club of the month her triathlon ‘run’ leg, and discovered were tested in the furnace of blister- university athletics club details a whole new world of support and ing muscle burns soothed only by our friendship. The Bachelor of Media and sweaty passion for running.” Training Venue: Rawlinson Track, Tin Alley, Communications student describes For a runner from another land, , Parkville 3052 her journey and what she found: Chan has found MUAC to be some- Email Address: “I struggled to convince friends to thing of a refuge, somewhere to turn [email protected] join me for runs, so I joined MUAC,” when a little assistance is required - Postal Address: she told us. “Now I am never short of not always limited to matters athletic. Melbourne University Athletic Club, company for lunch time runs. But it is “My team mates have been my family PO Box 4263, University of Melbourne, VIC 3052 more than just having running bud- away from home. I rely on the diverse dies. I describe it as the Asics Duo Max range of expertise and experience of New members of all abilities and ages are always welcome. pronation control in human form; that fellow members for almost everything. Training times, locations and other details are available from the is, support when and where I need it From legal counsel to relationship Club’s freshly rejuvenated website: www.athletics.musa.net.au most!” she added with a laugh. advice, our walking – I mean running Chan’s battle with the pain of – dictionaries and encyclopaedias are Then there are the ‘cultural’ ben- refreshing change. “I experienced what “The Club is a very active and vibrant club efits of being part of the Club. “The true dedication means in our coach club has also exposed me to the finer Tony Brain, who tirelessly coaches that encourages athletes of all abilities to strive intricacies of Australian culture. How and trains with us. He played a sig- for their best performances and have a lot about the annual Beer Mile and famil- nificant role in my success as a former iarisation of ’s training Singapore national triathlete.” of fun along the way.” route in Ferny Creek for accultura- How does a triathlete fit into a tion?” Chan declared with a smile. ‘pure’ athletics club? Chan was pleas- running was a journey she was able always at hand!” She told us being part of an athlet- antly surprised. “Despite my being on to take with friends. “For me, the Activities at MUAC are not limited ics club has moderating benefits as the ‘dark side’, as triathlon is known friendships at MUAC grew one step to the track, Chan told us. “We go well. “My team mates provide me with around here, Tony took responsibility at a time, as we put one foot in front beyond just running, to social activities well-timed and much needed remind- for my training and even made long The White Train - the nickname of the MUAC-XC Squad. of the other - comrades in our battles like generating club gossip over cof- ers to rest: the most effective therapy distance calls to wherever I was rac- against lactic acid build-up and pain in fee, savouring home-baked goodness for my numerous running injuries.” ing to give me a pep talk, or post-race our ongoing quest for speediness. The at post-race brunches and relaxing at Chan finds the devotion and flex- debrief. Like so many others in the Melbourne University more we ran, the more the friendships post-training movie sessions.” ibility of MUAC’s coaches to be a distance squad, I have been touched Written by Athletics Club David Ulbrick & Tom Gorman Over 100 Years of Pleasure & Pain

UAC, properly pronounced Muaack proving Athletics Association - just in (yet again) that Australians can turn four letters time to participate in the first into more syllables than is reasonable, can be traced intervarsity match of 1892. back as far as the establishment of the University of Self-described ‘intrepid’ athletes from the Sydney University Melbourne’s Parkville campus in 1854. Kate Scarlett and current winter team Athletics Club made the trip to MelbourneU niversity’s trusty canine mascot, Medical student Shalinda captain, Sophie Barker, flexing their The senior 5000m squad post race (L-R): It was the height of the gold rush and Becky (sporting a MUAC branded collar). Kekulawala. Image courtesy Andrew Selby-Smith, Andrew Wear, Tim Melbourne to compete against muscles following the 2009 Tan Relays. MMelbourne had been thrust into the limelight, earning the of Athletics . Image courtesy of Nick Honey. Thomas, David Ulbrick and Ryan Cantwell. nickname ‘Marvellous Melbourne.’ An influx of immigrants MUAC. MUAC ran (and pre- in the early 1850s, new wealth and population led to the sumably threw and jumped) establishment of a university. It may have been yet another their way to victory on the track and to fantastic facilities and top level example of the yet unspoken, but firmly entrenched, rivalry in the field. However, the Sydney men coaching. There are regular squads between Melbourne and Sydney; the University of Sydney claimed that they ‘more than held for middle/long distance running, having been established just four years earlier, in 1850. their own in the social stakes’ - begin- sprinters, jumpers (long, triple and ning a tradition of university students high) and pole vaulters. The Club Whether it was the number of between its colleges. These inter-colle- socialising while competing away enters both Men’s and Women’s teams British emigrants living in the colony, giate sports meetings have been held from home. It was the beginning of a in Athletics Victoria’s summer (track or the city’s forefathers seeking to ever since. MUAC’s history can be long and beautiful rivalry that contin- and field) and winter (road and cross cloak the raw and young commu- traced to these initial ‘IC’ encounters. ues to this day. country) competitions and MUAC nity with some of the culture and Officially founded in 1872 in con- It is not necessary to be a student athletes compete in many other events. sophistication of the mother coun- junction with the university’s cricket to be a member; the membership Melbourne University Athletic try, will never be known. What is club, the Club’s pursuit of athletics is drawn from the wider University Club, far from its origins as an acknowledged is that the University of soon faltered, although running was community and includes current stu- exclusive club for elite students of Melbourne followed the Oxford and kept alive by the medical students who dents, alumni, academic staff as well Melbourne’s best suburbs, now reflects Cambridge ‘college-based’ model of had been counselled to take up run- as members with no connection to a changing world of globalised com- education, its stated aim to improve ning ‘to enable them to stand the stress the University other than the athlet- munities. MUAC distance runner the moral character of the colony. An and strain of the grandest profession ics club. The Club is a very active and Elaine Chan hails from Singapore, intrinsic element of this character was in the world.’ vibrant club that encourages athletes arriving in Melbourne to study at Andrew Selby-Smith, a long-time MUAC playing sports in a gentlemanly and However, the Club was revived of all abilities to strive for their best Melbourne University in 2006. With a member, deep in concentration prior to Engineering student Sarah Men’s Over 40 4 x 1500m team (L-R): Andrew Moore, his leg of the 2009 Tan Relays. Image Castelino. Image courtesy collegiate way. Initially sport at the in 1890, shortly before the estab- performances and have a lot of fun background in triathlon, Chan came Tony Brain, Andrew Howes and Tim Thomas. courtesy of Athletics Victoria. of Athletics Victoria. University of Melbourne was played lishment of the Victorian Amateur along the way. Members have access to MUAC looking for improvement in

58 Run for your life FEBRUARY-MARCH 2010 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2010 Run for your life 59 club of the month by his commitment, which is the cor- knit bunch and training together, mal competition atmosphere (though Sydney men of yesteryear. The sight of nerstone of MUAC’s success.” especially during the tough sessions, the rivalry is fierce) and the informal still-sleepy athletes fronting up to Uni Triathlon might be regarded as makes a huge difference. They simply social scene that is a traditional and leg- Games events in the early afternoon is MUAC member Emma Zalcman’s vivid personal the ‘dark side’ by pure runners, but push on and get through it together. endary part of the Games. not an uncommon one. specialty athletes – those who jump Elaine Chan remarks on exactly that The ‘Uni Games’, as they are collo- But the late night is the exception description of the racing experience. or throw or walk - sometimes get a same kind of collective motivation: quially known, are a direct descendant and cannot conceal the reality of the hard time as well. MUAC pole vaulter “There is something comforting of the original intervarsity games first discomfort faced by the athlete running, The five minutes before the starter’s gun fires are a Katherine Iannello told us, “When about being around like-minded people held officially in 1897 (not forgetting jumping or throwing right through the roller-coaster of emotion. I visualise a number of possible people hear that I’m a pole vaulter, the who are motivated and even fanatical. that unofficial Melbourne University physical endurance barrier, into a place scenarios for the race that I’m about to run. As much as I try common response I get is ‘pole vault? Donning our team uniform gives me victory over the intrepid Sydney team where only a tiny percentage of the to concentrate on the things I can control, it is always the What made you do that?’ ” Iannello’s a proud sense of identity associated in 1892). In fact the Uni Games are human race will ever venture. A place things I can’t which bother me the most; such as my opponents, answer is blunt: “I was ready to partici- with all the great things about being an Australia’s largest annual multi-sport known as beyond pain. my lane or the weather. A few strides around the bend at a pace pate in a new sport and this happened MUAC runner,” she said. event, and are hosted by universities And that physical discomfort and similar to my planned race pace and I’m calm again. As soon as to be it. And more importantly, I love In fact, Chan knows all about the on a rotating basis. The athletics team, pain and suffering leads us, inevitably, my feet start bouncing off that red track, I remember everything it!” MUAC has a strong vaulting squad, fanaticism that drives athletes to the managed by long time MUAC coach to the coaches, who make their living that has gone before and that I CAN do this. Then, the starter’s which helps, as does the support for dispensing the stuff. first words: ‘On your marks.’ everyone who wants to take part. Rawlinson track, the MUAC That phrase ‘on your marks’ always leads to a little bout of “There’s a great coach with a phi- headquarters nestled among the grand relief, although it passes quickly, replaced by nerves as I place my losophy of support regardless of age or architecture of the university colleges feet, one by one, on the blocks. A voice in my head gives me a pep ability. Everyone supports each other of residence, has seen its share of talk revolving around one idea – fear. “Don’t be afraid,” it says, giving encouragement and advice blood, sweat and tears over the years. “what are you frightened of? Be brave!” Speed, it seems, never enters whenever possible. Barely a session But knowing when to push athletes the equation. Time drags now and inevitably I’ll notice something goes by without laughter emanating and when to hold back is what makes which seems to be of great importance, like a strand of hair not from the pole-vault pit,” Iannello said. a coach great, and MUAC has cer- securely attached to a bobby pin, or the presence of a piece of jewel- However, the pole vault squad tainly seen some great coaches. lery which I don’t usually race with. These things, immaterial as they certainly trains hard under Coach In the 1950s, Franz Stampfl was are, seem so crucial at this point, yet rarely have any influence on Warren Hill, in a sport that has been invited by the university’s Professor the outcome of the race that is about to begin. Then: ‘Get set.’ the focus of much media attention fol- Rawlinson to coach at Melbourne At the ‘get set’ command, I rise into position, and in the more impor- lowing Steve Hooker’s success in this University shortly after coaching med- tant races, nerves result in my hands shaking at the prospect of off to a quick start. year’s world championships. ical student to the starting, running, completing – and perhaps even winning – this 400 Emma Zalcman The MUAC vaulters are a close- four minute mile in the UK. Stampfl metre one-lap race. And right now, hanging in the air and waiting for had been interned in Melbourne as a sound to crash through my consciousness, I worry I’ll be pulled up for a ‘friendly alien’ during World War being unsteady on my blocks. But not for long, because after several sec- Participants in the inaugural high altitude training camp at Falls Creek Two and gladly accepted the offer, onds that take an eternity to tick past, the gun fires. during the summer of 2005/2006. returning to Australia and took up the With the sound of the gun still crashing in my eardrums, everything coaching position at MUAC. happens at once. It is ‘go’ and immediately I am relieved and the tension and nerves from the start fall It was a golden age of sport at away. I try to take two or three long, fast strides and get through the first 70 metres as fast as I can. the University of Melbourne, which No matter how many races I do or what lane I’m in, I’m always surprised by just how short that first bend was turned into a training venue for feels. To say I don’t notice where anyone else is at this point would be a lie. If I don’t already know how athletes competing in the Melbourne fast my opponents are before the gun, I can usually tell within the first fifty metres. I try to not let Olympics in 1956. this affect the way I run. One of the most difficult problems to overcome on the first bend is when some- Stampfl’s coaching inspired a gen- one I expect to run faster than me takes off slowly. When this happens, the little voice - which often eration of athletes. He was critical to the sounds remarkably similar to my coach - returns to the same theme: fear. “Don’t be frightened,” it says, success of sport at the university, and “just run your own race.” It takes all the courage I have to pass someone in that situation but I know if athletics in particular, for decades to I don’t, I can kiss that PB goodbye. come. Under Stampfl’s careful eye, Merv Now I’m in the back straight. The race is almost half over. I try to calm down into a good rhythm with- Lincoln ran the first sub-four minute out slowing down. In some ways, this is the most difficult part of the race. It is also the section that mile on the Rawlinson Track, hundreds seems to be the difference between my good races and my bad races. Many of my slower times can be attrib- of onlookers witnessing in awe Lincoln’s uted to fearfully backing off in the second hundred metres. The little voice knows this and hounds me achievement of the ‘impossible’. - fear again – ‘don’t be frightened,’ it repeats, like a mantra, ‘don’t back off now!’ Stampfl’s other charges included legen- In the second bend, I prepare to kick. Mentally, I find the second bend the easiest part of the race. I The 2009 Australian dary Australian runners such as Herb only have to execute one thing. The little voice changes tack, “Let’s go. This is it. Kick NOW.” And that’s University Games Team. Elliot, John Landy and . what I do. Sometimes there is a disconnect between the little voice and my legs and they don’t allow me to The Long & The Short of It: Elaine Chan and Club Secretary Hamish Beaumont relaxing at the end of Doubell still holds the club and National kick! But the intent is always there. When I start my kick, I try to use other opponents to my advantage. the Tan Relays (and the season) in 2009. Elaine’s extreme, having run the final six Terry Reade, reflects the traditional record for the 800 metres. I think “you know you can get past her, go now – GO NOW!” foot is in a cast following her heroic half marathon in which she ran on a stress fracture which turned kilometres of the 2009 Athletics strength of Melbourne – the city - in Stampfl’s own achievements were The home straight now, and an entirely new set of challenges. Later, I often don’t remember exactly what into a full fracture towards the end of the race. Victoria half marathon with a frac- athletics. The close-knit nature of the stuff of legend: despite sustain- I was thinking about here. I just struggle to the line in any way I can. In bigger races, I think about tured foot. the MUAC group usually results in ing paraplegia in a motor accident, where I am in the field and where I’d like to finish, the problem being I can’t always do anything about Injuries are, of course, the bête a swag of medals, particularly in the he continued to coach MUAC from it. Even if I’ve gone out slow, I have just as little energy left as if I’d gone out too fast. It’s too late. noir, the elephant in the room, the relays. This year’s 2009 Uni Games, a trackside cabin custom-built The race has been won or lost. I often use this last hundred metres to judge what kind of time I ran. In Damocles sword, of the serious held on the balmy Gold Cost, were to accommodate his wheelchair. my PB races, my legs feel like they are going to drop off with seventy metres to go. Thirty metres from athlete. To take minds away from no exception. MUAC’s Sophie Barker, Following his death in 1995 the coach- home I feel like I’m going to have to amputate them myself if they don’t fall off of their own accord. the continually hovering threat of Tom Barnes and Kath Clarke ran (or ing baton was passed to Manfred I cross the finish line and instantly become acutely aware of my breathing. I just can’t seem to get a season-devastating injury, every in Barnes’ case, walked) command- Lewandowski, who remains the club’s enough air in with each breath. I shake my opponents’ hands and wonder what time I ran. My legs threaten athletics club needs a bright side; ingly to gold medals in their respective head coach. Lewandowski is joined to collapse underneath me and my stomach also competes violently for my attention. When I’ve put eve- something to look forward to. events. Reade’s management of the by Tony Brain, Terry Reade, Warren rything into a race, finding out I ran a PB alleviates all this physical pain with rapid efficiency. MUAC’s social life is one of team is legendary, with his ency- Hill, Frank Hannegan and Sandro Conversely, if it was slow the pain is magnified – profusely. That’s the thing about 400 metre running; you these brighter sides. This comes to clopaedic knowledge of IAAF rules Bissetto who motivate, enthuse and have to be really passionate about running and improving if you are going to put yourself through that the fore annually at the Australian coming to the rescue whenever there inspire MUAC athletes to run faster, kind of pain, over and over again. University Games, where members is debate about a dubious relay change jump higher and throw further. Not to find the combination of socialising or lane draw. All of which helps keeps forget assigning killer training sessions and competing reaches an apex. The perspective on things during the heat to athletes who, for reasons known team sent by Melbourne University of competition. only to runners, walkers, jumpers and to these games quite naturally com- But as the sun sets on the Uni throwers, keep turning up for more! prises a large number of MUAC Games track, the athletes let their Is it the pleasure, or the pain? Only athletes. They thrive in the less for- hair down, in the spirit of the intrepid they know.

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