VETRUNNER Email: [email protected] ISSN 1449-8006 Vol. 29 Issue 2 – August 2007 Remembering Richard People run for all sorts of reasons – fitness, fun, Canberra and going on an early morning run with a group fellowship, a challenge, and sim ilarly certain events bring of ACTVAC members including Martin and Robert. He was out the best in people for various rationale’s – a favourite wearing his ‘ten Vets half marathons’ T-shirt at the time. track, a PB, a first tim e at that distance perhaps. For som e After his death, this group resolved to make a huge ACTVAC m embers M t Ainslie holds a special significance effort to run well at Mt Ainslie in Richard’s memory. and this m onth it exerted a strong influence in several Richard had a particular love of the Mt Ainslie handicap, Thomas Series results, as John Stoney discovered when he partly as the course was one of his regular runs. It’s said he caught up with some of the m edal winners. figured he had a home ground advantage. Not surprisingly Mt Ainslie, often cold and foggy, and always he had a particularly good set of results on the course, challenging, is the second event in the 2007 King and including two Gold medals and some 4-5 top ten finishes. Queen of the Mountain Series. Thomas Series competitors This year, as Robert reported “We got it right” with Martin tackle one of the longer distances in the Series, the 9.3km winning his first ever medal, Robert claiming the Silver course circumnavigates the mount via an undulating path and Carol Ey being 6th eligible runner home. It’s probably a that, near its end, presents runners with a particularly safe assumption that Richard would have been pleased. steep climb over the saddle of the mount before the relief of Martin reported that as part of his preparation “To get a downhill run to the finish. Frylink and Waddell me fitter for this, I had added some interval work to my competitors miss the saddle but not the undulations as they training runs (the rural road numbering scheme presents do the 4.5km out and back course. measured distances very suitable for this purpose). I have kept off the weight I had lost since leaving New York at the Thomas Series start of the year and even cut down red wine! Of course, how one goes on the day is always dependent on luck and M55 Martin Butterfield left the field in his wake finishing a good 3 ½ minutes in front of the next finisher the way others race but I did all I could to win.” On the day and picking up the Gold Medal along the way. Starting itself “My plan was to run as hard as I could, remembering that there is a big hill after 7kms. This basically happened, from Group 17, Martin’s net time of 47.35 per km rate of in part, due my having pushed myself in recent training 5.07 and age percentage of 71.7 enabled him to record the runs which, where I live in Carwoola, always includes win off a Group 17 start. A significant number of ineligible hills”. runners come across the line next, and it was some 8 minutes later that the Silver medallist crossed the line. Robert reports that “I know the course very well from 25 M45 Robert Ey carved through the field from a Group 35 years of running in Canberra. I have raced there a number of times in both Vets and also as a Cross Country course, as start with a net time 40.39, a per km rate of 4.22 and an well as being one of my regular training runs. I think it is age percentage of 75.4. It was also just enough to hold off a probably my favourite course. It is great catching people so strong challenge from M55 Peter Ward who at run’s end quickly up the steep part to the saddle around the 8km was a scant 6 seconds behind. In doing so Peter produced one of the performances of the day. Starting from Group 37 mark”. he neatly went under the 40 minute mark with a net time He went on to say “I started with Peter Kallio who is a very experienced runner. We set a good solid pace at the of 39.05, a per km rate of 4.12 and an excellent age start. I was surprised that I seemed to start catching a few percentage of 87.3, which over a course with a difficulty people by 3 or 4km, Always a sign that you were going OK. factor of 1.09 is no mean feat. I decided to try and not let anyone pass me and got stuck in For, Martin, Robert and a group of ACTVAC members, the monthly handicap at Mt Ainslie brings a special near Campbell Park and when I realised I was mowing motivation, as it provides them with an opportunity to people down I really dug in. Geoff Moore was stationed half-way up the big hill and told me I was 25th so I then remember their friend and longtime ACTVAC member really went for it to try and make the top 10. Peter Ward Richard Morcom. As many may recall, Richard had started caught up to me, so I surged near the top to try and keep in running after being diagnosed with high cholesterol. Prior front of him. From the saddle it was just a matter of to retiring to the South Coast with his wife Glenda, Richard had been a regular monthly handicap runner, running as fast as you can. Placings don’t change much on clocking up over 100 runs, and had also run a number of the descent.” “I was 9th across the line, so I was surprised when I got quality Marathons and half marathons to his credit, a medal. Before the run, I hadn’t considered my self as a including our Vet’s Half. Richard passed away on 20 June medal contender. My handicap group was OK, largely as a 2004 at Cooleman Ridge from a heart attack while visiting result of recent injuries, the Canberra marathon and being on duty the previous month, but I hadn’t been running VALE JOHN CARM ODY well. In the last 2 weeks was starting to feel as though I John passed away recently. You may read an obituary Continued on Page 2 on Page 25. Our sympathies to his family. Printed by Instant Colour Press Page 2 – August 2007 Vetrunner It’s 50 runs to Jennie Blake The Legend, Bernie Millet clocks up his 150th handicap finish ontinued from Page 1 3 to 3.5km handicap runs, as any sprinter will confess. I had an achilles repair done to my left leg back in was running freely for the first time in a long while. As it September 2006 and spent ten weeks in a plastic boot. I had turned out, it was my best run in ages - like 12 months.” been unable to run any distance without considerable pain, In addition to Martin’s inaugural medal, Robert’s Silver so I have been gradually increasing the distance I run, over medal adds to his two Gold’s (one of course at Mt Ainslie) the last 4 months. My first run back since I had my achilles three Silvers and a Bronze, while Peter’s Bronze now gives reattached was in the January Handicap at Campbell Park, him eight medals comprising of three Gold, three Silver that day I struggled to walk the whole way. The Ainslie and two Bronze. course was the first time that I have been able to run the whole way without any pain so I was very happy.” Frylink George reported “Firstly the short course is quite a M45 Kevin Matthews was another to comfortably lead challenge as the hills that start at the 1km mark certainly the field home ahead of M50 George Kubitzky and W45 take it out of you after a nice start on the first 1km of flat Kathleen Bleakely. Kevin recorded a net time of 25.19 from and then on the way back there is the fast finish for the Group 12 with a per km rate of 5.38 and an age percentage last 1.5km after a tough climb after the turnaround. I have of 56.6. George’s Silver Medal came from a Group 31 start been injury free for a little while now and coupled with a with a net time of 20.39, per km rate of 4.35 and an age new love in my life provided me with the ideal platform for percentage of 71.7 and was enough to keep him ahead of a vastly improved km rate that helped propel me into Kathleen who also started from Group 31 and finished with medal contention. In view of these two benefits I thought I a net time of 21.03, a per km rate of 4.41 and an age was an outside chance for a medal if I ran as well as I felt.” percentage of 60 even. Kevin has previously won six medals before this race, two Kevin reports “I enjoy running the Mount Ainslie course Gold, two Silver and two Bronze, including winning a gold, although the 4.5km is a bit taxing as I'm better known as a sprinter and multi event track athlete.