There’s a quote, I’m not sure exactly what it is or who said it, but in essence it says ‘Start the way you want to finish’.
And in 2016, I did just that! I started the year at Long Ridge Lookout watching the fireworks and finished it in exactly the same place!
In 2016 I did 5 ultras, 2 marathons, 4 half marathons, numerous 5k and 10k events and a few random shorter events with the Masters.
Out of all of that, the standout moment for me in 2016 was getting that prized Boston qualifying time at the Gold Coast Marathon.
My other marathon was Adelaide with the goal being to get Beck to Boston too. Unfortunately it didn’t happen this time but it was still a great experience and finishing on the Adelaide Oval was a big highlight!
Ultra-wise I did 3 100+km ultras and actually managed to get into the placings in 2 of them! I also placed in the 6 hour event and plan to go one better in 2017!
In my 2016 half marathons I managed a PB at Clare, close to a PB at Greenbelt, my second best ever half marathon time at Barossa and a challenging pacing experience in high winds at McLaren Vale!
In the shorter races I managed a few podium finishes – 2 of the SARRC 5k events and the inaugural Clipsal Hot Lap Fun Run.
I also ran in the Australian Masters Athletics Championships, placing 2nd in my age group in all my events from 800m to 10000m. My best performance was in the 800m when I finished 2nd out of 3 in my age group (yes, I actually beat someone!) and ran a PB. Sadly the girl who finished 3rd couldn’t hang around for the presentation so all my podium photos look Exactly. The. Same.
And my final competitive event for 2016 was an 800m Masters handicap at the Bay Sheffield carnival. I may have been well out of my comfort zone and finished a very comfortable last but I do have photographic evidence of me being in front of Lisa at least for a short while (Lisa being the one who beat me in all 4 Masters Nationals events and also in the Clipsal race)
On a non-competitive note I completed all 11 parkruns in SA during the year, putting me in a small group of ‘Statesmen’ (at the moment there are 6 in the group but that number is set to grow). Mount Gambier was the final piece of the puzzle and probably my favourite if I had to choose one (although it’s probably like having to choose a favourite child – I love them all!)
And now I am part of the SARRC Board as well as being a Run Director at Torrens parkrun. This, along with my Boston Marathon training, and no doubt many more events, will ensure that 2017 is just as, if not more, busy!