OCTOBER 2002      Number 60

This was my fourth year up at Noosa and as always, it was it's beautiful, warm sunny self.
We arrived on the Thursday, flew up to Brissie and hired a Tarago for the week (great to have a vehicle up there so you can visit all the tourist spots around Noosa like the Eumundi markets, Glasshouse Mountains and beaches swarming with semi-nude Swedish backpackers!). We soon settled into a life of swimming on the beach, relaxing in the spa, sipping on tropical drinks! (you know... the usual!).

By race morning, my hamstring problems had almost melted away (relaxation is a fantastic cure). This year I had none of the pre-race nerves of previous years, as there were fewer self-expectations. I was a reserve this time which took a bit of pressure off, so the nerves only got going on race morning - but only mildly. Still, there is something about getting up in the pre-dawn darkness to run in a national champs that does get the system going no matter what the circumstances.

Luckily the race starts at 6:30am, so there's not time really to get too nervous. Had a last minute loo stop (and I mean last minute!!), which wasn't too fun lining up in a porta-loo queue with minutes to race start! I had memories of last year's race where I had to stop during the run for 2 minutes, so decided to get it all over and done with prior to the gun this time!

People were really polite at the start line this year (unlike previous years when wearing a state uniform seemed to be some sort of sign for the locals to try and push you out of the way). When I got there, just about everyone else was lined up, with Erwin, Gazza, Philo, Petros, Rohan and I all in ACT uniforms. Then there was Deano, hiding in his ACTAS uniform, just so the opposition wasn't completely freaked out. I heard one dude in a Qld outfit behind me comment "shit, half the race is ACT!"... and I must admit, it did look a bit like that!

I don't know what goes through other people's minds just before the start, but at Noosa it's always the same with me "don't go crazy in first km... don't go crazy in first km", as it can be a very fast start! So off we went - it seemed for most that they don't think the same way I do, because, as usual, I was swamped by some of the 1000+ runners. Within seconds I found myself tucked in amongst throngs of people which turned out to be a blessing this year, as there was quite a stiff wind in the first 6-7km and I got some decent windbreaks to use! My plan was to go out at 3:40 pace and just hope to beat 77:30 and get a 3 course meal cooked for me by Trevor Jacobs. Went through 2km in 7:14 and felt good. It's funny you know, but I reckon I can tell now after only 2km how fast (or slow) I'm going to run a half marathon! At the 2k mark I thought, "hmm, this 3 course dinner is looking good!"

I just cruised the next 10km at around 3:37 pace, gently passing people the whole way along, chucking cups of water on my head at every drink stop (which are very frequent at Noosa), keeping cool, relaxed and teetering on that edge of the comfort zone. The hamstring was there, but not hurting at all. As every kilometre went by I put more seconds 'in the bank', ie.. I was continually running under 3:40's, so I knew that even if I blew out a bit later on, I had heaps of seconds built up now. I had a bit of a concentration lapse at one point and suddenly ran a 3:47, but other than that it was all pretty much 3:37-3:39. At about the 14 or 15km mark I couldn't believe it but Petros was walking on the side of the road and I knew his stomach cramps must have got him again. I thought he might run along with me for the rest of the race but I think he was too stuffed to even run at that point (although full marks, he did start running again and did finish, which is bloody hard when you're having a shocker!).

Anyway, I managed to push through that difficult period from 16-19km without losing many seconds and then finished with a half-decent time - my fastest at Noosa (one of these days I'll be in form when I run Noosa!). More importantly, despite being pretty sore that night, I could still walk the next day and hammy recovered pretty well (but is stuffed now that I'm off my anti-inflammatory medication again!).

Apart from being happy with my time (and looking forward to that 3-course meal Trev) I was also really happy with the ACT team result and that everyone wore their uniforms! The Queensland media went bananas about the disqualifications with headlines such as "Uniform Police Strip Athletes of Medals" in the Brisbane Courier Mail. There were equally ridiculous headlines and articles in the Sunshine Coast paper, trying to make out that this was some sort of extraordinary event without precedent. The reality is that all athletes and team officials knew the rules prior to the race.

It takes a few things to win a team gold medal at nationals: Talent (and there was plenty of that), effort and determination (no lack of that either), commitment to the team (such as the ability to guts it out when things aren't going well but you still want to finish for the team... well done Petros. There is also the ability to be proud enough to wear your state uniform) and last but not least, the ability to follow simple instructions from AA. All are vital ingredients in winning a team gold medal.

As ACT team manager I'd like to thank all those in the team for achieving all those things. Well done ACT team on achieving all that... and more! Also, a big thanks to Hugh Ford (for use of his mobile phone for contact up in Noosa) and Andrew Bishop (for taking some great photos of the race). Also a big thankyou to my wife Andrea, and to Hugh, Sarah and Andrew for all the support from the sidelines for the other ACT runners and myself. Also, thanks to all the work put in by Ken at ACTA.

PS: Congratulations to my wife Andrea for doing a 2-minute PB in the 5km fun run! (quite possibly the only female runner from the ACT at Noosa?). Was yet another great week in Noosa...dreaming of next year already. [Splits: 3:37, 3:37, 3:38, 3:38, 3:33 (18:02). 3:35, 3:37, 3:37, 3:38, 3:41 (18:09) (36:11). 3:38, 3:39, 3:36, 3:47, 3:37 (18:17). 3:39, 3:41, 3:38, 3:38, 3:40 (18:16) (36:33). 3:51 (last 1.1km). 76:34.]

Stuart used to run for SCT many years ago as an Under-16 as a struggling middle distance runner and A-grade high jumper. Stu lived in the shadow of an incredibly talented older brother (Andrew) who used to mix it with the best runners in the ACT. Stuart (and Andrew) went the way of many talented ACT runners when he caught the 'triathlon bug'. He showed quite a talent for his new sport and trained to the stage where he had an awesome bike leg backed up with a better than average run leg. Swimming was his weak link which held him back in the short distance races which most juniors were doing. Stuart (in the words of Jim Tucker) "found his event" when he tried longer triathlon distances such as the Sri Chinmoy Long Course. He was taken under the wing of Gordon Nightingale for lunch-time run training and even gained a lucrative AGL sponsorship as a triathlete. It seems that all this work has finally paid off when Stuart recently placed 6th outright in the Canberra Half-Ironman event in the excellent time of 4 hours 4mins 21secs. This was his comeback race after a lay-off and he was not far behind the winner - Great Britain's international Paul Amey (3 hours 48mins 12secs).

Was advertised recently in The Canberra Times. The SCT members of the squad are: Kate Cheyne, Noni Clarke, Elise Cole, Ashley Colquhoun, Matthew Fahey, Darryl Hill, Jillian Hosking, Michael Hosking, Jessie Pritchard, Cassie Schilg, Anthony Sexton, Justine Shepherd, Mark Shepherd, Jade Sutcliffe, Jonathan Symonds and Christopher Williams. Congratulations all!

Kelly Roberts and Courtney McCabe have received continuation scholarships for tertiary studies. New scholarships have been presented to Jonathan Symonds (ACT University study) and Chris Williams (ACT College study). If you wish to apply for a 2003 scholarship please contact Chris Roberts.

SCT is interested in hearing from athletes who are close to the standard required to join the Vikings Elite Athlete Development Fund. The committee overseeing the operation of the fund is in the process of reviewing the performance requirements needed by an athlete to join the fund and input from coaches and athletes is welcome.

The annual Canberra Half Marathon was held on Sunday 19 May and SCT members were once again prominent in the results. The race attracted 300 starters and was held in cool overcast conditions. Runners had to contend with a very strong headwind over the final 4 kilometres.
The best run was arguably that of Fiona Jorgensen who was third outright for females and first W40 in the excellent time of 86:53. Five of our men placed in the top 30 headed by Stuart Doyle who was just one second away from a PB with 75:23 for eighth place. Nick Walshe placed 12th in 77:58 with Geoff Monro also inside the top 20 (18th and 81:27). Christopher Williams in his debut half marathon was the first Under-20 runner to finish. Chris placed 23rd overall in 82:45. Hugh Jorgensen was just behind in 24th (83:19). Further back in the field Heath Pearce ran a PB of 98:18 and Jim White just managed to hold off by 2 seconds the fast finishing Rosemary Longstaff.

The ACT state road and track walk champion Ann Staunton continued her local success in winning the 'Hospital Credit Union' race walk around the new Lake Burley Griffin course on Saturday May 25. Staunton, who won the Walkers Club 'Outstanding Female of the Year Award' last week, recorded 1h 52m 36sec for the 17.5 kilometres. Ashley Colquhoun had a good win in the men's 5000m walk in 25:37. Ashley finished 'just' ahead of ex-SCT president and record-holding walker Bob Mee. Jillian Hosking was a comfortable winner of the women's 5000m walk in 32:48. Peter Hosking placed 4th in the 2000m walk - well ahead of the 'slow' Peter Waddell.

For 2002/03, SCT has the following members doing the hard yards in head office: Board Members - Ian Colquhoun, Greg Gilbert. Officers - Hugh Jorgensen (Honorary Solicitor). Committees - Brian Wenn (Winter selector), Greg Gilbert (Technical), Hugh Jorgensen (Constitution), Dorothy Mills (Awards), Greg Gilbert (T&F Competition).

Were held at Yarralumla over the long weekend of 1-2 June. There were some excellent results for SCT athletes:
Ashley Colquhoun placed 6th in the Under-17 5000m event. Jillian Hosking was the first 'non-medallist' (4th) in the Under-15 3000m race in a time of 15:33. Ann Staunton easily won the veterans 5000m event in 29:39. Ex-SCT athlete John Stenhouse placed third in the mens 16km race around West Basin.

The ACT Primary and Secondary Schools' Cross Country Championships were held at Exhibition Park on Friday 7 June. The races were selection trials for the national championships to be held in Sydney on the 25th of August. Here are some results for SCT athletes:
Declan Wilson won the 9 years 1500m in 5:29. Allan McGlew placed 2nd in the 14 years 4km in 13:55, just one second behind winner James Southgate. Chris Williams won the 16 years 6km in 19:52. Mark Shepherd placed 4th in the Open 6km in 19:39 with Michael Hosking 5th in 19:49. Jillian Hosking placed 2nd in the 15 years 4km in 15:16 with Emily Glover 4th in 16:11.

Women's 5km: 4. Noni Clarke 18:14, 6. Jillian Hosking 19:42, 13. Jessamy Hosking 22:05, 19. Kate Cheyne 22:52. Men's 5km: 6. Mark Shepherd 16:25, 7. Michael Hosking 16:46, 12. Allan McGlew 17:57, 14. Glen McCarthy 18:11, 17. Ashley Colquhoun 19:07, 18. Christian Stevens 19:17, 23. Conrad Shepherd 20:38.
Women's 10km: 3. Fiona Jorgensen 39:44. Men's 10km: 4. Nick Walshe 34:10, 7. Stuart Doyle 34:47, 13. Chris Williams 35:48, 20. Andrew Bishop 37:16. Only the first 25 finishers for each category were recorded.

SCT's Andrew Bishop demonstrated his versatility by placing third in the monthly run up Mt. Ainslie on Tuesday 2 July. Andrew recorded 13:06 to be less than 2 minutes behind winner, Australian rep David Osmond. Andrew was closely followed across the finish line by SCT team-mates Geoff Monro (13:38) and Hugh Jorgensen (13:43). Heath Pearce placed 10th in an excellent time of 15:30 for the 2.2km ascent.

Greg has been appointed as a Team Coach for the IPC World Championships to be held in France. SCT's Greg Hibberd is also going as a competitor with the first competition being the German Nationals in Berlin on 12-14 July. The team then travels to Lille in France (near the Belgian border) for the Worlds from 22-28 July. Greg's daughter is also travelling and will produce a documentary of the trip for the team of 50 athletes and 15 coaches/officials. After the championships Greg and the team will have about 5 days in France to do some touristing. Some photos of the trip will be available on this site in August. Greg has been very busy lately having just returned from a flying trip to Darwin in June where he organised two Commonwealth Games trials competitions and an officials seminar for NT Athletics (a great escape from the cold and fog of a Canberra winter!).

In the Wednesday July 3 'Canberra Times'... Jillian Hosking was featured in the Junior Sport section after her impressive win in the ACT Under-16 5km road walk championship in a time of 28:05. Jillian will be competing in the Australian 5000m titles at Nowra on 18 August. Ashley Colquhoun was also mentioned after beating all seniors in the 10km walk on 29 June. Ashley recorded 51:05 which was another PB in his build-up for the Australian Under-18 8km title in Nowra. ACT track and road champion Ann Staunton continued to dominate local events with a win in the state 10km title in 59:29 defeating Helen Bialecki (WH) by 47 seconds.

This is one of Jim White's favourites but not because it's easy to pronounce! The former Sri Chinmoy Half was resurrected in 2002 as the Self-Transcendence Half Marathon. It was run on the familiar spectator-friendly 13 lap course at Telopea Park on a cool Sunday morning the 14th of July. The best SCT run was probably that of Charlie Modrak who placed second in the M50's breaking the 90-minute barrier in the process (89:27). Geoff Monro was our fastest runner with 83:26 for 6th overall. Heath Pearce ran a 3 minute PB (95:08) - not far behind rival Jim White (93:34). Rosemary Longstaff was first F50 in 95:04 and 5th female overall.

Three SCT athletes won state titles in July... Ann Staunton won yet another state title taking out the Walker's Club 20km Championship on Sunday 27 July. Ann recorded 2 hours 9 minutes 47 seconds to defeat Woden's Val Chesterton. Jillian Hosking won the state 3000m junior girls title in 16:11 from Caitlin Worral. Greg Hosking was the winner of the Under-9 boys 1km championship in 6:45.

First worn 'in anger' at Dunrossil Drive by Noni Clarke, SCT's new design female crop top is now available for sale. Priced at a very reasonable $30 you can buy one from our 'uniform co-ordinator' Diane Shepherd.

The annual Sutherland to Surf Fun Run was held on Sunday 28 July. SCT's Emily Glover ran a very impressive 45:40 for the 11km course from the Sutherland CBD to Wanda Surf Club at Cronulla. She won the Under-16 female category for the second year in a row. This year Emily improved dramatically to be almost 2 minutes faster, having run 47:30 in 2001.

There wasn't much call for Judith May's renowned mountain running skills on the flat and fast roads of the July 7 Gold Coast Half-Marathon. She ran a PB of 81:29 for the 21.1kms which placed her second in the female 30-34 age category and 92nd outright in a field of over 3000 runners. Judith is looking forward to representing the ACT as a member of the open women's team contesting the National Cross Country Chamionships at Cambewarra on 17 August.

Were held at Park Road, Nowra on 18 August. Jillian Hosking backed up from her run the previous day in the cross country champs to place 5th in the Under-16 womens 5km event in 28:00. Ashley Colquhoun continued his excellent season with a 4th place in the Under-18 mens 8km event in 39:33.

Were held on the spectacular and hilly Willandra venue at Cambewarra on 17 August. There were some excellent results from SCT members of the ACT team... Noni Clarke placed 5th (and 4th Australian) in the Under-20 women's 6km and Judith May was a member of the silver medal winning ACT team which included Joy Terry, Sarah Salmon and Kathy Southgate. Full SCT Results:
U16 Girls 4km - 15th, Jillian Hosking 16:36 (won by Brooke Simpson in 14:39).
U18 Mens 6km - 27th, Michael Hosking 21:19 (won by Liam Adams in 18:53).
U20 Womens 6km - 5th, Noni Clarke 22:25 (won by Clare McKechnie in 21:14).
U20 Mens 8km - 20th, Mark Shepherd 29:26 (won by Mark Bourne in 26:15).
Open Womens 8km - 20th, Judith May 32:19 (won by Anna Thompson in 28:23).

Eight SCT runners ventured east to 'the big smoke' for the 32nd running of Australia's greatest fun run - The Sydney City to Surf. Predictably, Stu Doyle was our fastest placing 127th in 51:05 (a 'PW' time!). Next to Bondi from the 52,000+ finishers was Nick Walshe, 256th in 53:44. Geoffrey Monro managed a 'preferred start' for 2003 by breaking 56 minutes for the distance (55:57 and 415th). Following Geoff was the first 'Team Agility' runner Andrew Shaw in 56:28 (455th). Glen McCarthy proved he can run further than 800m but just missed the 'one hour barrier' with 60:09 (912th). Ewen Thompson saw Jim White at the start and 14kms later was amazed that he had beaten his rival by less than 40 seconds (63:08 to 63:47). Bringing up the rear was the former 'gun runner' Gordon Nightingale who limped the 14k's with a dodgy hamstring in 78:02 for 7,335th place!

It was a day of wine and roses... or, more accurately a day of hot drinks and muffins (supplied from the cross country club catering truck). We all know about our Geoff Monro inspired multi-year Brindabella Relay wins but success for our open men during the regular winter season is rare indeed. After an absence from the winners lists of more than eighteen years, SCT's much lamented open men's team finally triumphed at the 2002 Carillon Relays! Even 'old-timers' such as Garry Hosking, Dave Hobson and Macka couldn't recall the last time the gold and black colours were hoisted to the masthead behind the first place podium position. Suffice to say it was well before our first runner Allan McGlew was even born!
This sublime victory was made more sweet and exciting by the unexpected manner of its occurrence. All spectators were anticipating the usual clash amongst the 'big guns' of winter running - Woden Harriers, Weston Creek and North Canberra. This preconceived notion was confirmed when Dave Osmond (NC) and Garry Rake (WC) established a commanding lead half way through the first leg. Adrian Sheppard (WH) wasn't far behind and SCT junior Allan McGlew was running an amazing leg to keep the defecit to a minimum.
At this stage we were hopeful of perhaps wresting a final third place from one of the 'guns' but Nick Walshe had other ideas... He ran a fantastic 9:51 to move us past North Canberra and closer to Woden's Mark Bourne. Then came 'team captain' Stu Doyle who ran like a typical hurricane wind at Calwell Oval. Even with a dodgy hamstring, Stu hauled the team past a faltering Creek and into a possible second place finish.
Wily champion Gerard Ryan helped the Harriers to a 55-second lead into the last leg. It was up to our other junior star Michael Hosking to attempt the impossible. Could he run down the class veteran Des Brown? SCT vocal cords were stretched to the limit as the gap was gradually whittled away. At the second river crossing it was down to thirty seconds... as the fox emerged from the bush loop he was just twelve seconds to the good of the pursuing hound... Less than a kilometre to run and surely Michael was going to do it!
Then, over the last hill and down the finish straight it was the gold and black singlet of Michael Hosking in the lead! Woden and Creek spectators looked on in stunned silence as they witnessed the 'invincible' Harriers fall victim to the youth and enthusiasm of the South Canberra Tuggeranong open men's team. It was such an historic occasion - so unexpected and if only we had a bottle, deserving a spray of celebratory champagne. As if realising the day's significance, the carillonist began playing 'Scotland the Brave' which for SCT's men was almost as good as 'Advance Australia Fair' and an Olympic gold medal.

The summer track & field season commences with a 'Come-and-try-It' day on Sunday 20 October. The first Interclub Pointscore day is on Saturday 26 October with the No.1 Program from 4pm. Also on this day will be the ACT 10000m track Championship which in years gone by has been won by such famous athletes as Jim White and Ewen Thompson.

SCT will pay part of a member's fees for the next 'Sports First Aid' course. A requirement will be that the member is a regular at events where SCT competes (especially cross country). The course is conducted by Sports Medicine Australia ACT Branch and you will learn fundamental skills of CPR and injury management in sporting situations. The cost of $160 includes a comprehensive manual and accreditation. The course will be held at ACT Sports House in Hackett for 7 Monday evenings commencing 21st October (6:15 to 9:00pm). You can download a registration form at smartplay.com.au. Contact Teresa Symonds or David Wilson to find out how much SCT will subsidise your costs.

Were held in Sydney on 24 August and SCT had four athletes competing as members of the ACT team. Here are their fantastic results:
Girls 11 years 3km - 13th Isabella Havlat in 13:18 (won by Queensland's Jasmin Hurikino in 12:27).
Girls 14-15 years 4km - 23rd Emily Glover in 19:09 (won by NSW's Brooke Simpson in 16:34).
Boys 14-15 years 4km - 23rd Allan McGlew in 16:33 (won by Queensland's Ryan Thierry in 15:18).
Boys 16-17 years 6km - 5th Chris Williams in 21:38 (won by Victoria's Liam Adams in 21:04).
Team relays were held on the Sunday. Chris Williams had the 6th fastest time over 3km of 9:01 and Allan McGlew the 21st fastest of 9:43.

Stu Doyle was the ACT team manager for the 2002 Telstra Australian Half Marathon Championships. The race was held at beautiful Noosa in 'sunny one day' Queensland on 1 September. The successful scorers for the winning men's team were Dean Cavuoto (3rd in 65:42), Erwin McRae (5th in 66:49) and Gary Rake (7th in 69:00). Also running in ACT colours were Philo Saunders, Rohan Lowry, Stuart Doyle and Petros Davidiadis. Stuart himself had quite a good run finishing just outside his PB in 76:34 despite a dodgy hamstring. His full report will appear in the next Tuggie Athlete!

Is SCT's leading point-scorer from last season Mark Payne. Mark has graciously volunteered to be the SCT member responsible for organising our weekly supply of officials to help run each Interclub meeting. Please make Mark's job easier by contacting him when you arrive at the track if you are available to officiate for part or all of an Interclub competition.

Was held on September 8 over a choice of 3k or 5k distances. The fun runs followed new courses which started at the Canberra Centre, crossed the footbridge into Commonwealth Park and returned to finish in the car park at the Civic Pool. There were many success stories by SCT athletes... In the outright stakes Michael Hosking placed 3rd (16:23) and Mark Shepherd 4th (16:38). Michael also won the 15-19 age category. For the ladies, Judith May placed 2nd behind Sarah Salmon in 18:42 as well as winning the 30-39 age category. Fiona Jorgensen placed 3rd just behind Judith in 19:05 and also won the 40-49 category. Jillian Hosking won the 10-14 age category in 19:51 to be also 4th outright. Rosemary Longstaff after a race-long duel with Kathy Sims placed 2nd in the 50-59's with 20:24. Peter Hosking placed 2nd in the 10-14's with 23:28. Heath Pearce ran his first 'sub-20' with another PB of 19:52 to also place 4th in the 20-29's. Jim White was a close third in the 50-59's with 20:10.

Was held on Sunday 15 September over the famous 'blue line' Olympic course. Judith May was the 7th female to finish running 3hrs 12mins 22secs. She also placed 109th outright. Heath Pearce ran a 43 minute PB with 3:50:04 and placed 535th. There were over 1300 runners who finished the marathon.

Were held on the holiday Monday 7th October 2002. SCT runners did very well with the 'one-legged' Stu Doyle taking out the 10k and Andrew Bishop a convincing winner of the 4k. SCT Results 10km: 1st Stuart Doyle 35:42, 10th Colin Bridge 41:23 (4th M50), 16th Jim White 43:44 (6th M50). SCT Results 4km: 1st Andrew Bishop 14:36, 2nd Heath Pearce 16:01.

Is none other than prolific all-rounder and dedicated club person Geoffrey Monro! On Monday 7 October Geoff lined up in the 3000m Steeplechase on Melbourne's Olympic Park for the 2002 World Masters Games. After 7 laps and 35 barriers Geoff pulled off the 'impossible' by claiming a well deserved gold medal in the 35-39 age category. In a field of 29 runners, Geoff also placed 5th outright in the excellent time of 11:11.19.

I'm hoping to have your next club magazine ready by mid January 2003. Please have your contributions ready by the December 10 deadline! At the latest! Yes, 'no more Mr Nice Guy'! The feature article will be by Geoffrey Monro about his success in the 2002 World Masters Games.

"SCT Runners Clean Up on Jim White's Course" - Your club was embarrassingly dominant at the cross country club events held around Stranger Hill in Bonython. The Under-14 1km run was won easily by Peter Hosking in 4:28 from brother Greg. Noni Clarke showed she is in top form leading up to National Cross by running away from a quality field in the women's 3.5km race recording a time of 13:32. SCT runners filled places 3 to 7 with Jillian Hosking just ahead of Fiona Jorgensen, Kelly Roberts, Jessamy Hosking and Dominique Wilson.
It was an SCT 'pack run' at the front of the men's 3.5km race. Mark Shepherd's sprint finish won him the race in 11:49 from Stu Doyle, Michael Hosking, Chris Williams and David Wilson. Allan McGlew ran well for 7th in 13:15. Heath Pearce enjoyed his 'first' win over Jim White and Conrad Shepherd made a comeback to racing after his huge bike crash and a nagging calf injury. Stuart Doyle 'dead-heated' with training partner Vince Craig to win the 7km race. Colin Neave's umpteenth comeback to racing produced a 5th place finish. Andrew Bishop placed 9th in an excellent 27:11 while Chris Williams performed pace-making duties for women's winner Marnie Ponton. Further down the field Heath Pearce not only beat Jim White but also 'Tiger' Wenn.

"SCT Juniors in Winning Form" - Noni Clarke and Michael Hosking produced a winning double in the cross country club junior pointscore event at Molonglo Reach. Noni ran away from a strong field in the women's 5km race recording 18:34. Kelly Roberts placed 3rd just 2 seconds clear of Jillian Hosking with Elise Cole 8th and Christina Ivansson 11th. Michael was 4th overall and 1st junior in the men's 5km in a personal best time of 16:29. Chris Williams was the 3rd junior to finish with Mark Shepherd 4th and Allan McGlew 7th. Heath Pearce ran a PB of 20:39 to defeat rival Jim White for the third time in two weeks.
Peter Hosking won the Under-14 1km race in 3:48. In the senior 10km event Nick Walshe was the first SCT runner in 9th place. Nick also ran a PB of 34:19 after being just outside his 5km PB at the half-way point of the race. Fiona Jorgensen was the third woman to finish just failing to break the 40-minute barrier (40:04). The other notable result in the 10k was yet another defeat for Jim White - this time at the 'feet' of the improving Brian Wenn. By the way, this was the event that won Stu Doyle the title of CCC 'Race Manager of the Year'!

"Braving the cold winds of winter" - Some great results for SCT runners at Rani (rocky) Road: Jessamy Hosking dominated the women's 3km event to win by almost 3 minutes in 14:26. Christine Ivansson placed fourth. It was generally agreed that the distance was a fair bit longer than 3km. David Wilson was leading the 3km men's race until the last downhill section but held onto second place. David's time of 12:24 was 10 seconds quicker than last year. Heath Pearce had his best run or the year to thrash his rivals and place 5th overall in 14:18.
The women's 5km saw Fiona Jorgensen in third place (20:57), a minute behind winner Marnie Ponton. Rosemary Longstaff placed fourth. Andrew Bishop ran an excellent race for the men to place 5th in 19:23. Chris Williams jogged around the course to place eighth after winning his ACT Schools cross country race the previous day. David Wilson in his 'warm-down' run placed 13th (20:12). Heath Pearce put his downhill sprint to good effect to defeat the remaining SCT 'B-graders'. Col Bridge made a wecome return to racing after a long absence with a knee injury.

"Roberts Clarke & Doyle take the case" - The 'firm' of Kelly Roberts, Noni Clarke and Stu Doyle won and 'out of court' settlement at Yarralumla Bay on 15 June. Kelly Roberts took out the women's 3km race in 11:34 from Jillan Hosking, Jessamy Hosking and the impressive Courtney Wilson. Noni Clarke was successful in the women's 7.8km race in 31:20 with Fiona Jorgensen finishing third (32:17) and Rosemary Longstaff fourth.
Stuart Doyle won the men's 3km race in 10:14 after surviving an early challenge from David Wilson. Allan McGlew finished 5th whilst Heath Pearce ran a PB (12:18) to beat Jim White. Mark Shepherd was our best performer in the men's 7.8k in third place (27:24). Michael Hosking placed 4th and Chris Williams 5th. Hugh Jorgensen finished 10th in an excellent 29:59 with Glen McCarthy 17th and Gordon Nightingale 32nd.

"Pointscore win for SCT junior teams" - The awesome strength of SCT's juniors was demonstrated at the cross country club pointscore event at Mt Ainslie. We won both the female and male 3km teams events comfortably from Woden Harriers. Noni Clarke easily won her fourth race of the season in 10:52. Jillian Hosking placed third (11:27) just ahead of Emily Glover (11:34). Jessamy Hosking was 10th and Elise Cole 13th. Mark Shepherd was third in the men's race in 9:24, just 5 seconds adrift of winner Mark Bourne (WH). Chris Williams placed fifth (9:42) with Michael Hosking sixth (9:44). Allan McGlew was 11th and Richard White 15th.
In the 9.3km 'lap' of Mt Ainslie Rosemary Longstaff was our best placed runner - 3rd in the women's event in 41:35. Geoff Monro had one of his better runs of the season in 6th place (35:00), 4 seconds ahead of Hugh Jorgensen. Jim White recovered amazingly from the 3km race where he thrashed Conrad Shepherd to once again get the better of Ewen Thompson and Charlie Modrak in the 9.3km race in an excellent 40:34. Greg Hosking won the Under-14 1km race in 4:17 with Elizabeth Hosking 3rd in 4:40.

"Fun in the sun and sand" - Greg Hosking started the ball rolling for SCT at Weston Park with a win in the 'slightly more than' 1km race in 6:04. Jillian Hosking had perhaps her best race of the winter to place second (1st junior) in the 4km event in 16:17. Emily Glover finished fourth just ahead of Jessamy Hosking. Elise Cole and Christina Ivansson also had good runs to finish in the top ten. David Wilson had his first ever cross country club win in the men's 4km in 14:45. Allan McGlew placed third with Heath Pearce sixth.
SCT placed second and third in both the 8km events. For the women, Fiona Jorgensen overcame a fast-starting Noni Clarke with a time of 33:36. Rosemary Longstaff finished ahead of some notable (and much younger) runners with her seventh place in 36:08. For the men, Mark Shepherd ran an excellent 28:38 to be well clear of Michael Hosking and David Wilson. In the 16km 'enduro' Nick Walshe placed seventh, just failing to crack the one hour barrier (60:01). Geoff Monro, Hugh Jorgensen and Chris Williams were our strong mid-field runners all just over 64 minutes and inside the top twenty. Further back, Ewen Thompson got the better of Jim White who slowed with a knee injury as he completed 20km of racing for the afternoon.

"Eastern Alignment success for Shepherd & Roberts" - Mark Shepherd and Kelly Roberts were 'drive-away' winners at the 'Eastern Alignment' cross country races on O'Connor Ridge... Kelly was not challenged in the women's one lap race over the tough 2.5km course to win easily in 10:00. Mark Shepherd was equally dominant in the men's 5km race cruising to the chequered flag in 17:18. Fiona Jorgensen used her low gear hill-climbing skills in the women's 5km to place a close third in 20:37. Also worthy of mention in the men's 2.5km race were Allan McGlew who placed 5th in 9:11 and Heath Pearce, 12th in 10:19. Anita McGlew finished second in the Under-14 1km event.
Other notable results in the men's 5km... Brian Wenn escaped the clutches of his psychiatrist (and a calf injury) with a solid come-back run beating Charlie Modrak and just shy of Jim White. Andrew Bishop was an excellent 9th in 19:13 and Ted Harrison proudly wearing his SCT vest put in some good speedwork for the Melbourne Marathon.

"Five wins for Noni Clarke" - Noni Clarke's amazingly successful winter season continued at 'Deeks' with a win in the women's 6.8km race. It was an SCT trifecta with Noni's 26:11 leaving her 21 seconds clear of Judith May who was in turn 50 seconds ahead of third-placed Fiona Jorgensen. Mark Shepherd finished second (22:46) in the men's 6.8km with Brian Wenn surprising onlookers to be third SCT runner home. Brian's 28:47 (with a sprint finish) was too good for other SCT 'B-graders' such as Gordon Nightingale, Col Bridge and Conrad Shepherd. Jim White finished his 28th cross country race for the season! In the 3.4km races Emily Glover placed fourth for the ladies (13:15) and Glen McCarthy fifth for the men (12:07). Hugh Jorgensen was just behind Glen (12:40) with Heath Pearce placing eighth.

"Triple success for SCT athletes" - The Cross Country Club events on a frosty Sunday morning provided three more wins for SCT runners... In the 5km run around the peninsula car parks Karen Daniels won the women's race with Chris Williams taking out the men's after an early battle with John Fleming and Geoff Monro. The 'big one' was the traditional 10-miler (16.1km) on the bike path circling West Basin. Nick Walshe put in another excellent run of 57:10 to place a close second to the Creek's Vince Craig. Col Bridge continued his impressive come-back from injury running 69:02 in 24th place, just 3 seconds clear of Jim White. Fiona Jorgensen won the women's 10-miler in 65:02, easily the fastest runner in the big field of 18 women finishers.

"Fast running from Williams, Clarke & Roberts" - The prestigious 'John Harding Trophy' cross country races at Dunrossil Drive gave SCT athletes the chance to 'tune-up' for the following weekend's ACT Titles. First up, Peter Hosking won the under-14 1km race (3:50) with Greg Hosking placing 4th. The women's 4.2km race produced an exciting battle for the minor placings after Joy Terry escaped to an ever increasing lead after half a lap. Noni Clarke out-kicked Kelly Roberts for 4th place to clock 15:36. Fiona Jorgensen came from behind to place 7th (16:02) with Jillian Hosking 10th.
Jim White was the first SCT runner in the 'B' race placing 21st in 17:15 with Heath Pearce about 30 seconds adrift in 25th. The men's 'A' race saw Chris Williams run his best race of the season thus far to place 11th (13:26). Mark Shepherd was just six seconds behind Chris in 13th with Michael Hosking a little off his best form in 25th. Andrew Bishop ran a great 14:38 whilst Allan McGlew's 14:39 was run with an impressive negative split.

"Large medal haul at ACT Championships!" In true Manchester style SCT athletes brought home a bag-full of medals from the 2002 ACT Cross Country Championships.
Gold: Chris Williams for the Under-18 men's 6km in a time of 20:46.
Silver: Noni Clarke for the Under-20 women's 6km in a time of 23:46.
Bronze: Judith May for the Open women's 8km in a time of 31:55, Emily Glover for the Under-16 women's 4km in a time of 16:36, Mark Shepherd for the Under-20 men's 8km in a time of 28:04, Michael Hosking for the Under-18 men's 6km in a time of 21:25, Allan McGlew for the Under-16 men's 4km in a time of 14:39 and Declan Wilson for the Under-12 boy's 2km in a time of 8:00.
Other notable SCT results from the Championships... Courtney Wilson - 8th in the Under-14 3km, David Wilson - 18th (44:51) in the Open 12km and Stuart Doyle - 20th in the Open 12km. Heath Pearce ran a 3k PB of 12:01 in the fun run before finishing just behind Jim White in the 12k. Richard Jeffrey made a welcome return to racing with 29th place in the 12k and Dot Mills did an outstanding job as official time-keeper!

"Shepherd & Clarke sail to clear victories" - SCT runners Mark Shepherd and Noni Clarke won the male and female divisions of the Yacht Club 5km bike path race. Mark recorded a time of 16:12 and Noni 18:44 which saw her also place 11th outright. Michael Hosking placed 3rd (16:52) and Hugh Jorgensen 12th (18:59). Fiona Jorgensen was the second female just 32 seconds behind Noni and Jillian Hosking placed third. Conrad Shepherd had a surprisingly good run in 15th place (19:52). Heath Pearce had to run a PB (20:11) to beat Brian Wenn (20:21) with both just outside the 20-minute barrier. The lightly raced Garry Hosking ran 21:44, not far behind Colin Bridge (21:07).

"Wins for Jorgensen & Doyle" - Fiona Jorgensen and Stu Doyle were both winners of events on the hilly but much loved North Lyneham course. Fiona was a clear winner of the women's 3.1km event in 12:09 from Jessamy Hosking (13:02). Karen Daniels placed a strong sixth. Stu had an equally emphatic victory in the mens race recording 10:54. Heath Pearce had another great run to place 4th (12:47) with Jim White the next SCT runner in 7th place. The 6.2km race produced a number of notable performances... A close race between Geoff Monro (9th in 24:57) and Hugh Jorgensen (just 7 seconds back in 10th)... A very strong run from Col Bridge in 15th place (26:50)... Brian Wenn running 27:15 to get the better of Jim White by a minute... the return of Andrew Gardner with an easy 29:13.

"Clarke & Jorgensen set the standard" - The 'Trail' is one of my old favourites but this year I preferred to jog the 9.4k tourist track around Uluru. Noni Clarke was 'fresh' from an outstanding 5th place at National U20 Cross and won the 3.4km race easily in 13:07. Jillian Hosking placed second in 13:48 not far ahead of sister Jessamy. Fiona Jorgensen raced the clock in the 6.8km race recording an excellent 28:08 (7th outright). Mark Shepherd, Stuart Doyle and Michael Hosking filled 2nd, 3rd and 4th places in the men's 3.4km event. Conrad Shepherd ran a surprisingly good 14:01 to be 5 seconds ahead of Heath Pearce. Jim White and Col Bridge were 'miles behind' on their warm-up jogs for the long race. In the 6.8km men's event Geoff Monro was a solid 6th (27:39) with Col Bridge running an excellent 29:12. Brian Wenn, bleary-eyed from early mornings watching the US open golf, failed to break the 30 minute barrier by just 2 seconds.

"Win number 8 for Noni Clarke" - The tough course at 'the pinnacle' produced the eighth win of the winter season for SCT's Noni Clarke. She easily won the 4km event in 15:34 with Jillian Hosking placing third (16:07) and Jessamy Hosking sixth (16:55). Mark Shepherd unfortunately ran off course in the men's 4km race but recovered to place third in 13:58. Michael Hosking was close behind in 4th (14:11) with Allan McGlew having another good run to be 5th (14:49). Conrad Shepherd surprised onlookers by beating the in-form Heath Pearce. Fiona Jorgensen ran a lonely race to be second in the women's 8km event. She was just out of touch with Joy Terry but well clear of Anna Thompson. Nick Walshe had another solid run to be 5th in the men's 8km (29:43). Geoff Monro was our next best runner in 16th with Hugh Jorgensen placing 19th.

"Free at last... free at last!" - I can rest easy now that our senior men have finally won a winter relay event. We also wrote other success stories on the day - Our junior women's team was first junior and 2nd women's team overall. Our mixed 'A' team was the first mixed team to finish. Individually, Noni Clarke was the third fastest female runner (11:18) being just 14 seconds behind Sarah Salmon... Michael Hosking was the 5th fastest male (9:46)... Geoff Monro was our 'alternate' first 'A' runner and clocked 11:23... Karen Daniels (15:14) and Jessamy Hosking (12:06) both had excellent runs... Philip Curran showed great potential with a 11:17... Jim White and Charlie Modrak both ran second legs for Vets teams.

By the time you read this the 2002/03 track (and field) season will be under way. I've enjoyed having three or four weeks away from racing since the end of the cross country season. Unfortunately it's been an enforced lay-off this year due to a 'dicky-knee' injury I picked up following the Alice Springs Marathon.

The fault is my own as I tried to get back into hard training and racing too quickly. I was tempted by the opportunity to race Jim White at the best fun run in Australia (the Wagga Wagga City to Lake Fun Run). I rested a few days leading up to the race but my knee was still a bit niggly during the warm-up. Beating Jim would be no trifling matter. I held Jim to no more than a 30m lead for the first 4km but he bolted on the downhills. Jim had a fantastic run placing 3rd M50 and 37th overall from 2000 starters. I faded to finish well behind six-time female winner Carmel Kahlefeldt. Carmel's son Brad broke the course record to win the 9km fun run in 28:13.

I rested my knee the following week leading up to the Narrabeen Running Camp. This was a brilliant weekend that deserves a little more space - perhaps in the next issue. If you can't wait there's a Speilberg movie about it you may be able to borrow. Happily I was able to do two 'long' runs on that weekend: An hour on the Saturday morning exploring the beautiful sandy bush tracks around the camp. I tried not to slow down our young runners in the group - Chris Williams, Al McGlew, Brad Richards, Kelly Roberts, Airlie Chalmers and James Southgate. The next day I managed a 30-minute effort along the headland bush tracks from North Narrabeen beach.

So, as I write this, the knee is feeling so much better that I'm looking forward to racing 'the Jims' on the track at Interclub and Vets. 'The Jims'? Yes, Jim White is my distance rival who I'd like to rub shoulders with over 3000, 5000 and the fun run. Jim Tucker is my 'sprint/middle distance' rival who I want to out-kick over 800 and 1500m (I can't get near him at 400m). Well, that's the plan. Let's see if we can all have some fun attempting our T&F goals whilst scoring points for SCT!

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