Centennial Celebrations

Linda Barwick gets very wet in Lucca

Sun, Sea, Sand ... and Ice!

Chris Truscott tackles the ton

Plus! All our regulars:•10km series•Athletics NSW•Juniors cornerand more ...

An Italian Tempest

Team Born to Run take five

BLISTERThe Magazine of the Sydney Striders Road Runners Club Established 1980

THEAugust-December 2012Issue 118

The Blister is published three times per year by Sydney Striders Road Runner’s Club, Inc. Address: PO Box R1227, Royal Exchange, Sydney NSW 1225, Australia. Website: www.sydneystriders.org.au Opinions published in this journal, whether expressed by members or non-members, do not necessarily represent the official policy of the club.

AcknowledgementsCover: Matthew & David Gibson (not necessarily in that order), photo Stefica Key. Additional images by: Roger Hanney, various Striders.

Sydney Striders Juniors

The Club was set up to encourage young runners to train and compete as a group. The training sessions take the form of group training rather than personal coaching.

We train on Monday nights at the Sydney Academy of Sport at Narrabeen, and Thursday nights at Manly. We have members of all ages and standards: from 8-year-olds to HSC-aged, from NSW State Representatives to those who just want to

keep fit and socialise.Our main focus is ANSW events, but we are also very active in the fun run circuit, with many taking part in the City to Surf.

Please contact us via email at juniors@sydneystriders.org.au if you would like to find out more.

Club President David Bray taking to the trails in 2012

AS THIS BLISTER issue goes to print, we are starting our annual membership renewal process. For

2013 we aim to provide you, our members, as much value as possible from your membership and have included some new benefits. The key features are listed below.

- Retention of the volunteer discount rebate. We have seen an increase in the number of members who are volunteering to assist in club activities.

- At no additional cost, registration as a community athlete with Athletics NSW for all members renewing for 2013. This provides personal accident and injury insurance during organised club activities (including travel to/from events). More details will be in your renewal package.

- A significantly revamped Super Series, with more flexibility and choice to avoid problems associated with race cancellations or limited entry places.

- Reduced preregistration for the 2013 10km series, which will consist of 9 races instead of the previous 10.

- Free entry for all members to our internal club races—the Equaliser, the Internal Half and the new addition: a 10km handicap to be held at Lane Cove.

Our AGM will be held in late February immediately after The Equaliser. Several committee members are stepping down, and we are seeking some new committee members with fresh ideas to keep our club growing and innovating and providing value to our members as well as the greater Sydney running community.

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all Striders!

David Bray, Club President

PRESIDENT ’S LE T TERBLISTER CO-EDITORSLinda Barwick & Rachael McKinney

CLUB PRESIDENTDavid Bray

vICE PRESIDENTBrian Ogilwy

SECRETARYDeanna Lum

TREASURERLynn Herrison

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATORPauline Evans

10kM SERIES RACE DIRECTORJames Masters

STAR COORDINATORRob Chalmers

UNIFORMSJoe Degabriele

jUNIORS COORDINATORTony Wong

SUPER SERIES COORDINATORJohn Bowe

RESULTS AND TIMINGPaul Hannell

SOCIAL FUNCTIONSJo Cowan

SERGEANT AT ARMSStephen Jackson

BLISTER PRODUCTION & DESIGN

Rachael McKinney & Linda Barwick

3

page 14

page 10

page 4

page 22

c o n t e n t s04 The Italian jobLinda Barwick braves the elements at the Lucca Marathon

06 Team Born to RunThe next instalment of the Five Deserts Challenge

08 The Small Olympian Insidejohn Bowe reflects on his marathon journey

10 Chris Truscott CP Ultra

Chris Truscott laps it up in the Centennial Park Ultra

13 Poem: The Ballad of St kevinFellow Striders turn to verse to pay tribute to kev O’kane

14 100km World ChampionshipsBrendan Davies reports from Italy

17 Age is No BarrierTim Austin shares some tips to keep us running towards that good night

18 The Surf Coast Centuryjonathan Worswick reports does like to be beside the seaside

21 Running to ExtremesLisa Carroli reviews the latest release from ultra-runner Lisa Tamati

22 juniors’ CornerTony Wong reports on the latest achievements from junior Striders

24 Photo GalleryA few snaps of Striders doing what they do best ... and some running too!

Plus Reports from the 10km Series, volunteers,

Super Series, and ANSW

It was raining at the start—and didn’t stop!

Moral support from a spectator at 36 km as I re-enter the city

4

The I ta l ian jobLinda Barwick battles the elements and has a ‘Lucca’ round the walls of this beautiful Tuscan town

LUCCA, A BEAUTIFUL small walled city in north-western Tuscany, is famous as the

hometown of the opera composer Puccini. One of his arias from La Bohème—“Che manina gelida”, otherwise known as “Your tiny hand is frozen”—came very much to mind by the time I crossed the finish line of the 4th Lucca marathon on 28 October.

True to the weather forecast, it had rained all the way, with a mid-morning drastic drop in temperature as large storms with sleet and chill winds swept down from the north.

According to one of my fellow runners, out in the countryside it was under 5 degrees, which must have been about 2 degrees with windchill—yes, Puccini, my tiny hands were indeed frozen, despite the gloves!

The course was really great, starting and finishing with about 4.2km along the wide boulevarde on top of the ancient city walls. Apart from getting on and off the walls, there were no hills

to speak of, just enough very gentle undulation to keep it interesting.

I had been prepared for the road closures to be treated with some leniency by the famously daredevil drivers of Lucca, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the course was extremely well marshalled and largely clear of cars throughout (though it looked like the motorists caught on the ring-road while 700-odd marathon runners crossed their path were none too pleased).

From the city, the course headed north about 5km along the via Brennero as far as Marlia, where it deviated to the east and south along some pleasant country roads to the small towns of Capannori and Porcari, before turning back to approach the city along a fairly major road (with ample footpath). By this time (30-35km) the field was pretty strung out and a lot of us were suffering from the cold.

Thankfully, the hardy souls who had stood out in pouring rain for several hours at the refreshment stations had thought to prepare some hot lemon tea, a great comfort for me in the tough latter stages of the race. There were also several sponge stations along the route—distributing the sponges dry per asciugarsi (for runners to mop the rain from our faces), though that relief didn’t last for long!

Once back inside the city walls and out of the wind, it was quite a bit warmer and I managed to pick up the pace a bit. After a final circuit of the

walls, the course finished in the Piazza San Michele, one of the city’s lovely squares (the site of a Roman forum, for those interested in ancient history).

My 4:05:04 net finishing time was a bit outside the sub 4-hour time coach Sean had ordered, but in the circumstances that was quite respectable—even the race winners were 5 minutes slower than last year, and some other runners reported finishing times 15 minutes slower than expected. I was thrilled to place 4th in my age group (racing against spring chickens 8 years younger than me)—not to mention being first (and last) Australian across the line!

Recovery from the marathon was the best ever, probably because of the ice-water treatment continuously applied to my legs throughout the run!

It was a relatively small marathon—about 690 of the 726 entrants completed the race—and it had a lovely friendly feel to it. Because I speak

Proof positive that my official gun time of 4:06:00 was wrong, wrong, wrong!

Coming off the city walls at 5km or so, still with a spring in my step.

5

Italian, I had good chats with various runners, and ran for quite a while with fellow vets Lucia Chiappa from the Gruppo Marciatori Barga club, and later Antonio valzani from the Amatori Podistica Terni club. I was surprised to find how many people in Lucca speak good English nowadays, so I’m sure other Australians contemplating a trip to this marathon would enjoy the company there too.

It’s a certified course with chip timing and also serves as a national veterans’ championship race. As a non-EU entrant, I had to provide a medical certificate of fitness to compete, but apart from that, entry was straightforward, completed online at the very reasonable price of only 30 euros, including a nice T-shirt to pick up from the marathon expo the day before the race.

Before and after the race, Allan and I had a great time eating our way around the excellent restaurants of Lucca, so we’re both keen to come back for me to run the marathon another time. It is the best place in the world for pre-race carb loading: a pasticceria around every corner!

Lucca is easily and cheaply reached by train or bus from Pisa airport. You can book accommodation directly through the marathon website www.luccamarathon.it. If sightseeing is your thing, there are plenty of bikes for hire, and of course Florence and Pisa are nearby.

Allan and I stayed at a lovely small hotel “Alla Corte degli Angeli”, which we’d visited before, but there are many others inside the walls, all providing easy access to the city walls for pre-marathon course reconnaissance.

I hope to see more Australians (and more Striders) at my next outing there!

10km Series Report

10km Race Director james Masters concludes on another

successful 10km series.

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SYDNEY Striders 10km Series has drawn to a close

and my second year at the helm was a little less chaotic than the first! There were no major incidents, ambulances, altercations or arguments, and in my book that’s a good result. 

Along with a lack of negatives there were a whole heap of positives including the successful trial of the new-look North Head course, consistent attendance numbers throughout the year, and an almost uncountable number of PB’s month after month. 

Congratulations to all who ran, to those who won and to those who

turned up every single month! 

So, here is the year in numbers:

289: The average number of race finishers for 2012

31:40: The fastest 10km run during 2012 (Thomas DeCanto)

4: Most number of race wins (David Criniti)

12: The number of ‘centurions’ who ran all 10 races

3: The number of 10km races I com-pleted this year ... hmmm!

Let’s aim for improvements in all areas in 2013!

As always I want to thank all my volunteers and committee members who are happy to help throughout the year, your efforts are much appreciated.

Best wishes to all over the holiday season, stay safe and run well.

Thanks to 10km Series sponsors Mizuno and The Sydney Running

Centre

Team Born to Run demonstrate their signature move at the Martial Glacier

6

AS MUCH AS it might make us sound like aficionados of self-congratulation, every member of Team Born to Run has started

sentences at some point in the past 12 days with the phrase, “when we were in the Sahara”. But it’s entirely possible that we have used the phrase, “next week, when we’re in Antarctica,” even more frequently.

For many runners, “living the dream” might mean running a sub-3 marathon, a 2:20 perhaps. Or maybe it’s a sub-1-hour City to Surf, a sub-4 Six Foot Track, a sub-10 100km, a sub-24 100-miler. Whatever it is, it probably doesn’t involve running with all your food for the coming week crammed into a backpack with your sleeping bag, toilet paper, and fork.

B u t h av i n g j u s t outlasted the limitless heat, boundless horizons, and bottomless sands of the Sahara to rush back and finish organising snow goggles, waterproof gaiters, and Everest-proof mittens for Team Born to Run, it’s safe to say that this dream is almost real, and it’s going to be near impossible to beat.

That said, even dreams that end well can feature sensations of checked motion, running without moving, and no place of shelter or sense of time productively passed. Sahara was certainly a race of three halves. The illness and near-catastrophe of Gobi left us psyched for a trouble-free race in the classic Egyptian desert of childhood stories. And it started so well, we thought.

Amazing campsite, an incredible desert night with a full moon so bright that just 3 planets and no stars were visible, and we were ready to run: for 25km. Then

it was a first day death march, as Born to Run founder Greg Donovan succumbed to heat—lots of heat—and we barely jogged it in. A virus the previous week, Big Red Run in the Simpson Desert to organise and launch, a charitable foundation to promote, a daughter to marry off, daily to-do lists with over 100 tasks to complete—none of these were helping as he lay in the medical tent.

To replace fluid and restore salt levels without administering a dreaded race-ending Iv drip, doctors

had him drinking high volumes of beef bouillon —soup stock. Between his first and second pee of the day, roughly 13 hours and 18 litres of water, electolyte, sports drink, and cold soup had passed—or failed to pass. Dehydration is a beast to run through, and without spending hours on a hot course without cooling or shade relief, it’s hard

to understand just what it means to bottom out on Day 1 of a multiday.

At any rate, for the next 3 days the going was sunny, sandy, slow, and sometimes sour. This is the team challenge. It’s perhaps why no team has—yet—bagged the 4 Deserts Grand Slam. After 160km covered slowly in survival mode, knee deep soft sand dunes, significantly more time on feet than anticipated, and moments of discord within the group, usually dissipated by spending more time with other runners on course, a painful 87km was expected for the LONG hot day 5.

Even the ever-effervescent jess Baker fizzled a little in this unique landscape where beauty and cruelty are clearly well-established partners.

But a turnaround was on the cards, and though

From One Ex treme to the O therTeam Born to Run shake the sand from their shoes and prepare to “take five’”

words by Roger Hanney

The intrepid jess Baker

Getting ready for Antartica, L to R: Matt Donovan, jess Baker, Ron Schwebel. Photo Roger Hanney

7

the 5th day might have been something for our aforementioned 2:20 marathoners to scoff at, it was steady, determined, and it saw Greg storming through checkpoints without pause for chat or cheers. Even the ever-ready Ron Schwebel became our Gollum for close to 10km, an imagined figure chasing us through the night and hopefully catching but, at best, matching our pace.

With nightfall, the game changed entirely. Tempo lifted as a newly-cool breeze buoyed weathered spirits. Did I not mention that we had passed the 20km checkpoint earlier in the day with freshly bought frosty cans of cola, for our trot through the open-air UNESCO whale burial ground, scattered with the bones and intact skeletons of prehistoric whales from tens of millions of years ago? They were land giants who fed on mangroves and would ultimately evolve by leaving land to go into the ocean.

But that was 7 hours ago. Now we’re running across the Sahara, lit by stars and moonlight, cranking the Ayups when romantic notions of night running away from civilization give way to the hunger for a pre-midnight finish.

Once again, Greg’s son Matt shone through as everybody put it in to get home. jess ran up and down, just for some extra mileage, pushing back against any inclination to slow as many runners typically do late in an ultra.

Uphill, exhausted, and across a distance double our expectations—as was so often the case in this land of distorted perspective—the team finished hand-in-filthy-sweaty-hand at 9 seconds to midnight. job done.

The following day’s history lesson about the desert’s tribes and geology, and even the jaw-dropping run from the Sphinx, past the Pyramids to a much-welcomed finish line did not displace the lesson of the week. Sometimes the greatest joy is to be found in the greatest struggle.

And sand in your sleeping bag SUCkS!!!!

Next stop Santiago, Chile. Then Buenos Aires, and the southern tip of Argentina, Ushuaia, where we’ll get a bit used to the cold, shed some jetlag, and board a boat to the Antarctic coast. On the way across Drake’s Passage, it is forecast that 90 per cent of us will become seasick. After 2 days, Team Born to Run plus emergency survival gear will be whisked to a penguin-dotted shore where we hope to run 100km on the first day.

By the end of the week, we will be the first team to bag the slam, plus Greg and Matt will be the first father and son to take out this challenge and I’ll be the first person living with type 1 diabetes. A number of other world firsts will draw further positive attention for our cause, the Foundation, and www.BigRedRun.com.au.

It’s gonna be a huge ending, and a big new beginning.

8

The Smal l Olympian I ns idejohn Bowe ref lec ts on becoming a marathon runner . . . eventual ly

AS I RE-GROUPED after the Westlink M7 Cities Marathon this year, I

started to contemplate running another one. But first I needed to ask the question, why?

Deep inside each of us, there is a small Olympian struggling to get out, perhaps re-awoken once every four years. just a little talent, hard work and singular commitment might be the only thing that separates us.

And in those private moments, haven’t we all thought... well, that might just have been me?

It’s 1976, I’m 12, and the Montreal Olympics is playing on our new colour Tv. Irish middle distance athlete Eamonn Coughlan has just been narrowly beaten into fourth in the 1500 metres final. Ireland rarely expects to win a medal except, somewhat stereotypically, perhaps in boxing!

I remember running that race with him mentally and imagining that I might have the drive (if not the talent) necessary to win that medal.

And then again in 1984 in Los Angeles, watching fellow Waterford man, john Treacy, “the little man with the big heart”, as he thrillingly passed Brit Charlie Spedding in the Olympic Stadium, 150 metres from the finish, to claim marathon silver behind Carlos Lopez from Portugal.

He had clawed his way up the field from 6th at halfway, to finish in the

medals!

And, wow! No-one had seen it coming.

They were both just like people I knew, ordinary looking, just like me really... except that I hadn’t run since school sports age 13.

I didn’t run again for 30 years until at 43 I paced my daughter, then 13, in her first City2Surf. Soon after followed a half marathon and then a full marathon and I started to remember, and wonder why I had waited.

‘It seems to me that marathons ... are a very

personal and lonely pursuit’

It seems to me that marathons, more than any other distance, are a very personal and lonely pursuit. just you, 42.195km of hard surface and sufferance, and an arbitrary impression of the time on a clock as you cross that line. No excited televised Olympics commentary, well none that anyone else is able to hear anyway.

It’s not easy to share, your target, yours and yours alone. And even harder to share the reasons why…and when you proudly mention your time to a non-marathoner, they nod approvingly, but really have no idea.

If you haven’t run a marathon, you have no visceral understanding of it. Perhaps you have, with some pity, studied that lone and broken figure

over that last 400 or 500 metres. Completely spent, bedraggled and depleted on that final homeward stretch. Thank God, that’s not me! Then the mixture of sheer relief and exhaustion... or is that elation?

And if you have run a marathon, each experience is entirely different anyway. Some run with metronomic, mathematically planned and controlled precision.

And the rest of us have some sort of a plan and not much of a clue. Then unwisely we vary it and realise far too late that we should have stuck to Plan A, or think that perhaps Plan B might have been much wiser. If you’re lucky you get away with it, but most of us don’t!

I had no conscious idea that I might ever want to run a marathon, or at least I had deeply buried that childhood moment. I probably thought marathoners were all mad. I think I still do.

Seven marathons later, I still have no idea why I might want to run a marathon. But then you see, I have yet to ‘run’ one, a good one. I am not even sure that I know what that is.

My ‘good’ used to be a sub 3:30. Then sub 3:15. Then sub 3:05. And after many failed attempts at the latter, now I think perhaps I should just focus on running a well-paced and well-controlled marathon instead, and bugger the time! Of course it can’t be too soft a target,

john Treacy with Charlie Spedding in

pursuit

(Image INPHO\Allsports)

john Bowe and Glenn “Horrie” Lockwood at a recent Striders 10km

9

can it, or what would then be the point? Too easy... no challenge!

So what is it about that magical sub-3 hours? It is the weekend hacker’s 4 minute mile. It is the other side of the line you might cross. It is where your time starts with the same figure as the marathon world record.

I first registered the real significance of ‘’2’’, when I saw that ‘’cat got the cream” look on Wayne Gregory’s 49-year-old face after his sub 3-hour Canberra marathon in 2009, and I thought, I want to feel like he looks!

The closer to 50 I move, the further

away a sub-3-hour marathon seems to recede, and of course the more urgent and motivated (or perhaps desperate) I seem to become!

Which brings me back to the why?

It is perhaps getting smaller, but I still have that small Olympian somewhere deep inside, still imagining that moment, that slightly heroic act. Now I can dispense with the audience or a Tv commentator...and settle for an audience of one, that 13-year-old watching Eamonn Coghlan and then john Treacy, ‘’the little man with the big heart’.

And, wow! No one had seen it coming. Least of all me.

Goodbye Distance, Hello Track!

Strider jo Williamson resurrects her love of the track in the

ANSW Summer Season

I HAvE HAD A quiet desire over the last 12 years to set foot back on the track. Track is familiar, as I used to race on track

before starting a family. After a troubled year of injury, illness, and looking after a very busy family of budding soccer players, this year I was personally craving new challenges and goals, and a change of pace.

I had a taste-test during the World Masters Games (WMG) at Sydney Olympic Park in 2009, and yes, loved every bit of it. The funny thing is, ever since the WMG three years ago, I have said to myself every year, I must register for the Summer Season! However, in true parenting style, family always comes first and whatever is left, even if it’s an hour at 5am in the morning, is what we give ourselves.

Recent emails from jo Cowan and Mary Stringer (the ANSW co-ordinators for Striders),

inspired me to make the change this season. I logged on to ANSW, paid my registration, liaised with jo and Mary and before I knew it, I was in the 3000m State Championships one week, and in the 4 x 1500m women’s relay the next week. OMG, I did it!

I love being a Strider, and the unconditional support that comes with it made my return to the track an easy one. The camaraderie, cheering on the side from people you may have only met once or twice (or not at all!) really is an inspiration.

Competing on track is a great feeling. Like any race, it comes with nerves and anxiousness, and the sizing up of the field next to you. It certainly doesn’t mean you have to be the fastest, and yes, it does place you outside your comfort zone. This is why we all started running for Striders in the first place: raise benchmarks, find improvement, achieve your desired goal(s).

Take the plunge and join the Summer Season. Not only will you have fun, but you will enter winter 2013 fitter, faster and stronger, with goals

jo has a bit of fun practicing her podium

finish

you may have never thought achievable.

See you on the track….

10

WH Y O N E A R T H would you want to do that?”, was

my father’s comment when I told him I was lining up for the 2012 Centennial Park 100km Ultra (CP100km). “Because it’s a few minutes’ drive from home, Dad!” And with that, I had entered and was on the way to running my first solo 100km race.

This event, held at Sydney’s Centennial Park on September 23rd, offered me a great opportunity to run close to home in front of friends and family and on a course that I know extremely well—since my stomping ground for over a decade now has been the 3.54km inner white fence loop of the park that the ultra loops 28 times.

Sure, I love the bush trails, mountain routes and coastal runs, but the main goal of running the CP100km was to go under 8hrs on a flat course, potentially earning a qualifier for the 100km World Championships in 2013.

I was pleased to learn that my good friend and 2010 Sydney Oxfam Trailwalker team mate, Damian Tancred, had also entered. And thanks to entry updates from race director April Palmerlee, I also knew of two other names to watch out for: Tim Cochrane and jo Blake, both seasoned ultra runners.

Race day arrived and the temperature was due to peak at 26 degrees, which wouldn’t be ideal. I prepared accordingly, and after my two-minute drive into the park (well I didn’t want to waste energy walking, did I?) I went about setting up my crew area alongside Damo.

We chatted pre-race about all things nutrition, pacing, our lack of adequate training, and most importantly the icy cold beers in my esky awaiting our finish. It was good to get a laugh at 5.30am, as I waited to run non-stop for most of the day.

‘That’s when my pacing plan went ... out the

window’

So, with my crew table all set up, my comfy New Balance 890’s strapped on and my race plan well and truly locked in, we were off on the first of many laps. That’s when my pacing plan went immediately out the window.

Tim Cochrane and I led jo Blake off at a casual pace for the first little 1km loop (required prior to starting the 28 circuits). Tim asked me what my goal was (sub-8 hours), I asked him what he was hoping to run (7 hours 30 minutes) and with that he was off.

At the completion of the first lap, I looked at my watch and was

worried to see I was averaging 4:20 minutes per km—10 seconds faster than my original goal pace. Tim was already stretching his lead, so I had to make the decision to let him go, and settled back into an easy rhythm. With jo Blake not far behind, I didn’t want to blow up early.

Most people commented that running 28 laps of the same loop would do my head in, but I found that every single lap provided me with someone or something new to avert my attention.

I had the ever-friendly and vocal Barb Becker at the halfway drink stop every lap, some of my family having brunch at the café, other competitors in both the 50km and 100km to chat to along the way, and my wife Greta and our six-month old, jaden, holding the fort

Centennial Celebrat ionsChris Truscott abandons his pacing plan but st i l l br ings i t home in PB st y le

Chris is congratulated by second place-getter jo Blake

A possible future ultra runner is on hand to support Dad

Chris is urged on to a PB by fellow Striders Anna and Race Director April

11

at the checkpoint table.

Thanks also go to a few mates: Anthony Coburn, Tim Lindop and Warren (Woz) Williams, for keeping me posted on Tim’s lead. At one stage it blew out to almost four minutes and I had my work cut out.

Then the race started to turn, with Tim slowing after about 20kms. As I ran through the checkpoint asking Woz for the time check, he simply pointed 20 metres in front to where Tim was and with that, I moved quickly into the lead.

Now what? Do I push on and consolidate, only to possibly blow up myself, or do I simply keep the rhythm going? I opted for the latter, and by halfway (around 3 hours 42 minutes) I was sitting with a 10–12 minute lead.

From here it was my mind versus my legs till the end. I had talked up this big 100km I had crazily entered, easy when you’re six months away from actually doing it. Now that I was at the business end of the event, it was time to put up.

The 2013 100k m World Championships in South korea is coming up, and I’ve been keen to take Greta to Asia for many years. Nothing like a marathon (or ultra) to get travel plans off the ground.

These races are usually run on flat road circuits (approx 5kms) so the Centennial Park route was adequate preparation I thought, apart from the surface.

I had also chatted to 100km veterans Andy Heyden and Brendan Davies who represented Australia at this year’s World Championships (where Brendan ran an astonishing 6 hours 56 minutes), to work out what food I should be eating along the way and other such advice.

‘I felt bad holding a beer as he ran though each time’

Patience was mentioned a lot in their tips, as they probably wondered how this 10km/occasional marathon runner would fare in their backyard.

And so I was patient, and confident, and motivated and upbeat, despite a cramping left calf that required me to stop briefly every lap from 60kms to the end.But I was in a comfortable lead and felt great otherwise, so each time I continued on after it released. By 70kms my thoughts were simply: “Oh it’s only a long run to go”.

That’s what I did all day—break it up, compartmentalise, busy myself calculating times and numbers— so time flew by. I remember going

through the start/finish at 2:07:51 and yelling out to a few mates “Deek’s marathon PB just went by”.

Not long after that, I found I had been running for four hours, and then suddenly six hours. Wow, a totally different headspace.

Before I knew it, I had two laps to go—7kms—and was sitting on 7 hours 15 minutes. I was pretty confident that I could run those last laps in under 45 minutes but I wasn’t counting my chickens. That calf was very pesky (it would eventually add an estimated 10 minutes to my final time).

Then lap 27 was complete, and 7 hours 33 minutes clicked by. “I could walk this last lap and still make it, surely?” was my first thought. “Why would you want to do that you idiot?” was my second and final thought.

I wanted to thank all the volunteers who had given up their time to man road crossings and drink stations, and had no doubt given up on trying to work out what was actually happening in the race.

“Hey Damo ... beer’s getting warm”

12

So I chatted to them briefly as I ran the last lap, thanking them for their help.

With 1km to go, I was starting to gear up for my finish. “Do I go with two hands in the air or fists pumping? Should I try and jump over the finish line?” These, sadly, were my thoughts, followed by “just finish it you d*#^head”.

Then, with 100m to go, the good old left calf seized up again, and the finish started looking a little comedic. Stretch, massage, stretch and off again.

And then somehow I had finished—7hrs 51mins 43 seconds—job done.

My training squad, coach, family and friends, as well as my wife and bub were all at the finish waiting for me. It was quite humbling. That’s when my next hero, Luke Palmerlee, walked over with a cold beer and

thrust it into my hands. “There go you mate —well done”.

We then turned our attention on getting Damo across the line. He was still moving ok but being out there a little longer in the heat couldn’t have been enjoyable, and he really had to dig in to get around those last 3-4 laps.

I felt bad holding a beer as he ran through each time but I’m sure that, deep down, he understood. Damo finished strongly and with a smile on his face. He’s already planning his 2013 assault on the race.

I have now run a qualifier for next October ’s 100km World Championships. Whether I am selected is something I need to be patient for. I’m just glad I did what I set out to do, and actually (surprisingly) had a lot of fun doing so.

I am grateful to all the people who

make these achievements possible, especially the Palmerlees, and I can only dream about running a time next year similar to Brendan’s. Until then I’ll climb back down the distance ladder a few notches and get ready for the track season and beyond into early 2013.

Brussels jogging Tour

Strider and Blister co-editor Linda Barwick laced up her runners for a unique sightseeing

tour of Brussels.

ON A WORk trip to Brussels in june, I was pleased to discover a group that offers jogging tours of the town. It turned out to

be a great way to see the sights, get some exercise and make a local friend, not to mention adjusting to jetlag with that all-important exposure to daylight!

My guide Corentin Wauters offers a number of different tours at a pace and distance to suit the customer(s). I was the only participant in my tour, but of course the cost is reduced if you have a group.

Brussels was surprisingly hilly. My accommodation

was in the “Euro Zone”, located on the top of the hill, near the Royal Palace and a lovely park, and some impressive art galleries.

The architecture of the many EU offices in this area was rather forbidding and modern, but down the hill in the old city we passed the amazing baroque confection that is the Town Hall.

At 6:15am we also got a closeup view of the famous Manneken Pis (“little boy peeing” statue), which is apparently usually obscured by hordes of tourists. Corentin also pointed out the best place to buy chocolate, and the Tintin specialist comic shop.

It was a bit of a slog back up the hill at the end of the tour but I thoroughly enjoyed the hour we spent together, and recommend Corentin and the tour.

http://www.brusselsrunningtours.be/

13

Spare a thought, if you will, for a fogey called kevinWho’s pounded the road betwixt birth date and heavenWhile dreading the day when his decades are sevenOn that long winding road towards 60.

Some call him O’kanine, some call him The FoxHe just tells them all to get back in their boxDon’t pick fights with kevin; he’s strong as an oxThat’s how he’s made it to 60.

Time takes its toll on an old runner’s kneesHis back sometimes aches and he gets the odd wheezeHe feels that he’s falling apart by degreesBut he’s battled along and made 60.

On StaR runs he’s a disciplinarianMany have called him a totalitarianNow the old codger’s a sexagenarianHe’s finally made it to 60.

His talk on the run is of health and “detraining”And injuries, stretching, PBs and rogainingHe won’t even stop when it’s snowing or rainingOn his long-running quest to make 60.

kevin’s renowned for his love of fine wineHis table’s his altar, his cellar’s his shrine

His life is where running and booze intertwineThat’s how he’s made it to 60.

His running mates (Gillian, jackie and Carol)Receive good advice about running apparelAs they run Bobbin Head and Bondi and BalmoralOn the long and hard road towards 60.

kev’s nemesis, Ian, claims better PBsAnd more expertise when he’s riding on skisAnd blames kOk for the state of his kneesBut nevertheless has made 60.

In the Sunday morn’s darkness for kevin they searchIf you’re late to arrive you get left in the lurchFor he’s got to get home and take jan to churchTo ensure that there’s life beyond 60.

Some have accused him of leading a cultBut all of his followers often exultOn reviewing their own maiden marathon resultThey’ve followed him right through to 60.

So come all you young runners, wherever you beAnd heed this advice which I offer for freeIf you follow old kevin and his devoted three,Be sure that you’ll make it to 60.

The Bal lad of Saint kevinFellow Str iders ‘SW Bag & C T ’ pay t r ibute to running

sexagenar ian kevin O ’k ane in verse

Sydney Summer Twi l ight S er ies

STRIDERS ITCHING FOR some 5km and 10km time trials over the summer need look no further than the Coolrunning Sydney Summer Twilight series. This is a 5km and 10km time trial series in the Sydney Metro area over the summer months.

It is organised informally by volunteer hosts, who put their hand up to facilitate the event at their preferred date and venue. Races, generally on Fridays, are held in the twilight so that runners can race after work. All standards welcome. Look for the group on facebook, or head to the coolrunning website page:

www.coolrunning.com.au/runningguide/wiki/index.php/Sydney_Summer_Twilight_Series

Brendan makes it look effortless as he holds off the competition

14

jUST kEEP PUTTING one foot in front of the other Brendan! keep moving forward at any

cost. It was only 15km to the finish but it could have been a thousand. I was feeling like death and looking for a hole to lie in. Hey, who turned out the lights? Oh, it’s just an overhead tunnel I’m running through. What’s happened to my hearing? Is it the sweat filling my ears or is something cognitive going awry? This was going from bad to terrible very quickly.

24 hours earlier and it was a real buzz to be introduced as Team Australia, along with fellow Sydney Strider Andrew Heyden and team manager Robert Boyce, standing with the Australian Flag in the Seregno Piazza during the Opening Ceremony. Baton twirlers led a 20-piece marching band through the city centre, belting out energising hits like Eye of the Tiger.

All the athletes followed behind the band and were graciously welcomed by the local residents. We proudly marched behind one-man team Andorra, and in front of the larger Austrian team. The biggest cheer was of course left for the even bigger Italian team, led by the irreplaceable and current 100km World Champion and IAU ultra-runner of the year, Giorgio Calcaterra. This was a guy who once ran 20 sub 2:20 marathons in a year. All the big ultra-running nations had large teams; the USA, Spain, Russia, japan and Sweden.

Next morning I was at the start line and gripped by feelings of great

anticipation and pride, running for Australia with the elite of road ultra-running. Leading into the event, I felt as best prepared as I could be. I had done everything right, giving this race the respect it deserved. I had done the long runs—40, 50, 60+km weekly progressions with good mate and Aussie 24-hour representative

Ewan Horsburgh. I had done the back-to-back long weekend runs and the long taper into the event, walking my way around foreign lands and denying myself the feast of Turkish cuisine day after day. I was fresh, had my race plan and was looking forward to seeing what I could deliver.

My previous best at this distance had been 7:31 at the inaugural Commonwealth Ultra Distance Championships in 2009. After this, I had failed twice at the road 100km format, both times pulling the pin at

50km after setting over-ambitious targets. I had learnt my lesson: I wasn’t going to jeopardise the outcome I deserved by getting caught up in the moment or by not running my own race.

My plan was to follow the great Don Wallace’s advice and leave the running until the very end of the race; the build-up would be slow but purposeful; measured and precise. It’s the only way to run these events where pacing is crucial, and knowing your targets is key. The layout of the course was to my liking, five 20km laps through the streets of Seregno; with only one U-turn it was a quick, flat course. It made it easy to break my race strategy into five parts. The first 20k was the warm up, second the building stage, third the consolidation, fourth was the ‘let the games begin’ and the fifth was always going to be the mystery lap (in other words, let’s see how I feel)! With Robert Boyce positioned at the 10km aid station and my ever-supportive wife Nadine at the start/finish, my nutrition and hydration aid plan was in capable hands. This is how the race unfolded.

Lap 1, 0–20km:  Conditions were ideal. I started conservatively and had to rein in my stride length and cadence; jogging and barely raising a sweat warming up, and introducing myself to some others to run with. I was trying to be as economical as possible with my leg lift and power output. I was keeping fluids and calories up while letting the bunnies

IAU Wor ld 100k m ChampionshipsBrendan Davies takes tea and a Coke bath in pursuit of the sub -7 dream

Brendan with fellow Strider and team-mate, Andrew Heyden

The Australian squad rally round the Aussie flag

15

go off in the distance. My average km splits were 4:08 and although this was, if anything, a couple of seconds faster than I had planned, mentally I felt right on top of this race.

Lap 2, 21–40km: This was very similar to the first 20km, but my cadence began to ramp up slightly, while still feeling like a fast jog. I found some packs to run with, and protected myself from the little breeze that was blowing. I was running well within myself; one of the hardest things in ultras is keeping the speedometer under control.

I knew I was going to have a good day. I kept my fluids and calories up. I learnt the hard way that Italian aid stations are quite different from those in Australia, twice picking up cups I thought were water only to gulp down firstly warm tea and then mineral water! I didn’t gain many places, but this was not expected at this early stage. My average km splits were 4:01. I was getting a buzz out of the crowd lining the streets and

loving it!

Lap 3, 41–60km: I was running with French and American runners, and we gradually reined in some packs that were starting to pay for their quick start. I was in a really good rhythm and felt great. My feet were comfortable, my arms and shoulders relaxed and my cadence was ticking over like clockwork.

Thankfully there were no signs of muscular fatigue. In the much more taxing trail ultra races, my quads and calves would be beginning to complain by now. I was running as lightly as possible, just trying to kiss the ground before toe off, high on my midfoot.

“I could hear the chortles of laughter as I ran off”

Each kilometre I would focus on something new; rotating between an aspect of my feet, arms, breathing, head and torso. I was listening attentively for the slapping sound of a tired footstrike. I heard them, but only from those that I was passing! Average km splits for this lap were 3:58. Things were on track!

Lap 4, 61–80km: This was my quickest lap, as I was lulled into a false sense of security by my race execution so far and, either courageously or foolhardily, decided that this was the day to have a crack and go for something special. I began to stretch out, up the cadence and the scale of effort. I pulled in many of the early pace-setting bunnies, who offered no challenge, many of them fading badly while I was powering on. I probably passed 10–15 guys and

saw a lot of others pull the pin and succumb to the mental barrier that is another 30-odd kilometres with a broken-down engine.

At the 70km aid station, Rob handed me a cup of what I expected to be water. With the day heating up, and another aid station only a hundred metres further up, I threw this one over the head. Great idea, only that it was Coke in the cup! I could hear chortles of laughter as I ran off. Regardless, it must have given me the effect I wanted and you know it’s a good day when you start passing powerhouse nations like japan, Spain and the USA. I suspected I must be up in the top 20, but surprised myself and caught Nadine off-guard at the 80km mark by coming in seventh and finding her casually chatting to the Irish crew! I was on track for a massive run. Average km splits were 3:52 and by the end of the lap my average splits over the entire race were right on 4 minutes.

Lap 5, 81–100km: BAM!! I went from feeling great to feeling like

16

someone had dropped the piano on my shoulders! I could not believe how quickly I was breaking down. Without much  warning, from the 82km mark my laps started to blow out worryingly. I walked a couple of the aid and sponge stations and was beginning to be passed by runners that I had passed a little earlier on the previous lap, and I knew it was now a real possibility of losing the sub-7 hour goal and blowing my time right out.

They say these races are run in the last 10km. Had I made my charge a little too early? At the 90km aid station, Rob Boyce handed me a bottle of Coke and it made an immediate difference. I began running myself out of the bad patch! Back to running instead of shuffling, hitting 4:10-4:20km again and even passing one French guy that had only a couple of kilometres earlier passed me.

I was battling it out with a US runner with whom I had run a large section of the race. I had no idea of my position but it didn’t matter, the sub-7 was the only goal. In the last 2–3kms, I battled, but he put on a great surge with a km to go and I couldn’t go with him. My average km splits were 4:34. I’d thrown the dice and come out slightly behind, but nothing ventured nothing gained!

Reflecting back I can’t help but think that at the 80km mark I was on track for a massive negative split and the most perfect of perfect races with an approx 6:45 finish time and very high finishing position. However, it was not to be, the bad patch from

82–91km probably told me either that I made my charge a little too early or put just a bit too much into the previous lap. I tend to think it was a bit of both, especially towards the end of the 60–80km lap where I was putting efforts in to chase down

guys that were no longer struggling, but actually running quite within themselves. I think I may have got a bit greedy with the passes. Resigning myself to just easing back behind these guys that were running well and settling down the pace would probably have been the wisest choice. But in the heat of the battle, these decisions are difficult to make!

‘It was, as always, a great honour to represent

Australia’

On the positive, I reached my “A” goal of sub-7 hours, and the bonus was finishing in 11th place, perhaps destiny given this was also my bib number! I was disciplined with pace early on, something I have struggled

with in the past. This race proves that in ultras, the best idea is to ease into the race and aim for a negative split.

Fellow Aussie Andrew Heyden went in with a few niggles but toughed it out bravely to finish in a very smart time of just over 8 hours. The winner was home-town hero Giorgio, with a sub 6:30 time.

It was, as always, a great honour to represent Australia and I really did enjoy training and racing again on the road after concentrating on trail ultras so much in the last year or so. Road and trail are different disciplines altogether and road ultras can teach you so much about economy, rhythm and pacing that trail ultras don’t.

Hopefully we’ll have two full teams at next year’s World Championships in korea. I have a feeling there won’t be as many of the European nations represented either, due to travel and expenses. The course is flat and fast and you can be sure of korean efficiency with the organisation. With the race in October next year, there is plenty of time to prepare and plan a qualifier.

Lastly, I would just like to thank AURA for their support and selection in the team and especially Rob Boyce for his efficient and smooth management on the ground in Seregno. Thanks also to team captain and Strider team-mate Andrew Heyden for his support, and of course my wife Nadine for impeccable crewing and putting up with the alarm clock going off so early in the morning for so many early morning training runs!

Brendan heads for the finish arms aloft

17

Age is no Barr ierLong t ime Str ider and Pr incipal Physiotherapist at Camperdown,

Tim Aust in , expla ins

EM P I R I C A L LY, T H E R E WOULD appear to be a resurgence of interest in

“Masters” involvement in a wide range of sports. Certainly, from a physiotherapy perspective, there have been an increasing number of consultations from “masters” participants playing soccer, netball, touch football and futsal, as well as running.

Fundamentally, the main problem with writing an article on this topic is that there is a lack of good quality research into it. What research there is seems to indicate that injury rates do not increase substantially with increasing age. Perhaps, what is being seen is simply more injuries because of increased participation. However, let’s look at what we do know about our bodies and the ageing process.

There are a number of issues related to what happens in our bodies as we age. Firstly, there are changes that occur in joints. Wherever two bones meet in the body (a joint), there is a thin layer of cartilage, which works to minimise the friction of the moving parts. As joints get older, the cartilage becomes thinner. This is usually of greater consequence on the weight-bearing joints (knees, ankles and hips). The interesting, and very important, feature of the wearing of the cartilage is that the pain that may result from the thinning

of the cartilage is not necessarily proportional to the degree of wearing of the cartilage. Some people have a small loss of cartilage and lots of pain, whereas others have almost no cartilage left and no pain at all. I know a number of Striders still running (fairly) happily with cartilage wear or damage.

“Some degree of discomfort is likely as we

age”

Secondly, there are numerous changes in the body’s maximum capacity over a range of parameters. As we age, our maximum heart rate reduces, muscles generate less power, muscle fibres adapt to have a slightly lower proportion of the “sprinting” type, and muscle flexibility reduces. These changes may in part contribute to injury situations.

However, such changes need to

be evaluated in the light of the often overlooked psychological benefits of exercise. With regular exercise, there is abundant evidence for increased perceived quality of life, feelings of well-being, and expectation of future maintenance of activity levels. A study of people who earlier in life were high-level athletes suggested that, even though there may be some increased wearing of joints with prolonged and intense exercise, those people consistently rated their health better than non-exercisers. Why is that?? Do previous exercisers have a greater understanding and acceptance of some degree of discomfort as they age? Maybe!

When it comes to management of joint injuries, the physiological changes mentioned previously suggest that the maintenance of strength and flexibility in the joints is likely to be of some benefit.

For some people, there can be a complete relief of pain from age-related injuries with a programme of stretching. Unfortunately, for others stretching makes no difference. The key factor that your physiotherapist can help you to work out is whether your injury really has anything to do with a lack of flexibility or not. (As running is a repetitive activity with an ongoing series of muscle contractions, a lack of flexibility is a frequent finding).

Regarding strength, remember

jonathan celebrates a podium finish ‘Gangham’ style ... Ok perhaps not

18

that muscle strength does decrease with age. Also, there are often imbalances in muscles because of the long period of time over which we may have run. Therefore, selectively strengthening certain muscles specific to your injury is likely to be beneficial. As I have previously written, the appropriateness of core muscle strengthening has been grossly

over-emphasised in treatments. However, as we get older, some degree of strengthening the trunk muscles and the leg muscles frequently assists once an injury has been established (there is no comprehensive evidence that core exercises prevent an injury from occurring in the future).

Perhaps, it is also helpful to realise that some degree of

discomfort is the likely as we age, and that it may co-exist with our running, not necessarily limiting it. So, as there may be some level of discomfort, you may as well get the positives out of exercise, instead of withdrawing from it. Finally, your friendly physiotherapist will help you understand as well as treat your unwanted injury.

Happy and healthy running!

Sur f Coast Centur y 100k m Trai l Run by jonathan Worswick

THERE’S NOTHING BETTER than a new race in a new location and I was looking

forward to this event, because it was going to be my first visit to the Great Ocean Road.

It was my fourth 100km event this year, plus I’d completed the 24 hour Australian Rogaining Championships, so I knew I had the endurance but perhaps would be a little overcooked. If I was lucky I thought I had a chance to get in the top five, and a pretty good chance of getting the top veteran, but as it worked out all three top places were veterans, and I was very happy to place 2nd overall.

The event started at Anglesea, taking us along the beach for 20km to Torquay, past the surfing mecca of Bells beach. I ran at about 4:35 pace (not normal for a trail run), to the turnaround , then back along the cliff walk and back to the starting point at Anglesea.

The course then headed inland

for some MTB trails, single track and the main hills on the course. My pace dropped to around 5:30 pace. Then back to the coast south of Aireys inlet, past the lighthouse, back up along cliff paths and finishing with a few more km of beach and straight

into a headwind (urgh that wasn’t nice).

I slowed considerably near then end ,where I joined a relay runner for some welcome company, arriving at the finish line before dark.

There wasn’t much climbing or long technical sections, but the scenery was fantastic: sheer bluffs,

long vistas along the coast, beach, some single track, fire road and walking/bike trails. The running was good, mainly hard underfoot with only a couple of short sections where you needed to walk.

The weather turned out to be great, sunny with light wind and about 20 degrees. In fact, for a few runners suffering from cramps, it was maybe a little too hot. We were lucky, because the following days were wet and very cold.

“For those new to ultras this is a great one”

Along with the solo 100km there were multiple events of various distances over the weekend. This worked out well, because after about 35km I didn’t see another solo runner but was passed by multiple relay runners, and each time took advantage of a quick chat and a little diversion.

Rowan Walker stepped up from a marathon personal best of 2 hours

19

18 minutes to compete in his first 100km. He was in a different league, giving Dave Hosking and myself no chance with his amazing winning time of 8 hours 25 minutes (damn I wish he’d stuck with the marathon distance!). After halfway I stopped asking how far he was in front since the answer I kept getting was: “oh, he’s a long way ahead”.

Shona Stephenson continued her superb season, winning a closely fought women’s race in 10 hours 18 minutes.

The event was really well organized by Chris and his team at Rapid Ascent. The course was well marked. Possibly as a result of the organizing team’s adventure racing background, the aid stations were stocked with a variety of goodies including risotto and pasta as well as the usual electrolyte and sports bars supplied by dextrose.

For those new to ultras, this is a

great one to start you off. For those more experienced, although it’s a bit quick it’s still a fun run because you can have a thoroughly enjoyable weekend in a great neck of the woods (Great Ocean Road). There is also easy crew access to the checkpoints.

Oh, and kate, my partner and crew, said I had to mention the beautiful flowers on the course, which included multiple varieties of small orchid.

ResultsMen1. Rowan Walker, 8:252. jonathan Worswick, 9:103. Dave Hosking, 9:45Women1. Shona Stephenson, 10:182. Amy Hinds, 10:383. Mandy Lee Noble, 10:524. R a c e I n f o r m a t i o n : h t t p : / /

w w w . r a p i d a s c e n t . c o m . a u /salomontrailrunning/sc100splash.aspx

volunteers Report

volunteer coordinator Georgie Moore give us a round

up on the year

THE LAST FEW months have been incredibly busy from a volunteer’s perspective. We

have come to the pointy end of the 10km series, the Super Series and the marathon season for 2012.

volunteers have been coming thick & fast and I can very safety say that, once again, we have done ourselves proud.

September saw a number of Striders shirts run as pacers for both the full & half marathons of the Blackmore’s Running Festival, and all of our pacers finished within 120 seconds of their pacing times, with one of our own (Pat Farmer) finishing right on his target goal (evidence that practice makes perfect - he has done a LOT of kilometres!).

This year we started the “volunteers of the Quarter” prize. The winners for 2012 so far are:

Q1: Oliver keaveney

Q2: Rob Costello

Q3: Max Yates

Q4: to be confirmed in early january 2013.

All of these eager volunteers have received a $50 gift voucher from the Sydney Running Centre.

By volunteering during the calendar year, Striders receive a discount on the following year’s membership. Discounts will be confirmed early in the New Year—check the website or keep an eye out for the membership renewal email.

“The lighthouse lifts its massive masonry...” as jonathan passes by in

its shadow

Sand, sea, sun and surf ... and a few more kilometres to go!

20

A Str iders Super S er ies Shake Up2013 preview by ser ies di rec tor john Bowe

THE STRIDERS SUPER Series, was originally conceived by life member kevin O’kane, to recognise and reward the consistent

performance of members across a range of distance events (greater than 10 km) throughout the year.

It has generally comprised of about one race event per month over a 10 month period, with a few alternatives to provide options over other distances and locations.

As club membership has grown, so has participation in a more diverse range of short and long distance events, on track, road, fire trail and single track.

With the late cancellation and replacement in 2012 of three scheduled events (Six Foot Track Marathon, ‘Willy to Billy’ and the kedumba Half Marathon) we recognised there was a need to better anticipate this and to pre-schedule additional events to provide greater flexibility.

For 2013, we have retained the club favourites. But rather than one event per month with an occasional alternative, we are listing a greater range of events over the year, for members transitioning up to distances greater than 10km, or looking for a challenge through to an ultra distance event, beyond road and Six Foot Track marathons.

As the clubs junior membership has been increasing, it is also important that we include some shorter events that will be accessible to younger members.

For 2013, the number of listed events will be increased from 17 to about 32.

Whereas points will continue to be calculated on your best 8 events, we are reviewing the points and bonus points structure.

The aim is to ensure that longer distances/more difficult events are more fairly weighted relative

to shorter distances/less difficult events, and that events with larger Striders participation are more fairly weighted relative to events with smaller Striders participation.

Full information will be confirmed shortly and posted to the website, but here are some of the highlights to look forward to in the year ahead.

MEMBERS E vENTS

In 2013 we will have three members events, and to encourage member participation, for the first time entry to all three will be included with your club membership, without any additional entry charge:

• The Super Series will once again kick off with The Equaliser 14km on 24th February 2013

• For the first time, in addition to the regular 10 km series, we are introducing a Members Handicap 10 to be run on the Lane Cove course (likely to be in April)

• The Members Handicap Half Marathon will be held at Lane Cove on 10th November 2013

SUPER SERIES NE W E vENTS

We have retained all of the events listed in 2012 (including those cancelled) and brought back some old favourites including The Great Nosh.

To provide a broader spread of options and more flexibility for members to choose from:

• New shorter distance events between 10km and 21km will include Lindfield 10, a favourite with Striders juniors, and Sutherland2Surf.

New longer events greater than 42km will include The North Face 100km and 50km, and the Altra Centennial Park Ultra 100km and 50km.

Full details will be confirmed before the New Year commences.

21

WHILST HER FIRST book, Running Hot, was a more personal account of life,

loves, adventures and developing as an ultra-runner, Lisa Tamati’s second book, Running to Extremes, is a series of stories about different ultra-running events that she has competed in. 

And she has taken part in some of the most gruelling races on earth. just running massive distances is not enough for Lisa, she likes to throw in extremes of heat or cold (sometimes both in a single event), and difficult terrain, including deserts and mountains. 

The events featured i n c l u d e B a d w a t e r Ultramarathon (217km), running the length of New Zealand (2250km), Gobi March (250km over seven days in six stages), Sahara Race (250km over seven days in five stages), Northburn 100 (from the perspective of a race organiser rather than runner), North Face 100 and La Ultra The High (222k over one of the world’s highest mountain passes).

Her achievements are all the more impressive as Lisa struggles with asthma, digestive issues, and a body that does not always cooperate. 

Although she recognises her limitations, and gives some good advice on preparation for and recovery from

races, it’s soon clear she doesn’t always follow her own advice. 

In fact, before and during her races she makes some really dumb mistakes that impact on her health and race performance. 

She also takes some really stupid risks, including continuing to run a race when told by police to evacuate the area due

to a fire. 

In Lisa’s first book she said: “I never wanted to give in and couldn’t face the thought of failing.  That’s the biggest driver there is to get you out of bed and make you keep going.  When I start something like this, I will finish or die trying —that’s the attitude I always take”. 

And her continued commitment to this philosophy is clear in the stories she tells in Running to Extremes.

Between stories she provides training tips, gear lists, information on nutrition and supplements, advice on mental and physical preparation, and there are contributions from others in the ultra-running community.

It is an easy read, informative and the stories are written in a colloquial manner.

Thankfully, she has yet to die trying.

Running to Ex tremesStr ider L isa Carrol i reviews the latest book f rom ultrarunner L isa Tamati

10 pieces of running advice you wi l l never

hear. . . .

1. Run as fast as you can in every training session ... it will get it over with quicker.

2. Don’t eat more in the days running up to a big race, all that food sloshing around will just make you feel queasy.

3. Don’t stop at drink stations, you’ll just lose valuable seconds on your overall time.

4. Don’t train with other people ... they’ll just hold you back when you are pushing hard (see point 1)

5. If you can talk while you are running you’re not working hard enough.

6. Stretching is for wimps ... this isn’t a yoga class.

7. Those old Dunlop volleys will be fine to run in ...

8. ... and you just need an old t-shirt and shorts, nothing wrong with cotton.

9. Pain is just part of running, push through and you’ll be fine.

10. It’s the winning not the taking part that counts ;)

22

Training

Monday night training continues at the Sydney Academy of Sport at Narrabeen at 6.00 pm ($5 each for use of the track), while Thursday night training is at 6.00 pm at Passmore Reserve, Manly vale. Email for further details: juniors@sydneystriders.org.au.

Most successful winter season ever !

Sydney Striders’ juniors were the number one junior cross country club in NSW last winter. We finished the season with first place overall in every age group in the boys’ competition, as well as in the under-18 girls’ competition.

In the last race of the season, the Short Course Cross Country Championships at Rydalmere, we had the usual gold rush in the team competitions, as well as an individual silver medal in the under-12 girls 1.5km for Edita Grinbergs and a bronze medal for Hannah Gibson in the under-18 girls 2.5km.

Seven juniors went on to represent NSW in the National Cross Country Championships in Adelaide on 25 August: Edita Grinbergs (under-12 girls); Daniel Cooper (under-12 boys); josh Phillips and Lachlan Cooper (under-14 boys); Daniel Francken (under-16 boys); and Hannah Gibson and Bethany Halmy (under-18 girls).

Annual Award and Par t y

Our party in September this year

was hosted by the jaggers family at their Blaxland home in the Blue Mountains. Special guest Brian Ogilwy represented the Senior Club, and our guest speaker was keith Bateman, who presented an inspirational talk on training and the importance of technique. This was followed by our usual array of awards, a huge amount of food, a guess-the-baby contest, skits from the Wong brothers, trivia and the traditional piñata bashing. As usual, the piñata did not survive long, and a great time was had by all.

Second running of the Nepean Handicap 6 .7k

For those who had survived the previous day’s excesses, the second Nepean Handicap was run on Fathers’ day. The race was won by Ben jagger, while the fastest time of the day was recorded by Daniel Francken. Once again Brian was on hand to present the awards.

<Photo 3>

juniors Str iders at the 10k ms

This was the first year juniors were allowed to compete in the Striders 10km races, and we had quite a number of regulars. David Gardiner and Emma McGlinn were the overall series winners. Taiki Nakaya brought the boys’ best time down to 36:03 at the Lane Cove Race in August. Hannah Gibson was first lady home overall at Lane Cove in November, in a blistering time of 38:30.

J U N I O R S ’ C O R N E RB Y TO N Y W O N G

Brian Ogilvy presenting the Nepean Handicap Trophy to winner Ben jagger

Our mighty under 18 girls can do this as well as run

The very impressive desert table

Lachlan Cooper and Daniel Francken line up for the combined under 14/18

4*1500m relay

23

Summer Season S o Far

NSW State Relay Championships – 17/18

November 2012

Traditionally we are not as strong as the other clubs on the track, but nevertheless we came away with five hard-fought bronze medals (under-14 boys 4x800m and 4x1500m, under-14 girls 4x1500m, under-16 boys 4x 800m) and one silver medal (under-16 boys 4x1500).

For the first time we had a 4x400m relay team competing in the State Relays. The quartet of Gabe Corke, joe Burgess, Tom Carter and Paul Loader finished 10th in the under-18 boys in a time of 3:37.95.

NSW 3000m Championships and 800m - 10 November

2012

On this perfect night for racing at the Sydney Olympic Park, five club bests were set in the following events

• Under-18 Boys 800m – joe Burgess 2:00.24

• Under-18 Girls 800m – Bethany Halmy 2:18.94

• Under-14 Girls 800m – Tessa Constantine 2:28.23

• Under-18 Girls 3000m – Hannah Gibson 10:07.88

• Under-14 Boys 3000m – Lachlan Cooper 9:52.42

• Under-12 Boys 3000m – Tom Davies 10:37.94

Austra l ian Al l Schools Championships – 30 Nov–2

Dec 2012

Sydney Striders were represented by Hannah Gibson and Daniel Francken.

In the under-18 girls 2000m Steeplechase Hannah Gibson went under 7 minutes for the first time with a bronze medal performance in a time of 6:53.19 after some well-timed hurdling practice on the Monday before. She also came 6th in the 3000 metres in 10:17.95.

In the under-16 Boys 3000m, Daniel Francken broke the 9-minute barrier for the first time with a time of 8:55.76, earning a bronze medal in the process.

H ighl ights f rom the Club Premiership

There were further club bests set in the 3 Club Premierships held so far:

• Under-18 Boys 400m – Gabe Corke 51.69 (26/11/12)

• Under-18 Girls 400m – Bethany Halmy 59.84 (26/11/12)

• Under-14 Girls 400m – Tessa Constantine 1.02.80 (26/11/12)

• Under-12 Boys 400m – Ben Carter 1.04.34 (26/11/12)

Look ing ahead

There is a lot more excitement to come with more club records set to fall. Together with the Senior Club, we are looking to compete in the NSW Clubs Championships in

january. Then in February, we have the NSW junior Championships, followed by the Australian junior Championships in March.

For further details on all the above, please visit our blog at http://sydneystridersjuniors.blogspot.com.au/.

Daniel Francken on his way to a sub 9 min at the All Schools under

16 3000m in Hobart

Hannah Gibson and her NSW All Schools under 18 2000m

steeplechase gold medal

Ben Carter on his way to silver in the NSW All Schools under 12 60m

hurdles

Above: Lyn Brick and Lesley Maher ... “Santa who?”

Right: “Horrie’s” Marathon Training Group .... “did someone

say something about a Santa Hat?”

Chris jackson and Sophie Rutherford are all smiles despite missing out on a go of

the Santa Hat

“Hats off” to Rod Lovel for getting into the Christmas spirit

Hannah Gibson, host Georgie Moore and “Superflake” Paul Bruning get super-

happy at the Xmas STaR

Lorna Downes demonstrates a few of her boxing moves for Wayne Pryke as he threatens to beat

her to the Santa Hat

Allison Lilley fresh from a “polished” perfomance in the

24 Hour World Championships

Craig Thom wisely decides to skip the Santa Hat competition after several sweaty heads beat him to it at the

Striders 10km at Lane Cove

Luigi Criniti does his best bare faced (and bare chested) Santa

impersonation

Nigel Huband gets fully into character before attempting to recuit Liz Huband and Leigh

MacRitchie as elves

Blackmores marathon 3:30 pacer Stephen jackson takes things in hand