Blister Dec15 10/12 P1

Transcription

THEBLISTER
THE MAGAZINE FOR THE SYDNEY STRIDERS RUNNING CLUB ESTABLISHED 1980
SEPT- DEC 2015 | ISSUE 127
PODIUM FINISH AT NOOSA
SYDNEY STRIDERS EX-PRESIDENT SHARES HIS
RACE TALE AND HIS CLUB HISTORY
BREAKING THE 10K BARRIER:
EXCLUSIVE!
RUNNING HOT
ANNE BOYD SHARES HER SUCCESS THIS
YEAR AS A 2ND YEAR STRIDER
YOUR HYDRATION GUIDE TO SUMMER RUNNING
GRAND2GRAND ULTRA
PETER KINGSTON SHARES HIS EPIC RACE EXPERIENCE ACROSS
THE GRAND CANYONS
SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K LANE COVE | PHOTO COURTESY OF SURF2SUMMIT PHOTOGRAPHY
BLISTER TEAM
CLUB PRESIDENT - Jo Cowan
VICE PRESIDENT - April Palmerlee
SECRETARY - Kerry Ross
TREASURER - Lynn Herisson
MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR - Pauline Evans
10KM SERIES RACE DIRECTOR - James
Masters
STaRS/CALENDAR COORDINATOR - Amy
Cheung
UNIFORMS - Maria Yiasemides
JUNIORS COORDINATORS - Tony Wong and
Caroline Yarnell
ANSW COORDINATOR - Jo Cowan
SUPER SERIES COORDINATOR - April
Palmerlee
President's Message
What a year it has been. So many events - 52 x STaRs,
10 x 10k races, 1 x 6ft track, 30 x Super series events
and then there are all those other events not part of
our calendar.
So what did you achieve in 2015?
In this issue of the Blister you will be inspired by so
many amazing stories. Alf Field, our past President,
talks about his role in the club and his results in the
recent Noosa Triathlon. Anne Boyd has achieved her
racing milestone of breaking 60 minutes for 10k. David
Loader represented Australia at the World 70.3
Triathlon. Each story will inspire you think about races
you want to attempt in 2016 – so enjoy the stories and
let them help set your goals.
A big thank you to Taras Mencinsky from Runmore
Loans for his idea and sponsorship to our Internal
Super Series events. You can read about his
contribution in April’s Super Series segment.
As a club we inspire each other, offer support and
friendship that go beyond expectations. Just watching
everyone last Sunday at the Christmas Brunch makes
you feel proud to belong to such a warm and
welcoming club.
SIX FOOT TRACK COORDINATOR - John Bowe
We hope you like the new trophy style and we did set a
PB at announcing these awards – in the upcoming May
awards night we will use a similar system leaving more
time for fun and conversation.
SOCIAL FUNCTIONS - Hailey Maxwell and
Shika Raju
So thank you to each of you for contributing to our
club and all the best for Christmas and here’s to an
amazing 2016.
SGT-AT-ARMS - David Bray
Warm regards,
Jo Cowan
RESULTS AND TIMING - Paul Hannell
SPECIAL PROJECTS - Bruce Graham
SOCIAL MEDIA - Gilbert Gaddi
02
DECEMBER 2015 | ISSUE 127
BLISTER CO-EDITORS - Amy Cheung and Joe
Degabriele
SYDNEYSTRIDERS BLISTER
CONTENTS
RUNNING + FITNESS + FOOD
17 NOOSA TRIATHLON 2015 - STRIDERS
WIN 4 OUT OF 6 PODIUM SPOTS
Our ex-president Alf Field shares his race day
euphoria as well as some history of Sydney
Striders
18 DOING THINGS BY ‘HALFS’ – AN
ANZAC MEMORIAL
Allan Wareham commemorates the Gallipoli
Centenary by doing 9 half marathons in one
year
27
THE EFFECT OF RUNNING BIOMECHANICS ON
OVERUSE INJURIES AND FOOTWEAR
CONSIDERATIONS
Owen Hynes, Physiotherapist from Sydney
Advanced Physiotherapy chats to us about
running biomechanics
29 THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE
Jo Cowan, our new Sydney Striders president,
reflects on the 35 wonderful years of Sydney
Striders and what a wonderful year the Club
had in 2015
04 BREAKING THE 10K 60 MINUTE
BARRIER: MY 2ND YEAR AS A
SYDNEY STRIDER
Anne Boyd spills the beans on what it feels like
to race with our ex-President Joe
07 DALE'S DEMONS
Manal Garcia and Leigh MacRitchie shares their
running successes under the coaching guidence
of Dale Thompson
09 STAYING HYDRATED WHEN
RUNNING IN THE HEAT
Our in-house nutritionist Nicole Dynan talks
about how we should hydrate when we train in
the Aussie summer heat
11 GRAND 2 GRAND ULTRA
Peter Kingston competed in this epic ultra in the
Grand Canyon - the only unsupported footrace
in America
MEET OUR MEMBERS
14 Get
to know our Striders and volunteering
extraordinaire Darryl Chrisp and Barry Rutter
SOUND OF TRIATHLETES
Triathlete extraordinaire David Loader compete
in the World Championship in Austria
32 SUPERSERIES 2015
Our Superseries co-ordinator April Palmerlee
reviews another successful year in racing
34 10K SERIES 2015
Our 10k race director James Masters sums up
another successful year and congratulates on
our category winners
35 JUNIORS CORNER
Juniors coach Tony Wong reviews the successes
of the Sydney Striders Junior crew
40 LAST WORDS
Social Media guru Gilbert Gaddi reviews an
amazing year in Sydney Strider social media
PO BOX R1227,
ROYAL EXCHANGE,
SYDNEY NSW 1225, AUSTRALIA
WWW.SYDNEYSTRIDERS.ORG.AU
THE BLISTER IS PUBLISHED THREE TIMES PER YEAR
BY SYDNEY STRIDERS ROAD RUNNER’S CLUB, INC.
[email protected]
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02 PRESIDENT'S DESK
BREAKING THE
10K 60 MINUTE
BARRIER:
MY 2ND YEAR
AS A SYDNEY
STRIDER
Anne Boyd
This year has been one of transition from an
ultra enthusiastic but naive F65-69 newbie
Strider into a slightly more seasoned runner.
I no longer feel a newbie but have settled
into the warm and supportive friendships for
which our club is justly famed. My
undiminished enthusiasm is tempered with
just a little more running savvy, thanks
largely to the assistance of fellow Sydney
Striders. I’ve taken some falls, learned to
cope with relatively minor running injuries, to
hang tough and get back out there as soon
as possible.
After the high of completing my first
marathon in Melbourne last year (5:31:55), I
started 2015 with the ambition to run 2016
Boston as a 70 year old. I set my sights on
this year’s Gold Coast Marathon as the
qualifier: I would have to run a 4:55:00 (or
slightly faster). A huge improvement but I
was up for the challenge. No stopping a
Sydney Strider after all.
That was so lovely: I finished that run in a
slowish 1:05:59, but confident that I could do
better.
The year didn’t begin all that well. Left hip
bursitis persisted from the end of the
previous year: only the ultimate boredom of
water running was permitted. My Physio and
Strength trainer Martin Doyle ruled out the
‘Sun Run’ (too hilly) but I was allowed to run
our first 10K at Homebush. This was a family
affair: both my daughter Helen-Louise (43:35)
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and her boyfriend Matt Hudson (31:29) ran
this event with me. It was a thrill to cheer for
them both as they flew by on various loops
of the Homebush course. Matt took out this
run, narrowly ahead of our legend champion
David Criniti: Matt then returned to the
course to run both of his ladies home.
Bursitis subsided, I was now back in the business of gradually building distance in longer Sunday runs. Pace
was improving too. By May, I was able to complete the same course in 1:01:11. Yippee! On track to run a
decent PB in SMH Half in May, I was aiming for a time of about 2:15:00. But Fate had other plans. Cheerfully
exiting our Strata Pool after an early morning training swim on Mother’s Day, my left foot thong engaged a
rock crevice where it decided to stay put, hurling me forward onto more rocks. I fell with a rather loud thud.
As my short running life flashed before my eyes, along with the air squeezed from my lungs, I realised that
this could be bad. By the time a young lass on the other side of the square came running to my assistance, I
was gingerly picking myself up limb by limb. All seemed in place, just some grazing, until I got to my feet. My
left toes were decidedly misshapen bent at right angels to my big toe: as the pain started my hopes of
running an HM the following Sunday eked away. Maybe just a sprain?
An X-Ray confirmed the worst, a clear toe fracture: into a boot I went for the next 8 weeks. So not only no
SMH HM but the Gold Coast (all booked and paid for) was also out of reach. Martin Doyle, my Physio
extraordinaire, was as usual optimistic: “No worries ‘Sarge’ Boyd, we’ll use this time to make you stronger!”
He set me to work in the gym and the pool (again!). I volunteered at some Striders Events to stay in touch
and to keep the dark demons at bay. By early July, I was out of the boot, into my first pair of Hokkas, on the
advice of Exercise Physiologist Peter Feain, ready to attempt my first post injury run, the Gold Coast 5.7K.
That really was a fun run: ambitiously I lined up in the ‘A’ group, lots of jokes with other age-challenged
runners about various health issues: I not only cracked the qualifying time but ran a 5 minute PB and
finished 2nd in my age division. YAY !!! Back on track. Well, sort of.
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I realised that I was a non-starter for a 2015 Marathon in a Boston qualifier, too much of the year had
passed, so I reset my goals towards improving pace and strength. My no 1 obsession became to run a 10K in
less than an hour by the end of the year. North Head (September) was completed in 1:01:35 – a sub 30’ first
5K, but way too many walking breaks near the end of the race. I was so happy when Striders answered a
request to add a 60 minute pacer at the following month’s Homebush 10K. I stayed happily with that group,
with minimal walking breaks, ‘till at 8K I ran out puff (again): even Craig Thom’s kindest encouragement just
couldn't get these old lungs working hard enough to prevent some costly walking breaks. The blessed man
stuck with me. still encouraging though the 60 minute pace bus was now well ahead and out of reach. I felt
I’d let Craig down and on his birthday too! With the FINISH in sight on the bridge I sprinted for home
finishing in a frustrating 1:01:12. That Finish wasn’t pretty either and my stomach was literally in – and out of my mouth. What a birthday gift for Craig. I’m still blushing at the memory. Sorry mate. Maybe I’d peaked.
Maybe I just couldn’t run any faster. Maybe I was just too OLD!
Only two chances remained: the ‘Summer Starter’ and final Striders 10K at Lane Cove. Our amazing former
President, awesome runner and hard man, Joe Degabriele stepped into my running story and not for the first
time this year. I Iined up at the START on that perfect first November morning at Homebush with our Striders
10K Pace group hoping for the best. Always up for a challenge, Joe had his eye on me: “You are going to run this
in under an hour, Anne!” That wasn’t just a challenge, it was an order! “I’ll try, Joe!”
Now, I must confess to having become an old age adrenalin junkie. I LOVE STARTS and happily fly out of the
blocks. “Slow down girl” Joe hissed in my ear. Two kilometres in, when my adrenalin rush had all but subsided,
Joe was shouting to the other runners “Who believes Anne can run this in less than an hour?” Well he had me at
least believing that it might be possible. At 4K, I gasped “Jo, I’m tightening up” . His reply: “That’s OK Anne
running should hurt”. At that stage I wasn’t sure that I liked Joe any more and still 6K to run.
Joe ran every step of that race in my shoes – awesome pacing; getting me to use the slopes to my advantage.
Walking breaks were out of the question, even when my lungs were screaming for more air. I was allowed to
slow but not to stop. Only one drink was permitted.
At 8K I thought it was all over - again. We’d gained a little ground on the 10K pacers but I was slowing and they
were gaining, rather too quickly. As the last drinks station loomed into view, I agreed with Joe that I wouldn’t
stop but that he would grab two cups of water and tip them over my head. I was seriously over heating. Joe’s
version of cooling me was to throw both cups of water directly in my face, with force. How could he treat an old
lady like that!
The shock tactic worked. I picked up a bit of pace and didn’t
even notice we’d passed the 9K mark. “Now” said Joe “you’ve got
to sprint. I’ve been saving you for this last K ! Go girl, GO!!!”
JOE’S VERSION OF COOLING ME
WAS TO THROW BOTH CUPS OF
WATER DIRECTLY IN MY FACE,
WITH FORCE. HOW COULD HE
TREAT AN OLD LADY LIKE THAT!
What the heck! I was already dead on my feet.
The 60-minute pacers were on my heels. I could hear
James Liew’s cheerful voice behind me and gaining ground. The FINISH came in sight. I summoned my last
remaining strength and learned, possibly for the very first time, what ‘digging deep’ really meant. I couldn’t let
Joe down at this stage. I had to do it! I picked up pace and flew down the home strait to cross the line only
seconds ahead of the pacers. This time my mouth was full of stomach but I didn’t actually spew. Come to think
of it, I don’t think I had the strength. I couldn’t even breath for a couple of minutes. My TomTom watch said
60:03 but I knew I ‘d started it a tiny bit early. Joe’s Garmin had us at 59 minutes something. The official
time arrived on my i-phone: 59:55!!! Wowie! Five minutes later, totally recovered, ECSTASY replaced exhaustion
and I literally danced around the Homebush precinct: the rush of endorphins released on November 1 2015 are
still firing.
Now with a Marathon and a sub-60’ 10K to my credit, I feel a fully initiated Strider. As I enter the new rather
lonely age division in our club of F70-74, next year’s goals are set: the 2016 Gold Coast Marathon in 4:49:55 AND
maybe a 55 minute 10K. “Older but faster” it has to be! Joe has shown me not only that it can be done but how
to do it. Now over to Dale’s Demons? With Sydney Striders as running buddies, the running world’s truly your
oyster.
06
Joe, how can I ever thank you. That was the most awesome run of my life. I later learned, he had run the whole
distance with a seriously sprained ankle. No whinging from him just shouted words of encouragement not only
to me but to any other runners in out vicinity needing a bit of “gee-up”. What a champ! Yep, our ex-President is
truly an iron man. What a Strider is he !
DALE'S DEMONS Manal Garcia and Leigh MacRitchie
Manal
3 years ago, Dale approached a few of us after a 10k race in Lane Cove and mentioned these illusive
reps. These sounded interesting so a few of us thought we’d give them a go. Little did I know how
addictive they would be. Initially we slogged through 8 x 1km repeats, then a few months later Dale
decided 8 didn’t cut it and from then on we tackled 10 of these nasty buggers.
The name Dale’s Demons came about somewhere in the early sessions. The “Demon” really is our
sadistic coach Dale who takes great pleasure in inflicting our weekly torture, blowing her whistle and
shouting out at us as we enter the last 20 metres. Being a trainer myself I fully understand this
pleasure.
There’s something special about your clients/participants giving everything to the session and
ultimately to you. It’s all about challenging and empowering yourself. We love it or we wouldn’t
return. A ritual of the end of session photo also emerged early on and thanks to social media our
numbers have grown and grown (so have our silly poses). Socially we are a tight bunch. Full of
encouragement as we pass each other on the course and the last rep always gets the loudest
cheers. Coffee after is a bonus if you can make it. Many new and lasting friendships have formed.
Sure you’d expect improvements in times, fitness and stamina but more so, these sessions are what
the running community is all about; encouragement - no matter what level you are at, friendship
and support.
Dale selflessly gives her time and expertise free of charge 3 out of 4 Saturdays every month. I know
we are all grateful for this community she’s created. Personally this torture is one of my weekly
highlights in my running life!
07
Leigh
I first heard of Dales Demons
last year ... I was inspired by the
photos on the FB page of
everyone looking so fit and
strong after a tough training
session. This fun training regime
is hard work as Dale Thompson
is a tough task master – I agree
Dale is the real Demon.
Dale organises the groups in a
military style order - run 1km
repeat - 1 min rest or water
break and back again until you
have at least completed
between 8- 10km laps. No
sympathy from Dale - if after
the 6th or 7th lap you want a
longer water break Dales says
“back to work”.
This training group has been
fun and a huge challenge at the
same time as the course at Lane
Cove has quite a few hills and
effectively pacing your laps is
sometimes more than a contest.
However, It is the Demon
buddies who turn up to the
training each week offering
encouragement and support
who make this training exciting.
We sometimes reward our hard
work by going out for breakfast
or coffee.
Who knew!
08
SEPTMEBER 2015 | ISSUE 127
This type of speed work has
been great for me, achieving a
few PB’s in the 10km series and
half marathons. It was also
excellent for marathon training
too as I improved my time
significantly in this year’s
Sydney Marathon...
STAYING HYDRATED
WHEN RUNNING IN
THE HEAT
Nicole Dynan (APD/SD)
www.goodnutritionco.com
M: 0400 945 503
https://www.facebook.com/goodnutritionco
https://twitter.com/goodnutritionco
Maintaining normal levels of body water or ‘euhydration’ is not always as easy as it sounds for those of
us who arrive home covered in salt after a long summer run. Even a small amount of dehydration can
impair mental and physical performance, so staying well hydrated during training and competition can
help optimise your performance and recovery.
When you run in the heat, you are not only coping with the heat of the day but the heat produced by
your muscles. In order to cool down, your body sends blood to the surface of your skin (hence the
redness), leaving less available to your muscles. Sweating also helps to remove heat from your body,
which contributes to dehydration. Short (5km – 10km), intense races can pose the greatest risk in hot
weather conditions as your body cannot eliminate heat quickly enough and is at risk of overheating.
The best plan for these races is to reduce your pace from the start.
Here are my top tips to stay hydrated for your runs this summer:
1. Drink small and regular amounts of water throughout the day. Most of us should be aiming to drink
around 2-3 L (this does not include what you drink around training).
2. Use your urine as a guide. Contrary to popular belief, thirst is a poor indicator of hydration status. If
you are thirsty, you can already be dehydrated enough to impair your performance.
Dark-coloured urine of a relatively small volume is an indication of dehydration and should signal you
to drink more fluids throughout the day or during your run.
3. Start your run well hydrated. Drink 200-600ml immediately before training starts. Leave time to visit
the bathroom before you head out if needed. Then, begin drinking early in the session and continue to
take in small amounts regularly. Most athletes can tolerate 200-300 ml every 15-20 minutes but this
will vary according to body size and exercise intensity.
5. Use sports drinks. When training sessions are of high intensity or last longer than 60 minutes, sports
drinks can help replace lost electrolytes.
09
4. Have a plan. For any exercise session greater than 30 minutes, you should have a fluid intake plan.
Conduct a simple sweat test to estimate your own personal fluid requirements. Weighing yourself
before and after exercise can help you to gauge your fluid needs. Any weight loss corresponds with
fluid loss. A kilogram loss of body weight represents a need for 1.5 Litres of fluid to be replaced, to
account for fluid lost as urine. This should all be replaced within 4-6 hours after your run. A weight
increase could indicate that you are drinking more than you need.
ADJUST YOUR TRAINING
Running early in the morning when the temperature is lower or choosing an air conditioned gym on
extreme weather days will assist in adhering to your planned running schedule.
Pre-cooling or reducing your body temperature before exercising in hot weather has also been shown
to preserve performance on hot days as it will delay body heat accumulation. Cooling vests with
pockets for ice packs are a convenient way to achieve this (http://www.icevests.com.au/ ).
DAY-TO-DAY HYDRATION PLAN
1. Drink a 400 ml of water with breakfast every
morning.
2. Drink 2-3 L of fluid each day (this does not
include what you drink around training).
3. Drink little and often.
4. Avoid fizzy drinks and adding sugar to
caffeinated beverages.
5. Drink no more than 2-3 cups of tea and
coffee each day.
6. Avoid caffeine and alcohol immediately after
training.
HOMEMADE COOL SUMMER ELECTROLYTE
DRINK
Research has shown that fluid intake is improved when drinks are chilled (~15
°C), flavoured and contain sodium (salt). This makes this homemade sports drink
an ideal choice during exercise.
Directions: Pour 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan and heat to boiling, remove from
heat, add honey and salt and stir until dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients
to a large jug, pour in water with honey and salt, stir and refrigerate. Drink
before, during and after your runs, especially in the warm weather.
10
Ingredients:
4 cups water (can substitute with coconut water)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1- 2 tablespoons honey (to taste preference)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed of lemon juice
1/2 cup dark cherry juice (no added sugar)
1/2 cup orange juice
(freshly squeezed if available)
GRAND2
GRAND
ULTRA
Peter Kingston
AN EPIC RACE ACROSS THE GRAND CANYONS
The Grand to Grand (G2G) Ultra is the first and only self-supported
stage footrace in America. It starts from the north rim of the Grand
Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and finishes
on the summit of the Grand Staircase, one of the world's most iconic
geological formations in Zion National Park. The course navigates
through a high desert landscape of sand dunes, red rock canyons,
buttes, mesas and hoodoos through Arizona and Utah.
11
Have you ever picked up a sea shell in the
Sahara ? I have. Have you ever had Bedouin
kids run down to the bottom of a sand dune so
that they could hold your hands and haul you
up a dune ? I have. Have you ever propelled
up a waterfall using a rope or run for 40
minutes through a slot canyon in Utah ? I have.
Have you ever sat outside a tent looking over
Zion National Park after racing for 3 days
over 170km and listened to an hour of country
music ? I have. And then there are the people.
Have you ever chatted to a marine who
completed three tours of the Middle East as a
sniper and talked about his journey back into
mental health or a detective that worked on
cold-case homicides or a Frenchman that
packed a ham and a bottle of rum to sustain
him through a week of running ? I have. My
life is richer for each experience.
Enough of that. Let me take you through the
race.
Stage 1 was a 49.6km teaser. My pack
weighed 8kg (before water - ~5kg of food for
the week and 3kg of gear – sleeping bag and
mat, down jacket, safety and medical gear
etc.). Water added another 1.5kg. Music
blasted through the load speakers at 6am to
signal the start of the day for the 126 starters. I
hadn't slept well – but then I never do sleep
well pre-race. I was in a tent with 7 others – 2
from Florida, 3 from Australia, my mad French
buddy with the ham and a "young gun" from
Taiwan. Rehydrated granola and a carb drink
set me up for the day and contributed to two
nervous wees before the 8am gun time.
At the appointed time we wondered down to
the north rim of the Grand Canyon, took one
last look and turned and waited for the start.
The race director had time to kill after the
obligatory photos so I managed another
nervous wee. The gun goes off and I head off
with the top 3-4 runners. After 2km I notice
that I'm still with them and realise that I'm
racing well above my pay grade. Thankfully a
rookie packing error meant that my spoon
was digging into my back, so I pulled off to the
side, did a quick re-pack and settled back into
the field in a more suitable position. The first
aid station was at 8km and by this time my cup
was rubbing into the middle of my back. I was
getting tired of rookie packing errors.
The rest of the day was spent rolling up and
along the course and chatting to people. Did I
tell you about my buddy the sniper ? After
about 20km, the heat of the day and shortness
of breath started to have an impact, but I was
still able to pass other runners so clearly
everyone was feeling it. I teamed up with
Ronnie – an IBM guy from Ottawa. He was a
boring guy like me so we got on well. With
about 15km to go for the day we cut off trail
and went cross country through cactus fields. It
was super slow and involved lots of walking.
We came across Sandy Suckling – a fellow
Australian - about 5km from the finish. A ball
of spikes had lodged into her shin. We used
two rocks to pull out the spikes. She didn't
enjoy it. Ronnie and I pushed on and finished
13th on the day. I finished in good shape and
was one of the lucky ones. I had arrived in
Kanab pre-race early and had managed to run
up into the local mountains a few times before
the event. Others arrived a little later, didn't do
any running and were belted by altitude
related illness throughout the first stage. The
competitive part of their race was over.Stage
two was a cheeky 43.3km. Only 5km of cactus
and it was all at the start. I led the field out.
D'oh! Not where I should have been. I missed a
pink course marker and soon enough the field
caught and passed me. Up a seriously steep hill
(500m change in elevation), my buddy Ronnie
struggled and needed to stop a few times. I
waited for him at the top and watched 20
runners pass through before he re-appeared.
Yeah I was a nice guy – but it was a decision
that cost me later in the race. Steep elevation
changes were the story of the day (600m
descent followed) as was getting lost. As we
went further and further cross country the pink
polka ribbons on the trees weren't always
obvious. I felt great and just ran by feel for
most of the day. A German guy blew a
hamstring after stage 3. I watched him hobble
back towards me and the aid station. I offered
support but he wanted to be on his own. His
race was over. I ran strongly into CP4 and
caught up with the race director. Apparently
the lead female runner – Laurent Klein from
France (4 time MDS winner) had lost her way
and hadn't been sighted. We later found out
that she ran an extra 5km that day. It belted
her in the heat. I refuelled and asked the race
director how I was going. He told me:
"Say it isn't so" said this ordinary man.
"It is so" / "No…say it isn't so" / "It is so –
you're in the top 10 with 10km to go. Save
something for the long day (85km) tomorrow."
I had never been top 10 in a big race before. It
actually wasn't so. I came in 13th on the day
again. Somehow I had a vision that Arizona
would be filled with rattle snakes. I hadn't seen
one but I knew that they were watching me.
12
G2G was to be my fourth multi-stage race
after Racing the Planet Kimberleys in 2010 and
Marathon des Sables in the Sahara in both
2012 and 2014. I think that it is fair to say that
I'm a rubbish trail runner. I love the road and
had come off a 2:57 Boston marathon in April
at the age of 56. So why does a rubbish trail
runner do this stuff ? Easy. These races let me
run through some of the most remote and
unimaginably beautiful places on this earth.
We hit the first one. Cloud cover meant that there wasn't a lot of
night light. We started to climb but found ourselves falling
backwards. How steep was this? The only way to get to the top was
to use a bear crawl technique – on all fours with your butt in the air.
Not a problem – except that we had 20 dunes to climb and the only
indication of steepness was a glow torch at the top of each dune. It
was hard, it was dirty, there were lots of swearing but it was
magnificent. We would bear crawl to the top of each dune, catch our
breath and then run madly down the other side. Big fun. The only
problem that I had was that I had seriously miscalculated how long it
would take to run 85km. It ended up taking near enough to 16
1/2hrs. I had electrolyte tablets and Shot Bloks but I was totally over
them. The last couple of hours weren't pleasant – particularly an
extended period of bush bashing through sage brush. The reflective
material on the ribbons on the trees was a bit hit and miss and we
spent too much time trying to navigate our way to the camp. But we
made it and arrived about 2:30am. I finished the stage in 15th spot.
We were on a sloping camp site and I spent the rest of the night
rolling down off my sleeping mat. This mat now needed to be reinflated three times a night for the remainder of the race as it had
been spiked early by something nasty and now. But it does not
matter.
I spent all of the next day eating as much food as I could. My leftovers
(I hadn't eaten my post-race food the previous night), my food for the
day and everyone else's cast offs. The day was a mini carb-load. We
also cheered home the last of those still out on the course. Cowboys
came into camp later in the afternoon to teach us critical life skills –
how to lassoo a cow and how to throw a horse-shoe over a metal
pole. The race director also showed up with a couple of eskies filled
with cold cans of Coke. Normality was returning for me as I sipped
on my black doctor. A country duet arrived for some tunes. It was an
afternoon when too much Willie Nelson wasn't enough.
Stage 4 – 41.9km with a downhill start. Game face back on. It was
cool today so we went out quickly. I settled into 2nd spot and kept it
for the first 5kms. The plan was to bank kms early before the big
climbs. Lots of ascents today. Ronnie sprinted ahead and this rubbish
trail runner couldn't keep up. I ran most of the day with Sandy
Suckling – now the women's race leader after Laurent Klein pulled
out early on the long day – and the local land management ranger –
Harry. Highlights for the day were running through a long cave and
propelling up a waterfall using a knotted rope. I finished the day in
10th but Ronnie had taken 20mins off me and my overall position
had dropped back to 11th.
"IT WAS HARD, IT WAS
DIRTY, THERE WERE
LOTS OF SWEARING
BUT IT WAS
MAGNIFICENT. "
13
Day three – 84.7km. Ronnie, Sandy and I decided to run it together.
Long days are an equal physical and mental battle and company
helps. We started with the lead runners – some 2 hours after the rest
of the field. It meant that we missed out on the early start and cool of
the day and that we would have more time running in the dark. Not
great. We spent the time early on crafting drink bets – when would
we catch the first of the 8am starters, how long it would take us to
catch 20 of the 8am starters. I tired of the bets early as I lost them all.
On the positive side, our critter count start to increase nicely – our
first rattle snake let it be known that he owned a patch of land under
a tree by the side of the track. We agreed with his decision once the
rattle started. Ronnie spotted a huge ant. D'oh! He needs to get out
more. We call them scorpions. The terrain became tougher as the day
went on – 75% of the day was on soft sand. We saw shotgun pellets
on the track but we knew that we were ok as we didn't look like deer
as dusk fell (not sure about that...). The day became a grind and our
pace slowed. Nevertheless we moved quickly through the
checkpoints with more and more of the competitors choosing to take
extended breaks. We chased a lightning storm for an hour but
stayed dry and then we hit the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.
We had budgeted on spending 2hrs to navigate through the 5km of
dunes.
Stage 5 – 42.2km was to be the highlight. Slot canyon
day. I don't know why but I was down. Darkness had
descended and I didn't know how I was going to get
through another marathon – my 5th in a row. I had
banked 220km. The darkness didn't last long once we
hit the slot canyons – 40mins of fast running through
narrow canyons, stunning colours, changing light,
climbing down ladders to get deeper into the canyons
and cool temperatures. Ronnie, Sandy and I were in
10th, 12th and 11th places respectively. Gregory from
France was in 13th and was out to have a crack. It
didn't work. Ryan from the US spent some time with us.
He is a Beverley Hills magazine print model. That
explained why his hair was perfect on day 6 of the
race. We swapped stories about moisturisers. The day
finished with a long section of road. A few of the
European runners caught up to us and planned to run
strongly home. It was all about improving places late in
the race. This fat duck wasn't going to let that happen
so the team put the foot on the metal and we took off. It
broke the chasers, but what the hell were we doing it
for? It was such a boy thing to do. It was all Ronnie's
fault. Sandy was distressed but she had her hands
around the trophy as the fastest female.
Stage 6 – 12km. A staggered start this morning and a
happy campsite. The remaining racers were divided
into three groups starting at 7am, 8am and 9am. I had
only allowed for a Sustagen drink for breakfast.
Clearly it was not enough of a feed but my tent mates
were lightening the load so I managed to grab some
porridge and hot chocolate. We heard gun fire over the
next hill. We ducked to the ground while the locals
sipped on their coffee. An early start to the deer season
? Thankfully I didn't look like a deer although after not
showering for 8 days I undoubtedly smelt worse.
A mad dash to the line.
Roberto holding a Swiss flag and me – looking
distressed - behind him. Hugs, kisses, cold coke, cold
pizza and apples followed as we cheered the other
runners home. I had my belt buckle after 273km. It is
the hardest race that I've run – harder than Marathon
des Sables – but it was just a thrill to be able to run out
a race without blisters or nutrition and hydration
issues. I finished 11th overall in 42:45:41 averaging 9:25
per km. My best ever placing in a major race.
My third visit to the Sahara awaits in April 2016.
14
We took off at 9am and cruised. At 2200m we noticed
an immediate shortness of breath but I managed to
settle after a couple of kms. This stage was to be all
uphill – rising to 2800m as we climbed to the Pink Cliffs
at the Grand Staircase. The autumn leaves and colours
were stunning – so much so that Ronnie and I missed a
turn. Some of the runners took the turn and let us
continue up the hill. Ronnie and I were the last to realise
the mistake and took off to catch up. It was hard going
as we were hugging the sides of the Pink Cliffs. I
managed to put a gap on Ronnie in the battle for 10th
spot and set off to catch Roberto – a Swiss runner
comprised of all legs. We steadily passed runners and
ratcheted up the pace when we heard that we were a
mile from the finish. I flew – but that probably meant
that I was doing 6min/k.
Meet our members
In this edition, we meet Barry and
Darryl - our volunteering
extraordinaire. They are regularly
spotted at our Sunday runs, either
running 30Ks or hosting. Drop them
a hello next time you spot them!
Name: Darryl Chrisp
A Strider since: 2000. I ran a marathon over the
Olympics course (Olympics Test Event) in April 2000 and
saw Sydney Striders everywhere. I joined Sydney
Striders shortly after.
How I got into running: I lived in Adelaide and was
rubbish as a sprinter at school. A few years later a small
group of friends started doing a run followed by a swim
in the ocean. This was every Monday to Friday morning
regardless of weather. It was hard but my lifestyle was
also fairly full on. It resulted in my first marathon in
1984. I didn’t do another road marathon until April 2000
but ran regularly over short distances and even
managed a few Six Foot Track Marathons.
Favourite distance: 30 km. STaRs are my favourite
runs so that’s it. I usually only have a few months at a
time when I can run STaRs comfortably before I
succumb to an injury that takes several months to
recover from but I love them.
Favourite running workout: Difficult question. I don’t really have one but I just like to get out early and run. I
do a lot of running in and around Centennial Park with non Strider friends and other Striders.
What gear that you can’t do without: My Garmin 920XT. I feel gutted if I forget to put it on or forget to
start/restart it during a run. I upload my runs and track shoe mileage so it is a useful tool. I rarely look at it
during a run (some people probably wish I would) and don’t wear a HR monitor.
15
Where are you most likely to be found running: In the Eastern Suburbs during the week and STaRs
every Sunday (unless injured).
When not running most likely to be found: Cycling. I love riding a bike too and have four bikes to
choose from plus another two in pieces waiting for some loving attention. Of course both cycling and
running cannot happen without post-exercise coffee and chatting with other cyclists or runners.
Other than that there is an addiction to online shopping that occupies the rest of my life.
Role Model(s), Heroes & Heroines (fictional or otherwise): I love what the young ultrarunners are
doing. Their achievements would have been considered impossible only a few years ago. If I had to
pick two I would select our own Jess Baker and ultra-superstar Brendan Davies but, honestly, there
are half a dozen I could have chosen.
Finally…your favourite movie or TV show: The News. I listen to it on radio and watch both ABC and
SBS news every day. I have no idea why but I used to be an avid reader of newspapers too. I rarely
watch movies on TV or in cinemas and never watch anything with CGI or supernatural content.
Name: Barry Rutter
A Strider since: April 1999
How I got into running: After 30 years of Pennant
Squash needed a change of pace.
Favourite distance: Marathon
Favourite running workout: STaR runs on a Sunday
What gear that you can’t do without: Shoes
Where are you most likely to be found running: Around Chatswood/Willoughby or down to the
harbour
When not running most likely to be found: Around the house
Finally…your favourite movie or TV show: "Bridge on the River Kwai" and for something more
recent “Goodfellas”. I generally don’t watch current TV shows.
The last serial TV show I watched was “Number 96” Only the older members would know what I’m
talking about. They don’t make them like that anymore!! Anyone seen Abigail lately!!!
16
Role Model(s), Heroes & Heroines (fictional or otherwise): Reg Gasnier a member of the great St
George league sides. So sad to see him pass on. I understand the younger people won’t know who he
was but there was none better on and off the field.
Noosa Triathlon 2015 Sydney Striders win 4 out of 6 podium
spots
Alf Field
The Noosa Triathlon is the second largest Olympic distance (1.5k swim, 40k bike ride and 10k run) in
the world with 8,500 participants. It is a very well organised event and will probably become the
world’s largest in terms of numbers in the next year or two. Sydney Striders filled 2 of the spots on
the podium in the 70 to 74 age group and also in the 75 to 79 age group.
In the 70 to 74 year age group Alan Phillips was second and Alex Hamill third. In the 75 to 79 age
group Hugh Spencer was in the silver medal spot and I took home bronze. Many modern Striders
will be saying “Who are these old codgers. Never see them at STaRs or at Striders events”. Fair
comment, but they are all Lifetime members of the Sydney Striders. This is what they look like:
Left to right: Alf Field, Alan Phillips and Hugh Spencer. Unfortunately Alex Hamill was not available
when this photo was taken.
Very few modern Sydney Striders know me or know of me, so here is a bit of my personal history. I
joined the club in 1984 and the Strider’s became a very big part of my life. I have been fortunate to
build up a huge circle of friends through the Strider’s network.
17
Back in 1992...
The club wasn’t always as successful as it has been for the past 10 or 15 years. In 1992 the membership
was declining and the club was becoming a geriatric marathon running club. It was difficult to get
sufficient volunteers for Star’s and for Committee positions. Something needed to be done to rectify the
situation and I came under strong peer pressure to become President of the club. Eventually – and
rather reluctantly – I accepted the push to make me President. I decided to devote 2 years of strong
effort into turning the club around.
The first requirement was to get more new younger members into the club. The plan we came up with
was the 10k series of runs with everyone given a personal handicap so that even the slowest runners
had the possibility of being a winner on handicap. To make the series interesting I managed to persuade
South African Airways to donate 2 free air tickets to South Africa to the handicap winner. These events
were open to Striders as well as to outsiders who paid a nominal entry fee.
It meant quite a lot of work for me as I had to recalculate the handicaps after each 10k run and keep the
standings up to date. One of the difficulties that we faced was a lack of manpower. To make the 10k
series a big success, the initial events had to be well organised. I eventually concluded that the club
needed a temporary event manager. This of course required a boost to the clubs finances, the opposite
of what was actually happening with the membership declining.
18
Left: My sons Greg and Richard with me after the
Triathlon. They both finished in 3.03 and despite
being in different age groups with different
starting times, their times were separated by a
single second. How amazing was that? My time
was a bit slower!
"...the Striders
became a very
big part of my
life."
The solution that we came up with was to “offer” some Life
Memberships of the club to those members who could afford
to chip in $1,000. This was a bigger impost in 1992 than it is
now. To give credit to the membership at the time, it didn’t
require much twisting of arms to raise the necessary money.
Getting a paid organiser for about a year was just what was
needed. It turned the 10k Series into a great draw card for all
runners and the membership started to climb as younger new
members came on board. So that is how the 10k Series came
into existence and also how and why the Life Memberships
were issued at that time.
Comrades...
I continued as President in 1993 and discovered that there was a group of Striders who wanted to
travel to South Africa to participate in the Comrades Marathon, the approximate 90k run between
Durban and Pietermaritzburg, run in different directions in alternate years. I had done the
Comrades a couple of times, so I got dragooned into training a group to participate in the 1993
Comrades. I think that Bryce Courtenay was an initial driving force as he was keen to do the
Comrades to celebrate his 60th birthday.
The group eventually settled down to 20 runners, 18 males plus 2 ladies, Brenda Hamill and
Suzie Griffiths. The rigorous training schedule obviously worked well. We all finished this
gruelling run, 19 of us finishing in under 11 hours, the time cut-off in those days. Bryce
Courtenay finished in 11.20, an incredible effort as his feet were so blistered that he could not
walk on them for several days after the event. Some wag unkindly suggested that he missed the
11.00 hour cut-off because he kept stopping to sign books on the way.
It is interesting that more than half of the group never returned to attempt the Comrades
again. The sense of achievement for doing it once was all that they wanted. Others returned a
few times so that they could see Drummond from “both sides”. Drummond is the little village
half way through this run. It meant that they had done both an UP Run as well as the Down Run
that we did in 1993. .
Some got bitten by the Comrades bug, your scribe included. I was determined to run it 10 times
so that I could qualify for my Green Number. Each athlete was issued a number which they
wore every time they competed in the Comrades. Once one had completed 10 events, that
number belonged to the runner in perpetuity and one was welcomed into the Green Number
Club. My number was remarkably low – just three digits – 301. I achieved that in the year 2000
and ran in my green number in 2001.
One Strider who kept going back to the Comrades was Dick Bartlett, who completed Comrades 9
times. I think he tried at least another 3 times but failed to finish in all 3. It was very sad that he
did not get his Green number. He certainly deserved it. The point of this story is that the 4
podium finishers in Noosa were also part of that 1993 “band of brothers and 2 sisters” who did
the Comrades in 1993. Many others were great helpers in Committee positions at that time.
These included Roger Rigby, Graham Butler, John Ayliffe, Alan Phillips, Peter Hammerschmidt,
John Turner (later a President of the club), Alex and Brenda Hamill and others.
Sadly some of the members of that group have gone to that great running club in the sky.
These include Wayne McCarthy, Peter Keeble, Bryce Courtenay and Michael Wilson. I feel very
blessed to be able to complete a Triathlon at age 75. How I gravitated from running to
triathlons is worthy of an article on its own, but will leave that for another time. I have however
written “Why I don’t run anymore” which was published in Blister 109.
19
And now...
Two great thrills for me in the
latest Noosa Triathlon were to
have two of my sons do it with
me and to have 5 of my
grandkids run the last 100m to
the finish with me.
So go well and keep Striding
like the old codgers in the
Noosa Triathlon. Remember
that the older you get, the
fewer competitors there are in
your age group!
Left: Being led over the finish line by my
granddaughter. Above: A priceless photo,
having my granddaughters congratulating
me after the finish. Below: Podium finish
20
DOING
THINGS
BY 'HALFS'
AN ANZAC MEMORIAL
Allan Wareham
GENERALLY IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE TO "DO THINGS BY HALVES". NOR IS IT
RECOMMENDED TO SET ABOUT A TASK IN A "HALF-HEARTED" MANNER. SO,
YOU ASK WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO RUN A HALF MARATHON INSTEAD OF
A FULL MARATHON. MY CONTENTION IS THAT THERE ARE MANY BENEFITS
ASSOCIATED WITH RUNNING HALF MARATHONS, NAMELY:
21
SEPTEMBER 2015 | ISSUE 127
1. The time to run "a half" is less than half the time to run "a full". (The old rule was double your
half marathon time and add 10 minutes.)
2. The time to train for "a half" is less than half the time to train for "a full".
3. The time taken to recover after running "a half" is less than half the time to recover from "a full".
4. The chances of becoming injured while training or running "a half" are less than half the chances
of becoming injured while training or running "a full".
5. To me, the enjoyment of running "a half" is twice the enjoyment of running "a full".
To net it down: less time, less
chance of injury, more
enjoyment.
With this in mind, my goal for 2015
was to run eight half marathons in
eight months, each in a different
State or Territory of Australia. "Eight
in eight, each in a different state"!
Perth City to Surf Half Marathon finish.
Two reasons for this objective. Firstly, based on more than forty years as a runner, setting a challenging
but achievable goal is a great motivator. Getting out of bed to go for a training run is a whole lot easier
when you remind yourself that you have set a goal. Secondly and more significantly, because 2015 was
the Gallipoli Centenary, this goal was meant as a tribute to all the young Aussies who didn't come home.
After setting my goal, the next questions were: where and when? These questions were answered
almost immediately when an email arrived announcing the Australian Masters Half Marathon
Championship to be held in Hobart on January 11.
Hence, Half #1 would be in beautiful Tasmania. Most Striders might know that the Hobart Marathon and
Half start at the Cadbury Factory in Claremont - a relatively flat course beside the Derwent. The
turnaround is on the other side of the Risdon Bridge and you finish back at the factory where all runners
receive bags of "chockies" and colourful medals. The local Masters Association members were
particularly welcoming. To top it off, the conditions were near ideal for runners (given it was in midsummer). The winner of the "full" was David Criniti in a sharp time of 2:25:48 and Tony Fattorini was 4th
in 2:44:24. My time for the "half" was 2:07:15. Courtesy of a lack of challengers, I fluked a gold medal and
a new Tasmanian Masters record for M75-79.
Half #3, was an old favourite and one that most Striders have completed: the Australian Running
Festival in Canberra on April 11. My first time at a full marathon in Canberra was the Olympic Trials
Marathon in 1984. 30 years later, in 2014, 1st place in the M70-79 age group made this event a happy
hunting ground. This year the weather was cool and conducive for fast times though the Parliament
House hill seems to get a bit higher every year. Couldn't complain about my time of 2:05:01 (net) and
2nd place for M70-79.
22
Half #2 was the Wangaratta (Victoria) Half Marathon on February 22. The "teaser" video showed a
somewhat ideal course which as they stated was "fast, flat, sealed and certified" along the river bank in
the shade of gum trees. On race day the one thing that had not been predicted was a temperature of
about 28 degrees at the start and getting warmer. This was one of those races where you just have to
endure it until you reach the finish line. My time of 2:07:32 (net) was ordinary. Again, due to a lack of
challengers saw another first place for M70+. Just how ordinary was highlighted by the second placegetter for the women's marathon - by name, Lavinia Petrie - age 71 years - whose time of 3:38:53.2
awaits confirmation as a World Masters W70-74 world marathon record! (Lavinia is the current world
record holder for W70 in the 3000m, 5000m and 10000m.)
Half #4 was a chance to try a totally new venue (for me) and escape the early winter chills of Sydneytown; the Noosa Ultimate Sports Festival Half Marathon on May 24. This turned out to be my flattestever half marathon course. It starts and finishes at the junction of Hastings Street and Noosa Parade: the
high point of the course is just 7 metres above level. A flat course with few turns and cool conditions
(courtesy of a 6:30am start) meant a fast time of 2:02:12 and 3rd place for M70-79. (Darn those 70 to 74
year old youngsters!)
Half #5 was a more familiar event
and one of my all-time favourites; the
Macleay River Half Marathon on June
7. As this race was only two weeks
after Noosa it gave me the perfect
excuse to spend time on the Gold
Coast with some light training runs
along the beach front at Surfers
Paradise. The course at South West
Rocks is picturesque, mostly flat and
well marshalled. No complaints
about my time of 2:06:53 and 1st
place for M75+. My son, Raymond,
who had run the Barossa Marathon
on May 24, made a last minute
decision to join in the fun and took
out 1st place in the marathon. That's
about as good as it gets!
Macleay River FInish post presentation with my son, Raymond.
Half #6 was meant to be a highlight event: the Australian Outback Marathon Half on July 25.
Logistically, this turned out to be the most difficult. Entries had to be in more than two months in
advance. Bookings for airline tickets, accommodation and extras needed to be decided in advance: the
event is a Travel Fit exclusive. After completing the preliminaries and bookings, volunteered as the 30
minute pacer in the Sydney Harbour 5K. Result: 29:59 and 1st place for M75+ ... plus the worst bout of
bronchitis imaginable. After 6 days in bed and still on medication my flight to Yulara was anything but
enjoyable.
23
Having completed all the east coast
states' "halfs" in six months,
completing my 2015 goal should
have been easy. It was at this point
that it would have been advisable to
listen to what Robbie Burns had to
say about "The best laid schemes o'
mice an' men".
Amazingly, the dry desert air did
wonders for my throat and nasal
passages. Having been unable to
run for the previous 10 days
somehow managed to pull things
together on race day and
considering the conditions (rough
4-wheel drive tracks over sand hills)
and "my condition" finished,
somewhat remarkably, in 2:15:51,
1st M70+ and oldest to finish. This
"international" event is totally
unique and one to be remembered
forever. Without going into all the
details it's not possible to give all
the highlights. Definitely one for
every runner's "bucket list".
Generally, it is not cool to wear the
official t-shirt until after the event
but because it was cool I ran with
their t-shirt rather than my Strider
singlet. Besides, the colours of the
t-shirt matched the local "red
earth" decor.
Half #7 was the Adelaide Half Marathon on August 23. This was an easy decision because my son, Ray,
had won the marathon there in 2014 and spoke highly of the event as one that was well run and ran
well. Ha! My tactics for this event were governed by a decision to run the Perth City to Surf Half one
week later. Simply put, the idea was to treat it as a training run and not to cause another flare-up of my
sciatic nerve problem. The conditions were good, the race direction faultless and though the course is
twisty with some hills, it is mostly easy running. My time: 2:21:32. The running gods were smiling: 1st
Place for M75-79.
24
Over the sand hills at the Outback Half Marathon (near Uluru).
Back home and another landmark
event was calling: my 40th City to
Surf! When an old injury caused by
a pinched nerve in my back flared
up, the message was still not
getting through. Prior treatment
involved three months without
running. Result: my slowest ever
time in the City to Surf in
1:27:07(net), still good enough for a
"green group" qualification. The
real quandary after the C2S was
that there were two more states to
go and only 17 days to complete
my "8 in 8" objective? As it turned
out, the decision was relatively
easy.
Half #8 was set for the Perth City to Surf Half Marathon on August 30. We arrived in Perth on the
Tuesday before the event and my first preoccupation was get some relief for my sciatic pain.
Fortunately, found a physio who used 'trigger-point' therapy and his treatment gave me considerable
relief. About the course: the start line is in the middle of the Perth CBD. If you are running the
marathon it starts at 6:00am and you run in the opposite direction to the half, then return to the
starting point in the CBD before completing the half marathon course to Cottesloe. The Half starts at
8:30am and the first 2Km heads up a rather steep hill to Kings Park wherein you run a down and up
8K section before continuing on to Cottesloe. The full and half have the same finish line. The half
marathon course was quite challenging with a total of 321 metres gain (the highest of any of my eight
half marathons and a tough 2nd half for the marathon runners). The weather was cool to start,
gradually warming as the day progressed. The event was well patronised with a crowded start but
not so crowded as to require staggered starts. Somewhat surprisingly, my fastest K was the 21st in a
time of 5:17 (mostly downhill). My time: a disappointing 2:17:17. My sole complaint was that there
wasn't an age grouping corresponding with my age. My official result says 12th for M65-99.
Completing my "8 in 8" objective was satisfying but then started thinking that it was not quite
enough to honour the memory of the thousands of young ANZACs who gave their lives on the
battlefield. More specifically, I wanted to dedicate my achievement to the nine family relatives who
died in World War I.
Anyway, Half #9 was completed. Time: 2:24:47. 4th place M70-99.
25
So Half #9 was set for the Auckland Half Marathon on November 1. This turned out to be coincident
with another memorable event involving the current young men of Australia and New Zealand being
locked in battle on a different field of endeavour. The Half Marathon was set for a starting time of
6:50am which just happened to be at the same time of the Rugby World Cup Final in Twinkenham.
Several weeks before the Half the marathon officials sent an email to the runners asking: "If New
Zealand is in the Final of the World Cup, will you be still running in the Half Marathon?" Strangely,
there was no mention "if Australia is in the World Cup ..."? This oversight became obvious as soon as
we touched down in New Zealand on October 23. The Kiwis are rugby-crazy! They seem to accept
that other countries do play other sports, though they don't understand why.
Race day was an amazing. Imagine a ferry taking you from Auckland Harbour to the start line in
Devonport. Everyone is talking, not about the race nor how cold it is at 5:15am. They're all talking
about the Rugby World Cup. When you get off the ferry everyone rushes to a nearby park where they
gather around 12 foot wide TV screens to follow the rugby action. No one is stretching, no one is
warming up or lining up at the portaloos nor trying to jostle for a good position at the start line. At
6:40am, with only 10 minutes to go before the gun one can stroll to the start line and no one is there.
Except one lone Aussie. With a few minutes to go some of the die-hard runners start to appear apparently satisfied that their precious All Blacks no longer require their assistance. Once, the race
starts and some people spot my Sydney Strider singlet they "apologetically" tell me: "Sorry, but you
lost!"
Having completed NINE Half Marathons in 2015 they are dedicated to the
memory of NINE of my relatives who did not return from World War One.
They are:
Private Frederick Benjamin GREEN, died 10 August 1915 from wounds
at Lone Pine, Gallipoli, Age 23.
Driver Ronald Easton PATTEN, died 2 November 1915 in UK, Age 25.
Private Percival KEAT, died 8 May 1916 "killed in action" in France, Age
23.
Private Leonard ATTWELL, died 14 August 1916 "killed in action" in
France, Age 43.
Private William DAVIS, died 1917 in France, Age 23. (not sure of exact
date because there were more than 20 privates named William Davis
killed in World War I.)
Private Ernest Albert GREEN, died 27 February 1917 at VillersBretonneux, Age 19.
Private Thomas Mountford ROWLEY, died 16 March 1917 "in the field",
France, Age 24.
Private Sidney Harold LISTER, died 14 May 1918, "killed in action" in
France, Age 22.
Private Edgar William ARMOUR, died 5 July 1918 buried at VillersBretonneux, Age 19.
MAY THEY REST IN PEACE - LEST WE FORGET
26
The Effect of Running Biomechanics on Overuse
Injuries and Footwear Considerations
Owen Hynes, Physiotherapist
Poor biomechanics can predispose a runner to any number of overuse injuries. Our gait may be affected
by abnormal foot strike patterns, muscle tightness, muscle weakness, incorrect footwear and many other
factors. To identify these biomechanical abnormalities, running assessments using video analysis are used.
Once these factors have been identified, immediate retraining of running biomechanics can begin in order
to reduce the risk of developing an overuse injury or to return to running after a chronic injury.
Some common running injuries that are associated with poor running biomechanics include runner’s knee,
shin splints, plantar fasciitis, hamstring and Achilles strains, lower back pain and many more. The cause of
these injuries is usually identifiable and making a few simple changes to running style can have a significant
impact on reducing symptoms and increasing running efficiency.
For example, many runners have a longer than desirable stride length. Even a small increase in stride
length can lead to numerous overuse injuries including hamstring strains, shin splints and lower back pain.
Utilising video analysis and a thorough biomechanical assessment, factors contributing to an overstride
such and tight hip flexor muscles, inactive glute muscles and a slow running cadence can be identified and
overcome.
The heel drop of running shoes can also have an
impact on biomechanics by influencing foot strike
patterns. For instance, a shoe with a higher heel
drop such as an Asics Kayano or a Brooks Glycerin
will promote more of a rear-foot strike because of
the added cushioning in the heel. However, a
midfoot or even a forefoot strike can be attained in
these shoes by making a few biomechanical
changes such as reducing stride length.
So although footwear can have an impact on strike patterns, other biomechanical factors such as stride
length, muscle tightness and muscle weakness play an even greater role in determining how we strike the
ground. The impact of these biomechanical factors on strike pattern becomes more important when we
consider how the different strike patterns can predispose to particular types of overuse injuries.
27
The question many runners ask is, which foot strike pattern causes the least
impact and is most effective in reducing the risk of developing an overuse injury?
Recent research suggests that the strike pattern does not dramatically change the
amount of impact that goes through the leg upon ground contact. Whether you
are a heel striker or a forefoot striker, the overall amount of impact is similar,
however, the joints which absorbs the majority of the impact does change. A heel
striker will naturally land with a more extended front leg and will therefore have
higher impact through the front knee and hip. This style of gait increases the
likelihood of particular injuries including hamstring strains and lower back pain
and possibly shin splints.
By comparison, a forefoot striker wearing a Minimus shoe will have more
load through the foot and ankle joints. A lot more force is required of the calf
muscles to propel the runner forward during the push off phase and this can
increase the likelihood of developing injuries such as achilles strains and
tendinopathies for example.
Accordingly, the most important factor to consider to minimise the risk of overuse injury (or recover
from a pre-existing injury) is what biomechanical factors are causing the breakdown in the gait cycle.
For example, for the runner who has chronic hamstring strains, do they have an overstride? Do they
have tight hip flexor muscles? Do they have poor activation of gluteal muscles? What is the impact of
these factors on their strike pattern? A thorough running assessment will identify these abnormalities
and strategies are given to overcome them.
Run happy and injury-free!
Kevin O'Kane and Carol Taylor at our 10K Series
Photo by Surf2Summit Photography
To answer the above question, there is no universally ideal strike pattern. They are individualistic and
will be determined by a number of factors including injury history, available joint range of motion and
muscle strength and control. Although footwear can alter strike patterns, for the prevention and
treatment of running injuries, and to increase running efficiency, the most important factor is to first
identify and overcome the biomechanical abnormalities.
To book a running assessment, contact Sydney Advanced Physiotherapy on (02) 9416 4410 today.
28
The hills were alive with the sound
of Triathletes
David Loader
November 2014 saw the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney. This event was held in sweltering
conditions at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Penrith. Shortly after 6am, I leapt into the water
for the 1.9k swim, then onto a borrowed bicycle for the 90k ride and finally running the half marathon in
the hottest conditions I had ever run in. After this draining effort I was ecstatic to take a qualifying spot for
the 2015 Ironman 70.3 World Championships to be held in the lakeside town of Zell am See Kaprun in
Austria. This was to be my first ever World Championships and I could not believe that I was going to
represent Australia on the world stage.
Once we arrived in Munich we transferred to our hotel for a well deserved sleep before a nice relaxing run
around the airport to get over the flight, then off to the airport to collect the rental car for the drive
through Bavaria and on to Austria.
We took three days to get to our destination, a drive that could probably been done in less than three
hours but we took the (very) scenic route with great running at our overnight stops.
On arrival in Zell am See we caught up with some friends from the Gold Coast, one of whom was also
competing, then off to the Athlete Registration & Check-In and Ironman Expo. This was a real buzz,
competitors from all over the world, exhibitors displaying all the latest go fast equipment and the
Australian exhibit courtesy of the Sunshine Coast, the venue for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships
in 2016.
29
What a beautiful drive this was, every town looked as though it should have been on a post card and
around every bend in the road was a scene right out of a movie (The Sound of Music perhaps??)
With registration out of the way we jumped back in the car to drive the bike course to see if the hill climb
is as daunting as described in the course notes. This was the most picturesque course I had ever seen,
with great roads running alongside the river before beginning the ascent. The climb was around 13km
from the bottom to the top with the last 2kms being particularly steep and an elevation gain of over
1,300m. This will definitely sort us out on race day. The descent was also challenging with reports that
early arrivals had ridden this section of the course and “cooked” their carbon wheels due to the hard
braking coming down and needed to buy or rent new wheels for the race.
Thursday night was the Irongirl run, a 4km run around the lake and the old town before crossing the
Ironman finish line in the centre of town, with my wife Amanda having a great time soaking up the
atmosphere whilst running in this great location. This was one of many supporting events held around
Zell am See over the week of the championships.
The parade of nations was held on the Friday evening. All competing athletes, grouped by country,
walked through the town to a traditional Austrian brass band and supported by locals arriving at the
Irondome for the welcome banquet. It was great to see that Australia was the 3rd highest represented
nation with well over 200 competitors and were behind only the USA and Germany.
On the Saturday before our
race, the annual Ironman 70.3
Zell am See Kaprun event was
held over the same course we
would cover on Sunday. This
was a good chance to see how
athletes handled the course and
gave the World Championship
competitors a great preview of
what was to come.
At 11:31am the gun (actually medieval cannon) went off and my race started. The swim was in an
alpine lake, the water so clean it is classified as drinking water, the course was out & back and being
well marked I don’t think I swam too much more than the 1.9km that I had to. This made a nice change
for me as normally I seem to take the long way around!
30
Sunday morning, race day, was here. Unusually for an event, we were all able to sleep in as the first
wave of competitors did not start until 11am. Unfortunately, Austria was in the middle of a late
summer heatwave and instead of the forecast 12 – 23 degrees on race day it was already 25 by the
time the swim started and 32 for the run! Coming out of Sydney’s winter did not make this easy.
Out of the water, through transition and accompanied by the most stringent officials I have ever seen – 14
competitors were DQ’d in my age group alone – I set off on the bike for the 90km 1 lap bike course. The
quality of the roads allowed for a nice smooth ride and good speed for the first 20kms and then the climb
started. Taking it steady, I was to overtake other riders (all those great swimmers) and keep a good pace.
The last section was as tough as I thought it would be. It was great that there were a lot of supporters out
on this part of the course giving encouragement to all competitors, urging us to the top where we were
greeted with loud cheers before going over the crest and starting on the road down. I knew this was going
to be challenging and seeing the newly installed 4m high padded fence on the corners I was reminded to
take it easy and just get to the bottom in one piece. At the bottom the road levelled out and was a nice
undulating road for the remainder of the ride.
Amanda at Irongirl
Competing in a World Championship event
was an amazing experience and was
something I had thought was beyond my
ability, I finished 63rd in my age group out of
184 exceeding my expectations as I had
hoped to finish in the top 100. This was due
to the great support I received from
everyone, especially Amanda who put up
with me heading out the door at all hours for
training, Sydney Striders for their support
and Mike Turner who ran with me on Star
runs most Sundays as well as everyone from
parkrun Mosman who were following me
every step of the way.
This reminded me how lucky we all are to be
able to follow our dreams and be
surrounded by great supporters who want
to see us succeed whatever our goals.
31
After the Race
It was then off the bike and back into
transition, trying to get the running muscles
working as I headed out for the half
marathon. Running along the side of the lake
in the heat it was very tempting to jump in to
cool off and I would have done if I thought I
would not get disqualified. The run started
off slowly due to the heat and fatigue. I hit
half way in 52 minutes and then started to
feel better and was able to pick up the pace
covering the second half in just over 44
minutes. The run down the finishing straight
was amazing. The crowd was packed up to
three deep for the last 500m and seeing my
wife near the line really helped carry me
home.
SUPER SERIES 2015
Striders at the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival Marathon
The way points are structured, Striders with
good planning skills, solid training records,
and the willingness to enter different kinds
of races can win trophies.
Taras Mencinsky Runmore Loans sponsor of
the Sydney Striders Internal Super Series
The Super Series had a strong year with almost
two-thirds of current Striders participating in
events from the series this year. Thanks to the
new support from long-time Strider Taras
Mencinsky, the Runmore Loans Internal Super
Series encouraged an increase in the number of
people participating in the Equaliser, the Internal
Half, and the Internal 10km over last year. We
had a couple of members who were focused on
running as many events as possible: Pete
Hibberd and Eric Schmierer each ran 15 events
that were part of the 2015 Super Series. Horrie
Lockwood and Luigi Criniti clocked up 14 Super
Series events this year. All of those guys did
more Super Series races than the busiest female
Strider (yours truly, with 12 events). Well done,
men!
Overall, 580 Sydney Striders participated in
Super Series events with City to Surf being the
most popular, followed by the SMH Half and the
Sydney Half. The Gold Coast Airport Marathon
saw a huge increase in the number of Striders
running this year. In 2013 and 2014, we had 25
Striders in the marathon; in 2015, 60 Striders
completed the event.
The way points are structured, Striders with
good planning skills, solid training records, and
the willingness to enter different kinds of races
can win trophies. The Super Series encourages
taking chances, trying various distances, and
fronting up month after month throughout the
year; the focus is on dedication and
determination, not solely on who was first across
the line – although this counts, too. But the
Super Series also rewards commitment to the
club.
To be eligible to win a trophy, Striders must have
also volunteered for the club during the year.
Across all events, we have seen an increase in the average number of Striders participating in races: from 54
in 2013 to 57 in 2014 and now 60 in 2015. We would love to see even more take part in the ever-changing
smorgasbord of events on offer each year. The 2016 series has some new events, so take a look and get
involved.
Anyone who completes Super Series events is automatically entered into the competition. Our amazing
Results Coordinator, Rachel Merton, strives to find your results in any of the Super Series events listed, but
you are ultimately responsible for making sure all of your relevant results (including a Wild Cheetah
Marathon or Half Marathon) get listed.
And, a special congratulations to Luigi Criniti, who has won his age-group in the Super Series for 10 years
running!
32
April Palmerlee
Here are the age group winners and
runner ups for 2015:
M18-34
F18-34
M35-39
F35-39
M40-44
F40-44
M45-49
F45-49
M50-54
F50-54
M55-59
F55-59
M60-64
F60-64
M65-69
F65-69
M70-74
M75-79
Simon Wolnizer | Michael Ho
Maria Yiasemides |Amy Cheung
Brendan Davies |Stuart Spencer
Akiko Akashi |Samantha Isbell
James Watson | Bruce Lambert
Lyndall Conley | Manal Garcia
Mike Turner | Anthony Robinson
April Palmerlee | Jacqueline Ramsay
Glenn Lockwood | Peter Hibberd
Belinda Lockwood | Leonor Lawler
Stephen Mifsud | Wayne Gregory
Robin Cameron | Margaret Krempff
Ron Schwebel | Eric Schmierer
Dale Thompson | Lesley Maher
Luigi Criniti | Graham Osborn
Anne Boyd | Carol Taylor
Ted Brailey | Terry McIver
Heiko Schaefer | Allan Wareham
Runmore Loans Internal Super Series
This comprises three races, and thanks to
Runmore Loans, great prize-money!
Congratulations to the inaugural winners of this
competition (female|male):
1st Place Jessica Carroll | Raymond Wareham
2nd Place Isabella Thompson | Andrew Heyden
3rd Place Michelle Ng | Stuart Spencer
The Runmore Series also offers prizes for people
who joined Striders for the first time in 2015 and
competed in all three internal races.
The winners are:
Female: Isabella Thomson
Male: Erin Murphy
Congratulations to all Striders who competed in
the Runmore Loans Internal Super Series this
year! Until 2016!
Super Series 2016
In addition to maintaining many of the classics for 2016, we are also adding in new events for the
Series in 2016. We strive to arrange entry discounts, team competitions or post-race festivities where
we can. Scheduled events are sometimes cancelled due to weather, permission problems or lack of
sponsorship, but we are including new races ever year, so hopefully you all feel you have a nice
selection of events to choose from throughout the 2016 season.
Event
Sydney Trail Series – Manly Dam
The Equaliser
Six Foot Track
Lindfield Rotary Fun Run
Australian Running Festival
ANZAC DAY Ultra
Internal 10
Ultra Trail Australia 50
SMH Half
King of the Mountain
Great NOSH
Woodford to Glenbrook
Gold Coast
Sutherland to Surf
M7 Cities
C2S
Southern Highlands Challenge
Coastal Classic
Great North Walk
Sydney Running Festival
Internal Half
Fernleigh 15
Summer Starter
Distance
20
14
45
10
21/42
100
10
50
21
25
16
25
21/42
11
21/42
14
15/50
29
100
21/42
21
15
10
Surface
Trail
Trail
Trail
Road
Road
Trail
Road
Trail
Road
Road and Trail
Trail
Trail
Road
Road
Road
Road
Trail
Trail
Trail
Road
Road
Road
Road
33
Date
17 Jan
28 Feb
12 Mar
3 Apr
10 Apr
23 Apr
30 Apr
15 May
15 May
22 May
5 Jun
26 Jun
3 Jul
24 Jul
31 Jul
14 Aug
28 Aug
3 Sept
10/11 Sept
18 Sept
9 Oct
15/22 Oct
TBA Nov
10K SERIES 2015
James Masters
10K Series at Lane Cove | Photo by Surf2SummitPhotography
In 2011 I put my hand up to organise the 10k Series, taking over from Barbara Becker. She had been the face of the race for as long
as I'd been a Strider so it was with great trepidation that I took on the role. Once I got my head around the jobs that needed to be
done I soon realised that being the name on the e-mail, or the voice on the microphone was merely the tip of the iceberg.
There is a whole team of wise runners lurking in the background unseen by many with the answers to all my questions, the big and
little ones. Decades of Striders experience on tap to make the role of Race Director far easier than I ever thought it could be. It was
with the help of many that I found my feet and hopefully made your participation in the Striders 10k Series an enjoyable one.
Before I sign off after 5 years on the mic I'd like to say Thank You to those who helped me through the last half a decade. Paul
Hannell, Jo Cowan, David Bray, Joe Degabriele and Barbara Becker, all oozing with knowledge and experience. Terry McIver, Peter
Woods, Shirley and Barry Rutter, my lieutenants on the ground. The rest of the committee past and present, for your guidance and
support in decision making and my army of volunteers month in month out, far too innumerable to mention but every one an
important part of the team. Thank you all.
I'll still be at the 10k races just not in an official capacity, so I'll see you all out on course.
Till then. Run well.
F35-39
F40-44
F45-49
F50-54
F55-59
F60-64
F65-69
Name
Anna White
Leigh MacRitchie
Michelle Ng
Kathleen Peterson
Manal Garcia
Nicole Frykberg
Ruth Dentice
Jacqueline Ramsay
Sue O'Donnell
Lynn Herisson
Ingrid Grace
Joanne Cowan
Gillian Klevansky
Dale Thompson
Anne Boyd
Carol Taylor
Age Group
M18-34
M35-39
M40-44
M45-49
M50-54
M55-59
M60-64
M65-69
M70-74
M75-79
M80-84
Name
Lewis Ingram
Robin Vonk
David Criniti
John Binfield
James Watson
David Parker
Paul McClarnon
Justin Bromley
Mark Fiore
David Carey
Craig Thom |Richard Willcock
David Gayford
Ron Schwebel
Wayne Pryke
Darryl Chrisp
Ben Dall'Amico
Ted Brailey
Gavin Morisset
Heiko Schaefer
Allan Wareham
Frank Dearn
Progressive Open
Men
Women
Progressive Handicap
Name
David Criniti
Lewis Ingram
Anna White
Ingrid Grace
Leigh MacRitchie
Ben Rodgers
Leigh MacRitchie
Age and Gender Adjusted David Criniti
Ron Schwebel
Centurions: for the brave souls who has
completed all ten races in the 10K series:
Anna White| Ben Dall'Amico |Craig Thom
Enrique Suana | John Binfield | John Kerr
Leigh MacRitchie | Lisa Wynan | Richard
Willcock | Ruth Dentice | Shaun Atchison
Ted Brailey
34
Age Group
F18-34
Juniors Corner
Tony Wong, with additional contributions from Caroline Yarnell and Janet Jagger, and with additional
photos courtesy of Wally Phillips, Janet Jagger and David Tarbottom of ANSW
Training Currently we have 109 members!
Summer is here and it is wonderful to be able to
train in daylight at Passmore Reserve. On
October Public Holiday Monday, we had special
guest Jill Corel, a Strider parent, giving a yoga
lesson to the group. Anyone interested in
training with us please contact
[email protected].
Australian Cross Country Championships 16
juniors travelled to Melbourne to compete in the
Australian Cross Country Championships. Josh
Phillips and Kieran Tall earned selection to
compete in the International Schools Federation
Cross Country Championships in Hungary next
April.
2k Challenge at North Head 10 brave souls got
up at the crack of dawn, some more willing than
others, to take part in the inaugural 2k challenge
at North Head. Max Mahon was the first boy, and
Sophie Gocher the first girl, winning themselves
a $50 voucher each from the Sydney Running
Centre, while the others enjoyed plenty of cakes
and fizzy drinks at 8 in the morning.
Nicola Hogg leading the charge around Passmore
Reserve
It all looks very serious
Jill Corel leading the the Sun Salute
The start of the inaugural 2k challenge
Josh Phillips and Kieran Tall in the under 18 boys’ race
35
Philosophy of our handicap races: Spring Mile and 5k handicaps
We have a ‘handicap week’ 3 times per year, where we run both a
mile race and a 5K race. So, we have the Easter Bunny races, the
winter races, and the Christmas races. This is all professionally
done, with handicaps calculated using an excel spreadsheet, records
and PBs stored etc. We give dress up prizes for the mile. The whole
point of the handicaps is to reward those who have improved – due
to training we presume! So, to win a handicap you have improved
the most over the past 4 months. This is part of our philosophy –
reward those who train hard, not just the super stars.
25 ran in a blustery 1 mile handicap on the track at Narrabeen. The
first across the line was scratch runner Josh Sheather, while
Alexandra Sinclair notched up another win in the event with her 39
seconds improvement to 6 minutes 13 seconds. Proud dad Ben
Sinclair confirmed that the Sinclair family targets and peaks for each
mile handicap! The fastest girl on the night was Sophie Gocher with
her 5.20, while the fastest boy was David Gardiner with his 4.55.
13 ran in the 5k handicap in perfect conditions from Shelley Beach
to Queenscliff and back. Alexandra Sinclair scored her second win of
the week with a massive 5 minutes 16 seconds improvement to
23.12. The fastest girl on the night was Emma Mahon with her 19.50
while Bryn Lynch was the fastest boy with 17.05.
Alexandra Sinclair, winning the double
Annual Awards Party A big thank you to the Gormans who hosted the party this year. Apart from
the usual fun and frolics, 3 awards recipients deserve a special mention. “Breakthrough” awards were
awarded to Haydon Blaskett and Jack Coates. Haydon, our first walker won silver in the NSW under 14
Championship, and went on to win a silver in the Australian Championships. Jack, in his first season,
finished 6th in the Australian Championship of the under 14 boys 800m final. Finally, 10 year old Nick
Hyde was given the Josh Phillips Encouragement Award for his efforts in training and competition.
Trophies glittering in the sun
NSW 3000m Championships Once again, we had a fantastic night of racing with PBs galore. Josh
Phillips (8 minutes and 47 seconds) and Sophie Gocher (10 minutes and 39 seconds) were the fastest
boy and girl on the night. The Junior Strider of the evening was Ben Jagger with a massive 23 second
improvement to 9 minutes and 28 seconds. The other highlights were Daniel Francken, the first Junior
Strider to break 9 minutes back in 2012, improving to 8 minutes and 49 seconds. Young Kieran
Gorman ran a National qualifying time and a PB of 10 minutes and 0.88 seconds. Finally, Luke Simson
had us on the edge of our seats with his new PB of 9 minutes and 0.8 seconds, narrowly missing the 9
minute barrier and joining the exclusive sub 9 club.
36
1
DECEMBER
DECEMBER 2015
2015 || ISSUE
ISSUE 127
05
A Sydney Striders piñata
Daniel Francken on his way to a new PB of 8.49
NSW Relay Championships
There was plenty of excitement at the NSW Relay
Championships at Blacktown last weekend. Many had to run
in wet and windy conditions. We won 6 silvers and 1 bronze
over the weekend. As a club, we compared favorably to the
other distance running focused clubs. Kembla Joggers and
Randwick Botany were both ahead of us in the medal table
because they won gold medals. In terms of medal count, they
only won 8 medals and 5 medals respectively while we won 8
(7 plus 1 bronze from the senior club).
Finally, thank you to Harlan Mulherin, Adam and Bethany
Halmy, Damian Gorman, Marianne Kingsmill and Sarah Cole
who helped lap scoring in the 4x1500m.
Some fancy footwork was
needed from Nicola Hogg in
the under 16 girls’ 4x800m
Emily Gocher ploughing on
in the rain
The cheer squad is ready at the State
Relays
Jack Stokeld releasing Dan
Cooper in the last leg of the
under 14 boys 4x1500m
Nerves
The start of the under 16 girls 4x800m
Kieran Tall handing over to Jack Mills in the under 18 boys
4x1500m
37
Kieran Gorman just missed out on gold in
the under 14 boys’ 4x 800m
Adam Halmy and Liam Gorman leading the
charge at the start of the under 16 and under
20 boys combined 4x1500m
Luke Gorman handing over to Josh
Phillips in the under 18 boys’ 4x800m
Mia Hinchcliffe releasing Ingrid Kingsmill
in the under 14 girls 4x1500m
The under 14 girls didn’t mind the rain
The under 14 boys don't mind the rain either
Around the track
Left: Sophie Gocher, the NSW All Schools Under 16 2k Steeplechase Champion getting some extra practice before the Australian
All Schools in Melbourne
Centre: Joining Sophie is Liam Gorman who is improving all the time in steeplechase
Right: Also going to all schools, Tessa Constantine will be competing in the
400m hurdles
38
Ben Jagger and Luke Simson both
looking remarkably fresh
after one of the Running Wild events
Meanwhile, over in the mountains in the Running Wild
series…
Junior Striders Luke Simpson and Ben Jagger have been
doing exceptionally well in the short course series. Luke
started the season off by comfortably winning the11km Mt
Portal race. Race two was the brutally tough 10km
Kedumba trail run. This race starts at the Old Queen
Victoria hospital near Wentworth Falls. The course
descends steeply down into Kedumba Valley before
returning straight back out again. Luke won with a new
course record of 45:38 and Striders team mate Ben was
second in 48:19. The third short course race of the season
was the 14km Narrow Neck night run which was won by
Ben Jagger in a new course record of 59.43.
Graduating into the Senior Ranks
In 2016, Amelia Gorman and David Gardiner, who have been regulars in ANSW competition for many years,
will leave the junior ranks and compete in open competition. Here are a few questions I posed to them:
Amelia Gorman
What are you doing now?
I am currently completing
a Bachelor of Education
(Primary) at Sydney University
having just finished my second
year.
David Gardiner
What are you doing now?
I'm studying Economics at
Sydney University, and
coaching debating teams
for work.
How old were you when you
first joined Sydney Striders?
I was 12 years old and in my
first year of high school (2008).
How old were you when
you first joined Sydney
Striders?
I joined striders when I was
12,but only started training
the next year, which made a big difference.
How would you describe your experience in the club since then?
A highly rewarding experience which has allowed me to form strong
friendships whilst improving myself as a runner.
What was your favourite event?
I’ve always loved the cross country season – the variation in event
distances, and race venues keeps the winter season interesting.
What was your least favourite event?
Doing Tony’s ‘flags’ drill on a cold winters’ night at Narrabeen track!
How much running are you doing now?
I generally run three times a week – two Striders training sessions and
one longer run. I also attend a couple of gym classes a week to help
maintain fitness levels.
Do you have any running related goals for the future?
Well if my preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics doesn’t quite go to plan
– I want to continue competing in the cross country season now in the
senior ranks. I also want running to continue to be an essential part of
my routine to ensure that I am living a healthy lifestyle.
Do you have any advice for the younger members of the group or
even your younger self at 13?
Set realistic goals and then give yourself the best chance to fulfill these
by training hard and believing in yourself 100%
How would you describe your experience?
Welcoming, and good at training everyone to a high standard.
What was your favourite event?
My favourite event was probably the 3000m on track because it was
the longest, and cross country which was 6-8km, which had lots of
hills.
What was your least favourite event?
My least favourite event was the 800m, since everyone had more
speed and endurance didn't matter as much.
How much running are you doing now?
Nowadays I am not running much coming off of illness, but building
up from every other day.
Do you have any running related goals for the future?
In the short term I would like to come top three in a Striders 10km
series race, and in the longer term I would love to run one of the big
marathons in the US.
Do you have any advice for the younger members of the group or
even your younger self at 13?
Come to training whenever you are not injured, and put in as much
effort as you can.
Meet A Junior - Six Questions for Hannah Lovlin
39
How long have you been with the Striders and what do you like about the club?
I joined at the start of the winter season 2014, so almost 2 years! I really like the way everyone
always supports each other, no matter who you are or your running ability. Even though
training can sometimes be tough, it’s always a fun atmosphere and the coaches are awesome!
It’s great to be part of a team for the comps throughout the season.
Which School do you attend?
I’m currently in Year 6 at Balgowlah Heights Public School.
Why do you like running?
I like running because it's loads of fun, as well as a good way to stay fit, have new experiences,
and catch up with friends!
What other sports do you do?
As well as running throughout the year, I also love soccer in the winter, and futsal and touch
footy in the summer, Little Athletics and the PSSA school sports.
What is your favourite event and why?
I like 1500's at little A's, because they're not too long, but not too short, but I am aiming to get
faster in the 800m. I like 2km and 3km cross country runs especially through mud., like Dapto
this year. The winter comp is great, because mud runs are lots of fun, and you have to go
through the challenge of not slipping over!
Does anyone else run in your family?
My Mum and Dad like to run and stay fit. They’ve done a few half marathons and fun runs in
the past, but they always say they should be doing more of it!
How many times a week do you train and what is your favourite training session?
I train once or twice a week with Striders. I like quick reps and relays through Manly and
another favourite is the pyramid at Passmore, followed by the trail run, because I think it’s a
great challenge.
What an exciting year it has been!
LAST
WORD
By yer Social Media Admin
Gilbert D’Awesome (find me on Strava)
A huge shout out to our volunteer pacers too! Thanks for providing
your profiles and sometimes being interviewed on cam, so that
runners on major events can get to know you a bit and can find you
come race day. And of course, being there and supporting runners
on the big day to achieve their race goals.
I appreciate and do thank all of you for sharing your running
highlights and activities on the page and the member’s only facebook
group! Do keep the conversation going!
40
If you haven't done so, like our Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/SydneyStriders?fref=ts
The Members only group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SydneyStriders/?fref=ts
The Marathon Training Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/115776728632956/?fref=ts
The Race Pacers Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/520230171443125/?fref=ts
We are also on Instagram: @sydney_striders, Twitter:
@sydneystriders and you can browse our blog on Tumblr too:
http://sydney-striders.tumblr.com/
NOMADIC
Have a most awesome holiday and of course - #GoStriders !
|
THE
From 1,600 Facebook likes at the start of the year to 2,359 at the time
of this writing! From the start of the year with our 10k Series, we have
been with you through the major events like the 6 Foot Track, SMH
Half, the City2Surf, Canberra, M7, Gold Coast and Sydney Marathons
through to our 35th Anniversary celebrations!
24

Blister Dec15 10/12 P1

Transcription

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