond memories I have
read in the Blister of subsequent Strider teams and their
travails as they trained for and participated in the event. I
can relate so readily to the joy and delight experienced at
not only finishing but also those highs felt during the
15
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
run/ walk. Much of my Trailwalker experience was spent
in a state of exhilaration, so much so that at times I just
wanted to RUN.
someone who honestly believes themselves to have not
one skerrick of competitive spirit in their body!
The real clincher was attending a conference at the Gold
Coast in September 2008 and afterwards visiting a friend
from my nurse training days who lives on a farm near
Toowoomba. As you will know, this is just prior to the
Blackmore’s Running Festival. The previous year I had a
shocker – the course runs practically past our house and
on the return leg near Rozelle Bay I felt that I could just
as easily divert to home and return later to pick up my
clothes. So, I was keen to do better in 2008. The
conference and seeing Anne and her family, whom I had
not met previously, was not going to hinder my
preparation. When I warned them that on Sunday
morning I would be up early and gone for a couple of
hours, they couldn’t believe it!
Which brings me to post Trailwalker. With the burning
down of St Barnabas Church in 2006, and my daughter’s
associating with Barneys, I decided with some other
running enthusiasts from the church that I would run the
Blackmores Half Marathon to raise money for the church
rebuilding. My great plans of sponsorship did not come
to fruition but I did finish my first long distance race in
02:11:56, four seconds under my anticipated ‘best time’.
Good old Protestant guilt also saw me make a personal
donation to the church building fund.
By this time the work colleague had coerced my husband
into joining Striders and eventually I tagged along with
him (my husband, not the work colleague) to the Strider
Annual Awards. Although not yet calling myself a runner,
I did have an appreciation of running and could show
earnest interest in others’ achievements! At the first
Awards night when kind people suggested signing up
with the club, I felt that I was just too slow a runner to
contemplate joining. By the second Awards night I
secretly felt that if I could consistently run the club
standard of 10k in 60 minutes then I might consider
joining. I had improved my half marathon time and we
were planning a Queensland holiday around both of us
participating in the Gold Coast Half Marathon. By the
third Awards night I decided that I was being a bit
stubborn, that the ‘real runners’ (i.e. anyone faster than
me) were generous enough in their acceptance of my
(in)abilities and, although still finding the 2hour mark for
my half marathon elusive, I had now run six half
marathons. I decided that I could at least try a first
Saturday of the month 10k race.
Anyway, as I ran along I started composing an article for
the Blister describing this glorious country run I was
experiencing (I always avidly read my husband’s copy
when it arrived). The likeness of the countryside to
Arthur Streeton’s renown paintings, jumping at the
sound of rustling grass (my host had told a story the
previous night of a neighbour who had been bitten by a
snake only to die at the doctor’s surgery because he took
the time to return to the homestead, shower, and get
himself into presentable clothes before going to the GP),
three young people in an old Hillman (obviously just
returning home) tooting, waving and encouraging me up
what was to be a long and protracted hill…. sighting
Neighbour Hood Watch signs and realising that in an
attempt to save myself about fifteen minutes of running
in the Queensland heat and humidity, I had left my car on
the roadside at the start of their driveway, about 1km
from the homestead. Parked but not locked. (Didn’t that
hurry me up and put some thoughts into my mind about
the assumed honesty of country folk?)
And so, I did a couple of the 10k series and, although very
much at the tail end of the runners really had a blast
being cheered on by those I had come to know and other
unknown but friendly faces, finding myself on each
occasion in final sprints to the tape. And this from
That was when I decided that I should join Sydney
Striders.
I have heard several different stories about why people joined Striders instead of another club or, even why they took up
running. If you have one such story, drop me a line. Email: reachdennis1@optusnet.com.au Ed.
Hatches, matches, dispatches
On august 11 last year, (somehow mysteriously missing
from last issue) Jacqueline and Andrew Ramsay had a
beautiful daughter weighing in at 3.69kg (8 pounds 1
ounce)
Lake Te Anau. He was in no fit state to get down on one
knee and even less likely to get back up again, but
Amanda said yes.
Lisa Gallate ( member of 10 years) gave birth on 10/1/09
at 11 to a beautiful baby girl, Kyra Zoie (3.4 kg).
Lisa, Hubby Ben, and Kyra are all doing well. Lisa will be
back running within 2 months.
Tony Fattorini heroically carried the ring (carefully
pinned inside his running shorts pocket) for 5 hours over
the Kepler Track before proposing whilst soaking legs in
16
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
By KEVIN O’KANE
STaR
T
reks
Throughout the history of the Club, the central plank in our training programs
has been the long Sunday training run, oddly called the “StaR”.
Over almost 30 years, many interesting, scenic and occasionally challenging
courses have been developed, each with its own name and its own charms. And
we even get a hosted breakfast at the end!
BOBBIN HEAD REVISITED
The hosts
As I am the host of this run, I am only a little
biased. My co-hosts are Ian Whitfield, the
Sausage King, the much too social Frank
Dearn, Carol Taylor, Gillian Klevansky and
(when the twins permit) Tracey Love. With all
that personpower (rivalled only by Ben
McSweeney and the River Run crew), we can
guarantee at least you will be well fed. We
even provided dancing girls at the last StaR,
but
that
is
another story.
History
While I’ve been
around
long
enough
to
remember
Mosman before it
was Reversed by
Alan Phillips, I
can’t recall a time
before
Bobbin
Head
was
Revisited.
Twenty
plus
years ago, Dr. Irwin Light hosted this run from Barra Brui
Oval in suburban St. Ives.
Frank’s ubiquitous Can-Can-do attitude enables both dance
and sausage flipping training in one alarming package.
we meet the heart and soul of this run, the descent to
Bobbin Head and the climb out. Until recently, this was
on the road. However, the recent tendency of hordes of
Sunday cyclists to hunt in packs at 80kms/hr has forced
some of this section off-road, and the magnificent
Kuringai National Park bush and waterway more than
compensates for this change. Exiting the Park at Asquith
Golf Course, we bypass most of Hornsby through a little
bush section until, sooner than we realise, we cruise over
the Freeway towards the welcoming Wahroonga Park
once more.
The Venue
Sharing the all weather Rotunda start/finish with the
Wahroonga Wobble, runners have a leafy park venue
with all facilities, even a railway station nearby.
The Course (short version)
The Course (long version) Ratings Hill 4 Bush 10
This StaR is a hilly trip through Wahroonga, Warrawee
and Turramurra before doubling back through St. Ives to
North Turramurra. From cruising Bobbin Head Road, the
run follows bush tracks down to a Marina, then through
Bobbin Head before again going bush for a few more ks.
The back of the run is broken by then, and the last
section through Hornsby and Wahroonga presents few
challenges, at least compared to what has gone before!
Runners take off from Wahroonga Park and immediately
head south, past exclusive Warrawee before climbing
into Turramurra. From there, the course is more
challenging as we head through Turramurra, St. Ives
Village and then St. Ives proper, and into my home
suburb of North Turramurra by way of occasionally quite
severe climbs. After a flat respite on Bobbin Head Road,
17
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
Runners’ Energy Bars
Want an alternative to those dry old muesli bars? Want to make an energy bar using quality
ingredients of your own choosing? If you do, try this recipe:
Dry ingredients:
1. (5) crushed weetbix
2. 1 cup of rice bubbles
3. 1 cup of rolled oats
4. 1 cup of crushed nuts (Alternatively, coconut,
sunflower seeds or sesame seeds.)
5. 1 cup of fruit medley
Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Melt liquid ingredients by heating, stirring
constantly with wooden spoon (should take no
more than 5 minutes).
Make a well in dry ingredients, then blend
liquid and dry ingredients thoroughly.
Spoon into flat glass dish; press firmly.
Cover and put into the fridge for about ½
hour. Cut into small sections before
completely hard and then return to fridge
for further 2 hours until set.
Liquid ingredients:
1. 125g of unsalted butter (or margarine)
2. ½ cup of brown sugar
3. ½ cup of crunchy peanut butter (or tahini)
4. ½ cup of honey (or golden syrup or rice syrup)
Enjoy!!!
Sent in by Alan Wareham
$
By CHARLES KING
Treasurers report
Please find following a copy of:
added to that collected from members at the Star on the
th
12 December 2008 for the Jane McGrath Cancer
Foundation (total donation $750 – Club contribution $199
to round up to $750) along with $1,000 for Kerryn McCann..
the Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2008 (with
comparisons to prior years)
Profit & Loss statement for the 12 months ended 31
December 2008. – (with comparison to the 2007
budget, with variance depicted along with the budget
numbers for the 12 months ended 31 December 2009)
Profit and loss comparison between the numbers for
the 12 months ended 31 December 2008 vs the
equivalent 2007 numbers
The Club is financially strong and we invite members to
come onto the committee to participate in reviewing the
opportunities available from this strength – to the benefit of
all members.
The Committee is budgeting for the Club to achieve a
surplus of $2,570 for the year ended 31 December 2009.
Financially the year has been a good one for the Club, with
income exceeding expenses by $3,896.
The Committee is budgeting for:
3 x Blisters for the year
Support for registered athletes of $7,500
Tents for participants at the Canberra, Gold Coast and
Sydney Marathons
Membership numbers for the Club have continued at record
levels. The continuance of the high level of membership
renewals and the surplus derived from the 10k series are
the foundation for the result for the year and the current
strong financial position of the Club.
Club costs were higher than budget – with a larger
contribution to the Club’s functions, support for the Club’s
Athletics NSW Registered athletes, write-off some clothing
stock uniform items, higher Blister and “Star” cost, larger
donations / sponsorship and investment in 10k series
equipment.
With regard to the Club’s custodianship of the “Six Foot
Track” Marathon – the financials are completely separate
from those of the Club – (separate bank account and books
of account).
The following accounting numbers do not include the
receipts and expenses for the Six Foot Track event. For the
information of members the 2008 SFT provided total
donations of $25,000 – ($22,500 to the Rural Fire Service
and $2,500 to the Six Foot Track Heritage Trust.)
With regard to Donations made – the same amount as
recent years ($1,000) – went to the Friends of Lane Cove
Park – (from the 10k charity race), along with a contribution
18
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
Sydney Striders P&L comparison
12 months ended 31/12/08 vs 31/12/07
Actuals
Actuals
Change
Change
31/12/2008
31/12/2007
$'s
%
Income
Membership fees
Interest
Advertising
10km series
Other income
33,230
3,169
185
39,177
-1,522
29,890
3,245
50
33,137
-814
3,340
(76)
135
6,040
(708)
11%
-2%
270%
18%
-
Total income
74,240
65,508
8,732
13%
Awards functions
11,304
9,777
(1,527)
16%
Trophies
Bank fees & card costs
Insurance
Internet
Meetings
Athletics NSW
Sponsorship
Super series & MTG
2,067
1,491
2,723
562
1,279
7,243
900
540
2,342
1,574
3,791
591
814
5,501
130
275
83
1,068
29
(465)
(1,742)
(410)
-12%
-5%
-28%
-5%
57%
32%
315%
Loss on gear
Donations
Marathon - Tent Hire
2,081
2,199
1,046
2,812
1,000
302
731
(1,199)
(744)
-26%
120%
246%
15,554
10,809
(4,745)
44%
Postage
2,620
1,507
(1,113)
74%
Printing
12,170
5,264
(6,906)
131%
Postage
1,410
512
(898)
175%
Printing
945
321
(624)
194%
Telephone
90
-
(90)
(90)
Postage
740
318
(422)
133%
2,175
374
(1,801)
482%
186
43
(143)
333%
397
623
0
827
977
-
430
354
-
-52%
-36%
-
70,344
$3,896
49,585
$15,923
Expenses
10km series
Other
Blister
Calendars
General admin
Printing & stationery
Lodgement fees
Notices
Postage
Printing
Distribution
Net result
19
-19,859
($11,127)
-40%
-70%
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
Sydney Striders budget
12 months ended 31/12/08
Budget
12 me 12/08
Actuals
31/12/2008
Variance to
31/12/2008
Budget
12 me 12/09
Membership fees
Interest
Advertising
10km series
Other income
30,000
3,500
50
33,500
-500
33,230
3,169
185
39,177
-1,522
3,230
(331)
135
5,677
(1,022)
33,000
2,500
150
39,000
-500
Total income
66,550
74,240
7,690
74,150
8,000
2,500
2,000
4,500
1,000
1,000
6,000
500
1,000
1,000
3,000
11,304
2,067
1,491
2,723
562
1,279
7,243
900
540
2,081
2,199
1,046
(3,304)
433
509
1,777
438
(279)
(1,243)
(900)
(40)
(1,081)
(1,199)
1,954
8,000
2,500
2,000
3,500
1,000
1,500
7,500
1,000
500
1,000
2,000
3,000
14,000
15,554
(1,554)
15,000
2,000
6,500
300
2,620
12,170
0
(620)
(5,670)
300
3,000
12,500
300
900
600
250
1,410
945
0
(510)
(345)
250
1,500
1,000
0
50
700
1,500
130
140
90
740
2,175
186
0
(40)
(40)
(675)
(56)
140
90
750
2,200
200
140
1,000
1,200
150
397
623
0
603
577
150
650
750
0
59,920
70,344
(10,424)
71,580
$6,630
$3,896
($2,734)
$2,570
Income
Expenses
Awards functions
Trophies
Bank fees & card costs
Insurance
Internet
Meetings
Athletics NSW
Sponsorship
Super series & MTG
Loss on gear
Donations
Marathon - Tent Hire
10km series
Other
Blister
Postage
Printing
Distribution
Calendars
Postage
Printing
Distribution
General admin
Telephone
Postage
Printing & stationery
Lodgement fees
Subscriptions
Notices
Postage
Printing
Distribution
Net result
20
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
Six Foot Track Marathon
Account for the financial year 1 January to 31 December
2008
Income
Value
Race entry
Fees incl bus tix, merchandise
Donations RFS (incl sponsorships)
Donations Six Foot Heritage Trust
Interest on bank balance (paid approx quarterly)
70,290.00
32,810.00
4,625.00
2,300.00
175.96
Total Income
$ 110,200.96
Expenditure
Value
Entry Forms - Photocopying - information book etc
Entry Forms - Envelopes, stationery, pens, plastic bags
Entry Forms - Postage
Merchandise Purchases
Public Liability Insurance & Results deal with AURA
Runners World Advertising
Event Timing & finish line commentary
Trophies - Age group & prizes - Sarina Art & engraving
Awards - Finisher Medals
Awards - Jackets, belts, buckles
Race Numbers
Pearce’s Bus & minibus hire
Aid Stations - Snakes, Coke, cups, fruit, vaseline, food gloves etc
Water Barriers & traffic management, Portaloos toilet rolls and soap
First Aid - NSW Ambulance
First Aid - St John’s Ambulance incl RFS replenishment
First Aid - M*A*S*H Unit (Jonathan King)
RFS Catering (start line breakfast)
Credit card processing fees
Total Expenditure
1,799.96
392.37
1,635.70
29,867.75
2,200.00
748.00
3,670.21
4,495.21
7,664.80
1,172.71
940.50
7,791.09
5,631.06
10,474.64
500.00
750.00
3,180.00
341.56
3,169.63
$ 86,425.19
Donations
Value
Total Donation to Blue Mountains RFS
Total Donation to Six Foot Track Heritage Trust
Total Donation to AURA
Total Donation to Aboriginal Trust
Total Donation to Jenolan Caves Trust
22,500.00
2,500.00
-
Total Donations
$ 25,000.00
Final result for year
$
(1,224.23)
Rumour
has it...
Striders had a lot
of trouble finding a
replacement
for
Kevin Tiller to
organise
next
year’s Six Foot
Track race. The
person we had
been looking for
not only had to be
a great organiser
but also had to be
considerably less
than six feet tall
themselves,
and
have
receding
ginger hair cut
very short and an
English
accent.
Advertising
throughout
the
Western World, a
massive
media
campaign and huge
salary had failed to
flush out a likely
candidate. In light
of this, rather than
have the race not
go ahead, we had
decided to cut it
short. It would be
called the “Three
Foot Track” and a
singlet,
marking
the occasion, was
being
designed.
The
new
race
constituted a quick
run down Nelly’s
Glen and back up
again.
At
the
bottom you would
be given a stamp
on your hand to
prove you went all
the way. Things
finally
changed
when we found a
replacement
for
Kevin Tiller.
Even when you think you are well prepared for it, sometimes, completing a race requires dragging
something up from deep within but once you’ve got rid of it, you feel much better.
Ed
21
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
By ROB PARTRIDGE
W
PART 1
S
treaking
hat do you do when you haven’t been running
for a month or more? You dream of lofty goals.
You sit back and imagine that you’ll enter
another marathon and this time, this time, you’ll break 4
hours, or perhaps do even better. Who’s to say that you
couldn’t squeeze out a 3:45 or maybe a 3:30? Of course
you can, because in your mind your body is strong and
healthy, and your running form so good it feels like you
are flying down the road instead of plodding. And then
you’ll feel so good afterwards that doing another
marathon a few weeks later will seem easy. You read
about ultra events and imagine that you could tackle one
of those, because this time, this time, you’ll get the
training and nutrition right
be perfectly prepared
I apologize to and
for the event.
you never know, you might lose those extra kilos at the
same time.
So I signed myself up and, thinking I might need to have a
few runs in hand in case of accidents, I started my streak
early on the 29th Dec. The first few days went well as far
as runs go. I got the bare minimum 30 mins in each day
getting around 5ks each time. I didn’t feel too bad except
I immediately felt it in my shins and legs. Not surprising
after such a poor lead in to the challenge. Will I be able to
continue the streak if I give myself shin splints? I set
about taking things easy and adding in lots of stretching
before and after each run to try to reduce the possibility.
Not content with one challenge I tentatively booked
myself to do a few races during and after the 100 days.
The first was the Glasshouse Hare and Hounds 10k on
11th Jan. Then a few more 5-20k runs throughout Feb,
and maybe the Twilight half marathon in early April. I
was hoping to run the Gold Coast marathon in July so
would need to slowly ramp up a distance run at the same
time.
anyone suffering
So you get your running gear
on,
which
feels
unaccountably
tighter
than
it
the sweaty spray
used to, and go out for a run
to test your legs. That’s when
flicking off my you quickly discover that
you can’t hold a 6:30 pace,
arms as I flailed let alone 6mins. You feel
exhausted after the shortest
wondering how
my way through distance,
that flat track you used to
run has somehow grown
each run into a hill, and you let your
dreams waft away in the
wind. And yet sometimes…
Sometimes you hear about something, an event, a
challenge, that grabs you and won’t let go. It was in this
state that I heard about the 100/30 challenge late last
year. I had logged 4 runs in September, none at all in
October, 5 runs in November and 5 in December, none of
which were longer than 10k and all of them were slow
slow slow. I’d lost my running mojo and didn’t think I’d
ever find it again. What’s worse was that I’d found 4-5
kilos. One day there they were, wobbling in front of my
eyes, accusing me of indolence.
The first issue I came across was one of the heat and
humidity. I moved up to QLD some 6 months ago and
now that Summer was here it was getting uncomfortably
warm to run in. Even in the middle of night it didn’t cool
down too much. I live in a modern estate build of asphalt,
concrete, brick veneer and tiled roofs. Despite a few
parks around, the streets get and remain uncomfortably
hot on sunny days. But it was the humidity that made it
tough to run. Every 10% extra humidity seems to sap 10
seconds from my pace. And I seem to have lost my ability
to get up at sparrows to run. I needed to find an
alternative.
I had a quick look around at the local gym options and
found four. There’s one virtually at the end of my road
which looked initially promising, but had massively
inadequate air-conditioning. What’s the point of running
like a hamster on a wheel if you have to suffer the same
climate as outside? Shame, as it was cheap. There was
another gym on the other side of town with the same
issue. Who builds a gym and then doesn’t vent off the
sweaty atmosphere? This one was worse as it had the
treadmills in front of a plate glass window. Great for
view, but like a greenhouse in Summer. QLD truly is the
smart state. My third option was the local PCYC. Very
cheap and useable. They’d used the Christmas holidays to
paint the walls so it was off-gassing like crazy, but it was
a possibility. The last option was the fancy schmancy gym
just opening in the centre of town. This was more like it.
Machines like instruments of torture lining the walls, a
massive cardio space, rooms for classes, modern
The 100/30 challenge seemed simple. Just run at least 30
mins of every day for the first 100 days of the year
starting Jan 1st. Absurd, I thought, no rest days? Surely
that’s a recipe for shin splints, repetitive strain injuries
and who knows what else. What if you got sick? What
about training for events? How could I work in distance
training at the same time as maintaining the streak
without succumbing to sickness or injury? The longest
streak I’d ever had was 4 or 5 days. And yet, something
about the sheer bloody-mindedness of it appealed to me.
You want to run? This will get you going for sure. And
22
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
facilities. Yes this would do. Unfortunately it didn’t open
until the 14th Jan so in the meantime I used the PCYC on
the worst days.
minimum 30 mins in air conditioned comfort to try to
keep my temperature down. I apologize to anyone
suffering the sweaty spray flicking off my arms as I flailed
my way through each run. Every run took me further into
the streak and closer to my goal. I was starting to feel
stronger and able to add time or pace to each run for
variety.
The first couple of weeks of the challenge were hard. My
legs felt sore and tired, I had to ignominiously walk up a
few hills and my pace dropped to a slow plod. By day 7
my shins were definitely rebelling. A couple of days I
resorted to cold showers, baths, strapping them up and
applying ice. With that, and some additional stretches
targeting my calves and shins, they held up OK.
By Jan 27 I had run 100 miles (160k), probably the
longest century run ever. I’d definitely run longer in 27
consecutive days before, when in the last stages of
marathon training for example, but never so consistently,
and never without some rest days mixed in.
I got a summer cold on day 8 which was the icing on the
cake. Not only was it hot and humid, but now I was
glowing with my own internal combustion. I’m sure most
of us have at one time or another run when running a
temperature, just to fit in that essential training run. Daft
isn’t it. I had the 10k race coming up in a few days and
wanted to be able to run that. But most of all, I’d got 8
days running in my streak, the longest I’d been without a
break, and I didn’t want to end it yet. The streak was
taking on a momentum of its own. If we went out at the
weekend I took some running gear with me in
case I could slope off for a quick run. All the
time we were out I’d be thinking about when
I’d manage to fit it in. A few occasions I’d been
forced to run in the evening or at night because
we’d been busy until late, or it was just too hot
during the day.
I hit 200km on Feb 3rd in 1234 mins, and 300km by Feb
16th in 1831mins, just over 6min pace on average and
dropping steadily week by week. Certainly the last few
weeks have been run faster, longer and more
Photo of Mt Tibrogargan courtesy of
http://www.ourbrisbane.com/photos/260826.mt-tibrogarganglasshouse-mountains
Have I taken a
wrong turn... I
seem very
high up?
We headed for the Glasshouse Mountains on
day 10 and stayed at the Ecolodge near Mt
Tibrogargan. Most of the mountains have trails
on them and around them of various lengths
and difficulties, perfect for hiking or trail
running. I opted for a late run around Mount
Tibrogargan as Saturday’s warm up for the 10k
run the next day. It’s a 3.4k trail of undulating
terrain that starts 600m from the Ecolodge.
Because of the precipitous nature of the
mountains, trails around the cones are pretty short.
Despite feeling tired from the drive and still a little coldbound I felt great on this run, and wished I lived nearer
to such great trails.
comfortably than the previous three. As a way to get me
moving again this challenge has been successful, and I
feel like a runner again. The best part is I’ve started to
lose those kilos again. Since January I’ve lost four of them
and look set to lose more in the coming weeks.
The 10k ‘race’ itself was as I expected it to be, a slow
training run. I didn’t really care about time to finish (just
as well as I finished in about 70mins, about 23mins
slower than my PB), just wanted to have a great time.
And I did. The event was organised well, trails were well
marked, other runners friendly, there was a barbeque at
the end included in the price. The race started and
finished at Woodford pool, which is a lovely way to finish
a run. Afterwards I was feeling pretty awful from the
cold, but managed to take the family around Australia
Zoo before heading home.
So maybe the body doesn’t need rest? Time will tell if I
can build distance and maintain frequency. My training
for the Gold Coast Marathon starts today. Maybe you can
learn to rest while running at an easy pace? And maybe,
just maybe, my 4 hour marathon is possible after all. Or
maybe 3:45…
Totals
Wk 1
Wk 2
Wk 3
Wk 4
Wk 5
Wk 6
Wk 7
The following couple of weeks were more of the same. I
continued to run through the tail end of the cold,
bumping my pace up to the 6:30s in the process. The new
gym had opened so I opted to slog my way through the
23
1-4 Jan
5-11 Jan
12-18 Jan
19-25 Jan
26 Jan-1 Feb
2-8 Feb
9-15 Feb
Mins
143
265
239
216
342
277
320
Distance (km)
24
42
38
36
55
45
53
Ave Pace
6:05
6:17
6:12
6:00
6:07
6:04
6:02
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
Interview By ANDREW SMITH
How long have you been running and when did you
join the Striders? I started running 10 years ago just
doing half an hour a day, then did a few fun runs, then the
Striders 10ks and decided to join – that was 6 or 7 years
ago – 2002. I was running about 40 minutes for the 10k
and hadn’t really run much further – one half-marathon
in 90 mins.
marathon in Noumea – it wasn’t a fast time but they
treated us like royalty. My 2:49 at the Gold Coast in 2006
not long after Holly was born gave a big sense of
achievement as I wasn’t expecting to run as quickly. I
enjoy the Pub-to-Pub race (5 time winner) – it’s a local
run, I know the track, it’s laid back, lots of friends go and
it’s quite social.
Did you do other sports? Netball, touch football. I’m a
PE teacher so I think I did every sport under the sun, all
encouraged by five big brothers.
Disappointment? Canberra last year doing my 2:48 PB. I
was certain I was in better form but faded in the last few
kms and was overtaken to finish 3rd. It was ridiculous –
people were saying ‘Good run’ and I was saying it was
really bad. It has changed the way I approach running. I
had my heart set on a time and I was disappointed that it
didn’t pan out the way it should have done. Now I am not
so focused on a time and will just enjoy the run. At
Melbourne I had a goal of 2:45, did 2:50, but there were
reasons and the great time will come when it’s supposed
to come.
Little Aths? On and off – I did a bit of everything, not too
serious about any one sport.
Does being a PE teacher help or hinder your running
– on your feet rather than behind a desk or on your
feet too much? It helps – although I was organising an
athletics carnival just before my Canberra marathon and
running around when I needed to be resting. I’d go crazy
at a desk. I do 3 full days as a PE teacher and look after
Gemma, 9, Sophie, 7, and Holly, 3. They all do Little Aths
(Holly in Tiny Tots) – they do all sports which is good fun
but takes a lot of time.
What were you doing right in your high achieving
years? In 2003 I had a big car accident and was told I
wouldn’t run again which was a spur to get me running
and it was rewarded in 2004. In 2005 I had Holly and the
last couple of years have been getting steadily better and
better.
Any bush races? No, but
I’d like to do Six Foot
Track. Last year I didn’t
want to do it as it was
just before Canberra. I
wanted to try Six Foot this year with the Melbourne
marathon behind me but I had some illness before
Christmas so won’t be ready. My only bush race is the
Equaliser but I’m hopeless on downhills (Jenny has the
female record from one run).
What’s your training program? I run every morning
and then a 40 minute jog 3 or 4 nights a week and a
longer run (25km –
36km) at the weekend. I
do a mid-week 20-25km
run. On my morning
runs I do 2 or 3 speed
sessions a week, the other mornings are recovery runs.
Sean Williams writes my programs but I can’t train with
him – with kids I get out when I can get out.
Personal Profile – Jenny Wickham
Do you believe in stretching? I believe in stretching, it
would be beneficial but I don’t get enough time...I’m
getting breakfast for children as soon as I get back from
my morning run. Hopefully one day I’ll have time to
stretch before and after.
Do you do track? A little but I don’t like it as much as
roads. Over summer I prefer to give myself some ‘cruise
time’ where I’m not training for anything.
Goals? - a couple of minutes off both marathon and half
times. I haven’t worked out plans for this year. I’d like to
do some different runs – a 50km, the Great Ocean Road.
I’d like to do some overseas big marathons but it’s
difficult with the kids so that’s a long-term goal.
Presumably no training partners? Once in a blue
moon my husband (Nigel) comes out with me but
training partners don’t fit in and I’m used to running on
my own. I find it’s my time and I can enjoy my thoughts.
I’ve converted my sprinter husband to trying long
distance, he ran his first Half this year and I’ve given him
a goal to run a marathon.
Inspirations ? - Kerryn McCann – her passing away had
a big effect on me.
What’s your best distance? I like Marathon best and
also Half.
Injuries? – In 2007 I had a whole year of injuries – feet
and knees which all came down to a change in shoe
design but it took 4 – 6 months to identify the cause.
You’ve been getting some challenges at 10k.... Melinda
Vernon has some good times, so hopefully we’ll have a
good Striders team for the winter series events.
The PBs
10k –35:24 2008 (2007-36:21, 2004-36:46, 2002-39:14)
Half – 1:18:03 2008 (2007–1:18:29, 2006 – 1:20:38,
2004 – 1:23:06)
Marathon – 2:48:46 2008 (2006 - 2:49:22, 2004 –
3:04:01)
C2S – 50:54 2008
Equalizer – 1:00:59 2008
Do you take vitamins or supplements? No, just try and
eat healthily, iron every now and then – I’m a basic
runner – all I do is run.
Your greatest success? Winning the Sydney Marathon
Festival Half for the last two years. Also running a
24
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
By RICK COLLINS
O C E A N
Cole Classic Shelly
WHAT AN ADRENALINE RUSH
WHAT A RIDE
WHAT GREAT CROSS TRAINING
WHAT A CHALLENGE !
B
S W I M M I N G
R A C E
each to Manly Beach
washing machine – absolute chaos but
what an exhilarating adrenaline rush – it
beats any ride at Seaworld. You come out
at the other end exhausted, confused &
disorientated and with the timing chip
strapped to your ankle and goggles
raised, you try and find your land legs as
you stagger up the beach to the timing mat and to
the cheers of the huge crowd of onlookers. This
particular swim was meant to finish at Manly Beach
however due to the rough conditions it ended back
on Shelly Beach – a last minute change by the
organizers. It is an annual event divided into age
groups and the back of the pack group. There is a 1k
& a 2K race. The swim starts at 9am. and the various
groups then hit the water at about 5 minute
intervals apart. As you can imagine the ocean is
alive with a steady stream of swimmers all working
their way through the swell. I came 846 out of 1359
finishers in a time of 25.56
minutes. The $35.00 entry fee
includes a souvenir swimming
cap that all swimmers have to
wear in the event.
It is difficult to find words to describe
competing in an ocean swimming race. I ventured
into this formerly unknown world of ocean racing
on 1 February when I entered into the Cole Classic
Shelly Beach to Manly Beach 1K ocean race. No
amount of swimming in neat, tidy pool lanes where
you can see the bottom, see the lane markers and
easily see where you are going can prepare you for
ocean racing. Pool training for ocean racing is like
training for the 6’ track by running laps around an
oval. In the ocean you suddenly realize how spoilt
you have been training in your own lane, with flat,
still water with no other swimmers around you.
When the starting gun fired I was suddenly thrown
into a chaotic
whirlpool of well over 1300
swimmers all trying to get past each other while
battling a big swell, choppy water, currents &
anything else mother nature wishes to throw at you.
I was constantly flanked by swimmers to the left,
swimmers to the right, hundreds of swimmers
ahead and hundreds of swimmers behind. I felt sure
that we were generating enough collective power
and energy to light up a city building. The swim
itself was a real surprise - like swimming in a
If you are looking for some good hard cross training
and the ride of your life look up
www.oceanswims.com and go for the plunge. If you
want to see some good swim reports also go to
www.oceanswims.com - click on the LOOK INSIDE
left hand button
then scroll down to
the reports for
each swim. Photos
below courtesy of
oceanswims.com
A bunch of ordinary
beachgoers go nuts
when the Shark siren is
heard. All of a sudden
they stampede into the
surf and attempt to kill
the beast with their
bare hands. “Seawater
is for humans”, is their
war cry.
25
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
By DENNIS WYLIE
Ron and Dennis’
E
O
xcellent Adventure
ne of the things I like about Ron Schwebel is his Catering was of a standard you come to expect of mobile
love of gadgets. I saw him wearing two Garmins, caterers. They asked how I’d like my steak. I hesitantly
once. Wasting no time and while still driving, he replied, “medium-rare?” To the girl beside me I said,
somehow got out his computer and his phone (loaded “What are my chances?” The question was answered a
with a GPS programme) and alternating between them, millennium later. Everyone had finished when I finally
calculated that, in spite of leaving late, we would reach got back to the table. To their quizzical looks I replied,
Mt Stromlo with half an hour to spare. This had to be “They took a while to catch the cow.” Upon inspection, it
recalculated after we experienced a blow out on the was apparent that they’d cooked the steak medium-rare
Federal Highway. We would get there with 5 minutes to alright but it was medium on one side and rare on the
spare.
other.
It might have been better if we hadn’t tried Ron’s special Later they disappointed me with a weak espresso coffee
technique for quick-jacking the car up. This involved that came out of a machine but tasted like instant. It was
driving the ruined wheel up onto the spare - to save some kind of magic trick and I couldn’t work out how
effort jacking it up! It was effective in rapidly raising the they did it.
flatty but we couldn’t spin the wheel brace because the We self-catered for breakfast and lunch. There was a bit
spare tyre was in the way, the process
of communal effort and it worked well
of getting the nuts off was slowed and it
and cheaply. From early in the morning
was hard to get the spare out again.
“Lone Ranger” was offering beers to
They all wore tights
Next time, we vowed, when using the
everyone. I think he regarded it as an
to save being
same method, to place the spare further
important part of his training. Carboin. The idea was sound but it required a
loading.
scratched as they
practise run.
Ron didn’t disappoint with his set up:
shot through
We wanted to arrive on time so we
two tents (one for him, one for gear)
undergrowth at
could go for a welcome “pack run” with
and a large gazebo for everyone to sit
Deek. We made it in time but after we’d
amazing speed. I saw under, a table, chairs, esky - a far cry
registered for the weekend’s activities,
from me and my equilateral (but not
girls jumping down
we ended up taking off for the welcome
square) tent. Lucky I came with him!
run well behind the pack and it took
We boiled water and filled thermos
20 foot cliffs
about 4k to catch up. Deek is a friendly,
flasks so we could have tea during the
fearlessly.
down to earth bloke and chatted all the
day but on one occasion Ron’s stove
time with anyone who had anything to
blew up. Luckily no one was near. This
say.
was a second explosion for Ron! Paul
The inaugural Stromlo Running Festival was ready to Every came to the rescue with an ancient device that ran
cater for a larger number so there were plenty of seats on meths.
for dinner and entertainment (bands) in the evenings. We had a crack at Orienteering. I got a bit lost and ended
During the day there were reminiscences and question up going to about 10 extra plot points before realizing
and answer sessions by ex Olympians. There were talks they were for the pro’s. We novices were meant to be on
by industry people on shoe design, nutrition, core another course. Still, it gave me the opportunity to see
stability and injury.
the pro’s in action and I was mightily impressed with
On the first morning I was up fresh and early for the their speed and gung-ho attitude. They all wore tights to
10.5k run. Ron poked his head out and then went back to save being scratched as they shot through undergrowth
bed. I put it down to the 2 bottles of red that had been at amazing speed. I saw girls jumping down 20 foot cliffs
consumed the night before, largely between just Ron and fearlessly. We novices, who didn’t take the easy route,
“Wombat out of hell” but he denied this and said it was just got scratched!
his knee. Who am I to argue?
I spoke to Andrew Lloyd (Commonwealth Games Gold
We camped with the Cool Runners. Lorna (the Owl) medal for 5000m and 3 times City to Surf winner) who
amused us with re-enactments of You Tube material. A has just turned 50. He wanted to know about Keith
fair bit of beer was consumed and my new tent had a Bateman and Stephen Jackson and seemed pleased I
wardrobe malfunction and ended up not being square, wasn’t in his age group. I felt flattered. That’s the great
necessitating sleeping diagonally the first night. The thing about this event. These guys whom you think
ground was so hard, tent pegs less that 5mm in diameter mightn’t care to know you, are just regular blokes and
would bend. Girls got blisters trying to hammer them in. they’re just hanging out like you are.
It was clear you couldn’t rely on them. I had to hammer One night, Deek unselfconsciously danced with his small
my own in or they would use up all the band aids.
daughter or all to see. Our group of non dancers did it’s
26
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
best to keep the brewing industry gainfully employed.
Pat Carol is a cheeky bugger with a huge personality. He
told us about running nude (so those following would
have to see his arse). He trains people to do Marathons
on minimal training. He thinks the most important thing
is the weekly long run. I agree.
Ron and I entered the cross country. Both 4 and 8k races
started together. I just did the 4k and came 6 th overall.
Ron made a decision to keep going and do the 8k when
he saw how many finished at 4k. Good choice because he
won the age and gender category. The cross country
course, unlike the British model, is a soft, groomed-grass
surface, perfect for bare foot running. The 2k circuit
loops around a gradually sloping terrain providing “easy”
up and downhills. This course is used for national and
international events.
On the last day a lot of people left early. There were only
about 100 left for the prize giving. Both Ron and I got
something. I got a trophy and Ron got a complete outfit
from K-Swiss, a brand we will see more of in future.
Some people stayed in Hotels in Canberra but if you do
this event next year, I’d recommend doing it the way we
did, except for the being late, the flat tyre, exploding
camp stove and poorly pitched tent.
th
By JOHN BOWE
28 DECEMBER 2008
The Baldy Man Beach
R
W
hen I left Ireland to come live in Australia on
15th December 1989, friends and family would
have described me as anything and everything
.... but never a “Sportsman” or an “Athlete”!
This, despite a family heritage which included breeding
and training of thoroughbred racehorses, four greatUncles who were Jockeys, one of whom rode to victory in
the 1895 Grand National (we have a long memory in our
family!); my father and younger brother, who both had
good runs playing rugby union; and more recently my
first cousins son, has been representing Ireland in Rugby
Union (I live vicariously through the achievements of my
relatives!).
So rather than trying to compete, I avoided any sport at
all during my youth!
Up until 2 years ago, then aged 43, I had not run
anywhere (except perhaps to catch the bus) since Junior
School sports, where I had won a cup for coming first in
the ‘Chariot Race’ (...Jockey heritage, light, sat up on the
back of another school kid, with two others doing the
running), and a medal for coming third in the Sack Race
(May have cheated, not realising that both legs were
supposed to be in the sack...). I had tried out mountain
biking, but that had landed me in hospital with head and
hand injuries, some arguing I clearly have not yet fully
recovered ...
So 2 years ago, to encourage my 13 year old daughter
prepare for City2 Surf, I joined her running for the first
time. She ran a great first run over the 14 kms and I
caught the bug. Since then I have been making up for 30
sedentary years, having run three half marathons, two
marathons, and numerous other shorter runs in the last
two years!
So in Ireland at Christmas to visit family, I came across a
notice for a 9 km Beach Run on 28 th December 2008, on
the beach of my childhood: Tramore, County Waterford.
Yes: ‘beach’, ‘mid winter’, ‘rain’, ‘Ireland’, ‘wet weather’,
‘cold’, and all of this 3 days post Christmas dinner and
lots of Guinness; seemed unlikely to add up to a very fast
un, Tramore, Ireland
or serious race. Nonetheless, I was determined!!
My opportunity for a triumphant return! Mentally I
rehearsed my quote for “The Munster Express” (the local
newspaper), which would appear under the banner
headline: “Shock upset. Dark horse from Sydney, first past
the post!” So having beaten all of the 20 year old upstart
local athletes, I would say “It was the freezing cold that
did it .... I am used to the Sydney heat, so I simply had to put
in an extra fast run to keep warm .....”
But brothers are there to bring you back to earth: “Well
the “Baldy Man” run is very appropriate, isn’t it. You will
feel right at home!” (Baldy Man being the name of the
landmark sand dune at the half way point, not the criteria
for entry!) My brother seemed genuinely amused that his
bald, ‘non-athletic’ older brother would be silly enough....
So it was with great trepidation, nervousness, and
numbness that I turned up at the very Irish start time of
11 am. It was still only 4 degrees, but the sun was, at
least, meekly shining through the gaps in the clouds!
There were about 300 friendly faces (well about 25 of
them were a more serious intimidating looking group,
who had clearly forsaken the Christmas Pudding and
Guinness, in favour of the run). The remaining 270 odd
had turned up I think primarily for the pub bragging
rights of having started their New Year’s resolutions
early. In any event I was going to give it a go. If I could
hang even to the coat tails of the front group, I might
arrive home with some honour intact!
The bald head (mine) had its aerodynamic advantages, as
we ran into a very chilly head wind; the freezing cold
providing the necessary motivation to reach home
faster. I did finish at the head of the pack of 270, and on
the coat-tails of the front 25!
9 kms, aged 45, hard and soft sand, some rocks, 26 th
home, 37 mins 05 secs! Not bad!
No journalists, no headlines, no quotes, but the small
pleasure of having my much more athletic and far more
competitive little brother exclaim: “You did it in what
time??”
27
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
By KEVIN O’KANE
Marathon
T
rendsetters
Whether we know it or not, we’re all trendsetters, every time we step out in our running shoes.
What we do and what we don’t makes us part of one trend or another. Since the
Running Boom started in the 1970s, the marathon running population has ebbed and flowed in
multiple trends, some lasting and some not. For this article, I’ve tried to investigate some of the trends
in marathon running, particularly in Australia, over the years. The statistics I have are not always
scientific or complete, but they do give some sort of a picture as to what has occurred.
More women are running
The Second Running Boom is happening
The Running Boom was an exciting time for Australian There is one trend in marathons which has continued
runners as we travelled through the late seventies and universally for my entire running life. Each year, more of
into the eighties. Fun runs by the hundred, marathons the fairer sex are running marathons. It was commonly
proliferating and, with Rob de Castella, Lisa Martin accepted for most of the 20th century that women were
(Ondieki) and Steve Monaghetti, some of the world’s best not suited to long distance running. No women ran the
marathon runners were Australian. On our television
Where
Race
Female
Male
screens we could watch live telecasts of not only our
Sydney
1985
Wang
Australian
5.4%
94.6%
own major marathons, but also London, Chicago and
2000 Host City Marathon
18.6%
81.4%
New York. Sydney Striders organised Sydney’s best
2008 Sydney Running Festival
25.2%
74.6%
Half Marathon, entries growing to over 2,000 runners
Gold Coast
2002 Gold Coast Marathon
26.0%
74.0%
by the mid 1980s. It seemed like it would go on
2008 Gold Coast Marathon
33.7%
66.3%
forever. But it didn’t. Ten years later, it really looked
Melbourne
2001 Melbourne Marathon
19.8%
80.2%
like marathon running in Australia was headed for
2008 Melbourne Marathon
24.6%
75.4$
oblivion.
Sydney could not support a viable
Canberra
1978 Canberra Marathon
4.7%
95.3%
marathon – I even had to organise my own for the
1988 Canberra Marathon
6.6%
93.4%
MTG in 1997 when the advertised Sydney Marathon
1998 Canberra Marathon
9.9%
90.1%
was cancelled on short notice. The NSW State
2008 Canberra Marathon
27.8%
72.2%
Marathon Championships even had to be held in
USA
1997 Chicago Marathon
33.3%
66.7%
Canberra several times in the nineties.
2008 Chicago Marathon
43.6%
56.4%
France
2003 Paris Marathon
14.2%
85.8%‘
Possibly the best example of the trend was in that
2008 Paris Marathon
16.5%
83.5%
Striders favourite, the Canberra Marathon. The
England
2003 London Marathon
19.2%
80.8%
number of finishers in Canberra increased each year
2008 London Marathon
31.2%
68.8%
bar one from 1976 to 1984, culminating in 1984 with
1,754 finishers That number fell rapidly to its low point first New York City Marathon, and women were not even
of 335 finishers in 1997. What this meant can be seen by permitted to run the Boston Marathon until 1972. The
considering that, in 1984, a hundred more runners had first woman to break 3 hours was Adrienne Beames of
finishing times under 3 hours in the Canberra Marathon Australia, in 1971. The first woman to finish the
than finished there at all in 1997.
Canberra Marathon, in its third year, was Strider Sue Hill
in 1978. There was no women’s Olympic running event
longer than 1500 metres until Joan Benoit’s 1984 Los
Angeles Marathon. This all seems like, and is now,
ancient history.
But with the Sydney Olympics approaching, the sleeping
giant slowly began to stir. After a large field in the
Olympic Trial Marathon in 2000, which was to be
expected, the level of interest in Sydney began to show
signs of life. In Sydney, the level of support has, after a
few years of consolidation, resulted in finishers in
Sydney’s big Marathon increasing in the last 5 years from
1165 to 1936. In the same period, finishers in Melbourne
have increased by around 400, and Gold Coast by 1,800.
The number of finishers in Canberra has increased each
year since 1997, and reached 1041 last year. If that’s not
a Boom, I don’t know what is.
This trend has been going since the Running Boom
started, and continues today everywhere marathons are
run. I have not seen one statistic anywhere indicating
that this trend has run its course. The future might be
seen by looking at the City to Surf. In its first year, the
race had less than 2% women. Thirty five years later, in
2006, more women than men entered the race.
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BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
But even in marathons like the Gold Coast, where it is
flatter, and Canberra, where it is cooler, the same trend is
apparent, to a lesser extent. What are the other reasons?
I don’t know, to be honest, but I would guess that they
would include the following factors:
Runners, like everyone else in society, are far more
time poor than they once were. Consequently, many
are undertrained for a long road race.
Triathlons and ultras have become far more
mainstream than they once were, and many who
would otherwise have been aiming all their training
at marathons no longer do so.
Runners in general no longer train as hard for
marathons as they once did (probably time again).
Whereas once the enemy was unnecessary “junk
miles”, there is now perhaps an overemphasis on
speed and gym sessions at the expense of including
sufficient mid-week runs needed to run your best
possible time. The best way to train for a running
race is, strangely, to run. In the eighties, most
runners toughened up on the fun run circuit before
moving up in distance. Even the average runner’s
long runs now are often too fast – in this time
deprived world, runners seem to have forgotten that
the longest run should generally be the slowest of
the week, and turn their long runs into races.
The Standard of Performance is dropping
Perhaps the most intriguing trend, unaffected by the
Second Running Boom, is that the standard of distance
running in Australia is falling, and has been consistently
doing so for many years. The fastest marathon time ever
Marathon
Sydney
Melbourne
Gold Coast
Canberra
% beating my PB
1985 26.2% 2000
2001 14.1% 2005
2002 14.4%
1985 34.8% 1999
11.2%
12.2%
29.7%
2008
2008
2008
2008
6.8%
6.8%
8.4%
14.9%
in Australia was run in 1982, and Rob de Castella’s
Australian record is now 23 years old, even though world
marathon times have come down a long way. It is much
the same with the women. The women’s winner of the
major Sydney Marathon in 1985 ran almost 10 minutes
faster than the winner in 2008, and the fastest Australian
time was run in 1991. It is the same for those behind the
winners, with the depth of results continuing to fall away
dramatically. By way of illustration I have done
calculations using my very modest 1985 PB (don’t ask).
When I ran my PB, 26.2% of the field was in front of me.
Only 11.2% of the field was in front of my time in the
Host City Marathon in 2000, and in last year’s
Blackmore’s only 6.8% beat my time.
This is not just because there are more slow runners
pushing out the average. A comparison of the 100 th
placed finishers in three different cities a quarter of a
century apart shows the same drastic reduction in
quality.
The Big get Bigger and the Small ………Die
Thirty years ago, road running in Australia was very
much a grass roots activity. Track athletic clubs did not
regard road runners as real athletes, and so numerous
small groups and clubs sprang up to provide a base for
the new activity. Races were generally fairly small locally
or club based affairs, and they were every weekend and
in every area. Even if the organisation was not quite
professional, fun runs were always friendly and centred
on the connection between runners and their
community. And they were, by current standards, dirt
cheap. It was several years after I started running before
I even heard of an entry fee as high as $10.00. Half
Marathons and Marathons began to appear and were an
extension of the fun run movement, still run by local
groups for the runners. Sydney Striders’ own Half
Marathon proudly stated that it was run “by runners for
runners”. The local Councils and Police, as well as most
Government departments were all part of the mix to
spread the health and fitness message. The Federal
Government even brought us Norm and the “Life Be In It”
campaign to encourage participation.
th
Marathon
100 place time
Although
1985 2.44
2008 3.11
the trend is Sydney
Canberra
1983 2.29
2008 2.47
undeniable,
New
York
1983
2.14
2008 2.22
the causes
are well
hidden. I believe that one cause, although probably not
the main one, is that Australian marathoners, particularly
in Sydney, are having to deal with more difficult courses,
and weather which is much too hot for marathons. Each
year the Sydney course has more hills, twists and turns,
all of which result in slower times. There has been much
research showing that performance drops off
significantly with every degree the temperature rises
over about 15 degrees. When I ran my PB in 1985,
Sydney’s major marathon was in June, when it should be.
You can see from the above table how much stronger the
depth is in Canberra, where the weather is kinder to
marathoners. Late September marathons in Sydney are
usually much too hot for good performance. Disaster
was narrowly averted last year when the temperature
was 34 degrees the day before the 2008 Sydney event! It
is obvious that organisers are unable to give Sydney
marathoners a fast, cool event. Basically, the car is God in
Sydney. Even with a couple of thousand runners in the
Marathon, it is only possible to have road closures if the
numbers (and coffers) are swelled by associated events
over shorter distances, in which warmer weather doesn’t
much matter.
Inevitably it occurred to some that there might be money
to be made in all of this. Sydney’s first BIG run was the
City to Surf, which was televised live and attracted 2,107
entrants. As its numbers grew, other newspapers and
television stations jumped on the bandwagon. Business
interests entered the running movement and followed
the Boom with differing degrees of commercial success.
Police and Government Authorities began to view every
activity as a “user pays” opportunity. Unable to compete
with the budgets and organisational resources of the
commercial events, particularly as participation began to
29
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
wane, many of the local runs simply ceased to exist, and
they were not replaced. And then, when the Boom
petered out, most of the commercially run events did too.
There wasn’t a lot left. When I was trying to select a few
local and community type events for Striders to support
with the Super Series, I found that there were not all that
many to choose from, and some of the events we did
include have now disappeared (although perhaps the
Woodford to Glenbrook is one race we helped to save
with the Super Series – we provided half the field for a
while).
1990s that this trend, irrevocably connected to the
ageing of the Baby Boomer marathoners, would continue.
Guess what? This trend has reversed! Fields everywhere
in Australia have been getting younger each year for the
last decade.
Where
Sydney
Gold Coast
With the coming of the Second Running Boom, it is now
the time of the BIG BIG event. Last year, Sydney’s 2
biggest road races, the Sydney Morning Herald Half
Marathon and the City to Surf both closed entries before
the day, as they couldn’t handle any more runners. The
same has happened this year with the Six Foot Track
Marathon. The numbers in the Blackmores Running
Festival continue to soar. Even Sydney Striders have
noticed this, with huge increases in the number of
entrants in the 10k series in the last decade. At the same
time, and notwithstanding the Second Running Boom,
there has been no re-emergence of the small community
supported runs, whose number has continued to shrink.
There have certainly been no new marathons in Sydney
for many years. At the present rate, there will soon only
be a few public races in Sydney each year, but they will
be big ones.
Melbourne
Canberra
Race
1985 Wang Australian
2000 Host City Marathon
2008 Sydney Running Festival
1998 Gold Coast Marathon
2008 Gold Coast Marathon
2001 Melbourne Marathon
2008 Melbourne Marathon
1998 Canberra Marathon
2008 Canberra Marathon
% Over 40
29.4%
52.4%
36.7%
53.0%
45.9%
45.1%
40.0%
64.0%
52.4%
Why this has occurred is another matter for conjecture.
It is not that there are more first time marathoners. That
trend has barely changed. In the 2 biggest marathons I
could find results for, in Sydney in 1985 and 2000, both
showed that debut marathoners occupied 36% of the
field, and experienced ones 64%. For Canberra this year,
the latest list of entrants at the time of writing showed
34% debutants and 66% experienced. Maybe it is the
sign that Generations X and Y are finally pushing the
Baby Boomers aside.
The Very Young
Why is it so?
Contemporary Australian society does not have time
for events all the time. The Melbourne Cup attracts
a massive crowd, while numbers at ordinary race
meetings are in rapid decline, and State cricketers
play before empty grounds while tickets for an
Ashes Test or a 20/20 international sell out months
in advance.
One trend in long distance running in the 1980s which
has well and truly passed into history has been largely
forgotten – the very young marathoners. In 1982, I was
passed several times in the Harbord Diggers Marathon by
a 7-year-old boy. He eventually “faded” to finish in 3.37.
His 11-year-old brother ran 3.43. There were 13
finishers out of 398 who were 18 years old and under,
but only 9 women finishers in total. The boy backed up
in the following year’s marathon and ran 3.28, aged 8.
Even an event as tough as the Six Foot Track Marathon
was no exception. One young runner in the 1980s ran it
three time between the ages of 15 and 17, with a best
finish of 5th and a “worst” finish of 11th, in 3 hours 58! It
couldn’t happen these days. And in Canberra, one young
girl ran the Marathon at the ages of 10, 11 and 12,
finishing with a time under 3.20 in her third year.
It is too costly and there are too many layers of
bureaucracy to organise smaller runs these days.
The same forked tongued politicians who cry
crocodile tears over the obesity epidemic and falling
fitness standards preside over bureaucracies which
appear to exist just to collect their pieces of silver
and have their forms completed in quadruplicate.
They give their help – and support – to the mega
events (for a fee) but not to smaller fry. A race with
200 runners cannot possibly afford to pay for Police,
a Council or two, the RTA, Ambulance Service,
National Parks etc. etc. Ask any race organiser.
Striders trends
Sydney Striders have, in the main, reflected the general
trend concerning the proportion of women, although, as
the figures below show, the trend since 2000 has not
followed the general increase.
Public liability insurance premiums for small events
can be quite prohibitive. And this even when almost
all of the risk has been legislated away years ago.
In the mid 1980s, almost half of the Club was composed
of men in their thirties, reflecting the strength of the
Baby Boomers. Although I don’t have the figures, I recall
that someone did the figures a decade or more ago,
which showed that, at that point, Striders were gradually
ageing at a consistent rate each year. In the last ten
years, this trend has stopped, but not reversed. The
percentage of Striders aged 40+ has remained constant,
Runners are getting older. Or are they?
For many years it has been a truism that marathon
runners were getting older and older. It was clear to any
of the remaining old fossils (like myself) that this was
happening, and it was pretty obvious up until the late
30
BLISTER 107
Year
1985
1991
2000
2005
2009
M
83.3%
199
72.5%
76.7%
72.5%
F
16.7%
16.0%
27.5%
23.3%
27.5%
Joined last 5 years
56.6% (1992)
62.8%
67.2%
67%
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
U30
11.0%
30-39
47.8%
40-49
30.9%
50+
10.3%
8.0%
11.9%
12.5%
32.2%
28.7%
29.9%
29.2%
30.7%
31.8%
30.6%
28.7%
27.4%
while the only real change has been an increase in the
percentage of the under 30s, at the expense of the 30-40
group. I suspect that this is directly related to the
increase in competitors in the 10k series.
In a Club focussing on long distance running, which
requires quite a time commitment, and is not for
everyone anyway, it is inevitable that there will be a
continual turnover of membership. In the early nineties,
56.6% of members had joined within the previous 5
years. This has increased to 67% now. While it could be
said that such a high turnover might be a weakness, I
believe just the opposite. If you look at many other
distance running Clubs and groups in Sydney, a
“fossilisation” is very apparent. The ultimate result of
this must be the shrinking and eventual disappearance of
those bodies. The strong continuing turnover of Striders
membership, bringing in new blood each year, is a
protection against this happening to us.
Secret men’s and
women’s business
Creepy! We’ve all gone right past
something several times without
knowing it was there! Didn’t we want to look? If we knew it
was there and we didn’t look, we didn’t go in?! If we didn’t
go in we didn’t know what we missed. Only those who went
in, saw. Some just probably looked – and saw tunnels and
big guns! Some probably had a coffee. Some enjoyed the
view. Some had a picnic. Some became informed by a
guide.
So, what am I talking about? I don’t know. I haven’t done it
myself. I haven’t been in. But I’m going to, now I know it’s
there. You can too. It’s the North Fort Military Museum and
it’s conveniently right near the start and finish of our 10k
race at North Head, so it couldn’t be easier to go in and find
out what the big secret is. Hey! Let’s do it, Yeah!!! Look!
Here’s a site for it: http://www.northfort.org.au/
Predictions
Sydney Striders
Annual Awards Dinner
No matter what has happened in the past, the one thing
which is that certain is that any attempt to make
predictions for the future of running in Australia will be
proved embarrassingly wrong. But I’ll make some
anyway (don’t keep this issue).
1. The percentage of women in marathons will
continue to increase at a slower rate, until the trend
stabilises at a little under 50%.
2. The Second Running Boom is probably near its peak
now, and will peter out like the first, but marathon
fields will not fall to the level of the mid-1990s.
3. Sydney will not get a top class marathon in the next
20 years.
4. Big events like the City to Surf, Sydney Half Marathon
and Six Foot Track will continue to fill up. Smaller
runs will continue to die, with very few runs with
under 500 runners surviving as public runs.
5. The standard of Australian marathon running will
not significantly improve from its present poor state.
6. As the Baby Boomers age, the age of marathoners
will continue to fall for some time yet.
7. The Striders 10k series in its present form will
become too difficult to organise, forcing Striders to
concentrate on hosting a smaller number of, but
bigger, events. This might include a big 10k or two
(like last year’s Homebush run) and, heaven forbid,
even a possible return to an annual Striders Half
Marathon (possibly in conjunction with other
shorter event/s).
8. I will continue to get slower.
Friday 29th May 2009
Guest Speaker – DEEK
Yes that’s right, Rob De Castella – 4
time Australian Olympic marathon
representative and still the current
holder of the Australian Marathon
record will join us for the evening.
Don’t be one of the few that miss
the opportunity to listen to the
marathon legend himself, share his
story of a truly remarkable running
career, and life since.
Stay tuned for more details soon.
(these will be emailed in the next few weeks)
Impressive work. Kevin. Ed
31
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
La
G
alleria
Manal Garcia and Lorraine
Spanton have been offered a
huge retainer by Striders (see
Profit and Loss statement in
this issue) to smile at new
members and make them feel
welcome. Men, desirous of
this treatment have to form
orderly queues at our events
as they wait to be smiled at
but they often become
impatient and fights break out.
Even the Editor, when early
and the only one in the queue
broke out into a fight with
himself.
Having taken their final
buckets of sand up, for the
day, Keith Bateman leads
everyone back to the start.
They expect to finish the man
made hill in 20 years.
Pram City:
Last year the world pram
record was broken at a
Striders 10k.
Cameron Arnold pushes a
double seater! Only Karen
stands between our bets and
Cam doing the triple seater in
future.
32
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
While visiting her hometown of Barcelona, Leonor Lawler
th
entered a race and came 4 in her age group.
Doctors
examining Zoe
Cameron
realized that she
had one leg
shorter than the
other. This
accounted for
her running in
circles.
Craig: “Please, after you, Scott”.
Scott: “No, you first, Craig”.
Craig: No, I couldn’t, really, after
you, I insist!”
Scott: Alright, if you insist but next
time it’s your turn.... I mean it!
The Bay is lined with women 10 deep
for the annual Sluggo’s Run which
raises money for charity at Christmas.
33
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
By AMANDA UNDERWOOD
THE PEOPLE THAT WE MEET
L
izzy Hawker
Lizzy Hawker has been described as England’s top female endurance and ultra runner. She has twice
won the prestigious (and arduous) North Face Tour du Mont Blanc race in Switzerland, is the joint
holder of the record for running from Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu and won gold at the 2006
100km World Championships in Korea, representing Great Britain, to become World Champion for that
year. She is also a close friend of the Fattorini family and was kind enough to tolerate my many
questions when I met her recently at a Fattorini family event.
How old were you when you started running competitively
and what prompted you to start?
What do you consider to be your most important
strengths, both physically and mentally?
It’s hard now to remember a time when I wasn’t running.
I’ve always run - but it was only ever for myself. In the
beginning it was just a way to be outside - an antidote to
not living in the hills or mountains - a means of retaining
some modicum of fitness. I only entered my first race (the
London Marathon) when I was 24. But it wasn’t really until
2005 (when I was 29) that I started running longer
distances. That year I competed in my first 100km race (the
UK 100km Championship) and my first mountain trail race
(The North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc - 155km). It has
all happened more by chance than by design - and at a
relatively late age. I just found it felt natural to run the long
distances.
Perhaps simply endurance and the will to keep going? With
the longer distances it is as much in the head as in the legs.
It is important for me in any race or challenge that the
feeling is right, that it is right for me to be there. If then
mind and body are strong together, much can become
possible. For all of us it is important always to run with
heart and soul as well as the head and the legs.
What is a typical training week for you?
Hard to say specifically since it varies so much depending on
whether I’m focusing on an ultra, a road marathon or
mountain running, how much I’m racing, and how much
mountaineering, ski-alpinism or langlauf I am also doing! So
for me ‘flexibility’ is the key. When training for an ultra, it
is important just to get a lot of ‘time on my feet’ - long days
mountaineering or fast hiking in addition to the running are
great! For me, I run because I love to be outside, so the
hardest running for me is in a gym. I do also try to keep up a
practice of yoga - not so much just as ‘exercise’ but perhaps
more for the mental focus and philosophical aspects as well
as the strength and flexibility.
What appeals to you about mountain running?
I just love being in the mountains. There is a certain
enthrallment in journeying on a trail or through the
mountains very simply and under your own steam; leaving
nothing but your footprints, but at the same time
challenging yourself to the ‘edge’ physically and mentally.
What is your favourite race distance?
Do you follow a tailored program or have a coach?
Marathon and beyond …
My training varies during the year - I find periods of more
structured training and then periods of more relaxed ‘as I
feel’ training works the best for me. Until now running has
always been just something I’ve done alone and for myself.
However, now I am keen to learn to draw out my potential
and train with more specific focus in order to see what is
possible. When I’m aiming for a specific ultra or marathon
then I do need to try to keep to a more specific training
schedule. And into this I need to incorporate some proper
sessions on the track, and a few sessions with other
runners, in order to work on my speed. However when I’m
What PB's or race results are most significant to you and
why?
For me the motivation is always just to do the very best that
I know I can do at that time - on that day - whatever that
means with regards to position in a race (men or women).
st
Sometimes this means being disappointed with 1 position,
if for me I felt I could have run better, and yet at other
times perhaps being happy with not such good position, if
for me I ran the best race I could.
34
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
focusing on mountain running, and especially when I’m in a
period of frequent races, I find I tend towards ‘as I feel’
training.
What goals are you focusing on at the moment?
Sadly for the 2008 100km World Championships I was
injured and had to withdraw. For 2009 my plans are only
provisional but at the moment I will focus the winter
towards some ski-alpinism races and then a spring road
marathon. Beyond that I hope to race in an ultra - either
Comrades in South Africa or the 100km of Biel in
Switzerland. For the summer I will focus on mountain
running including (I hope!) the Zermatt Marathon, World
Trail Challenge (68km), Swiss Alpine Davos 78km, and the
Ultra Trail Tour du Mont Blanc. But perhaps I’m being too
hopeful?
Do you follow a specific diet or nutrition plan?
I am vegetarian, but I have been since the age of five - as a
child, once I realized what meat was I didn’t want to eat it
and it has always just felt natural to me to keep to a
vegetarian diet. I do tend to eat a lot of fresh fruit and
vegetables, very little processed food. But of course, treats
are allowed! My favourite meal is probably home made
bread, good mountain cheese, a bunch of grapes and a glass
of local red wine.
One of my favourite quotes is ‘Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius,
power and magic in it’ (Goethe). Life is short. So be bold - begin to explore one of your dreams.
Because sometimes - just sometimes - dreams come true.
4 Striders make World Rankings
PREFERRED SUPPLIERS
Aura has released 2008 World rankings for long distance
running. Over 50k, David Criniti is second fastest in the
World!
Read the remarkable story here:
Want a quick, cheap ad for your business in this
magazine? We have over 700 members. Reaching them
may reach their friends and family too. Many Striders
keep back-issues for years. To join this list, provide your
business name and no more than 30 words description.
$45 for a year. Include telephone number or email.
http://www.canberramarathon.com.au/index.php?pageid=
118
ABILITY HEALTHCARE
Aged care, Mobility & Disabled equipment specialists
Mobility Scooters, Wheelchairs, Walkers
Grab rails, Crutches, Lift Chairs
Hospital beds & Mattresses, Shower chairs
www.abilityhealthcare.net
115 Silverwater Rd Silverwater Ph 9648 1888
Collie Kinsela
107
And as for the shorter distance stuff, World Masters
Athletics have released rankings for 2008
1500m
st
Keith Bateman,1 50-54 year old
FEET ON THE MOVE
Heidi Jones Podiatrist
248 Bondi Rd, Bondi 2026.
9389 8525
0417663187
Mondays and Fridays.
5000m
th
Keith Bateman,13 50-54 year old
10,000m (10k)
th
Ray Wareham, 36 40-45 year old
th
Keith Bateman, 7 50-54 year old
th
Dennis Wylie, 16 55-59 year old
107
BABYGOODS DISTRIBUTORS - BABYLAND
Showroom 53, Hume H’way, Chullora. New baby goods
& a good clean range of used baby goods. Price check &
ask for the Striders special price.
Delivery service, major credit cards.
Mon to Fri 9.15 to 5.30
Tel 9642 7788
107
All other World rankings are available for perusal here:
http://www.mastersathletics.net/fileadmin/html/Rankings/
Rankings_2008/200810000metres.htm
35
I
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
t had finally arrived, the event that I had lived and
breathed for a year. Surprisingly, I was very relaxed,
knowing that I was going to be tested to my absolute
limits. Although, as it turned out, I didn't realise how
absolute they were. Probably a good thing!
Cathcart is open for the first time in 5 years and to cap it
off, there is a toilet there as well. True gold! My crew
have a surprise for me here, a golden gaytime. I have a
great laugh when Belinda passes me this. I immediately
think of Tim and Whippet and wonder how far they have
got ahead of me since they re-passed me while I was
Here we are at Boydtown Beach with the clock having lunch. The ipod goes on as I leave Allison and
approaching 5.30 and before we know it we are off on Marie behind and chase after Hermie. Then when I get to
our journey to the top of Australia. I am surprised by the the Monaro Highway, my crew have another surprise for
uphills in the first trail section but happy enough to find me. Timmeister has found 2 unopened cans of VB there.
myself walking with Lisa Spink. We chat a bit about They must have been left over after a wild party there.
Glasshouse and before we know it, we are hitting the haha. I immediately open one and start drinking it and it
road where our crews are waiting for us for the first of gives me a nice boost at the 50 mile mark. A third of the
many times. The first kms tick away nicely and Lisa race over and still on my target. I catch up to Hermie as
moves ahead. We start to hit some downhills and we turn off the highway as he is having a gear change. We
Whippet flies past. I am used to this as he loves to show run together for a while and discuss how good it will be
off his downhill running ability and he is soon out of to catch Tim and Whippet. My 3 person crew are getting
sight. I go through the marathon point in 4:52 which is toey and ask if I would like one of them to run with me
around my target time but I am surprised that it has been for a while to give them a break from sitting in the van,
tougher than what I thought it should be. Hermie and which they have been doing for over 10 hours. I happily
Tim go past me around this point and run off into the accept the offer and GraeGrae joins me. He is surprised
distance together. Not long later Allison and Marie cruise how relaxed the pace is and instinctively lifts it a notch. I
past me together and they start to move off into the am happy to go with him as he has been waiting all day
distance. I am having my first bad patch and realise I for this moment. We start to ease away from Hermie and
must do something to bring me out of my malaise.
not much longer we have Tim and Whippet in sight. The
only problem is they see the
I discuss this with my crew and
Horriemobile and lift their
then Belinda hands me my ipod,
tempo as well. So we play cat
a can of V and a sandwich.
and mouse with them for a
By GLENN LOCKWOOD
Before I know it, I have got a bit
while and by the time I reach
of zip back in my legs. I soon
the dead tree, they have not
realise that I am catching Allison
long left. I am happy to let them
and Marie and stay with them
go while I change into my night
for a little while before moving
gear. By the time I do this,
ahead of them just in time to see
Hermie reaches the tree as well.
Colin, Sailaway and SMC42km
doing their thing with the manequins. After a bit of I run onto the turnoff point to Dalgety where I have
banter, I am off soon to be climbing Big Jack Mountain. At Schultzy ready for a pacing stint. Hermie now has
the base I see T-Bone walking with Vegie Girl and he Boonarga running with him and he is starting to take
doesn't look happy. I turn my ipod off and try to talk to distance off me and soon passes me. At this point,
him but he is in a shitty mood and isn't interested in Schultzy tells me this is such a long race, that Hermie and
talking to me and just powers off ahead. So I turn my I could end up 3 hours apart. As it turned out, it ended up
ipod on and stay 10-20 metres behind him singing at the being over 5 hours. Well run Hermie, you are such a
top of my voice. That should teach him to snob me like tough bugger. Not long later, there is a mix up with my
that. Then half way up I notice Whippet join him so I crew and I go almost an hour without food. I feel fatigue
catch back up to them and again try to talk to them. The setting in and it is now dark and with that my mood
conversation lasted a few sentences longer this time but darkens. Belinda takes over pacing duties from Schultzy
same result, they just increase the tempo of their walk so not long later and she is great and has a great calming
I have no option other than to put my ipod in walk hard influence on me. She makes sure I am eating and drinking
to keep them in sight. I notice I am catching them on the regularly again and my mood and pace picks up. Paul and
flatter bits so I take the opportunity to pass them as I Diane are soon doing their drive through the field giving
know I have already scheduled a lunch break at the top of us a weather report for tomorrow. It sounds like it is on
Big Jack Mountain where a freshly cooked chicken burger the improve. I should know by now not to trust weather
will be waiting for me.
reports. He tells me I am looking good and should
probably catch a few people as there are a few ahead
After lunch is eaten and shirt changed, I notice Hermie, having problems. This keeps my mood and pace up and
Allison and Marie leaving. This is my cue to get going Belinda decides to keep running with me until Dalgety.
again. Hermie goes ahead then Marie follows then Allison
and then me, all spaced out 100m apart on our way into When we reach Dalgety, Billy Pearce the race medic asks
Cathcart. I catch up to Allison and we run into Cathcart me a few questions to assess my condition. I tell him the
together. Everybody is excited that the infamous store at only problem I have is a few blisters but nothing that is
Horrie’s
H
36
orror
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
going to stop me. He then tells me he will see me at
Charlottes Pass. Schultzy tells me Whippet is having
problems and Tim has left without him. I realise that this
is probably the beginning of the end for Whippet. I feel
for him but he has had such a stellar year, I am sure he
will get over it. I also realise that this will make catching
Tim that much harder. GraeGrae takes over pacing duties
from Dalgety until the 100 mile mark, which I reach in
23:51. I realise my pace has dropped but am happy to
reach this mark in under 24 hours. Belinda joins me on
the road again and leads me up through Beloka Range.
She gets me to chi walk it and this helps immensely and I
seem to go up effortlessly. She runs with me for a few
more kms but then I decide I just want to run in my own
company for a while so the ipod goes back in and I keep
shuffling along. Marie has gone past me after I must have
seen her husband at least 10 times throughout the night.
She has now left Allison
behind. Then as I run a
long downhill, I notice
that
my
blistered
second toe on my right
foot has got a lot worse
as when it pushes
against the toe of my
shoe, it no longer feels
like a toe but more like
mush. I realise I have to
stop at the next crew
stop and deal with it.
While getting my toe
patched up, Paul and
Diane drive through
the field to tell us that
the finish is now at
Charlottes Pass. Their
calm manner does not
make us realise how
bad the weather is up
there.
GraeGrae at Thredbo River and we are soon climbing
again. Timmeister is very happy to be out on the road
with me and tells me he is glad he doesn't have to do the
climb to Kosciuzko with me. He stays on the road for a
3km stint with me. It is great to have him out there with
me and I draw a lot of inspiration from how he deals with
his problems. Not long later Mr G pulls up in a car and
says G'day, I am shocked to see the Big Fella, Virtual get
out of the car and ask me if I want some company for a
while. I soon forget the problems I have been having with
my stomach and my feet and am making good progress.
We are soon passed by RB and family in a car. He steps
out to tell us that he hasn't pulled out but he is struggling
and just wants to drive ahead to assess the conditions
before making his mind up. I soon start to get this uneasy
feeling that conditions must be really bad and when we
are greeted by each runner who has finished on their
way back down, the
messages become more
and more serious and
fearful. Colin is almost
white and I can see the
fear in his eyes as he
talks about what it is
like. I can feel he is
really worried about
me. Virtual combats
this by telling me to
stay positive and just
deal with whatever is
thrown at me. Belinda
is also great and tells
me no matter how bad
it is, it hasn't stopped
them and they have all
finished.
RB
soon
reappears from his car
on the way back down
and declares that he
has quit. I feel for him.
He got to within 60km
of the finish last year
and 30km this year and
still no akubra. I know
he will be back for
another shot next year.
I am very lucky to have
a nurse for a wife and
crew member and the
toe is soon patched up
and feels a lot better so I head off into Jindabyne with
GraeGrae. He tries to encourage me to push a bit harder
on the downhills but I have got nothing. We soon hit the
bike path and as neither of us have been on it before, we
have no idea where it ends. I know it rejoins the road at a
service station but we walk around like headless chooks
for a while until we eventually find it. Our crew also have
problems finding this service station but we are all now
on course again. As we hit the road again, Allison and one
of her crew Barbara catch up to us. They go past us but
we manage to keep them in sight until Guthega turnoff
where we stop to put extra wet weather gear on.
By the time we see Hermie and Tim on their way back
down, the weather is getting a lot worse and the winds
are getting stronger and driving rain into your face and
the temperature is dropping. I am so thankful that I
bought a new jacket especially for this event and that we
packed Tim's ski gloves amongst our gear. I just reach
into the car and shake Hermie's hand as he tells me the
weather only gets worse from here. When we see Tim
and Whippet's crew car the only word that I can come up
with is insane. Tim just lets out a 'maaaaaaaaate, wait
until you get to Perisher'. As we head down the hill to
Perisher, the landscape is unrecognisable. Belinda thinks
she sees the road flooded and wonders how the
Horriemobile is going to get through. I tell her she is
Since we have hit Jindabyne, we realise the strength of
the wind and it is getting stronger with each passing km.
Belinda and Timmeister take over pacing duties from
37
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
mistaken and tell her it is a lake. When we get there, it is
a car park and is not flooded at all. Tim is not wrong and
the weather here is absolutely abominable. We are
getting smashed from every angle and I don't think I can
take much more. I am hardly moving forward and am
having trouble staying on my feet. I get my crew to drive
the van ultra slowly and think I can walk either behind or
at the side of the van to protect me from these
monsoonal conditions. We do this for a while until
Schultzy tells me we will run out of petrol before we get
to Charlottes Pass if we keep doing this. Up until this
point, the only thing that has kept me going is knowing
that when it is over I can climb into the van and be back
in a warm bed within an hour. He also tells me that at the
pace I am now moving at, it is going to take 4 hours to do
the last 9km. Belinda tells me she can't take another 4
hours of this and I know I surely can't.
on the spot with her arms moving and encourages me to
do the same. We are now making some headway and we
arrive at the van in 18 minutes. As the previous 2km took
an hour, that is a hell of an improvement. I am buoyed by
this and we soon realise that when there is a slight break
in the winds, we must take advantage of it so we are now
playing games with the winds. When a gust picks up and
smashes us, we just link arms and stand our ground and
as it eases off, we start to shuffle. The next km is done in
17 minutes. I am getting quicker and am now gaining
hope for the first time in a long time. Belinda tells me we
are doing 1km reps and we only have 7 left. The next one
goes well and we get through that in 14 minutes. The
next km is a bit of a downhill and we are aided by some
changes in the wind direction so we take advantage of
getting smashed in the back by a 100km/hr tailwind and
fly through that km in 11 minutes. It is now only 5km to
go and I know I will be finished in a little over an hour.
The kms start to get slower again but we are happy to
keep the next 2 under 20 minutes. Somewhere towards
the end of the 3rd last km, we think we hear a car behind
us but the winds have been making us think this so many
times already. Then we hear voices and Belinda is sure
she is hallucinating. Then in his unmistakable deep voice,
Mr G asks 'pies anybody?' We gladly accept the offer and
with food warming our stomachs and the knowledge that
it is now only 2km to go, our spirits are
lifted further. The winds are getting
stronger again and visibility is getting
poorer but we manage to reach the van
just before 8.30pm with 1km to go. We
link arms and just walk strongly until
we can see car headlights. Our crew
have driven to the finish and left the
headlights on to alert us to where the
finish is. As we approach, Grae Grae is
out of the car and guiding us towards
Paul and the finish line. We finally reach
it 39 hours and 17 minutes since we left
Eden and I have never been so glad to
finish a race. We are whisked into the 5
star accommodation in the Charlottes
Pass toilet block where Diane offers me
a cup of hot water. I never realised hot
water would taste so good. There were
hugs and tears all round and several
chants of Horrie led by Paul and Virtual.
This was followed by a couple of cups of
coffee and when we had got dry and
warm, out came the bottle of french
champagne we had saved for the finish.
There we were in the Chateau de
Toilette at Charlottes Pass drinking
french champagne. It was a truly
magical moment.
So I decide that I just have to suck it up and get my arse
moving. We send the van a km up the road and I tell
Belinda to get me moving again. So we start swinging our
arms with vigour and I slowly start to quicken up. Even
though it is turtle's pace, it's still a heck of a lot quicker
than snail's pace. Belinda then asks me if I can start
running. I think the weather has got to her and she has
lost her marbles. But as she says this, she starts jogging
I cannot thank my crew enough. You
could not contemplate doing an event
like this without one. It was ably led by
the love of my life, Belinda who always
knew the right thing to say or do at the
38
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
right time, even when I didn't like the sound of it. And
she showed in those last couple of hours out in
treacherous conditions just how tough she is. Thank you
darling. I am so lucky to have found you so early in my
life. I look forward to doing several more of these events
and the rest of our lives together.
much more than a race, it is a big family adventure and
you are our ever caring parents. The effort you go to
make sure we all know what is going on and in turn you
are able to monitor things gives us all that extra feeling of
comfort. The heartfelt love you show us when we finish is
just unbelievable and I know you would love to see every
starter finish.
GraeGrae, you committed to crewing for me in
January/February this year and never faltered. Just as
you did in the nearly 40 hours we were out on the road.
You said you wanted to see first hand what we go
through in doing these ultras. I think you got more than
you bargained for.
Virtual, to see you pop out of the car just after Thredbo
River and walk with me for a couple of hours was
priceless. It made me realise how I love having you
around and I can't wait for when you return to Australia
to live, whenever that is. And those pies with just over
2km to go were absolutely sensational.
Schultzy, to come in at the last minute and fit so well into
the team just shows how committed you are. You never
missed a beat and also knew the right things to say at the
right time. I am so glad you realised the problem with the
fuel as I would have been mortified if we had to spend
any further time up in the high country. That's 2 out of 2
for me with you by my side for a 100% success rate.
To the rest of the runners and their crews, thank you for
sharing this journey. People are right when they say it is
a family reunion and the friendships that are forming are
only going to get stronger. That post race breakfast
atmosphere is truly amazing and I wish I could take it
with me wherever I go.
Paul and Diane, words cannot adequately express the
feelings the competitors have for you guys. C2K is so
Already looking forward to next year.
By CHRIS TRUSCOTT
THE
NEW
WONDER
DRUG
R
unning
I work for a pharmaceutical company and amongst all the varying drugs that propose cures to the
incurable, this tried and tested drug is by far the most convenient & effective.
What is RUNNING?
RUNNING is one of a rare class of drugs that combines
amphetamines and narcotics. It is used to treat one or
more of the following conditions of modern life: lethargy,
overeating,
sedentary
employment,
unsatisfying
employment, unsatisfying relationships, existential angst,
depression and screaming kids. RUNNING can also be
used prophylactically to curb the urge to go on shooting
sprees.
for you. Most patients have the greatest success by taking
RUNNING at the same time every day. Patients with
asshole bosses, unloving spouses and otherwise
miserable lives often take RUNNING twice a day.
You may take RUNNING before or after, but preferably
not during a meal.
Overdoses of RUNNING most typically occur in the first
few years of treatment. With time, you will find the
dosage of RUNNING that works best for you.
How should I take RUNNING?
It is important to take RUNNING regularly.
Who should not take RUNNING?
You should not start taking RUNNING if you are unable to
walk around the block. It is recommended that all
patients start at a low dose of GENERAL AEROBIC
CONDITIONING before starting RUNNING. It is not
recommended to go from no doses of RUNNING to 26.2
miles of RUNNING in six months.
Although you may experience some relief from your
symptoms in the first few days of RUNNING, most
patients require at least four weeks of treatment with
RUNNING to notice significant change.
You may take RUNNING at whatever time of day is best
39
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
Can I take RUNNING with other medications?
Although RUNNING is designed to relieve all of your
symptoms, it can be safely combined with most other
medications.
If you miss a dose of RUNNING:
Patients who miss a dose of RUNNING are advised to
make up for lost time by increasing their amount of
RUNNING on subsequent days until all feelings of guilt,
remorse, self-repulsion, depression, loss of fitness and
sudden doubling of bodyfat percentage have abated.
Some patients cannot tolerate a high enough dose of
RUNNING to gain all of the help they need. Depending on
your symptoms, you might attain better results by
combining RUNNING with CYCLING, STAIRCLIMBING,
YOGA, HIKING, CROSS COUNTRY SKIING and
ELLIPTICALLING.
Some patients can miss a dose of RUNNING without
experiencing the above withdrawal symptoms. Most
other patients hate them.
If you regularly miss doses of RUNNING but still report
good physical and mental health, you are in denial and
should resume treatment immediately.
Although similar to RUNNING, there are slight chemical
variations to WATER RUNNING and TREADMILL
RUNNING. Most patients require a significantly higher
dose of WATER RUNNING and TREADMILL RUNNING to
achieve the same results as their regular dose of
RUNNING. It is not recommended to attempt long-term
usage of WATER RUNNING and TREADMILL RUNNING.
What are the possible side effects of RUNNING?
RUNNING may produce side effects in some patients. In
clinical studies, the most common side effects with
RUNNING included: obsession with shoes; obsession
with numbers; waste of brain power on arcane statistics;
insensitivity to clothes that smell like ammonia; searing
hamstring pain while driving; black toenails; purple
toenails; no toenails; prepubescent biceps; loss of lateral
movement; severe reduction in vertical leap; crow’s feet;
smelly feet; antisociability; confusion about what
constitutes an acceptable toilet; feelings of superiority
toward people who don’t take RUNNING; confusion
about how much others want to hear about RUNNING;
potentially embarrassing public displays of appetite;
inability to recognize that RUNNING on television is
boring; misperception about how much flesh should be
shown in public; excessive time spent reading RUNNING
message boards; and extreme fatigue when spouse wants
help around the house.
Use extreme caution when RUNNING with scissors.
In no case should you combine RUNNING with
SHOTPUTTING.
The following interactions have been reported:
•
Long-time users of RUNNING reported social
ostracization and spousal disownment when DANCING.
• Patients on a high dose of RUNNING had trouble
staying afloat SWIMMING.
• Patients who mixed RUNNING with BASKETBALL
were laughed off the court.
What are other important safety considerations with
RUNNING?
RUNNING will increase the effects of alcohol. Use caution
when using alcohol to counteract the drymouth that
RUNNING can cause. RUNNING is best combined with
alcohol by finishing your dose of RUNNING first. In a
study conducted at the Beer Mile World Championships,
alcohol was found to lessen the efficiency of RUNNING.
These side effects tend to increase, not decrease in direct
relation to how long and how much you take RUNNING.
Where can I learn more about RUNNING?
This page is only a brief summary of important
information about RUNNING. For more information, talk
to just about anyone but your doctor.
Running is the habit of continuously putting one foot in front of the other, but fast. Ed
Rumour has it...
There are some early signs of success with the time taken
by Dr Plummer to hop the entire length of Northbourne
Avenue reducing from 38 minutes to just 18 minutes.
Kim kibuche managed to run the distance in 13 minutes
but is unlikely to improve. Plummer believes he will
break 13 minutes in about a year and, if he does so, the
sceptics will no longer be able to scoff at his methods.
“Australia invented the fastest swim stroke in the World,
known as the Australian crawl. Eventually, I expect it will
be the same with running and I’m predicting Australians
will be winning all the medals at international athletics
meets once hopping is allowed”.
Residents of Canberra are becoming used to the sight of a
man hopping down Northbourne Avenue. The man,
Doctor “Skip” Plummer, is a coach at the Australian
Institute of Sport and has made an across species study
into speed comparisons. A hopping Kangaroo is able to
travel at speeds up to 10kph greater than a man running
at full speed. This led to a belief that, given sufficient
training, a man could travel at those speeds as well but it
would be necessary to develop the appropriate muscles.
40
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
By STEPHEN JACKSON
The new
2009
Age groups
What age group am I in?
This question is asked many, many times, and unfortunately, the answer is not a simple one. In fact,
it is possible for one person to be in two different age groups and score points in both in
the same event depending on a couple of timing related factors. So, after much research, many long
and robust discussions at Striders Committee Meetings, we hope that this article
will explain and define age groups for the forseeable future.... that is, until someone else
wants to join the committee and argue a different approach!
now been replaced by the world standard of 5 year age
groups starting from 35. Therefore the age groups
Striders now adhere to are now:
Striders Age Groups from 1st January 2009
Until Dec 2008, the age groups at Striders have been
based on 10 year brackets with the exception of women
enjoying the Vets category from 35, whereas the men
only qualified for Vets at 40. This was in line with the
World Masters Association (WMA) rules, modified to
allow for enough runners in each age group to provide a
reasonable level of competition.
M35-39, W35-39, M40-44, W40-44, M45-49, W45-49,
M50-54, W50-54, M55-59, W55-59, M60-64, W60-64,
M65-69, W65-69, M70-74, W70-74, M75-79, W75-79,
M80-84, W80-84, M85-89, W85-89, M90-94, W90-94,
M95-99, W95-99, M100+, and finally, W100+.
In 2008, the WMA finally fixed the 35/40 anomaly and
defined 5 year age groups from 35-39, 40-44, ad
nauseum through to 100+. Now that Striders has grown
to more than 700 members, there are enough runners
across the various 5 year brackets to provide that
reasonable level of competition in each age group.
Therefore Striders has changed its age group rules to
match the WMA standard, bringing us into line with the
rest of the world.
The old PreVets category was introduced to cover an
anomaly in the Striders results in that the Vets were
dominating the events for a while and taking both Open
and Vets prizes, leaving men under 40 and women under
35 without any prizes! However, as the club population
has both grown in size and gotten a lot faster, the
anomaly exists no more, so it is time to revert to the
world standard where those under the age groups can
fend for themselves in Open competition.
The new rules are based on the Worlds Masters
Association rules detailed here:
http://www.world-mastersathletics.org/laws_rules/rulesofcompetition.pdf
The Vets anomaly of men starting at 40 but women at 35
has also been rectified with the introduction of the 35-39
age group for both sexes. Again in line with the latest
international standards.
in Section 4.
But my birthday is....
They are recognised around the world as the
international standard, and who are we to buck the
global system? (Well, this particular one, anyway).
Every year there are Striders moving from one age group
to the next. This is where the difficulty arises for the
various series and individual races. Therefore, in keeping
with the adoption of the international standard, the
following rules apply when working out what age group
you are in when you run a particular race or series:
The specifics are:
Sex: All age groups are split into Men and Women - at
least there is little argument about that split.
Single events: This is fairly straight forward. Your age
Open: All runners regardless of age are in this category.
on race day defines your age group.
This means whoever takes out the Open category will
naturally also win their Age category as everyone is also
in an Age Group.
Best performance during the year: Again, your age on
race day defines your age group. Theoretically, a
member can run a best performance in 2 separate age
groups during the year. This would occur when their
birthday is between the events.
Named Age Groups: The age groups of PreVet, Vet,
Masters, Seniors, Super Seniors, and Legends have all
41
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
the day of the race, the Age and Gender adjusted scores
are based on your age on race day, even within a series.
Club Championships: Same as Single events, age on race
day.
No birth date on file: Some members are a little reticent
10k and Super Series: Previously, Striders adopted 30
to divulge their birth date, so they are assumed to be in
the Open category and score points as a 20 year old for
the Age and Gender Adjusted points score.
June as the date of birth applicable for each series. Plum
in the middle of the year. However, the WMA
international standard that states that the age applicable
for a series is your age on the first day of the
championships, which in this case is the first race of the
10k or Super Series. So, for the 10k Series it is your age
on the first Saturday in February, and for the Super
Series it is the date of the Equaliser, usually a week later.
Age Group Records
As all Striders results are not online, it would be a
mammoth task to load and recalculate all the ladders and
age group records for the 28 years of Striders result.
Therefore until all the results are automated (volunteers
invited) the old records and ladders will stand, and new
ladders and records will start from Jan 1, 2009 for all the
new age groups.
Age & Gender Adjusted: As this competition is not
related to age groups in any way, and the data that is
used to calculate scores is specifically tied to your age on
From the
A
rchives
canoe. ‘Even Comrades was not as painful’.
Warwick Selby and Steve Urwin did the running
legs in relay teams and were 2nd and 5th vets.
Steve Cornelius continued his spruiking of AgeGraded tables and Blister printed a (cut-down)
table. (Any chance of getting these on the
website?). The tables were used for a new
division in the (new) Super Series with Jonathan
Trope leading the way after two races. Jonathan
was also leading the open comp ahead of
Richard Briscoe and Phil Boswell with the top
ladies Joanne Barton, Louise Walker and
Rozanne Green.
Awards Brunch took place at Middle Harbour
Yacht Club – Joanne Cowan and Chris Truscott
won Open Awards for both Half and Marathon,
with Jo winning Vets awards also. Chris Dwyer
won Vets Marathon, Wayne Stanton - Vets Half,
with Masters winners – Tina Campbell and Ray
Doran (Half) and Joan Bolz and Jonathan Trope
(Marathon). Seniors awards went to Manfred
Fiedler (Marathon) and Neil McPherson (Half).
Paula Whitehouse was our Triathlete of the
Year.
S.W. Bag did not run the Pheneou Marathon.
10 YEARS AGO
Striders turned out for the then annual firstrace-of-the- year – the Palm Beach to Manly
(since shut down due to road safety concerns) .
In 1999 first Striders were Grant Rankin in 2:02
and Xandra Dunn in 2:21. Xandra and Tina
Campbell won age-group prizes.
Still on Palm Beach–Manly, Michael Bailey
anticipated the difficulty of opening ‘GUs’ with
sweaty hands so carried a pair of scissors in his
pocket ! He still found his hands too sweaty to
operate the scissors so engaged a spectator’s
assistance.
John Preston reported from Thailand, giving us
more information than was required on Thai
public loos as he fronted for the Bangkok Half
and the Phuket Triathlon. But, in Thailand,
public loos are at least a safe subject.
Steve Cornelius suggested the Striders should
get a call-routing system, e.g. for information on
the 10K Series press 10, repeat 10 times and
your best 8 attempts will be taken into account.
Kevin O’Kane reported on the 19th National
Runners Week in Thredbo, including the
Crackenback Challenge 2k - straight up under
the chair lift, fun runs of 1500m, 3km, 6km and
a tennis comp – plus ‘pizza, red wine and good
fun’.
Charles Coville became the 2nd Strider to
complete the JLW Challenge. Day 1 – 33km run,
20k canoe paddle (rudderless in Charles’ case),
57km bike, Day 2 – 22km run, 75k bike, 28k
5 YEARS AGO
David Criniti recorded a 3rd best Australian 12
hour race performance at Gosford.
A 16 year-old, now Olympian, Lachlan Renshaw
ran 2nd in the NSW U-20 800m.
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BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
Jonathan Worswick, one of our ultra kings,
advised on running at altitude based on reading
and some considerable personal experience in
American high elevation events from marathon
to 100 miles.
James Moody, then MTG Coordinator, reviewed
the progress of the group to their first marathon
at Canberra- the rivalries, the training mistakes
(a proud heritage of misdirection, overdosing
on Gatorade and bright-red, non-colour –fast
caps) and the support – Steve Jackson’s speed
sessions, advice sessions from Steve’s
chiropractor, pacing from senior Striders.
Someone complained about too many pics of
our genial, smiling, photogenic Pres – Stephen
Jackson, as if such a thing were possible !
Striders became fully affiliated to Athletics NSW
and the first Striders NSW Aths teams were
formed.
Six Foot Track – Darren Benson was 5th in 3:42.
Joel Mackay juggled the whole way (OK maybe
not when crossing rivers), Frank Dearn was 2nd
O-70.
Kevin O’Kane ruminated on his knees – sorry,
about his knees, and convinced us that running
wouldn’t make us arthritis-prone - in fact up to
40km p/w it’s all positive against a sedentary
lifestyle and on mileage above that – no further
improvement or decline. The big factor in
reducing cartilage–loss for runners was
adequate rest between training sessions –
which might mean a day off, and suitable
exercises/weight training through a gym or
physio to target weak areas.
Compiled By ANDREW SMITH
J
By IAIN MARTIN
Centennial Park Training Group Update
The Centennial Park group meets twice a week on
Wednesdays and Fridays for an hour of speed work.
Wednesdays alternate hill repeats and flat sprints while
Fridays is always kilometre repeats.
Looking at the coming months a number of regular
members will be lining up for 6 foot in March (some for
the first but hopefully not the last time) and then backing
up for Canberra in May; while a number of the newer
members are aiming to run their first half marathon at
the Herald half in May.
In the last year a solid group of 10 or so has developed
with a further 10-15 occasional participants. The group
is now fairly evenly made up of men and women with
ages ranging from mid 20s through to late 50s and
speeds ranging from world class through to enthusiastic.
It has been great having a large group of strong
committed women turning up on a regular basis to
balance
out
the
testosterone, take the
ego out of training and
remind us that its meant
to be fun. That said,
there’s still plenty of
competition for those
who really want to work
hard. Resident fast man
Sam Green finished 6th
in his first Equaliser and
our
founder
Keith
Bateman is living proof
of the benefits of early
morning speed training
in Centennial Park.
Anyone out there in the Eastern suburbs or inner West
who is keen to improve their speed or just find a new
bunch to train with should give me a call on 0413 183
063
or
send
me
an
email
to
imartin@doh.health.nsw.gov.au
43
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
President’s
R
This year has been another successful one for the club,
while we are a non profit organisation we have increased
our asset value by just over $2,000.00 and have managed
to provide benefits to the membership along the way as
well as to the wider running community. Our
membership at the end of 2008 peaked in excess of 770
although that included a few early memberships for
2009.
eport
Striders 2006-2008 10 k races
Attendance
250
200
150
100
50
0
1
During the year we have been involved in the
management of numerous events all of which have been
spectacularly successful. We have managed the usual 10k
series, two Awards Functions, the 6ft Track, our in-house
Super Series and our Juniors are also out there
representing the club with a great deal of enthusiasm.
Striders have been seen all over the world competing in
events from 5k to ultra marathons in places such as
Japan, New York, Boston, London, Paris, Scotland,
Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland and Mt Everest to name a
few.
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27 29
Visitors Average
Striders 2006-2008 10 k races
Attendance
400
300
200
100
0
1
3
5
7
9
11
13 15
17 19 21
23 25
27 29
3 X 10k Races
Members
Visitors
Finances
I am sure Charles King will give greater detail about the
club finances however there are a number of items that I
believe you should be aware of.
1) During the year the committee approved
expenditure for the Sponsorships of members of the
club who were selected to represent Australia at
national and international events.
2) We have reconditioned our 10k timing system and
upgraded and replaced some of the gear which after
5 years was starting to deteriorate.
3) We have again donated $1,000.00 to the FOLC
Park
4) We arranged for donations to the Jane McGrath
Foundation in memory of Kerynn McCann through
the 10k race contributions and some additional
funds from the club.
5) We subsidised the May Awards night for those
who attended what was a particularly well organised
event and, due to it’s success, had subsequent cost
implications.
Attendance
9
11
500
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
7
9
Members Average
Striders 2006-2008 10 k races
5
7
guest speaker. Thanks are also due to Charles Coville for
his assistance in arranging for Bruce to be available to us.
The new venue for the Christmas Brunch also worked
well and I am sure all who attended enjoyed themselves.
Both events were a great success mainly due to the work
that Chris put in to make it all happen.
10 k series
The 10k series has again increased in the number of
those running. There was a total of 3,723 runners for the
year of which 1809 were members which represents
roughly 48%. Interestingly, the difference in numbers
between members and visitors is closing but relatively
slowly. The following graphs give an indication of what
has been occurring during the last 3 years. On behalf of
all of us I would like to thank Jo Cowan for taking on the
role of managing the 10k series during the last year.
3
5
3 X 10k Races
6Ft Track
A special mention must be made of Kevin Tiller and the
committee for their work at the 6ft Track which was
bigger and better and looks like being even bigger and
better this year. Last year the event provided a donation
of some $25,000.00 to the Rural Fire Service plus some
$4,000.00 to the 6ft Track Trust
1
3
11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29
3 X 10k Races
Total
Total Average
Awards Events
Chris Truscott organised our special events during the
year, this included the Awards Dinner in May where we
had the pleasure of the company of Bruce Fordyce as our
ANSW
Glenn Guzzo & Anna White looked after the ANSW team
who have also been very successful, Striders
44
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
representation at Athletics NSW events raised our profile
in the running community not only by staging the State
10km champs at Homebush in May, the club also took out
4 Premierships for the Winter season, a State Cross
Country title to Marnie Ponton and a new National 50+
record by Keith Bateman on the track over 3000m.
STaR Hosts
Our STaRs have continued under Robert Chalmers
guidance with some new courses now being included
plus some existing ones being remodelled, we have had
problems with the locals at a couple of the runs and are
now starting from new locations, watch out for the run
that will be starting from the Sydney Running Centre in
the not too distant future. Please be aware of the locals
and keep noise to a minimum.
Juniors
Under Caroline Yarnell’s guidance the ANSW Juniors
team in 2008 expanded from 5 to 11 members. Not
many, but they represented Striders by showing up to
the 6 winter races. As a result of this, the U14 boys were
5th club and the U12 girls 4th club in the state. This year
we had 3 Strider parents with juniors and currently have
interest from other parents to join Striders as family
groups.
It was proposed to the committee that we make the
Sydney Marathon our Club Championship, after
discussions with the organisers as well as club members
it was decided to retain Canberra, the decision was based
on the overall management of the event and their
performance last year.
Points System
This year has seen the introduction of a new handicap
and points score system similar to that used by the WMA,
no more trying to remember if you are a Vet or a Master
or similar with different age groups for men and women,
all you need to do is remember your age. There has been
a lot of work in putting this together and special thanks
go to Stephen Jackson, Dennis Wylie and Adam Moody.
We had 26 people looking after us during the year and
we needed every one of them. To those of you who are
retiring; my own thanks for your support during the
year. Sometimes it has been exceedingly hectic and an
enormous amount of hard work but always a pleasure to
work with such wonderful people.
On behalf of the club I would like to especially thank all of
the members of the committee for their efforts to make
Sydney Striders the respected organisation that it is.
Everybody has put in an extraordinary amount of work
during the year which has made my life so much easier.
Volunteers
The work by our Volunteers has again been exceptional,
at the 10k series we have about 45 to 50 support crew at
every event and at the 6ft Track Race we had the
committee of 6 plus who assisted Kevin during the four
months prior to the event and another 50 on the day
itself. Our volunteers have been active outside the club
and during the year we provided the Pacers for the
Sydney Marathon, with some assistance from other clubs
and this year Liz Woodhams is looking for Pacers for the
Canberra Marathon and Sydney later on.
A special word from me, I have been lucky to have Brian
Ogilwy’s support during the year, Brian has the
unenviable job of watching out for the things that I
manage to lose track of plus more recently keeping up an
ongoing races directory.
I would also like to thank the members of the club for
their patience when dealing with the committee and for
the overwhelming support from our volunteers without
whom we could not exist.
Timing System
The 10k timing system is working well although we have
had some problems during the year. We have added
another member to the committee to assist with this very
important role. There is a new software program that
will allow us to update handicaps and the new age
groups quicker in future and we are also looking at ways
of processing the members and visitors during the race
which will allow us to publish the draft results earlier.
Many thanks to Adam Moody for the work he has put into
writing this software.
Busman's holiday
The Striders' award-winning Trailwalker team from
Melbourne 2006 & Sydney 2007, consisting of Jaap
Bakker, Richard Green, Jonathon Worswick and Joel
MacKay, are having a busman's holiday in England by
competing in the inaugural Trailwalker in the Yorkshire
Dales (known as Trailtrekker). Given that 3 of the team
lie within 10km of each other in Sydney, it is a rather
long way to go for a pint but the planets were aligned for
them to do this. Their team is known as the Sydney
STARS. Prize for any correct guesses for what the team
name stands for.
Uniforms
We had a new uniform manager join us midyear and the
ladies now have access to somewhat more modest and
better fitting attire as well as a new range of crop tops
thanks to Sam Isbell for her work with our members and
suppliers with kit available at races.
New Members
New members totalled 218 last year, 135 men and 83
women were welcomed to the club by Pauline Evans.
45
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
line for Trailwalker 2008. The night before the big race
involved the old pasta loading - this time with Pizza and
red wine, followed by Port, coffee, Sambucca and beer
chasers. My stomach could take any punishment it was
dealt. I was ready.
The big day came. All went well until the 60k mark when
I first got to re-sample last night’s meal. I was quite ill. My
wife, part of our support crew, called, “What do you
want? ”Bucket!” I replied. Unfortunately, she thought I
was swearing at her and left in a huff. We slowed a bit
but not enough to prevent a recurrence. I knelt over the
remains of my dinner thinking, “I didn’t order Anchovies,
did I?” I decided to pull out of the event at 85k. With just
15k to go, it was a case of ‘so beer and yet so far’. Worst
thing was - our team was leading!
Word on CHRIS GRAHAM
They should have just shot me 4
After nearly failing to complete the 2006 and 2007
Trailwalker and for both times, nearly letting my team
down, I didn’t expect to be invited back again. But in
2008, it was forgotten. I was needed. I was determined
not to let the side down. This time I was going to toughen
myself up like never before. Not just with harder training
but with harder diet. I needed a cast iron stomach if I was
to beat this thing.
I changed to a diet of sausages and chips for breakfast
before running. Lunch was insects and Pavlova. I washed
it all down with home-made ginger beer. It paid off.
Nothing could ever make me sick again, I was sure. I took
my well trained body and cast iron stomach to the start
They carted me off to a waiting ambulance but I reckon
they should have just shot me.
Were we aware, we
wouldn’t worry
Because we don’t have club rooms or a notice board and
we are largely an internet based club, we need to be able
to contact you. We cannot contact people cheaply, en
masse by any other means. The best, most convenient
way is through email. We want you to let us send you
information. Please update your details if they have
changed,
by
sending
an
email
to
info@sydneystriders.org.au and ask to be put on the club
email list.
A lot of Striders do not receive club list emails as a matter
of personal choice. Some do not receive our emails
because the email address registered in the database is
no longer valid or they have only registered an email
address for private contact, not group or list email
contact. Some are concerned about excessive downloads,
others are concerned about spam. No spam gets to
Striders via our email list as it is 'moderated'. What does
this mean? ALL emails sent to the list are reviewed by
several Committee members. If it is SPAM, unrelated to
the club or running, or inappropriate in any way it is
manually deleted before being released to our members'
email. Before the moderators see the mail the automated
SPAM manager cleans obvious SPAM. For example:
35,000 were removed in a one month period from mid
February to mid March.
Look out Tiger!
According to State Media, the President of North Korea,
Kim Jong Il, is the World’s greatest Sportsman. Every
time he plays golf he gets a hole in one at least 4 times!
Fortunately for Tiger Woods, he is too busy dealing with
the troublesome, accusatory American administration.
These Toes Were Made for Running
By Brandon Keim
February 20, 2009 | 4:00:00 PMCategories: Anthropology
If you've ever wondered why humans don't have long,
prehensile toes that would turn our feet into extra hands,
here's an answer: stubby toes may be custom-made for
running.
Biomechanical analysis shows that long toes require
helped our savannah-dwelling ancestors chase their
prey.
"Longer toes require muscles to do more work, and exert
stronger forces to maintain stability, compared to shorter
toes," said University of Calgary anthropologist Campbell
more energy and generate more shock than short toes,
making them one of many adaptations that may have
Rolian. "So long as we were engaged in substantial
amounts of running, natural selection would favour
46
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
individuals with shorter toes."
When his team analyzed force exerted by fifteen test
Most primates — including our closest relative, the
chimpanzee — have proportionately longer toes than
humans. Our own are comparatively dwarfish and twodimensional, capable only of extending and flexing. Most
animals that run, however, also have extremely short
toes. Some species, such as cats and dogs, have paws
subjects running and walking on a pressure-sensitive
surface, they found that increasing toe length by just 20
percent produced a doubling of motor force. This can be
explained in terms known conversationally known from
the action of a see-saw: levering force is magnified by the
distance between pressure and a fulcrum.
composed almost entirely by palms. This led Rolian's
team to wonder if our foot's physiology could be
explained by running.
The importance of running to early Homo is, of course,
conjectural. But it does make sense: few other animals
are capable of long-distance running, and none can do so
Rolian also observed that longer toes require an
additional energy investment when "braking," or using
them to guide the forward-falling motion that underlies
both running and walking.
The additional work required by long toes, and a
resulting increase in muscle stress and damage, likely
under a blazing sun. (Wolves and hyenas, for example,
require cold weather or nightfall for long-distance
hunting; otherwise they overheat.) Endurance running
might have set early humans apart from the pack.
According to study co-author and Harvard University
anthropologist Daniel Lieberman, many modern
made them a victim of natural selection. The fossil
record, though spotty, provides a fitting narrative: the
toes of great apes are longer than those of
Australopithecus — the first bipedal hominid — which in
turn are longer than the toes of Homo, the genus to which
modern humans belong.
anatomical features make sense in the context of
savannah marathons. Achilles tendons act as springs to
store energy. Our hind limbs have extra-large joints. Our
buttocks muscles are perfect for stabilization, as are
regions of the brain uniquely sensitive to the physical
pitching generated by the motion of running.
Hawks notes that long-distance running is now
extremely rare, and "where it exists, it is supported by
very sophisticated cultural adaptations, including
tracking, water storage and staged transport of meat
back to home bases. There is presently little or no
evidence for these cultural adaptations in early Homo."
Toes may belong to this class of adaptations.
"Humans are well-adapted for endurance running. That's
much of what makes the human body what it is," said
Lieberman. "We're actually terrible sprinters, but the
world's best long-distance runners."
The long-runner hypothesis is not universally accepted.
But Lieberman points out that early Homo and its
descendants clearly ate large game, though the projectile
technologies ostensibly necessary to slay them were
invented just several thousand years ago.
"How did our ancestors, those weak little primates, kill
big animals? The answer is that we chased them. We
"Walking and running use the same body parts," said
University of Wisconsin paleoanthropologist John Hawks,
who was not involved in the study. "It's hard to argue
that these are specifically crafted for running" — and, to
be even more specific, for long-distance running.
However, Rolian's study, published recently in the
made them gallop. They can't pant and gallop at the same
time," said Lieberman. "We can run down a gazelle not
through speed, but through endurance."
Of course, in the modern world of grocery stores and
restaurants, long-distance running is a recreational
activity, and hard-soled shoes absorb much of the shock
Journal of Experimental Biology, makes at least a
plausible case for the importance of toes for running.
During the moment of propulsion, when one foot is in the
air and the other is on the ground, between one-half and
three-quarters of a body's weight falls squarely on the
forefoot.
felt by a bare foot. Freed from ancient evolutionary
pressures, what will happen to our feet?
It's too soon to tell, and nothing at all may happen, but
"that's generally a question you could ask about many
features of the human anatomy," said Rolian. Because it
isn't required to push off, he said, "There's talk about
"When you're walking, before you push off to start the
next step, your other foot has already hit the ground.
You've transferred some of your body weight," said
Rolian. "Your toes have to do much more work in
running, to push you."
whether the pinkie toe is eventually going to disappear."
Citation: "Walking, running and the evolution of short toes
in humans." By Campbell Rolian, Daniel E. Lieberman,
Joseph Hamill, John W. Scott and William Werbel. Journal
of Experimental Biology, Vol. 212, Issue 5. March 1, 2009.
47
BLISTER 107
JANUARY - APRIL 2009
Striders put 5 teams into the SMC 10k relays on 21
December. SMC events are well conducted and cheap
at $5 for members and $10 for non members. Many
Striders also have a membership with them.
Frank Zeichner, followed closely and ably assisted by
his “pusher” saves energy all race long before he
finally makes a move on a faster runner.
Ray Wareham gets his singlet out of mothballs, a
cunning ploy to keep other runners away, and wins
the Equalizer this year.
Tim Austin quickly dons the
emergency boxing gloves he carries
for just such occasions in a
desperate attempt to deal with the
impending threat of being beaten in
a sprint finish.
48