Aussie Dust

Last weekend David ran a fast 7kms with his wheelbarrow around Lake Monger at the Breast Cancer Mother’s Day run. His time was a fast 32mins 22secs and $30 was collected for Breast Cancer.

There were approximately 4,000 runners and David was only beaten by a 35 year old  pushing a pram which is very good considering David is 67 years.

This coming Sunday however, he will be running 50kms in less than 5.5 hours with his wheelbarrow in the Bunbury Marathon. Rain is expected on the day, so we are hoping that there won’t be too much rain nor will it be accompanied by the usual strong winds.

Today David says he is coming down with the cold I have had for the past two weeks, so he is taking cold tablets to hopefully stop it getting any worse.

Amites Jo

Hi to you all

Since arriving in Perth on October 2nd 2009 David and I have been busy with our families, have rejoined the workforce and are doing local runs with Masters Athletics WA.

As always and hungry for a challenge, David has decided he would like to do a 50km Ultra distance run with his wheelbarrow at the 29th Annual Bunbury Marathon Sunday 16th May 2010.

In preparation David has increased his running regime which has been a challenge since he is now working full-time and is running with his wheelbarrow to rebuild his strength (in his forearms particularly).

We will use our time in Bunbury to also highlight the work of Prostate Cancer Foundation and to collect much needed funds for research.

On the day of the Bunbury Ultra Marathon, David will join other marathon runners at start the run at  7.00am  on a course that will take him along the scenic Ocean Drive, from Marlston down to the Tuart walk through to Dalyellup and return.  I will be alongside of him on a bike loaded with water and supplements.

David will also get to ENJOY the course a 2nd time before finishing in an anticipated 5.5 + hours later.

David is aiming to do the 50kms in 5.5 hours but knows that this will be a  big challenge given that hasn’t been running with the wheelbarrow since Kalgoorlie and that pushing his wheelbarrow is 100% more difficult than just running.

Amites Jo

It’s been four weeks since our arrival back in Perth and you could be excused wondering how someone like David is settling back into normal life.

So it’s probably no surprise to learn that within three weeks of arriving back in Perth (Friday 2nd December) David was in Kalgoorlie (595kms east of Perth) running the 21kms Balzano Barrow Race with his wheelbarrow from Kanowa into Kalgoorlie.

We initially planned to incorporate the Balzano Barrow race into his run across Australia but the timing didn’t work out so when we heard that the race was on again there was no stopping him.

The Balzano Barrow race is an annual charity event run by Rotary based on a gold miner called Balzano who mined gold 21kms north of Kalgoorlie back in the 1890′s.  Although Kanowa is now a ghost town you can go out to the once thriving township of 5,000+ people and drive down the dirt streets and see signs of where businesses were once located. It’s quite an eerie feel.

The day of the race was a very colourful one with 15+ teams of 6+ people and 8 individual runners lined up for registration 21kms out at the Kanowa Cemetery (bit of a bad omen). The teams varied from the super fit eventual winners The Australian Army, to various social groups such as Breast Cancer, Church groups, Nurses together with individual runners and runners from the Kalgoorlie Hash House Harriers – sporting names such as Slammer, Cocksmith and Deriere!!!!. Would love to know how they each got given their names.

Everyone was given a start time and David’s was for 9.30am which was quite late considering the warm conditions.

With runners in front and behind David ran the race the fastest he had ever done needing water five – six kilometres out to cool his body down and at the halfway point Kalgoorlie could be seen frustratingly close.  Says David , coming down the main street- Hannan Street was a welcome sight,  although he still had 2kms to the finish at Centennial Park where support and much needed relief was waiting.

David took first place in the Veteran’s Category running the race in 1 hr 53minutes. The fastest time recorded.

Amites Jo

It’s now Tuesday and for the first time since arriving we have had a chance to let you know how the finish went.

The plan was for David and Brian to finish on Saturday but being true endurance athletes that they are they averaged over 50kms each day sharing the wheelbarrow which put them a day ahead of schedule.

By 11am on Friday morning they had run 28kms and were only 15kms from Perth.  Taking it slow for David and Brian was an impossibility and in the end they arrived at 2.45pm to a very supportive but small crowd outside a very ritzy waterfront hotel.  Some of the crowd had learned of David’s arrival from an interview an hour earlier on ABC radio while others had seen his picture in The West Australian Newspaper that morning.

Understandably, David’s biggest supporters were his family and members of the Masters Athletics who were there to see him in.

The earlier arrival time gave us a day to settle into our house left vacant and in a beautiful condition by our tenant.

Sunday was a day to remember.  It all started with beautiful blue sunny skies and a wonderful crowd of Masters Athletic runners who had earlier run a very tough hill run greeted David and Brian as they ran up Wireless Hill.  If that wasn’t enough later that morning we joined Peter March at an Applecross cafe to celebrate Peter’s 50th birthday.

That afternoon the family and his five Perth grandchildren gathered at Mosman Park to welcome David in. Budding wheelbarrow pushers in the making!

A perfect finish and  climax to David’s first year of retirement.

For now the wheelbarrow is taking a rest in the garden shed.

Amites Jo

David and Brian started the morning at 6.45am and ran 28kms without a break.

They have been running so fast I’ve had to tell them to slow down.

Looking very tired from the warmth of the sun they ended up stopping for a well earned break at Cockburn Gateway – David has a massive blister on his big toe.

They are now only 5kms away and I’m hoping that the clouds keep away until they arrive.

Amites Jo

.