City to Surf

Well, as promised, we entered the 12K fun run” City To Surf” as part of our “Active Ageing” campaign, and as a final training element for “Yomp 30, Down Under” on 26 September.

We had decided on three classes of entrant, depending on age, fitness and ravishing good looks! Paul has really trained himself up for both this event and Yomp Thirty and was going for a time. His aim was to get in the top ten percent of finishers and a time of less than fifty-five minutes. Next was your humble scribe, who was going to speed march the event and had binned me trainers and donned me Scarpas for extra realism. Plus the fifteen kilos in me Bergan as a speed compensator! Next came the Dynamic Duo, Clance and Sylvie (My Heroes, I hope I`m that good looking when I`m that er, etc) They were going for more walk and less speed! Bringing up the rear for our party were Jim and Eddie who were out for a bit of a bimble with far more time for ogling ... Lucky buggers!.

We stood on the terraces between the glass monsters and it was Harry icers in the shade, Paul posed for Mister Gay Australian as Jim showed the Aussies there are two kinds of people in the world. Those with the coffee and ... !

Paul left us at start minus five to get a position amongst the runners. 0800 and great commotion as the starting horns sound off. The adrenaline was showing on the faces of the virgin runners. Huge excitement all round. By the time the event had shook itself out and we actually started, the timers were showing eight minutes plus and I reckon it took a further three to reach the bottom of the first hill.

I was getting fed up bumping into people so I turned to Clance and said "Are we kicking off then ?" "After you mate", says he and so for the first time since 1989, I was running in a race !It was also the last I saw of Clances till endex.

I soon realised that we should’ve followed Paul’s lead and moved further up the start line as it was hard work threading me way through the bumbling throng.

What surprised me after that first hill, was how easy I found the running. Staggering to realise that I wasn`t that far off me old pace. Soon brought down to Earth when I ran out of breath, though' then it was more marching and less speed. Plus the odd bit of dawdling thrown in.

The day seemed like all of Perth had turned to, family groups with babes in push chairs, Mum and Dad and the kids, gangs of “mates” etc, I cursed the lot of them as they overtook me, only joking. The crowds gave a hearty cheer and that lifted many of the entrants. Not me though, I was re-learning the breathing patterns, the amount I could push myself, on and on. Slowly I realised that I`m not that far away from being able to run comfortably. Not the sixty plus weekly miles of my youth, but maybe the odd six miler with ease. We’ll see.

At 4K to go, the family groups and fun walkers etc, joined the happy throng. Joy was less than unconfined as they caused a huge bottleneck. Note to self - be past this point early in next year’s event !

There are several steep hills on route and the last one is a bit demoralising, as the runners who have finished run back in the opposite direction. #@&*!. One last push and I`m over the crest and there below me is the Ocean and Endex. How it lifted me!

Sprint across West Coast Highway and into the park for a reverse of the start as we all bunched up. Over the last hill in the park and I was amazed to see the Arena laid out for the finish. Top job. Twenty four thousand runners and at least twice that number at the finishing point waiting for us.

Met up with the gang and we all had stories to swap, including Eddy’s missus who’d jumped in at the –4k start point, then it was offski to Hillary’s Boat Harbour for big brekky with Jim and Jenny, Paul and meself. What with the house and all, this was the best day I’ve had for ages. Great people, great day. Definitely one for the memory banks

Paul hit seven minute miles all the way round the 7.5 mile/12k and finished in fifty two minutes.

I made one hour forty minutes and the Clancy-Lowes rocked up about ten minutes behind, well done you two!

Jim and Edd yomped home in style in just under the two hours. Do that four times, Edd and that’s the Thirty cracked in under eight hours.

Endex