JANUARY 1997      Number 37

A record 68 SCT runners participated in the 10 kilometre Canberra Times Family Fun Run held on the 22 September 1996. We had quite a few stars on the day, some of whom graced the pages of Monday's 'Times' in full colour. Karen Sutcliffe made the front page, while Jim Tucker, Rosie Barnes, Mike Sainsbury, Peita Ward-Pearson, Mike Ward-Pearson, Col Neave, Scott Thomson, Luke Grattan and Michael McCamley were featured inside.

Colin Neave was our highest placed runner in 10th, two spots ahead of Luke Grattan. Fiona Jorgensen ran a PB to be second female outright and 2nd in the 35-39 age group. Rosemary Longstaff won the 40-49 category and the 'Roberts Trio' of Kelly and Dustin won the Brother and Sister to 20 years section while the third member of the 'trio', mum Christine, finished a little further back. Caitlin, Nick and Ted Harrison won the family of three category with their 'Flying Zucchinis' team. The winners in the Family of Four category were 'Whitelightning' consisting of Jim, Richard, Thomas and Maria White. The table below shows the results for 'SCT' runners and friends.

Well, here we are 1997 on the go and 1996 a fading memory and I guess a lot of you are at back at work and those of you fortunate to be still at school enjoying the holidays. I hope you all had a safe and happy festive season with your families and friends. Since the last news letter we have successfully hosted the 1996 Tuggie Triathlon and had our juniors participate creditably at the Pacific School Games in Perth.

Thanks to those many Club volunteers who helped run the Tuggie Tri. Without them it just would not have happened. The day was a great success both organisationally and financially. Particular thanks to Simon Toozoff, the Race Director for his six months hard work. This year we were able to get significant sponsorship from the TVRUASC and thanks go to them, President Terry Crane and Bill Millward for their support, for starting the event and presenting prizes respectively. Thanks also to Phillip Motor Way and the ever reliable Brian Wenn at the Runners Shop for their sponsorship and support. So go to the TVRUASC for dinner, buy a pair of shoes from Brian and run to the Motorway and buy a car!!! Seriously though, please support these organisations whenever you can.

More details on the Tuggie Tri and PSG Games are in the next issue. So, to the second half of the Track and Field season with the first Twilight Meeting this Tuesday 7 Jan; be there and enjoy the competition in the cooler part of the day. ACT and national Championships are not that far off so keep up the training and great efforts at the weekly Interclub Competition.
On behalf of the Club Executive best wishes for a great 1997.

Cheers,

The annual 7km trek around the bike paths of Lake Ginninderra was held this year on October 27 - a beautiful spring day. Many SCT runners ventured into the heartlands of North Canberra territory in order to show the northsiders how it was done. 'It' being the art of fast running. The Hosking's of Bonython lead the way by winning the family category. Garry and son Michael finished in a dead heat of 28:25 with daughters Jessamy and Rebecca not far behind in 29:45 and 31:18.

In the open female division the ever improving Rosemary Longstaff placed third in a time of 27.15. Age category winners were Erin Sutcliffe in the 12-14yrs and Kelly Roberts in the 15-17yrs. In the teams of six or more division, "Mike's Calwell Crusaders SCT Project" finished a close second to the "Pro's" from the Runners Shop (boo, hiss). "Mike's..." was a team of 16 young and not-so-young runners organised by Karen Sutcliffe. In summary - another successful foray into enemy territory. Following is a (long) list of SCT's fast finishers:

Hugh Jorgensen 24:30 (12th), Michael Meyboom 25:10, Michael Corlis 26:02, Colin Bridge 26:27, Ryan Reid 26:56, Rosemary Longstaff 27:15 (55th), Ewen Thompson 27:25, Bryan Thomas 27:28, Wayne Corlis 27:30, Brian Wenn 27:42, Erin Sutcliffe 27:50, Elizabeth Simpson 27:55, Adrian James 27:59, Michael Hosking 28:25, Garry Hosking 28:25, Jim White 28:28 (95th), Kelly Roberts 28:46, Jessamy Hosking 29:46, Tracey Donohoe 29:58, Theresa Thorogood 30:21, Richard White 30:23, Rebecca Hosking 31:18, Michelle Ward-Pearson 32:00, Marlene Reid 32:13, Dustin Roberts 33:07, Jamie Macgregor 34:09, Neil Ward-Pearson 34:15, Shannon Meyboom 34:39, Rosie Barnes 35:30, Owen Longstaff 36:33, Mike Sainsbury 37:00, Karen Sutcliffe 37:14, Michael Ward-Pearson 37:50, Michelle Meyboom 39:30, Kayla Corlis 40:50, Karen Corlis 41:48, Matthew Milewski 42:20, Mirek Milewski 42:20, Peita Ward-Pearson 42:59, Peter Taylor 49:36.

SCT runners were again prominent in the celebrated Brindabella Classic held on the 10th of November. For the uninitiated the 'Classic' is a 53km downhill race starting at the summit of Mount Ginini and finishing behind the Cotter Hotel. It is open to both individual competitors and relay teams of two to four people. The event is billed as 'Australia's toughest downhill mountain run'.

The individual race saw Hugh Jorgensen have a fantastic run finishing a brilliant 5th in a time of 4 hours 8 minutes and 12 seconds. Secretary extraordinaire Ted Harrison achieved a PW (personal worst) placing 46th in 5 hours 42 minutes and 42 seconds: " I was doing OK until the 'Seventh Heaven' aid station [about 36k's] , but from there to the finish was quite a struggle. I can say that the vocal encouragement from the young ladies at Vanities Crossing almost persuaded me to start running again. This was my 4th Brindabella Classic and returning each year to run again casts serious doubts on my mental capacity to fulfil the requirements of Club Secretary!"

The highlight of the relay race was the sixth successive victory for our male team. Can any other club challenge the supremacy of SCT's mountain runners? Michael McCamley, Gordon Nightingale, Geoff Monro and Michael Derlacki formed the team which was cheekily christened "SCT Hits 'Em for Six". The winning time was 3:34:55 which was outside their own race record but still good enough for a convincing victory. Geoff Monro relates the story of their race: "We were the leading team right from the start but had some competition from individual runners until just before the end of the third leg. We intend to make it seven in a row for SCT in '97 with a team named The Magnificent Seventh."

In other teams, Fiona Jorgensen won the 'FM' section for 'Black Mountain Madness' with a time of 3:54:56. Michelle Lomas-Travers placed 2nd in the 'MF' category. Rosemary Longstaff ran for the 'DART' team which set a course record in the 'MMFF' category of 4:03:25. Amie Sweeting, Ewen Thompson, Bruce Harrison and Brian McGlynn placed a close 2nd (by 27 seconds) in the 'FMMM' category with a time of 3:58:34. Jim White competed in a Vets team 'Forty Fifty Sixty' which placed 9th in the 'MMMM' category. Ernie Warner and Duane Lowry ran for 'Four Elderly People' which placed third in the 'MMMF' division with a time of 4:33:25.

The last event of the 1996 winter season was the 38 km road relay organised by Woden Harriers on October 13. SCT entered two teams for this prestigious race which was scheduled to start and finish at Hall Showgrounds. On the day, technical difficulties forced organisers to shorten the course to one starting at Hall but finishing at the Gundaroo Road intersection. Both our five runner teams performed magnificently and in a close contest eventually finished in first and third places. Team leader Jim White anchored the A-grade team to a one minute victory over Woden-A!

Gordon Nightingale ran the first leg for the 'B' team and set up a handy lead over Woden-A with a time of 33:51 for the hilly 8.5km. It wasn't until CCC president Hugh Jorgensen's 3rd leg blitz that the 'A' team eventually assumed a lead that would not be lost. A great run from Colin Neave had lifted the 'B' team into 2nd place when he was slowed to a walk with a calf injury. Luckily Hugh Jorgensen was able to return to where Colin was stranded and take over the baton. Unfortunately, in the meantime Woden 'A' had slipped ahead into 2nd place. The following table shows a breakdown of each team's performance and individual leg times:

Fiona Jorgensen put her mountain running skills to good effect in winning the Telstra Tower Race on November 15, 1996. A new (longer) course was in use for this years event which was disappointing for a few regulars hoping for PB's. Fiona recorded a time of 3 minutes 21 seconds for the 250 metres flat sprint plus 400 vertical steps. North Canberra's David Osmand was the male winner in a time of 2 minutes 23 seconds. Other SCT runners to perform well were Richard White and Owen Longstaff who were 1st and 2nd in the 12 years and under division. Richard pushed father Jim all the way with his PB run of 3 minutes 36 seconds. Richard continued the White family tradition of being prolific fun-run barrel draw winners with his $50 open order at the Sportsman's Warehouse (sorry Brian).

The Candelo 'Mountain' Family Fun-run held on October 27, 1996 produced yet another win for SCT's specialist mountain runner - Fiona Jorgensen. This big prize-money race attracted quite a few ACT athletes to the tough but scenic 12km course. Fiona finished a very impressive 7th outright in a time of 46:29, less than 7 minutes behind the winner Des Procter. Second placed female was Canberra Times Fun Run winner and part-time triathlete Robyn Sewell, with junior track star Erin Lenon finishing third.

By the time this issue of TA hits the news-stands our Pacific School Games team members will be in recovery mode. I hope to publish SCT's results in the next (February) edition. Just for the record, our huge 17 member team for the Perth WA meeting held on December 7-12, 1996 is listed as follows: Netta Button, Craig Core, Shenevelle Dickson, Trent Dixon, Wendy Fisher, Amy Gallagher, Chris Gill, David Kelly, Owen Longstaff, Terry Martin, Joseph Matthews, Suzanne Morris, Shane Onus, Katrina Onus, Samantha Riley, Scott Thomson and last but not least, Leah Wheelhouse. Well done to everyone!!

The Sutton Schoolhouse 6km fun run on November 23 saw Jim White chalk up his 111th fun run or race for the year! Jim along with Michael Leahey, Lloyd Donnelly and SCT's Charlie Modrak won medallions for placing 1st in the open male teams division. Jim also won a Seiko clock in the barrel draws held after the race. Four-time Olympian Lisa Ondeiki was the official race starter and daughter Emma competed in the 2km children's event.

Throwing Events Coaches! SCT and ACT Athletics are in desperate need of more throws coaches. Anybody interested in one of these highly paid positions should contact Alan Bishop on 62310601.

Peta Gallagher, one of SCT's star female sprinters is currently playing hockey for the Canberra Strikers (the senior ACT side). Peta's teamates include Olympic gold medallist Lisa Powell, Sue McDonald from Woden Harriers and Miriam Bankowsky from North Canberra.

Congratulations to the runners listed in the table below. They are the age-group place-getters in the 1996 SCT winter cross country competition. Don't forget to attend the Club's AGM next April to claim your well-deserved prizes. Trophies and vouchers are provided through the generosity of SCT's major sponsor Brian Wenn of The Runners Shop, Dundas Court, Phillip.

Cooma Athletic Centre is holding its annual Snowy Mountains Carnival on Sunday 9th February 1997 commencing at 9am. The venue is Snowy Oval, behind the cemetery along Mittagong Road, and not at the Cooma Showground as in previous years. Pre-registration of all athletes is requested, however late entries will be accepted on the morning. The cost is $2 per event for 1 to 4 events or $10 for 5 or more events. All age groups are catered for from U6 to U16 and Open, with track events from 100m to 1500m and field events of shot, discus, high jump, long jump, javelin and hammer. A number of SCT athletes will be competing including the entire Mike Sainsbury squad. Further details are available from Mary Ackland on ph 064 542269.

The indefatigable Jim White has established an ACT (and possibly Australian) record by completing 118 official races or fun-runs in a calendar year! Jim's last race for 1996 was the Corin Forest 30km Challenge on December 22 in which he placed 25th in a time of 3 hours 18 minutes and 9 seconds. Congratulations Jim... you can now have a well deserved rest until your first race of 1997 (the Veterans grass track meet at Woden on the 2nd of January).

Noted Ultra-distance runner Ian Colquhoun placed 4th outright in the Shepparton 50km event held in October. Ian's PB of 3hrs 54mins was in danger for much of the event but bad leg cramps in the latter stages slowed his pace: "the last 10km was a real struggle and took me over 57 minutes to run". His eventual finishing time was 4hrs 8mins, not far behind the winner - Shepparton Runners Club president Russell Weavers who ran 3hrs 45mins. Due to local flooding the course had been changed to 10 laps of 5km each (who said a 5,000 on the track was hard?). Ian is keen to continue his career as an Ultra specialist with his next event being the Canberra Marathon 50km race in April '97.

A team of 10 to 15 Australian female athletes will be taking part in a Sport For Understanding tour to the USA in April 1997. Vacancies exist for SCT athletes aged 13 to 19 for the 4 week trip which will include visits to Disneyland and Universal Studios. Your American hosts will be Kris Fritz and Bud Dorholt and the school of South High, Sheboygan Wisconsin. The tour is set down for the April holidays but 7 to 10 days of school will be missed. A competition schedule will be organised and if previous visits are anything to go by, Australian athletes usually bring home heaps of medals. If you are interested, please contact Barb Henwood or daughter Naomi at: 9 Will St Forest Hill, VIC, 3131 or telephone (03) 98781760.

September 30, 1996
Dear Ewen,

I'm home sick today with a bad cold so it gives me the perfect opportunity to write back to my good friends in Australia. I enjoyed reading the August Tuggie Athlete that arrived here safely earlier this month. I'm very flattered that you keep managing to slip my name into the newsletter.

For any SCT members hooked up to cyberspace, the Timberhill Harriers now has a homepage! You can read the latest on our fall cross country season, the Oregon Endurance Training Camp and the exploits of some of our members such as Mary Libal (the world's fastest master's woman) and Rhy Reynolds (who won the Div.2 Stanford Invitational 5km in a course record of 15:27).

I am not running much more than I was when I was in Australia. I am coaching a lot. My girls track & field team at Philomath High School finished 4th at the state championships this year. We were leading with two events to go but we had scored all the points we could as we had no one in the last two events. Three teams slipped past us in the closest top four finish in state meet history. We scored 58 points, good enough to win almost any other year. My girls cross country team is doing very well. In the last poll we were ranked 3rd and then proceeded to beat the #1 team by 30 points in an Invitational. However, there is one other team from southern Oregon that I believe might be better than mine. Our state championships are set for November 2nd.

Say g'day to Angela Hardwick for me next time you see her. I was so impressed with that kid and her fascination with Kenyan distance running. I wonder what she thinks of Daniel Komen, the 20 year old Kenyan who recently ran 7:20.6 for 3,000 meters... That has to be equal to two consecutive sub-four minute miles! I wonder what Herb Elliot thinks. I wonder if Percy is rolling over in his grave. I heard from Gordon [Nightingale] last week and got the low-down on his return to running fitness. There was actually some news from Canberra on the USA National news a few weeks ago. It was about the riot at Parliament House. I immediately thought of Maggie Nightingale and hoped she was safe.

Chase a 'roo for me. Get on the Internet and check out our homepage.

Your friend up-over,

Joe
[Joe Fulton]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope everyone has made a New Year's resolution to have a successful year of participation whether it be in track & field or cross country.

I'm sure every athlete experiences the odd moment of doubt when they ask themselves "why am I doing this?" Perhaps you're warming up for a track session on a dark, cold and windy afternoon in late July. The wind is whistling through the trees at the back of Calwell Oval, your hands are frozen, and icy showers scud across the ground daring you to come out from the protection of the shelter shed. You think: "I could be sitting in front of a warm fire watching Wheel of Fortune or Neighbours". Perhaps you've reached the glycogen-depleted stage of a two hour run on a hot, muggy Sunday morning in late January... "I could be surfing the point break with my mates at Yallingup".

It's during these moments of doubt that the encouragement and companionship of your training partners is invaluable. I've been fortunate in the past 12 months to train with a young and talented group of runners who are effervescent and loud in their support of each other... These kids make training in such tough conditions a pleasure. You all know who you are so I'll just say "thank you". My training partner on many of those long Sunday and Wednesday runs during the past five years has been David Gates. After 12 years in Canberra, David has taken up a promotion to a boarding school in Armidale. "Thanks David for the many enjoyable kilometres of running in all conditions over the years. The shared experience of running through the fantastic Aussie landscape whilst chatting on various topics (including your favourite - cricket) is a part of my running history I will not forget."

The real reason why most of us dudes and dudettes are in the running/athletics game is that we enjoy it! To feel the breeze cool your sweat as you run with fluidity and ease along a shaded bush track is one of many pleasures that most people will never know. The elation of achieving a 'PB', winning a race, or for us 'oldies' having a race-long duel with one of our training buddies is another reason we should feel special to be athletes. If you're not enjoying it, take my advice: Grab the remote, tune in to Summer Bay or Neighbours and join the masses of couchies who don't know they're missing out on being special.

Until the next issue, happy running...

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