JUNE 1997      Number 39

On a typically glorious Canberra autumn morning more than 700 participants congregated at Acton Ferry Terminal for the 11th annual 6 kilometre Women's and Girls' Fun Run. Two-time Olympian Susan Hobson was a notable absentee from the elite field as she was running the London Marathon the following Sunday [Sue finished 19th in 2:35:23-ed]. The 1988 winner Joy Terry was also a non-starter "injured again" according to coach Richard Lucas. Joy is a former international with an AA certified 10k road PB of 32:27 in winning the 1989 Canberra Times Fun Run.

Susan's course record from 1996 of 20:05 was not expected to be challenged. "I think it will be a race between Jane (Zeller, a local triathlete), Elaine (Cooper), Robyn Sewell (1996 Canberra Times Fun Run winner) and a girl from Sydney (Tiffany Levette)" said race director Deborah Hoare. This prediction proved pretty close to the mark. At 2km Jane and Elaine were running shoulder to shoulder, with Robyn trailing by 10 metres. There was a gap of 50 metres to Mary-Jane Harding, Jennifer Beer and Fiona Jorgensen. On the return run from the Carillon, Jane pushed the pace which had the desired effect on Robyn who dropped off another 50 metres. Elaine, however was only a stride behind and looking ominously comfortable.

There's a footbridge in Commonwealth Park about 1500 metres from the finish line. Instinct must have taken over for the track trained Elaine Cooper, for this is where she made the break: "I thought I would leave it as late as possible". A decisive surge was turned into a comfortable 20 second winning margin. Coach Glenn Coward was pleased with the outcome, although not the tactics: "When I said leave it late, I meant wait until the last fifty (metres)". Her response to this was: "I didn't want to take any chances and the thought of the prize-money ($500 from GIO Australia) was incentive enough to get away a little earlier". Elaine had previously won the Women's and Girls' in 1995 in one of the closest finishes in race history. Second on that occasion was promising junior Claire Fraser. This year there was no need for the photo finish, and the winning time of 21:31 was a satisfying one second personal best. Robyn Sewell (also a triathlete and Canberra Times winner) finished a lonely third with mountan running expert Fiona Jorgensen beating Levette, Beer and Harding into fourth place.

Gay Thurlow from GIO presented the placegetters with their cheques and trophies after finishing the race herself. South Canberra Tuggeranong Athletic Club were successful in many of the team and age-group categories. Erin Sutcliffe won the 13 to 14 years age-group. Kelly Roberts finished second in the Under-18's. Rosemary Longstaff won the 45 to 45 years age-group: "I was really pleased with my run...maybe I won't retire now. I had a close battle with Kelly (Roberts) over the last half kilometre (Kelly prevailed by one second)". Fiona Jorgensen, Kelly Roberts, Theresa Macgregor and Michelle Ward-Pearson were members of the winning 'Athletic/Sporting Club' team. Karen Daniels-Sutcliffe and Erin Sutcliffe were the "Concise Couple" who won the Mother and Daughter prize. The "Hosking Trio" of Rebecca, Jessamy and Jillian were winners in the 'Sisters' category. First in the Government Departments category were the "Calvery Cruisers". The winning Primary School team were the "Garran Greyhounds" with thei distinctive T-shirts, and the High Schools category was taken out by "St Clares".

Debbi Hoare thanked GIO Australia, supporting sponsors (Instant Colour Press, Win TV, FM104.7, Robinson Building Group, Australian Physiotherapy Association), and Barrel draw donors (Rydges Canberra, The Runners Shop Canberra, The Australian Institute of Sport) in her presentation speech: "...and not forgetting my organising committee of Alice Scott, Annette Sugden, Beryl Lowry, Fiona Jorgensen, Lu Vizard and Dave Cundy."

The prestigious $1,000 junior scholarship was awarded to South Canberra Tuggeranong athlete Kelly Roberts. This was quite meritorious as Kelly was struck down with Chicken Pox ten days before the race. "She was below her best and it was a good effort on her part just to finish" said coach Mike Sainsbury "...the scholarship is a good reward for Kelly's efforts on the track (2:10 and 4:39) and Cross Country Club Summer Series (2nd female)."

Results - Top 30 Finishers:
1 Elaine Cooper 21:31, 2 Jane Zeller 21:51, 3 Robyn Sewell 22:24, 4 Fiona Jorgensen 22:56, 5 Tiffany Levette 23:01, 6 Jennifer Beer 23:21, 7 Mary-Jane Harding 23:24, 8 Kelly Roberts 23:37, 9 Rosemary Longstaff 23:38, 10 Aimie Rugendyke 23:41, 11 Erin Sutcliffe 23:49, 12 Melinda Ford 23:55, 13 Jill Reich 24:20, 14 Jan Watson 24:22, 15 Leann Weston 24:28, 16 Vanda Quinn 24:29, 17 Louise Fox 24:31, 18 Debbie Colwell 24:31, 19 Margaret Klee 24:33, 20 Miriam McCarthy 24:38, 21 Erin Lennon 24:53, 22 Julia Keith 24:57, 23 Lea Edwards 25:02, 24 Debra Rollings 25:06, 25 Linda Lenton 25:17, 26 Theresa Macgregor 25:24, 27 Maria Hancock 25:27, 28 Michelle Ward-Pearson 25:42, 29 Valerie Hush 25:42, 30 Dianne Gutwein 26:00.

The athletic year 1996/97 has been a mixed and challenging one for the club. There were significant highs as Club members represented their state and country in events as diverse as the Paralympics in Atlanta, the Pacific School Games and the World Mountain Running Trophy. A record number of SCTAC junior athletes were selected in various ACT teams to compete at cross country, track and field, schools and open national championships including the Pacific School Games in Perth. Their performances have been well chronicled in the Tuggie Athlete excellently edited by Ewen Thompson. This instrument of Club communication has gone from strength to strength keeping members in touch with happenings in the athletic world, providing interesting personal glimpses as well as practical information. Well done Ewen.

I think the essence of the Club participation in athletics is embodied in our member's personal enjoyment and achievement of what goals they set for themselves. The fact that they are successful in the normally perceived view is a bonus to them, their reputation and to a lesser extent to that of the Club. Our "nursery" at Fadden Pines Schools XC is the epitome of this spirit. The whole gambit of human emotions are on display every week, striving to do ones best and sometimes falling short of expectations, tears of frustration, smiles of satisfaction, words of comfort and congratulation, disappointments and success from many much younger than ourselves. Yet they are all back the next week smiling in anticipation of doing better than last time.

I read an article the other day about what it was about athletics that set it apart from other sports. Basically it is the ability of all participants to rub shoulders with and at times compete in the same race or event with the greats. I don't think any other sport facilitates this. We carried our successes in the Cross Country Cundy Cup to the track & field season with a limited number of athletes compared with our ostensible membership. However, the forgetfulness of some in not registering did cause the loss of one summer age-group championship, which is unfortunate for the other members of their age-group. I believe the margin was 30 points. It would be a tragedy if this were to occur next season. On behalf of the executive, I congratulate all members on their performances this year and on their support for the club. The executive committee members, officials, coaches, trainers all supported your efforts and I thank all those members.

I think we can work more efficiently in the club, but the load has to be fairly spread and this does not always happen. This coming season has to be different if we are to grow further and provide the opportunities for all athletes. Our record number of junior representatives translated into some $6,000 worth of direct subsidies. This money is extremely difficult to raise and I thank TVRUASC for its continuing support. While the amounts were not all we asked for they never said no. Thanks Bill Milward and Terry Crane. Remember is you are a member of TVRUASC, SCTAC will pay for your membership renewal, but you have to let us know. Brian Wenn continued to support us as is his want and we are extremely grateful for this. Phillip Motorway and Brian Pollock Motors also sponsored specific activities and events injecting significant amounts of money. The chocolates also helped, thank you all you chocoholics. The most exciting event and best fund raiser was the Tuggie Tri which recouped a profit of $2,500. Thanks Simon Toozoff for your efforts with this event, which is a six month organisation task and for co-ordinating the Fadden Pines XC.

The outlook looks promising next year. I can report that TVRUASC has confirmed our annual grant as $4,300, and thanks again TVRUASC for that. So we are on a solid base. The club house is still on the agenda and I am working on some negotiations for another special event/s which may be run in conjunction with each other towards the end of winter. More about that later. Once again thanks everyone, particularly the committee for their work over the year. Let's make this season one to remember.

SCTAC fielded seven teams in the annual Anzac Relays. The best performed team were our senior women who finished second to Woden Harriers in a time of 58:19. Our Men's A-grade although short on personnel finished a close fourth. New member John Tuckey anchored the team with his first run for the club. A number of members completed 'doubles', including Shaun McCabe, Amanda Ozolins, Gordon Nightingale, Ted Harrison, Col Bridge, Richard White and Jim White. Keri Vaughan on the comeback trail from injury ran a good 14:59 in a Veterans team.

This is just a summary of what occurred at the AGM. Read 'All the President's Prose' for Peter's summary of the season. Your new committee was elected as follows:
President, Peter Haren. Vice-president (coaching), Alan Bishop. Vice-president (organisation), Gordon Nightingale. Vice-president (women's and girls'), vacant. Secretary, Ted Harrison. Treasurer, Tony Behm. Registrar, Lyn Button. Committee members, Greg Gilbert, Geoff Monro, Ewen Thompson and Chris Roberts. Delegates to the ACT Management Council are Alan Bishop, Greg Gilbert and Lyn Button. The Coaching Co-ordinator's position is vacant. Committee meetings are held on the third Monday of the month, so contact one of the above people if you want any issue tabled.

After the election, Peter presented trophies and Runners Shop vouchers to the 96-97 winter and summer season club pointscore placegetters... (if you haven't collected yours yet, contact Peter before the end of June, or the funds will be returned to consolidated revenue). It was also noted that two of our athletes won awards at the ACT Athletic Association Presentation night. Erin Sutcliffe was voted the most outstanding Winter and Summer athlete in the Under 14 age-group. Kelly Roberts was voted the most outstanding Winter athlete in the Under 16 age-group. It is notable that both of these runners are coached by Mike Sainsbury (just thought I'd get in a plug for Mike's group). After the presentation an attempt was made on the World Record for "The Most party pies and spring rolls eaten by athletes per head at an Annual General Meeting"...(The record was achieved, but remains unofficial as there was no drug-testing).

May 18, 1997 - South Canberra Tuggeranong had thirteen competitors out of 304 finishers in the 1997 Canberra Half Marathon. Three notable results were Col Bridge in winning the M50 Category in a time of 81:21, Fiona Jorgensen in finishing third female in 85:02 and Michael Ward-Pearson in completing his first ever half marathon. Michael's effort was commended by coach Mike Sainsbury "Codger has been putting in the k's and finished five minutes earlier than I expected in spite of suffering a knee injury with 5 kilometres left to run".

Jim White although suffering from calf cramps managed to beat James White by 2 seconds and also won yet another barrel draw prize of a $25 voucher at the Runners Shop! Greg Gilbert (catering)and Jim Tucker (timekeepeing) were two of the many helpful volunteers on the day. Well done to all SCT runners and following is a list of their results: 14th Geoffrey Monro 79:02, 21st Hugh Jorgensen 80:20, 26th Col Bridge 81:21, 36th Gordon Nightingale 82:34, 48th Fiona Jorgensen 85:02, 72nd Andrew Gardner 87:39, 83rd Ian Colquhoun 89:06, 84th Ted Harrison 89:19, 117th Ewen Thompson 93:22, 123rd Jim White 94:20, 149th Garry Hosking 98:54, 234th Michael Ward-Pearson 112:38.

Peter Haren and Greg Gilbert are organising training groups for long runs during the winter. They will leave from Fadden Pines on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4.45pm. A Sunday morning long run will leave at 8am from either Fadden Pines or Coleman Ridge. Phone Peter (2917183) or Greg (2880355) for details. The Mike Sainsbury group leaves from Calwell playing fields on Tuesday at 4.30pm and on Sunday at 4pm for long runs during winter. Phone Mike (2942879) for details.

It is my solemn duty to report the passing of two of Mike Sainsbury's dearest.. An unfortunate accident whilst on a training run in May lead to their sad demise. They lead a short, but fulfilling life and never failed to attend a training session. Always stretching themselves to the limit, they never had a bad word for anyone in Mike's group and happily accepted his foot odour. In short, they were "in the pink" until that fateful day when Mike surged to the front of the group on a long run (trying to keep Codger at bay). They had been fighting a month long battle with cancer and then, snap, it was all over. Mike wishes to thank all his friends who attended the funeral ceremony at Calwell Oval on that sad pre-training night. A dignified burial saw them laid to rest under finish line. Mike himself delivered the eulogy. No flowers or cards by request, but donations may be forwarded to the "Lights for Calwell Track" appeal. (If you don't know who 'they' are, I'll tell you next month...or phone Mike, or visit Running Writing online if can't wait!)

Triathlete Stuart Shaw took out the February ACT Sportstar Award. Stuart won this award for being the first junior to finish in this years prestigious Sri Chinmoy Peace Triathlon. For new members who may not know, Stuart commenced his career competing in the Lotus Bay schools cross country and in Under 14's at Interclub. He showed much promise (along with older brother Andrew) not only in running, but also in the high jump and steeplechase events. We unfortunately don't see Stuart doing much plain-old running these days as he is fully committed to the sport of Triathlon.

Theresa Macgregor has been joining Jim Tucker at Veteran's Cycling races on Saturday afternoons. At a recent Handicap Sweepstakes event, Theresa overcame a cantankerous chain (which fell off twice) to finish in second place. In doing so she won $21 which would almost pay for a new chain.

The local Tuggeranong press gave good coverage to this national series which promotes participation by schoolgirls in triathlon. To quote James Nicholson : 'The entry was the largest to date in the season's 18-event series which is staged in every state and territory... ACT 1500m and 800m track and field age champion Kelly Roberts, in her first triathlon, was third in 28:41. Roberts, a student at Canberra college's Woden campus, turns 16 on Friday and is ranked in Australia's top-10 middle distance runners for her age. "I really enjoyed it but I'm very committed to my running, so this was really a one-off" she said...The Active Girls Series was an initiative of the Australian Sports Commission five years ago, to help arrest the trend of adolescent girls opting out of sporting pursuit.'

It was revealed at a recent committee meeting that there are 198 registered runners who compete in the Fadden Pines Schools Cross Country competition on Saturday mornings. Peter also welcomed Chris Roberts to the committee as spokesperson for women's and girls' affairs.

By the time you read this, SCTAC is likely to have won a contract to host the 1997 ACT Cross Country Championships. Strong membership participation in races and assistance on the day is expected. This event will be a good public relations exercise for SCT as well as raising more funds for athlete development. At this writing, the venue is yet to be decided...phone Peter Haren for details. Even if you are a 'summer only' member, why not come and help out for a few hours on Saturday the 2nd of August? Also, a future Saturday Cross Country Club event will be conducted at Lotus Bay to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Lotus Bay course (and also SCT's 42nd year as a club)... and will be a social occasion for SCTAC.

This course will be commencing in mid August. It is a six module, six week course to be run at the TVRUASC Administration Building at Erindale. Each lesson will be on Monday nights from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Contact Peter Haren for further details.

I don't usually say much about veteran's competition, but these two runners deserve a mention. Under the knowledgeable guidance of Mike Sainsbury, Debbie and 'Codger' have been two of the big improvers of the cross country season. Both have won the coveted Veterans Monthly Handicap Gold Medals. Codger after completing his first half marathon (see separate story) has been sidelined with a knee injury, but should be back running by now.

Do you wonder why there is not much reporting on field events in Tuggie Athlete? Well, it just so happens that I am biased towards running events (I'm a runner). If any clubmembers have contributions to make, they are most welcome. Please post them to Ewen Thompson at 41 Chippindall Cirt, Theodore ACT 2905. As long as it is not blatantly libellous or offensive, all received articles will be published... both in Tuggie Athlete and Running Writing. I've also been a little busy lately working on SCT's online magazine: Running Writing (check it out!).

Brian along with Theresa Macgregor, Amanda Ozolins and Charlie Modrak is one of our multi-talented members who is forging a career as a duathlete. Brian placed 10th in a field of 200 at a recent ACT Triathlon Association novice event. He has been using cycling as cross-training to ward off a persistent achilles tendon injury. Charlie has been out of action with a leg injury suffered in a fall.

One of the June issues of The Valley View (Tuggeranong's free newspaper) has been sold out. this is the first time that has occurred in the paper's history. SCT members were responsible for this phenomenon by purchasing all spare copies. A double page spread on athletes Kelly Roberts, Erin Sutcliffe and Michelle Ward-Pearson by Mike Sainsbury was featured.

'Running Writing' is SCTAC's online magazine. The URL is: http://www.sctathletics.com/
"I am not connected to Cyberspace, so what am I missing out on?" I hear you ask. Well...you are missing out on a great online magazine (modest aren't I). RW is updated monthly with new stories and 24bit colour photos. A summarised version of each Tuggie Athlete magazine is also available. Here are some clubmember's names whose photos have been published: Gordon Nightingale, Geoff Monro, Hugh Jorgensen, Michael McCamley, Fiona Jorgensen, Jim White, Ernie Warner, Corey Tucker, Kelly Roberts, Michelle Ward-Pearson, Rosemary Longstaff, Theresa Macgregor, Garry Hosking, Jessamy Hosking, Rebecca Hosking, Luke Grattan, Stuart Shaw, Suzanne Morris, Netta Button, Erin Sutcliffe, The Runners Shop logo (Brian will give you a special discount if you can find it), Karen Sutcliffe and Codger. There will be more to come, so join 40 million others and get connected.

You are also missing out on the latest SCT Club pointscore results (Winter and Summer) which are updated weekly. You are also missing out on the chance to list your City to Surf PB or have a Virtual run...if you have run 1500m you are eligible! You are also missing out on the musings of Canberra's best athletics writers, including Jim Tucker and Joe "Aussie" Fulton. Need I go on?...Last time I checked, there had been 349 visits to the site since March 15, 1997.

Melbourne, Thursday 27 - Sunday 2 March 1997 -

South Canberra Tuggeranong Athletic Club was represented by one competitor in the 1997 Open Track Nationals. Gerard Duffy in the Men's Discus throw qualified in first position with a throw of 51.12 metres. In the Final, Gerard won the gold with a throw of 52.18 metres. The competition was tight, with second placed Ben Jaaniste from NSW falling short of Gerard's throw by only 12 centimetres. Peter Lonsdale from QLD was also close in third with a throw of 51.66 metres. On the track, David Quayle (who is coached by Garry Hosking) finished 9th in the final of the Men's 1500 metres. After placing 5th in his heat (3:45.68), David was not quite at his best in the final (3:54.29), however, just making the finals in the 'Nationals' is a commendable achievement.

Brisbane, March 20 to March 23 1997 -
Congratulations to all club members who qualified for this competition, and especially those who made the long journey to Brisbane. Here are the results from SCT competitors: Under 18 Women's Discus Throw, Phoebe Holland 18th, 38.20m. Under 14 Women's Triple Jump, Shenevelle Dickson 6th, 10.32m. Under 18 Men's Pole Vault, Aidan Dziubinski 4th, 4.15m. Under 14 Women's 200 metres, Christine Gill 8th, 26.75. Under 14 Women's High Jump, Shenevelle Dickson 5th, 1.55m. Under 16 Women's Discus Throw, Phoebe Holland 9th, 34.98m. Under 16 Women's Shot Put, Phoebe Holland 3rd, 11.46m. Under 14 Women's 100 metres, Christine Gill 8th, 13.08. Under 14 Women's Long Jump, Shenevelle Dickson 6th, 4.85m. Under 14 Women's 1500 metres, Erin Sutcliffe 2nd, 4:44.17. Under 16 Men's Pole Vault, Scott Dziubinski 6th, 2.80m.

1996-97 Season -
Although rather late, here are the final interclub age-group pointscore results. As you can see, we won three premierships and ran a very close second in two others. We clearly won the unofficial overall competition by over 7,000 points! Well done to everyone who competed during the season. If you have a friend who may like to try track and field, invite them to compete for SCT this summer... with their help, we may do even better!

Male: Under-14 2nd, 2636pts. Under-16 1st, 4316pts. Under-18 3rd, 1850pts. Under-20 2nd, 1263pts. Seniors 4th, 2173 pts. All Males 2nd, 12238pts.
Female: Under-14 1st, 5709pts. Under-16 1st, 6704pts. Under-18 3rd, 342pts. Under-20 2nd, 1284pts. Seniors 3rd, 429pts. All Females 1st, 14468 pts.
Overall Club Championships: 1st - 26706pts!

The Secretary
ACT Cross Country Club Inc.
C/- Dave Cundy & Julie Fitch CC: Jeff Collins

Dear Fiona,

PROPOSAL: The club (SCTAC) wishes to celebrate the 30th year of the use of the Lotus Bay course for Cross Country events by requesting permission of the executive of the ACT Cross Country Club to substitute this event for one already in the Calendar. The event replacement would be for the Stirling Park event on 16 August, two weeks after the ACT Cross Country Championships. The event distances would be the same, 3/6K.

The course would use the modified start and finish lines adjacent to the front (lakeside) of the Canberra Yacht Club. This course has been successfully trialed with over 400 school aged runners using it over a four hour period and no one finding it hard to navigate or to run as an out & back event. I attach a copy of the event map, which you will note highlights the facilities such as the Yacht Club, the toilet blocks (3), the picnic tables at the Start/Finish area, the already marked course (which takes just one hour to modify for the extension back to the startline).

The South Canberra-Tuggeranong Club hereby formally tenders to run the event for the Cross Country Club, to promote the occasion of the 30th year of the Lotus Bay course, and to put on a sausage sizzle and hot drinks at the event site. Cold drinks and other refreshments will be available from the Yacht Club during and after the event, with the bar balcony overlooking the start/finish line. This Club will provide course marking, tent, BBQ, gas urn, guest starters, timekeepers, course marshals and recorders at no cost to the XC Club. Revenue will be raised from the sausage sizzle, but hot drinks will as usual be free.

I recommend this for your consideration at the Committee level and request that you give it due consideration.

Yours sincerely

Greg Gilbert (3 June, 1997)
SCTAC Committee Member
ACT Athletics Director Technical
Phone: 2880355 0412 209219

[Note that this proposal has been approved by the ACTCCC and is now SCTAC's to organise]

by Bert Thomson

Scott Thomson, last years Junior Athlete of the Year, has been noticably missing from the starting line of this years ACT cross country races. This has been due to Scott now attending the University of Sydney where he has commenced a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) degree. He is, however still training under the instructions of Gary Hosking, and recently won the 1500m and 5000m in the Rawson Cup competition which is an annual event strongly contested by the various residential Colleges within the campus of Sydney University.

Scott is a resident of St Andrew's College which has, as the name suggests, a Scottish origin. The 5000m race provided a unique experience for Scott which is probably only experienced in international competition and one which he will remember for a long time to come. At the half way stage in the race three runners were well ahead of the field. These were Scott, representing St Andrew's College, and representatives from Wesley and St John's College. Another few laps saw the Wesley College representative fall back thus making the event a two horse race between Scott and the St John's representative who was an exchange student from the USA College system and who had previously competed in the NCAA Division 1 athletic competions in the United States.

Feeling the effects of the 1500m race, which was held an hour earlier, Scott started to drop back and lost about 30m. With two laps remaining the large number of St Andrew's supporters commenced to sing "Flower of Scotland" in accompaniment to the bagpipes. This stirred some dormant nationalistic feelings (Scott was born in Scotland and came to Australia when he was four years old) and he found some additional energy to pull back the 30 m and eventually won the race by about 30m amid jubilant cheers from the St Andrew's students.

Scott says he has never experienced anything like it before as the St Andrew's supporters lined the track and were encouraging and cheering him in all the way. A football team stopped training in the adjacent oval when they heard the the noise and they also joined in the support. Scott's aims are now to continue training and compete in a few C.C. races in the Sydney area and when possible to run in ACT races when home on holiday as he did at the Easter break when he won the 5km race at Ginnindera.

Firstly, I must apologise to club-members for the late arrival of this Tuggie Athlete. I could offer a few excuses, but I won't. The magazine comes out every two months, so the next issue will be due in early August. If you have anything to contribute, please do so by the July 19 deadline.

I'd like to talk about a particularly strange training session that occurred in late April. I received a phone call from Jim Tucker asking if he could join the group for a run. When we met down at Calwell playing fields, Mike Sainsbury asked Jim and myself to take Michelle Ward-Pearson out for a long warm-up as he was going make a presentation to recognise her selection in the ACT LA team for Nationals. Jim kept us going on the warm-up for so long I was starting to wonder: Is Jim contemplating stepping up from the 800m to the marathon?

We eventually arrived back at the car park to find tables, chairs, food, drinks and friends (some not dressed to run) waiting. I thought to myself: What a lavish presentation... how will it be topped if someone makes the Olympic team? When a cake with a huuuuuuge number of candles arrived, the penny dropped. Except for bending the elbow and stretching the jaws, not much exercising was done on that Thursday afternoon. I won't go on... but to say a sincere thanks to Jim 'Guy' and Mike's Mob. Now that I'm in the over the hill club, the rest of you has-beens had better watch out!

Whilst I'm in thank-you mode, I'd also like to mention Raine Thompson and Doug Fry. Raine is the chief Social organiser with the ACT Veterans Athletic Club. She does a fantastic job, is a nice person, and has the right name! Thanks Raine for accommodating my friends at the April Birthday Event... 'lunch at Cafe Boheme, Red Hill'. It was a great day which they thoroughly enjoyed. Doug is the reason why SCT's winter pointscore is so up-to-date. He collates the results of every Saturday race then emails them to me so I can add them to the Running Writing web site.

Well, that's enough from me...how about something from you for the next issue?

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