THEBLISTER The Magazine of the Sydney Striders Road Runners Club Established 1980 Issue 119 January-April 2013 Boston Betrayed The Boston Marathon report Chocolate Heaven Melanie Zeppel in Hobart A Hawai’ian Cool Down Mark Fiore “You are an Ironman” Six Foot Track Snapped Stefica Key gets behind the camera Plus! All our regulars: • 10km series • Super Series • Juniors corner and more ... PRESIDENT’S LETTER BLISTER Co-EDITORS Dear Strider Linda Barwick & Rachael McKinney We’ve really experienced the highs and lows CLUB PRESIDENT of running events in the last couple of weeks, Joe Degabriele the most memorable being the horrors of the VICE PRESIDENT bombing attacks on the Boston marathon. Angus Searcy Some of you may have heard me on radio that secretary day as news broke, and our Striders Facebook Deanna Lum page was abuzz with members sending TREASURER messages of support and checking for news Lynn Herrison of friends running in Boston. MEMBERSHIP COOrdinatOR Within a few hours all our Striders and friends Pauline Evans had checked in with us, thank goodness, but 10KM SERIES race directOR our hearts go out to the families and friends James Masters of those killed and injured. International star/CALENDAR COOrdinatOR marathons will never be the same again. Louise Arnott Strider Peter Fogale, who finished his UNIFORMS marathon creditably some time before the Gill Cavenagh attacks, gives a first-hand account of the day in our lead article this issue. JUNIORS COOrdinatOR Tony Wong/Caroline Yarnell I’m pleased to be introducing my first issue SUPER SERIES COOrdinatOR of Blister as your new president. You can find out more about me in the article introducing New Club President Joe John Bowe Degabriele ... he can run some of our committee members old and pretty fast too! results AND TIMING new (pp. 6-7). Paul Hannell This issue also includes talented photographer and Strider Stefica Key’s SOCIAL functiONS stunning montage of Six-foot Track, and we have race reports from Jo Cowan Canberra, Hobart, and further afield, from Hawai’i Ironman. Health and SgT-AT-ARMS/SPECIAL Fitness this issue looks at understanding and preventing injuries, and PROjects we have our usual race reports, some great snippets and pics from our David Bray members ... plus a few photos of some shoes! SPECIAL PROJECTS Bruce Graham Joe Degabriele The Blister is published three times per year by Sydney Striders Road Runner’s Club, Inc. Address: PO Box R1227, Royal Exchange, Sydney NSW 1225, Australia. Website: www.sydneystriders.org.au Opinions published in this journal, whether expressed by members or non-members, do not necessarily represent the official policy of the club. Acknowledgements Cover photo: Stefica Key. Additional images by: various Striders. Sydney Striders Juniors The Club was set up to encourage young runners to train and compete as a group. The training sessions take the form of group training rather than personal coaching. We train on Monday nights at the Sydney Academy of Sport at Narrabeen, and Thursday nights at North Steyne. We have members of all ages and standards: from 8-year-olds to HSC-aged, from NSW State Representatives to those who just want to keep fit and socialise. Our main focus is ANSW events, but we are also very active in the fun run circuit, with many taking part in the City to Surf. Please contact us via email at [email protected] if you would like to find out more. contents 04 The Boston Marathon Peter Fogale reports on a dream that turned into a nightmare for some page 4 06 Committed to Striders Ever wanted to know more about the committee- here’s the inside scoop 08 Six Foot Snapped! Stefica Key gets behind the camera to capture the action at Six Foot 10 Lindfield Licked page 10 A close up on one of the new Super Series events Sweepers & Pacers 11 Georgie Moore reports on the buzz of being a Six Foot Track volunteer Canberra or Bust 12 Manal Garcia reflects on the joy of the journey to the Canberra Marathon 14-15 Shoes Glorious Shoes page 14 A few Strider shoe collections laid bare and an update from ‘Shoes for Planet Earth’ Tassie Treats 18 Melanie Zeppel brings home the goodies from Hobart 19 Aloha Hawai’i Mark Fiore gets chills on his way to becoming an Ironman page 18 2o-23 Health Special: Injuries Jess Ackad on injury prevention and Tim Austin on sprains and strains 24 Striders’ Last Words A couple of snippets from Striders doing what they do best ... and some running chat too! Plus The Parkrun phenomenon, and reports from the 10km Series, Volunteers and Juniors Corner. page 22 3 Boston: Battered but not Beaten 2013 Boston Marathon finisher and Strider Peter Fogale reports shuttled to Hopkinton, 42.2 kms out of town, leaving Boston Common from 6am. It is held on a Monday, the Patriots Day public holiday in Massachussetts. It starts late for a big city marathon, first wave at 10am. It’s also a hilly course, any benefit of the downhills in the early kms soon eroded by the four The low key start to one of the Newton hills, located menacingly biggest events on the calendar between the 25 and 34 km mark. OST RUNNERS—AND And so my race was in that sense certainly most long quite typical—strong throughout distance runners— Peter finishes happy, unaware yet of M the first half, slowing through the bombers on their way are well aware of the allure of the Newton and quads seizing up at the as vigorously for strangers as they Boston marathon. It is the longest 39 km mark, with the encouraging running marathon, 2013 being do for loved ones, the crowds screams of the adoring crowd the throughout the course really make its 117th incarnation. Unless you only thing propelling me forward raise money for charity and are the weekend runner feel like a rock toward the famed finish at Boylston star. Although some 7 minutes off prepared to start with the final Street. wave of runners, meeting its tough a PB, I simply could not wipe the qualification standard is the only “I had experienced smile off my face during those final way to get a race bib. something to be found stages, which must have been quite a contrast with the stunted stride So when I managed to run a BQ for nowhere else on the running calendar.” my fatigued leg muscles produced. the first time at Gold Coast last year, I knew that once I crossed the there was no question, I simply had As soon as it became evident that finish line at around 1:20 pm in to run Boston, marathoning’s Mecca. a PB would elude me, I made a the afternoon, I had experienced My best mate and my Canadian deliberate effort to soak up the something to be found nowhere cousins were convinced to come atmosphere and take in as much of else on the running calendar. along as my able support crew. And this experience as I could, looking so we were off to Boston. After the finishing chute, I shuffled up at the crowd, and receiving more along with other satisfied runners The course itself is atypical in many high fives from strangers than is picking up a thermal blanket, water respects. For starters, it’s point-to- possibly achievable anywhere else. and Gatorade and most importantly point, meaning runners have to be From the small-town Patriots Day my finisher’s medal, continuing on pride in the early stages, to the to the Union Gym at the other end screams of the college girls at of Boylston street, about a kilometre Wellesley just before the half-way away from the finishing line. There, mark, to the shout-outs from the along with other Sydney Striders, crowds willing you up Heartbreak I enjoyed a shower, some food Hill and finally the family and friends and a massage as a guest of our in the closing stages cheering just sister club, Boston’s Heartbreak Hill Fogale Flanked 4 Striders. And that is where this race Crowds gathered around television washed over us. Other emotions report should have ended, with a sets in bars and hotels to find out surfaced, at whoever or whatever satisfied runner, his best mate and what they could about what had had done this: how dare they— cousins making their way back to happened. not the marathon, not the Boston their hotel to celebrate one of sport’s Soon it became evident that the marathon, not on Boylston street. great events. secured area included the finishing Not an 8 year old boy there to cheer Sadly, that is not where the story line, and that the race would have on his dad, please, no. That simply ends. At 2:50pm, as many runners to be cancelled immediately, with cannot be. continued to cross the finishing thousands still on the course being Our planned celebrations—which line, two bombs detonated near the held until alternative arrangements were to have included an ice hockey iconic finish line, killing three people could be made to take them safely game that night—were cancelled, and injuring scores of others. I was to Boston Common. a small inconvenience given the oblivious to what happened, leaving gravity of the situation. The next the gym just after 3pm not having “Boston is in a way morning, Tuesday in Boston, my heard the blast. The first inkling I experiencing its own Canadian cousins, Shep and I took had that anything was amiss was heartbreak hill” the long drive to Toronto, where my from a woman walking past who As Sydneysiders awoke on Tuesday cousins live, our thoughts never far mentioned explosions.