31 replies to this topic

[RMC]

Just got back from Puffing Billy train race in Emerald, Vic. Over 2000 runners raced this morning for the 13.2k race against the train. Cold but fine weather.

I believe the winners time was just over 40mins, with 1st train time of around 56mins.

Here's my race ..

Started near the front of the 2000+ crowd to ensure a fast start and not get tripped up. Ran 1st k in 3.30 (oh too quick). I set into a good rhythm and beat the train to the 1st crossing quite easily. 5k split was 20.54 still feeling comfortable. Steep hill up to 2nd rail crossing and half way sorted the field out. I got to the 2nd rail crossing just when the barrier was being pulled across in 29.54 then a guy behind me pushed his way through dangerously and just made it across. I was more worried about disqualification if I did it.

I lost about 2-3mins waiting for the train to go past and then I was off. Got to 10k at 46.30 still optimistic that I could beat the train.

Ran the last 3.2k in 4min/k pace but it wasn't enough as the damage was done waiting at the 2nd rail crossing. Came across the line in 59.29, about 3 mins slower than the train.

Oh well maybe next year. Have run it 7 times now and the train has beaten me 4 times.

Felt solid the whole way and feel I'm in for some faster races coming up. Certainly prefer the marathons or anything over 20k.

Only saw 1 other coolrunner (drunner I think) who beat the train by 40secs.

[Pasty]

Hi RMC,

There's another puffing billy thread here.

It was a beautiful morning for a race with 2700+ entrants, and though cold I braced myself for singlet/short/gloves running; and luckily I chose right. I had a reasonably good race. Like RMC I got caught at the crossing at the top of the long hill by only 3 or 4 seconds (damn!) and then was forced to wait a few minutes. I did see another coolrunning top ahead for a while - maybe it was you RMC? The newly refurbished train and entrant number 1 (the train driver) came in 56.19 I think. Finished in 59.11 which was a bit quicker than last year but still slower than I hoped.

Good to say hello red-haired girl and Greybeard.

[pbig]

Well done to everyone of about 2700 who competed today! We sure were lucky that the rain stayed away, but it was rather cold, especially at the finish. Third time lucky for me, about 45 secs faster than last year, but more importantly the train was a few minutes slower, so beat it by 1:24    :D   .

RMC we must have been not too far apart at the crossing you mentioned (running in club gear today), as fortunately I just got through before the train arrived. That last 2.5k or so, though downhill, seems to go forever.

Lost the blue ticket at the end, so no chance of a prize    <_<   - not happy with a system that relies on you being around when they call out the numbers, especially with the value of the prizes on offer.

pbig.
PS. Any way to combine the two Puffing Billy aftermath posts? They appear to have been posted at about the same time.

[shark]

Seems like we were all close at top of Menzies Creek - I made it through by a couple of seconds.  Ran well all the way but I took it easy after the crossing for a couple of k's and finished 58+ so the train won again.

Great run again - this is Australia's best community fun run:

- great location
- challenging run
- excellent community cause (G42)
- well organised
- best results certificate
- always a high quality field, probably because of the above

Well done and thanks

S

[downunder runner]

hi RMC..

Well done to you !!  Yes, that was me you talked to briefly.... great to meet another Coolrunner, actually did not see any others....

Yes, I beat the train !!!  First time in 3 attempts.....and a PB of 4 mins from last year (must be having a baby that did it !!).  

Ran back to Belgrave with a friend of mine...although I admit to walking up the hills...so all in all.....a huge day of over 26kms of running !!!!!

[beacy trail runner]

Hi all,

Congrats everyone. I ran today with my girlfriend who ran a brilliant race for her first over 10km. It was my first time doing the race and I was very impressed. Was wondering if you get the certificates in the post, or were they at the finish? Also maybe next year we could we could oragnise a place for CR's to meet before running back to the start. I wasn't quiet sure were i was going on the return, but maybe that was a good thing adding a bit of adevnture.

Tim

[Chris B.]

Hi all,
Looks like I survived my first train race.
All the training over the local hills really paid off. I just made the second crossing and was nearly mowed down by the barrier crasher mentioned above. I did not see the train again although I could always here it close. I assume it got in front for the 3rd and 4th crossing.
The hill training kicked in up the last one and I tried to pick up the pace up and was well under 4min/k for the last few. I got in to the finish in 57m 16. A minute after the train.
My only feedback on the race would be to have some thing at the finish to let you know the train is in and it's time. We were being encouraged by the crowd as we neared the finsh but was not aware the train had arrived.
That and more water at the finish.
I did see a few cool running tops but did not get the chance to say hello.
Great run and will be back next year, now I know what to expect I'll go a little harder in the middle stages.  :D  
I'm a every happy (and sore) runner tonight.
Will have to see how the work collegues and fellow Vets runners go during the next few days.

[Little K]

another great Puffing Billy race! could do with a bit more toilets at start though. i  did a 49'58", a bit slower than last year which was a bit disappointing, but still enjoyed it. the hardest part was the run back to Belgrave. i was a bit buggered to pay much attention to the route and took a few wrong turns, adding some extra kms. i should have run with you Downunder Runner.

[Roadie]

Had a disaster of a run - only have myself to blame as took off to quickly and then forgot that the hill after 6/7km is a bit longer than expected.

Finished in 61:30 (which is not good for me)but on the positive side, enjoyed the fact that I got out there and ran and also the huge field of runners that make this event fantastic every year.

Congratualtions to all the Cool Runners who took part (no matter what the times).  It was a great day - and its a shame that the contractors who were supposed to deliver the extra portaloos at the start missed it@!@!!!

[Grey beard]

It was great to see so many CoolRunners out in the hills today - and a few Gunn Runners too. Must admit I had been concerned about the weather after Thursday's forecast suggested hail and sleet, but in the end it was almost a perfect day for running.
I was happy to beat my last year's time by a minute and a half, but I'll need to repeat that feat a few more times to catch the train! At least this year I saw the first train, and was even ahead of it at the 5 km mark. After that the hills got me I'm afraid, but it was fun.
Well done everyone - as I heard someone say on the narrow track with about 1 km to go "hey, everyone's a winner today!"

[shark]

Beacy

The certificates arrive in the mail - cannot recall when but seem to remember only a couple of weeks.  Worth the wait - they are the best.

Kirloo

Sub 50 - excellent.

Roadie

I never depend on loos at the start.  Guys are lucky but all of us struggle if we need a seat - train yourself!

Greybeard

All I heard was puffing and groans - was a very quiet group running today.  Everyone must have been concentrating

A top day.

S

[RMC]

pastyboy, pbig, shark, ChrisB.
We all must have been within 20 metres of one another at the 2nd rail crossing.

pastyboy, looks like you pipped me at the post (by 18 seconds).

I had my CR singlet on. At the 2nd crossing I did hear a guy shouting come on and many runners then started sprinting to the crossing. I nearly made it but was more worried about getting disqualified if I jumped or pushed into the barrier.

Boy was it quiet out there (i.e. no talking by other runners at the pace I was on). Found it unusual as it's normally chatty in marathons.

Sorry peekie about raising this thread at almost the same time you raised yours.

[Pasty]

I forgot the best part....

After the awards ceremony had finished, and most people had jumped on the train, mrs pasty wandered over to the prize desk and asked nicely if there were any unclaimed draw prizes   :)

[wannabeagreyhound]

Another great day in the hills, As per usual a well managed race by the puffing billy society with the race growing in popularity 2700 (fantastic)it was also a buzz to get a ride back to Belgrave on the newly restored big brother of Billy the G42 loco, My time slipped this year comming in at a dissapointing 61 minutes compared to last years 58 minutes, I've put on more muscle with regular powerlifting training and paid for the extra weight going up the Menzies creek hill though I did beat the train through the 1st crossing, Good to see Lisa Edwards back singing the national anthem with bubs again as who knows we may get to see the little one grow up as a novel perm fixture?  :D

[Evil Guru]

Seems like we all got stuck at that 7km rail crossing, I was there too.

Pasty, if I'd known what you looked like I think I would have hurt even worse over the last km or three. You managed to pip me by 4 seconds. I finished in 59:15. I'm sure I would have seen you over the closing kms. I was wearing long black tights, a long sleeve Nike Dryfit shirt (grey and light blue) and a white running cap with sunglasses.

I started up the front, at least I was with only 5 minutes to the start, but by the time the race started I was 10 deep. Ran the first km in 3:35 (bit too fast but as it was downhill, reasonable).

Went through the first 5km in 21:20 and then had to stop for the train at 30:22 for 30 seconds. Went through the 10km mark at 46:10 and figured I'd better dig deep if I was going to break 60 minutes. Ran the last 3.2km in 13:00 which was reasonable.

What a great course this is, tough but scenic. I kept on reminding myself and anyone around me to take in the views. I agree it was a very quiet race out there, virtually no one saying anything. However it was a tough race and the people I was running with were all working hard. Did have a brief chat to a few people out there, general words of encouragement.

I was a little disappointed I didn't go faster, but driving back down from Emerald it was pretty apparent that there was a heap of climbing during the race, so I'll live with my time.

See you all back there next year.

[Izzy]

Gday RMC

Met you after the 2nd crossing and chatted to you for a short while. Thanks for the advice about beating the train and just what time i needed to average to beat it - got over the line in just over 58 mins so only missed it by around 2mins, but im over the moon as i bettered my last years effort by 4 minutes.

Looking forward to next years race already now knowing what i need to do to give myself a better chance - beating that train to the second crossing!

Well done to all the other Coolrunners.

Izzy.

[BLUEBOY]

good to see the cool runners out in force,enjoyed the run as it was my first G.T.race. i think i held back a little as i was not sure of the course
i need some more hill training though.great fun.

[Datasculpter]

Well i survived my first race ever, after 3 months of running.  It was tons of fun.  Never seen a crowd as big as that move so quick.  I know how salmon feel now.  ;)   Anyhoo, i started strong, and finsihed relatively OK, but OMG that second hill went on FOREVER, and i ended up not pacing correctly for it.  Couldn't quite make it to the top wihtout a 30 sec walk break to get my lungs back inside my body.  Took the chace to walk past the water stations after that.  Finished is 68:58 and felt like i'd just won the freekin olympics  :)

The downhill section at the end has resulted in a bit of a sore knee, so it's a nice ez week for me comming up.  Can't wait till next year... Next Up - Beijing Marathon in Ocotber.

BTW thanks for all the pre race info to everyone!

DS

[Vixstar]

It was my first Great Train race run & will return in better shape for the 2005 race   :D   I didn't push myself as hard but instead opted the steady race pace through the journey (I was quite shocked espec with that steep downhill!). I beat the second train so I ain't complaining. heehee  :P  
I did spot a Coolrunner queuing up for their t-shirt, I wish I did say hello though!
Also, I found this quite hilarious but my race number proved quite a talking point behind my back prior to the start of the race & during my run passing the spectators:  I had race number 4 (which still didn't earn me a prize!   <_<  )  So does anyone take much notice of their race numbers?

[PiledHigherq]

I always find that the start is very difficult, had a better start this year but at the last minute being still 10 deep or so, stupid thing is that I would have passed at least half of the people who squeezed in front of me.

Its the kind of race that you just have to go with the flow speed wise, I did km's from 2'58 to 4'58.

Overall beat the train by 4 minutes or so, although the train seemed very close at the last crossing which seemed strange, usually you beat it at the first one and you are home free, might have just been a trick of the acoustics

Stuart

[ralph]

One of the best fun runs I have been in.
Apart from the crowded start and the people starting 10 meters in front of the start line and jumping onto the road, I loved every minute of it.

I thought the course was challenging and a great variety hills, flats, turns, etc.

Probably enjoyed it so much as had a great race. I was lucky enough to have one of those days that are too infrequent. I ran 47.05 and love it.

Well done to all those that ran. Will definitely be there next year.

[Pasty]

Hi Evil Guru,

Long time - glad to see you back here. I hope everything is going well with you.  I didn't notice you but I had a coolrunning cap on which is pretty hard to miss, even on a dark night!  Any other races coming up for you - sri chinmoy half in two weeks maybe?

Anyone else sore from sunday - mainly hips in the stabilising muscles from the long downhills and hugely cambered roads. A few others I've talked to have similar pains today.  A long session in the pool and spa this morning helped a lot though.

[Grey beard]

Yeah Pasty - bit sore in the lower calves (soleus?) but otherwise fine. Did some walking yesterday and an easy 5 k this morning to loosen up. So far no foot tendon problems like last year   :)  

Next one for me will probably be the Run to the G in 3 weeks time.

[Evil Guru]

Hi Pasty,

I was pretty out of it over the final km or so, gave it everything I had so I wasn't noticing much. Just trying to keep it together to finish strongly. I was pretty happy with 4 min/km over the last 3.2km.

Calves are a bit tight but apart from that I'm fine. Swam yesterday and I'm not sure if that helped or not.

Not sure about the Williamstown Sri Chimnoy as I'm racing an APOSC 10km cross country race at Albert Park next Saturday and may well need to take a weekend off racing. However the Williamstown Half was fun last year so maybe I'll come out and treat it as a long run.

[Chris B.]

Pastyboy,

I have been pretty sore also.
My knees doesn't like a lot of fast downhill,
that's why I had not done the run before.
I did some calcs on my times and from the 10km mark I averaged 3m30/k   :)  too fast should have maybe gone harder earlier and not tried the flat out finish. We live run and learn.  :P  
My calf and left ITM are feeling better today after a few dips in the spa and a much appreciated massage from my wife last night.
I have to run a few events at Collingwood Vets tonight and not really looking forward to it.

[TRAVY]

does anyone have the full results for this race, or don't they print all results.

[pbig]

Unfortunately Travy they don't print or post the full results, which I think is dissappointing for an event of its stature. I did raise the issue and email the organizers about it last year (see  previous post ), but never did get a reply   <_<  .

pbig

[Cl@rkey]

This is a little late but some may read it...

GTR officals contacted me after an equiry re race results.
Said they were looking into it. Had to check privacy laws etc, but didn't seem to be out of the question.
They suggested to keep an eye on the website.

FYI - First timer GTR - 60min - I hate hills....
I'll beat the train next year!! Now I know what to train for. Race day 5.15min/k hills, training now 4min/k hills....look out

[Chris B.]

I thought we were supposed to get a certificate in the mail by now. Has any one got one yet ?  :unsure:

[RMC]

From memory, in other years it took a few months to get the certificate. Would love to see the full results. Even better split times for the train at the rail crossing points with a chip system in place for all runners, now that would produce some interesting stats.

[RMC]

ChrisB.
Train certificates came out today in the mail.

Officially 2,375 runners (1766 males).
Train time = 56.14
Best time = 40.16 mark tucker.

354 beat the 1st puffing billy train (of which 24 were female).

[Chris B.]

Thanks for that.
I'll check the letter box and see how wet it has gotten   <_<  
You right this would be a good run for the chip timing. Will have to stive to beat the train next year.