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Climb for fun timeRUNNERS from throughout the state will face the challenge of their lives when they tackle Warburton's Martyrs Rd.The inaugural Warburton Up and Running event will see participants take on the hill on Saturday, April 3, and compete in an 10km fun run along walking tracks to Warburton East on Sunday, April 4. Warburton Up and Running organiser Jesse James said the idea for the event came after a friend went to the infamous Baldwin St Gutbusters race in Dunedin, New Zealand. ``When he came back he thought Martyrs Rd was as steep as Baldwin St, and he was right. We thought it would be a great idea to run a similar event that would bring people to Warby,'' Mr James said. With no pre-registration, he said numbers for starters in the race were still unknown but the group's webpage had received plenty of hits. ``We've had a lot of response to the website with much interest from serious runners and of course we are delighted that Tourism Minister John Pandazopoulos is coming to present the winning trophy,'' he said. The Saturday event will include a series of novelty and competitive races up Martyrs Rd, one of the steepest residential streets in the world, and back down again a distance of 350m each way. The prize for the fastest male and female is a trip to Dunedin to take part in the next Gutbusters. The Sunday event is a 10km fun run with the route following the Yarra River. Interested competitors can contact the website at www.yarravalleydirectory.com.au/upandrunning/. Gembrook State Labor MP Tammy Lobato donated $10,000 to the Warburton Advancement League to help fund the event. Ms Lobato said the event had the potential to be an annual tourist drawcard for Warburton. ``This event has generated a lot of local support with people throughout the community volunteering to assist,'' Ms Lobato said. Article from the Lilydale Express. Posted at 16:19 [Perma-Link] Pumped to performby DANIEL HOYAN IMPORTANT component of sporting performance is the ability of an athlete to sustain strenuous physical activity, called aerobic capacity. This becomes increasingly significant to participants of endurance sports, such as triathlon, distance running and even Australian Rules football. Aerobic capacity is most commonly measured in an exercise-testing laboratory using specialised equipment to determine the volume (V) of oxygen (O2) an athlete is able to use when exercising at maximal effort (that is, VO2max). Oxygen used by the body during exercise is like petrol used by a car. When a car runs out of petrol it will stop. So will athletes when they can't provide muscles with fuel. The maximum volume of oxygen an athlete is able to use during exercise is a critical variable in the performance of endurance sports. Tests of VO2max are an excellent tool to predict sporting performance. The advantages of physiological testing to coaches and athletes are many and provide the key to optimising fitness and performance. It can: * Accurately measure fitness. * Identify physiological strengths and weaknesses. * Determine effectiveness of training methods. * Quantify fitness improvements. * Determine training thresholds. * Eliminate guesswork from the training program A higher VO2max is an advantage to many sports, particularly those that are endurance-based -- that is, involving prolonged continuous exercise for 90 minutes or more -- as oxygen is required in order to provide energy for the working muscles. Therefore, greater availability of oxygen equates to greater potential energy available during exercise. CARRYING A DIFFERENT LOAD Different sportspeople require different engines to drive their performance. So when it comes to VO2max, the results from most sports vary. The following are results from elite participants in various sports: AFL: VO2max 58. Women's basketball: VO2max 50. Cross-country skiing: National team VO2 max 75+. Cycling: Male track endurance VO2max 80; male track sprint VO2max 65; male road VO2max 75; female road VO2max 73. Hockey: Male VO2max 60. Marathon running: Male VO2max 80+; female VO2max 65. Middle-distance running: male VO2max 75; female VO2max 65. Netball: VO2max 50. The highest VO2max results recorded have come from elite cross-country skiers, with one world-class skier reported to have a VO2max of 94. Article from the Herald Sun Posted at 11:42 [Perma-Link] The miler with the lion heartby Jill Lesley Norton HicksonStaveley Frederick Norton, Hickson, AM, Businessman, sportsman, 1915-2004 As a young man Staveley Frederick Norton (``Dick'') Hickson, was the ``Queensland miler'', a fine all-round sportsman and prize-winning scholar. He continued as a frontrunner throughout his life. A real estate agent and valuer specialising in industrial and commercial property and motel broking, he retired only in 1995, aged 80, as chairman of Debenham Tewson and Hickson Ltd. Before this he had chalked up a considerable list of achievements in real estate, commerce, tourism, manufacturing, and economic research. It was his high personal standards, however, that set him apart, his particularity about such things as shiny shoes and clean fingernails, not to glorify oneself but as a mark of respect to others. There was only one way of doing it, the proper way. He would look at you with such an open, steady gaze that there was no mistaking his honesty and sincerity. These things went not just to good manners but to the vital question of human decency. Complete article at the Sydney Morning Herald website Posted at 11:40 [Perma-Link]
Time running out for Ross to secure spotSprinter Josh Ross is set to have his career boosted with offers from Nike on the table and an impending management deal on the horizon. Ross has been working hard at clinching a place on the Australian athletics team that will compete at the Athens Olympics and has just finished two weeks training with the national relay team. He is, however, keen to resume his own training regime in an effort to shave valuable seconds off his time for the 100m and qualify for Athens."I think I lost a bit of strength in that training. I didn't do much individual training while I was there, (but) I needed a break anyway," he said. It will be that strength Ross will work on in the coming week as he incorporates hill climbs into his routine. "It gives you the strength you need, it's good for the last part of the race," Ross said. The Australian men's 4x100 metre relay team are ranked 14th in the world but are far from assured of a start at Athens. Athletics Australia head coach Keith Connor said the side would wait until the athletes are again at full strength before racing again . "They'll need to position themselves a little higher than that. We'll be sending them to Europe in early July before the July 24 cut off date when they're all running at a maximum," he said. Ross' next outing on the track will be in defence of his Stawell Gift. However, this time he will race off one metre when as opposed to his handicap of seven metres in 2003. He remains confident of a strong showing in the race, despite the massive difference in handicap, and said victory was not out of the question. "It's possible, the way I'm running I should be right up there with them," he said. From there Ross will travel to Japan in May where he will have more chances of making the crucial 10.21 it takes for an individual berth into the Olympic team. But for now he has a management contract to consider. "It's just to look after the commercial side of things. I haven't signed anything yet but I probably will," Ross said. Nike have also shown interest in the 23-year-old from Gilleston Heights. "They just got in contact with me and asked if I had anyone supplying my shoes yet and I hadn't so they sent me a few pairs of spikes to try on,"he said. Posted at 22:48 [Perma-Link] Heiner brings it home for the IllawarraIllawarra Academy of Sport runner Madeline Heiner has continued her outstanding form, recording the fastest time this year for the 3,000 metres at the recent NSW State Youth Championships at the Sydney Athletics Centre. The BlueScope Steel scholarship holder flew home in 9min 42.38sec, the fastest in Australia at under 20 level this year. "If I had done that time two weeks ago I would have qualified for the under 20 world cross-country in Belgium," Heiner said after the race. "Pity I didn't decide to race it sooner!" Heiner's time beat her previous personal best by 25 seconds. "It was virtually my first 3km, other than a few club meets, so I did a massive PB," she said. The Wollongong athlete recently booked herself a ticket to Grosseto, Italy, after qualifying for the 2004 IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships from 13-18 July, where she will compete in the 1500m. Her fellow BlueScope Steel scholarship holder Madeline Tyler also performed well at the State Championships in the under-18 pole vault. Tyler, from Wollongong, placed second with a height of 2.80 metres. Patrick Boyd PROGRAM MANAGER Illawarra Academy of Sport www.illawarraacademy.org.au Email: pboyd@dsr.nsw.gov.au Posted at 22:25 [Perma-Link] Elliott: I'm here to review Athletics Australia, not investigate itHerb Elliott is heading a review of the performance and operation of Athletics Australia. Here, he tells Chris Wilson why the situation isn't as dire as been suggested.Can you remember Australian athletics in such a state? Most sports seem to go through cycles of peace and war - that's too strong a word - peace and disturbance. I think athletics has probably been through a number of cycles like this. The sport is not in a serious state but the sport is in a state where it can improve. What's your role? It's not really as an opinion-maker, it's just to create an environment that encourages people to put in submissions and to make sure each submission is respected and considered. What's the major reason for discontent in athletics? I don't want to pre-empt the review. My opinion doesn't matter. It's really a matter of the people out there involved in the sport. Is it too much to expect Australia to compete with the world powers of athletics? I don't think so. We have the talent in our country to perform at the highest level in the world as we've done in the past and as we are doing in some aspects of the sport right now with Jana Pittman and Benita Johnson. Certainly at the junior level we have a pretty high profile in world sport. I don't see any reason why we should bow down. Why the trouble converting junior performances into the senior ranks? That's one of the things the review is looking at. The pathways from the very first time a kid has the opportunity to be involved in track and field to the high performance area. How smooth is that pathway? How simple is it? The whole spectrum has to be reviewed. What is the review structure? The working groups will make recommendations under the headings of Development, High Performance and Governance. They will go to the Steering Committee whose job is to bring each of those three arms into some sort of balance and try to match it with our budget. We've got a lot of work to do in a very short time [July 31]. We've got interest from a wide range of people who can contribute to the process with their experience and intellect. In the governance, ex-AFL chief Wayne Jackson. In high performance, former Australian swimming coach Don Talbot. In development, former AFL premiership coach David Parkin. There's been criticism of your appointment to the Steering Committee because of your seat on the Athletics Australia board. What they probably had in mind when they made that criticism was this is an investigation similar to soccer. It's not that at all. It's a review of the sport by the sport because we don't have any serious problems. You don't think the problems are serious? Not serious in the sense of total system failures, corruption and all those sorts of things that involve serious investigations. AA's $1.3m debt is serious. As an AA director, I can tell you that there were some extraordinary reasons for that financial result. But the fact of the matter is AA is running at a small profit and not in any debt. It's balance sheet is not negative so it's not a serious issue. The seriousness was that it came as a surprise and that shouldn't happen. Complete article at The Ballarat Courier Posted at 11:43 [Perma-Link]
No easy fix for athletics - interview with Keith Connor, Athletics Australia's head coachFive months from the Athens Olympics, MIKE HURST talks to Athletics Australia's head coach, Keith Connor.Chairman of Athletics Australia's Olympic selectors David Culbert has described the domestic A-series as the worst ever which is particularly distressing in an Olympic year. Some observers believe there is a coaching crisis preventing full development of the talent. There are simply not enough talented and motivated coaches spending sufficient time with talented and motivated athletes and this is the root cause of most of the current frustrations. Complete article at Fox Sports Posted at 13:54 [Perma-Link] Olympic Flame heading to land Down UnderWhen the Olympic torch relay arrives Down Under on its whirlwind global tour, all the big names in Australian sport will be there. To be lit today at the ancient temples where the modern Olympics were born in 1896, the flame will travel through Greece and five continents, touching down in Australia on June 4.Australia's 400m Olympic champion turned model, Cathy Freeman, will be the first to take hold of the flame. Other sporting greats such as Dawn Fraser, Herb Elliott, Ron Clarke and Betty Cuthbert will also run with it. More recent sporting heroes such as swimmer Susie O'Neill (who is expecting her first child in mid-May) will run with the flame, while the Oarsome Foursome will row it along Melbourne's Yarra River and equestrian gold medallist Gillian Rolton will ride with it. About 140 people in Sydney and 130 in Melbourne will run with the torch, about 50 per cent of them ordinary Australians, including some from the Greek community. And the first torch-bearer of the 1956 relay, Con Veremis of Cairns, will be flown to Sydney to run a leg. The torch relay will pass through the Greek areas of Brighton-Le-Sands in Sydney and Lonsdale St in Melbourne on June 5, when festivities will be held. The Australian Olympic Committee said it was confident the torch relay would not be overshadowed by controversies surrounding venue roofs or construction delays in Athens. "The Australian Olympic Committee is confident the Games will go ahead and go ahead successfully," secretary-general Bob Elphinston said yesterday. "The venues, certainly those that are finished, are quite magnificent." The torch relay will be the first global relay in the modern Olympics. It will pass through five continents and 35 cities. Posted at 13:47 [Perma-Link] Four Corners, Drug Taking and Crikey!On Monday 22nd March 2004, the ABC-TV station played a documentary item on Drugs in Sport called "Tarnished Gold".The full transcript is available at the ABC Website, although here is the inital opening remarks : QUENTIN MCDERMOTT, REPORTER: Four years ago, Australia celebrated its greatest ever sporting event. The Sydney Olympics were seen as the friendliest, most successful Olympics ever. Australia played its part too in helping to beat the drug cheats. PROFESSOR KEN FITCH, WADA MEDICAL & RESEARCH COMMITTEE: It's one of the major notable achievements in the breakthroughs in drugs in sport. QUENTIN MCDERMOTT: But the drugs haven't disappeared, they've just become harder to detect. And for some sportsmen who've taken the latest drugs, it's cost them everything. DR MICHAEL ASHENDEN, FORMER AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT SCIENTIST: In the middle of the night when their body cools down slightly, the blood becomes thicker and the heart stops beating and they die. QUENTIN MCDERMOTT: This year in the run-up to Athens, Australia's elite athletes are straining every sinew to attain the Olympic ideal - faster, higher, stronger. If they're going to have a chance of winning, they want to know that they're competing on a level playing field. But since the Sydney Games, there's evidence that Australia has pulled back from the fight against drugs in sport. On Tuesday, the day after the program aired, the media website Crikey posted their take on the documentary Posted at 00:07 [Perma-Link]
The transcript of this weeks Four Corner's program 'Tarnished Gold' is on their website at http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2004/transcripts/s1072143.htm Complete article at Posted at 23:59 [Perma-Link]
Johnson now aims at Carlsbad 5kBenita Johnson flew out from Brussels to the United States yesterday for what should be an epic road race in San Diego, California on Sunday (28 March).Johnson, 24, who stunned her more-fancied African rivals by trouncing them all in Saturday's IAAF World Cross Country long course race in Brussels, will meet several of them again at the USA race. Causing the biggest shock in the century-old history of the Championships, Johnson became the first Australian to win the event. Now, the newly-crowned title-holder will step down in distance to 5km to tackle Werknesh Kidane again, as well as other leading Ethiopians, who couldn't match her pace over eight kilometres in Brussels. The significance of Johnson's success is still reverberating around the world's distance-running community after punching a massive hole in the almost constant ascendancy of African stars. In recent years only Britain's Paula Radcliffe has consistently shown she can take on and defeat them in road running and cross country contests. "Paula Radcliffe has been a great role model by showing us we can break the African dominance." But there is still plenty of respect, particularly for those with whom she will again lock horns in the Carlsbad 5km next Sunday. "I have immense respect for the Ethiopians - they've beaten me many times before." Both Carlsbad champions will be returning this year. On the women's side, Berhane Adere, Ethiopia, PR - 14:51, who tied the world best set by Deena Drossin in 2002 at Carlsbad. For the men, Dejene Berhanu, Ethiopia, PR-13:14, who placed 11th in the World XC Championships Short Race last weekend in Brussels. In fact many of the top finishers from Brussels will feature in the Carlsbad starting line-up - Women Benita Johnson, Australia, 1st Long Race, 27:17 (Gold Medal)Ejegayehu Dibaba, Ethiopia, 2nd Long Race, 27:29 (Silver Medal), 10th Short Race, 13:23 Isabella Ochichi, Kenya, 5th Short Race, 13:18 Sally Barsosio, Kenya, 10th Long Race, 28:08 Haley McGregor, Australia, 17th Long Race, 28:41, 27th Short Race, 13:58 Men Abdullah Hassan, Qatar, 4th Short Race, 11:44 Dejene Berhanu, Ethiopia, 11th Short Race, 11:56 PA International for the IAAF Article from the IAAF website Posted at 13:26 [Perma-Link] Benita Johnson headlines CarlsbadWith past Carlsbad 5000 champions, World champions and runners fresh from last weekend's World Cross Country Championships in Belgium, the 19th Carlsbad 5000, set for Sunday, March 28, promises to be another memorable affair at the world's fastest 5K road race.Stephen Cherono is no longer in the field, but world cross country champ Benita Johnson is. Complete article at LetsRun.com Posted at 13:23 [Perma-Link] Group trains for long walkPOUNDING tracks and traversing trails are all in a weekend's work for four people.The Walking with Dinosaurs team will be trekking the 100km Oxfam Trailwalker across rugged terrain from Wheelers Hill to Mt Donna Buang from Friday to Sunday in aid of charity. Group leader Judy Mraz said her troops were looking forward to the strenuous 48-hour event. The trailwalker is expected to raise $1 million in donations for Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, an agency working to alleviate poverty overseas. ``We've been training since the beginning of October and have built up our fitness week by week,'' Ms Mraz said. ``I figure we have walked over 500km in training we'll be there at the end, I'm sure. ``The team is excited and looking forward to the event after the huge commitment we have put in.'' Ms Mraz said about $1200 had been raised by the group so far, with more money coming in every day. People could donate after the walk as well, she said. Oxfam Trailwalker began in 1981 as a military training exercise in Hong Kong and has raised nearly $40 million for poor communities around the world. The event is held annually in Hong Kong, Britain, Sydney and Melbourne. This year more than 360 teams of four will take part in the endurance experience. Each team has to pledge a minimum of $1000 to take part in the event. The trail winds through some of Melbourne's most diverse bushland. Starting in Wheelers Hill, it passes through the Corhanwarrabul Wetlands, the Churchill and Lysterfield national parks and then via Belgrave to the 1000 Steps and Kokoda Memorial Track and along the Warburton Trail. The grand finale is the climb to the top of Mt Donna Buang, rewarding successful competitors with panoramic views of Melbourne. Article from the Free Press Leader. Posted at 13:21 [Perma-Link] Hikers set wheels in motionBy Tim KingTIM Reid's mates knew he was tired when he began veering off the path on a gruelling night walk. Mr Reid was trudging a 65 km route to prepare for a 100 km charity sponsorship walk late this month with his partner Chris Floyd and Ford Campbellfield workmates, Matthew Sullivan and Daniel Westerman. Mr Reid said they were already tired after long days at work when they started the trek at 9pm. They did not finish the ordeal for another 20 hours. ``That was pretty tough,'' he said. ``About three in the morning I started falling asleep as I was walking and walked off the track, and Chris would pull me back again. ``I did that probably a dozen times and we decided to stop for a power nap, probably 15 minutes. I was fine after that.'' Mr Reid, of Kensington, said they had also heard wombats crashing along paths ahead of them on other night training walks for the Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne 2004 trek, from this Friday until Sunday. His team and up to 1500 other sponsored entrants will have 48 hours to walk or run the trek's 100km course from the Jells Park Tea House in Wheelers Hill to the 1250m summit of Mt Donna Buang, Warburton. Mr Reid's team will leave at 11am on Friday. Each four-member team has to pay a $400 entry fee and raise at least $1000. The fundraiser has raised almost $40 million for poor communities worldwide. Oxfam Trailwalkers events are held annually in Hong Kong, Britain, Sydney and Melbourne. Mr Reid said Ford Australia paid his team's entry fee and the team had so far raised $1800 from friends, family and workmates. He and his fellow Ford engineers have e-mailed workmates for sponsorship, helped by Ford corporate citizenship manager Gail Rodgers. Ms Floyd has gathered support at her Melbourne workplace, employment consultancy SensWide Services. Mr Reid and his team-mates began training about eight weeks ago. They have completed a 65km and two 40km walks along the Melbourne route, and five 20km treks around Albert Park and the Botanic Gardens. ``We pulled up OK we were very sore,'' Mr Reid said. ``You have to take breaks to let your joints and knees recover.'' Mr Reid said they got varied responses from people who found out about the mammoth charity walk. ``Some people think you are crazy,'' he said. ``Others think it's tough, but it's a pretty good challenge.'' Anyone interested in sponsoring Mr Reid's team team number 141 can do so at www.caa.org.au/trailwalker/ or phone Mr Reid on 9359 8433. Article from the Hume/Moreland Observer Posted at 13:18 [Perma-Link] Stepping out for OxfamWHILE most of Kingston winds down at the weekend, four Don Tatnell Leisure Centre members are pounding the pavement training for the Oxfam Community Aid Abroad Trailwalker.The team members Vanessa Jones, Margie Simmons, Heather Robinson and John Hudson have been walking up to 80km each weekend in preparation for the team challenge. Oxfam trailwalkers will trek 100km in less than 48 hours from Wheelers Hill to Mt Donna Buang, via the Dandenongs. Ms Jones said she had questioned her sanity after registering in the event a second time. ``I didn't walk for a week after last year's walk,'' she said. ``I had the biggest blister in the world.'' Last year, the team finished the event in 36 hours, raising $3000 to support Oxfam's work.'' Ms Jones said the team aimed to match last year's total, but hoped to finish in less than 30 hours. Last year 249 teams finished the walk, raising $700,000 for the charity. The Oxfam Trailwalker is on March 26 to 28 Article from the Mordialloc Chelsea News. Posted at 13:17 [Perma-Link] The mad minute with Soraya Youngwith SHANNON McRAEMore at home wielding a microphone than a hiking stick, Melbourne singer Soraya Young is about to subject herself to 48 hours of torture in the name of charity. Q.Normally you'd be spending this weekend on stage, but this Saturday you'll embark on a 100km hike up Mount Donna Buang in the Yarra Valley. What's this in aid of? A.It's all for the benefit of Oxfam Community Aid Abroad. I'm part of a team of four and we've been sponsored to walk 100km in 48 hours non-stop. Q.That's a noble cause, but you could have just chosen to donate money. Why have you decided to participate? A.It's healthy to do this kind of thing and being able to do something good for the community is a bonus. The money goes towards social justice and community aid in more than 30 countries. If you can do something to help, why wouldn't you? Q.Hiking 100km across two days non-stop with short breaks for food and the odd catnap sounds like a gruelling affair. A.Yes, it is gruelling. In our training we've probably clocked up about 350km. Other teams probably train a lot more, but that's all I can manage with my schedule. Q.Your fitness regimen defies the stereotypical image of a petite and delicate songbird. A.I keep fit. I like a lot of variety. I do Thai boxing, triathlons, running. I'm an energetic person, I have to do something to get my `yeahs!' out. Q.So will you be singing to your teammates to spur them on during the event? A.I don't know about that. I might be humming. Ask me at 99km, but I don't think so. Q.The event originated in Hong Kong in 1981 as a military training exercise for the Queen's Gurkha Signals Regiment. Doesn't that scare you? A.All sorts of people get over here to do this event. The Gurkhas come over here and do it in something like 11 hours. They actually run it. But it's nice scenery. The fact it's a military exercise doesn't intimidate me. The reason we're doing it is to raise funds for Oxfam, to help other people. I don't feel intimidated by that. Q.Dehydration, exhaustion, leeches and blisters are just some of the hazards you've been told to expect during the hike. A.Yes, but there definitely won't be any pictures of me being taken. While we were doing a training walk, we had giant yabbies come out onto the trail, so that was a bit unpleasant. The hardest time for me will be night time. Q.Are you scared of the dark? A.Yes, I am. I don't like spiders or walking into spider webs, but I'll cope. Q.How's the singing career going? A.Really good. I released an EP and single last year and I'm putting the finishing touches to an album which will be released around June-July this year. * Donations to Soraya's effort in the Oxfam Trailwalker can be sent by logging on to www.sorayayoung.com. Article from MX. Posted at 13:16 [Perma-Link] Run for their livesby Karen HeinrichThe Oxfam Trailwalker is a labour of love for four soldiers from one of the world's poorest countries, writes Karen Heinrich. Their motto - Certa cito - means swift and sure, and at 9am today a crack team of four Nepalese Gurkha soldiers will show us what it's all about when they set out on a 100-kilometre run through rugged and mountainous bushland in the Dandenongs. Save for water, chocolate and soup stops, the men, who serve in the British Army, will not stop running for 11 hours, and expect to cross the finish line shortly before 8pm. It's tough and simple all at once for the legendary Gurkhas, renowned as the world's most tenacious soldiers. The run, called the Oxfam Trailwalker, originated in Hong Kong in 1981 as a military training exercise for the Queen's Gurkha Signals Regiment, which has fought in nearly all of the world's major wars in the past 186 years and has earned Britain's highest number of service honours, including 13 Victoria Crosses. Complete article at The Age website Posted at 13:13 [Perma-Link] Deek wants his sport to get seriousby Craig BaxterLEGENDARY marathon runner Robert de Castella says Australian athletics needs to take a leaf out of swimming's book in order to improve its standing on the international scene. In Townsville yesterday to launch the sixth annual BHP Billiton Townsville Running Festival in August, de Castella said athletics should not be satisfied with an ``ad hoc'' structure which had continued to produce rare gems such as world 400m hurdle champion Jana Pittman and new world cross country champion Benita Johnson but seen slim medal tallies at major championships become the norm. ``It's not good enough,'' de Castella said. ``It's too ad hoc with the occasional hard-working and talented athlete coming through and carrying the sport. ``The challenge now is to actively put in place the systems where quantity comes through, like in swimming. ``Swimming has an excellent system in place, starting off at grass roots level with large participation numbers and from there identifying talented and motivated kids and supporting them.'' Canberran de Castella -- voted world marathon runner of the 1980s after a career which included victory at the 1983 World Championships and 1982 and 1986 Commonwealth Games -- was joined at the launch by his former coach Pat Clohessy, now working with the University of Queensland club in Brisbane. De Castella said the Townsville Running Festival -- highlighted by the Tony Ireland Marathon -- appeared poised to continue its significant growth of recent years. ``I'm most impressed, you've got all the fundamentals in place, a great climate, good course and efficient organisation,'' he said. The Townsville Running Festival -- also incorporating the adidas Townsville Half Marathon and Townsville Podiatry Centre 10.5km Fun Run -- takes place on Sunday, August 1. Article from the Townsville Bulletin. Posted at 13:08 [Perma-Link] Running proves a family affairby Craig BaxterRUNNING is very much a family affair for the McGinnitys of Thuringowa. Peter and Lee McGinnity and their children Laurel, 14, Madeline, 12, and Lachlan, 10, have had each other for company in training in preparation for tomorrow afternoon's Townsville Podiatry Centre Fun Run and Walk. ``We run about three times a week and always do the (Townsville) Road Runners event on a Saturday if we can,'' Mrs McGinnity said. ``My daughter Laurel and I have been running together for about 12 months and the rest of the family joined in this year when the other kids got a bit bigger. ``Road Runners also has a children's run which allows the whole family to take part.'' Mrs McGinnity, a teacher at Ryan Catholic College, said she had been first to fall victim to the running bug. ``I just used to go out and run on school cross-country day and a friend at school belonged to Road Runners and said `how about coming along','' she said. ``Now Laurel and I do about eight kilometres in a session while Peter goes with Madeline and Lachlan and they do about three or four kilometres. ``It's a sport that doesn't cost a lot of money, there are a wide variety of places around Townsville to run and the family can actually do it together.'' The Fun Run and Walk will consist of a 7.3km senior course and a 3.8km course for juniors, both following the Ross River bikeway. The event will start and finish at the Weir School with the starting time 4.30pm. Entry fees are $8 for adults and $5 for children with proceeds aiding the Heart Foundation. Article from the Townsville Bulletin. Posted at 13:07 [Perma-Link]
Johnson Committed To BalmoralNewly-crowned World Cross Country champion Benita Johnson has confirmed she is a definite starter for May's Balmoral Road Races.Johnson, who scored the biggest-ever shock in the history of the IAAF event when she won the world title at the weekend, is talking about racing over 5,000 metres at Balmoral Castle where her main rival will be training partner Sonia O'Sullivan. "I'm looking forward to returning to Balmoral for the meeting," said Johnson, 24, who will be making her third appearance at the Grampian venue. Last year, the Australian finished second over five miles to world 10,000m title-holder Berhane Adere of Ethiopia. This year's programme has been revamped and will feature international races over one mile and 5,000 metres for both men and women, as well as the BUPA Great Caledonian Run around its traditional 10 kilometre course in Balmoral Castle. "This is Olympic year and switching from five miles to 5,000 metres is more realistic given this is one of the distances at the Games in August," said race spokesman Matthew Turnbull. Turnbull, who was in Brussels on Saturday when Johnson ran amok against the normally dominant African stars, added: "Both Benita and Sonia are more than happy to race over 5,000 metres, a distance which they both have proven records over." Article from SportingLife.com Posted at 13:02 [Perma-Link] Heathmont fun runA HEATHMONT fun run will aim to celebrate and commemorate the Anzac spirit.Supported by Maroondah Council, Croydon and Ringwood RSLs and the Ringwood Athletics Club, the Lest We Forget Run will be held on May 2 at 8.55am at HE Parker Reserve, Heathmont. The 8km run will be along the banks of the Dandenong Creek toward Wantirna Rd and then on the opposite side back to HE Parker Reserve. Councillor Paul Denham said the run was a wonderful concept that united Australians. ``A one-minute silence, followed by the reveille, and a simultaneous race start will occur throughout the country,'' Cr Denham said. Entry: $18, $13 concession, $55 family. To register phone 9298 4380. Article from the Maroondah Mail Posted at 12:45 [Perma-Link] Elliott denies conflict over reviewBy Len JohnsonHerb Elliott has denied claims of a conflict of interest after it was confirmed yesterday that he would head a review into Australian athletics. Elliott is a member of the Athletics Australia board and also is a board member of companies associated with Athletics Australia chairman Andrew Forrest. The former mile great asserted his independence in the review, despite critics such as Ron Clarke, sprinter Lauren Hewitt and Athletics Australia chief selector David Culbert. "I don't operate as a mouthpiece for anyone," Elliott said. Complete article at The Age website Posted at 12:41 [Perma-Link] AFL identities help put Herb on trackby Ron ReedFOOTBALL identities Wayne Jackson and David Parkin have agreed to help former champion miler Herb Elliott investigate the state of Australian athletics. The retired AFL chief executive and the four-time premiership coach will be put to work immediately as Elliott attempts to identify the sport's problems. The Australian Sports Commission and Athletics Australia yesterday confirmed Elliott would chair a comprehensive review in the wake of a flood of criticism. Elliott, an AA board member, rejected suggestions that his appointment constituted a conflict of interest, saying: ``People who say that don't know me or the way I work. I'm not a mouthpiece for anybody.'' Elliott's contemporary, champion distance runner Ron Clarke, told the Herald Sun last week that it was a case of the administration investigating the administration. ``I've never seen that work. That's what you do when you don't want a result,'' he said. Elliott will chair a steering committee, which will also include another AA director, Ken Roche, Athletics Tasmania president Brian Roe, Australian Institute of Sport director Michael Scott, Olympic gold medallist Glynis Nunn-Cearns and Melbourne lawyer Stephen Spargo. The committee will oversee working parties dedicated to development, high performance and governance, with Parkin sitting on the first one and Jackson the third. Parkin has been involved in a number of Sports Commission projects,while it is Jackson's first such involvement. Elliott said he hoped to present the findings to the ASC and AA by July 31, but doubted if any further action would be taken until after the August 13-29 Olympics. The 1960 Olympic 1500m gold medallist said he did not believe the sport was ``dead on its feet'', as Clarke and others had suggested. But there were some ``systemic problems'', on which Elliott declined to elaborate. He said all stakeholders -- athletes, coaches, sponsors, media and parents -- would be invited to make written and spoken submissions. ``Hopefully that will highlight the problems and also suggest the solutions,'' he said. ``We are hoping to make the sport more attractive to young people and develop a pathway that keeps them interested from juniors through to high performance. ``The pathways are disjointed with huge gaps.'' Sports Commission chief executive Mark Peters said it was important to recognise the co-operative manner of the review. Article from the Herald Sun Posted at 12:38 [Perma-Link] Marathon champion launches festivalRUNNER, Robert de Castella, and his coach, Pat Clohessy, will launch the Townsville Running Festival tomorrow at the Tobruk Pool.The Townsville Road Runners Club will be conducting a training seminar at Jupiters Casino tonight at 7.30pm, in which de Castella and Clohessy will be attending. The seminar will include video's of de Castella's great marathon triumphs, some motivating and inspiring words from both the Road Runners' guests, and training tips for long distance running. The sixth BHP Billiton Townsville Running Festival will be held on August 1 at Tobruk Pool, and prizemoney has been increased to $10,000, with cash prizes for all placings, records and marathon teams. The Running Festival consists of three long distance races run in tandem. The three races are The Tony Ireland Holden Townsville Marathon, the adidas Townsville Half Marathon and the Townsville Podiatry Centre 10.5km Fun Run. All courses have a common start/finish point and a common course route, but with staggered start times. The different start times will provide the slower runners with company during the latter portion of the 42.2km marathon. Article from the Townsville Sun. Posted at 12:35 [Perma-Link] Olympian joins athletics reviewOLYMPIAN Glynis Nunn-Cearns yesterday was added to the committee to look into the troubled Athletics Australia.The committee will be headed by Olympic gold medallist Herb Elliott, with fellow AA board member Ken Roche also named, along with Athletics Tasmania president Brian Roe, Australian Institute of Sport director Michael Scott, Nunn-Cearns, and Melbourne lawyer Stephen Spargo. Federal Sports Minister Rod Kemp announced the review earlier this month in the wake of calls for the board to resign following revelations it had debts of $1.3 million. It was a response to the deepening crisis within the sport, evidenced when sprinter Lauren Hewitt called for chief executive Simon Allatson's resignation and Victorian coach Nic Bideau asked for the entire AA board to resign. The recent Olympic selection trials were overshadowed by in-fighting within the sport when distance running coach Said Aouita threatened to quit the country because he was sick of the squabbles with Victorian coaches and athletes. Elliott said the review would look at the concerns of all parties involved. ``The time is now right to review the pros and cons of the past four years and decide how the sport goes forward in the next four years,'' Elliott said. Australian Sports Commission chief executive Mark Peters dismissed comparisons with soccer's Crawford Report. ``It would be wrong to think of this review as similar to the Crawford review of soccer, because athletics has few, if any, of the entrenched problems that soccer faced,'' Peters said. ``Rather, substantial work already has been done to improve the structure and administration of athletics and the review being chaired by Herb Elliott will consolidate this work and identify areas for improvement.'' Article from The Mercury Posted at 12:34 [Perma-Link]
Benita Johnson - World Cross Country ChampionThe early hours of Sunday 21st March (Australian time) heralded a new era in Australian distance running, with the historical performance of Benita Johnson, winning Australia’s first medal (of any colour) in the 32nd World Cross Country Championship in Brussels.Johnson’s result is one of the greatest ever by an Australian athlete – The world cross-country championship is the most competitive distance race in the world because each country can send up to six representatives, whereas there is a limit of three per nation at the world track and field championships and Olympics. Dominating a class field of 97 competitors from all corners of the world, Benita ran strongly and assertively for the whole 8km race, making a decisive move at the beginning of the last lap and going onto win by a 12 second margin in a time of 27.17. Coach Nic Bideau summed up the achievement: "It's fantastic. She beat the superstars, world record-holders, Olympic medalists". Complete article at the Athletics Australia website Posted at 12:24 [Perma-Link] Ethiopians end Kenya's dominationBy Len JohnsonKenenisa Bekele was acclaimed king of Brussels' Royal Park on Sunday, easily winning the men's 12-kilometre long race at the world cross-country championships to complete a third consecutive short-race/long-race double at the titles. Bekele led Ethiopian teammates Gebre Gebremariam and Sileshi Sihine by almost 20 seconds to a clean sweep of the medals and victory in the teams race, ending 18 years of Kenyan team domination. Among the vanquished was Steve Moneghetti in 30th place. But the 41-year-old veteran says his 11th, and last, world cross-country had also been as satisfying as any of the other 10. Australia finished fifth, the highest team placing in Moneghetti's 20-year involvement in the championships. Complete article at The Age website Posted at 12:15 [Perma-Link] Ethiopian crosses off long raceETHIOPIAN running sensation Kenenisa Bekele completed his third successive world cross country title double as he won the men's long race.Of the Australians, Craig Mottram was 13th in 37:10, Lee Troop 21st (37:43), Steve Moneghetti 30th (38:01) and Brett Cartwright 37th (38:15). Kenya's Edith Masai won the women's short race after Australia's Benita Johnson pulled out, though she would not reveal whether it was to do with her celebration after winning the long race with a few of the stronger Belgian beers. Article from MX Posted at 12:12 [Perma-Link] Local boys on topGEELONG runners Craig Mottram and Lee Troop were the highest placed of six Australians in the men's long course race at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgium.Mottram was 13th in the 12km race in 37mins 10secs, with Troop 21st in 37mins 43secs. Of the other Australians competing, Steve Moneghetti was 30th, Brett Cartwright 37th, Andrew Letherby 45th and Shane Nankervis 92nd. In the women's short course race Sarah Jamieson was 15th, Haley McGregor 27th and Anna Thompson 33rd. Article from the Geelong Advertiser Posted at 12:10 [Perma-Link] Lucky 13 for Mottramby Scott GullanVICTORIAN Craig Mottram continued Australia's impressive showing at the world cross-country titles in Belgium, finishing 13th in yesterday's 12km long-course race. Newly-crowned women's champion Benita Johnson bypassed the short-course race while she soaked up her historic victory in the 8km race a day earlier. The Australian men's team finished fifth with Mottram leading the way in 37min 10sec from Lee Troop (21st), Steve Moneghetti (30th) and Brett Cartwright (37th). In the women's 4km short-course race, Australia's best-placed runner was Sarah Jamieson in 15th place (13:40). Hayley McGregor came home in 27th place and Anna Thompson was 33rd. Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele won his third successive world title in the men's race, while Kenya's Edith Masai took out the women's event. Article from the Herald Sun Posted at 12:09 [Perma-Link] Running great to launch festivalTOWNSVILLE Roadrunners will launch the sixth annual BHP Billiton Townsville Running Festival on Thursday with special guest Rob de Castella.The former world champion marathon runner will invite runners from Australia and around the world to come to Townsville in August to participate in the annual running festival, which includes the Townsville marathon. The event began in 1999 with the concept of packaging three existing long-distance races into one event. Event organiser Brian Armit said the festival was the only marathon in regional Queensland of its kind and attracted all levels of runners from the north, interstate and from overseas. ``While the marathon is an event for serious runners, the combination of distances allows for progression from fun run to the marathon,'' Armit said. ``The fun run also allows the less serious and younger family members to compete.'' Publicity for this year's event has also extended to all Pacific Island nations to coincide with their attendance at the Oceania Games half-marathon in Townsville in December. Townsville Enterprise conventions and events manager Sandra Garvin said the festival was a great event for the city. ``Someone like Rob de Castella coming to launch this year's running festival shows the calibre of the event,'' Garvin said. This year's festival will see the incorporation of the Australian Defence Force inter-service marathon championships and prizemoney for the event has increased to $10,000 with cash prizes for all placings, records and marathon teams. In addition to the launch of the festival a training seminar with de Castella and coach Pat Clohessy is scheduled for tomorrow night. The seminar will include videos of de Castella's marathon triumphs, addresses from the guests and training tips to assist those wishing to take up long-distance running. De Castella is the only Australian runner in the top-10 marathon finishers at three straight Olympics and dominated the sport throughout the 1980s. He was voted the world's best marathon runner for that decade. The training seminar will be held at Jupiters Townsville Hotel and Casino at 7.30pm. Tickets ($10 for adults and $5 for students) can be bought at the door. Article from the Townsville Bulletin. Posted at 12:06 [Perma-Link]
Cross-Country: Johnson stuns rivalsFormer breakfast television pancake maker Benita Johnson became the first Australian to win a world cross-country medal when she was a shock winner of the women's long race in Brussels yesterday.The 24-year-old finished well clear of Ethiopian duo Ejigayehu Dibaba and last year's champion Werknesh Kidane to become the first non-Ethiopian medallist of the championships. Earlier the Ethiopians had swept the medals in both the junior women's race and the men's short race where Kenenisa Bekele won his third successive crown in the event and set himself up for a double for the third consecutive year when he runs the long race today. Johnson was delighted at breaking the Ethiopian monopoly and finally gaining a medal in an event in which she had previously finished fourth, fifth and sixth. "I wanted the crowd to hear a different anthem to the Ethiopian one as they had heard it enough," she said. "I wanted the organisers to go scrabbling through the tape box to find an Australian one." Johnson, once a top junior hockey player, stuck with the leading group from the start and refused to be shrugged off as Kidane and Dibaba - the elder sister of the world 5000m champion Tirunesh - turned on the pace from the halfway mark. Bekele, meanwhile, stormed home well clear of compatriot Gebre Gebremariam with another Ethiopian Maregu Zewdie filling third in the 4km race. Kenya's dreadful day looked to be set for a boost when Bekele was led at the bell by Eliud Kirui, but that was as good as it got for them. Even worse for Kenya was the sudden emergence from the pack of their former 3000m steeplechaser Stephen Cherono - he now runs for Qatar under the name Saif Saaeed Shaheen - and two of his team-mates including another former Kenyan Abdullah Ahmad Hassan - the former Albert Chepkurui - as the bell sounded. Salt was added to the wound as the Qataris edged Kenya for team silver. Article from the Telegraph. Posted at 13:09 [Perma-Link] Fifth place finish for Australia's cross country teamAustralia has finished fifth in the team classification of the long-distance race at the men's world cross country championships in Brussels.The race was won by Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele. But Australians Craig Mottram (13th), Lee Troop (21st), Steve Moneghetti (30th) and Brett Cartwright (37th) secured enough points to give Australia fifth position overall. Ethiopia won the team's event from Kenya, Eritrea and Morocco. Bekele confirmed his status as the world's outstanding distance runner with a commanding victory. Complete article at the ABC website Posted at 13:06 [Perma-Link] Johnson wins cross-country goldBenita Johnson has upset the heavily favoured Ethiopians, winning Australia's first world cross-country medal of any colour in the women's long course event in Brussels.The 24-year-old former under-20 hockey international had finished in the top six in the short course event in the last three championships but had confessed chirpily on Friday that Australia was a great place for a holiday but not necessarily for cross country runners. She belied her own words by dominating the eight-kilometre event from the halfway stage on a muddy course, made even more treacherous by heavy rain which had pelted down during the men's short-course race. Complete article and audio file at the ABC website Posted at 12:09 [Perma-Link] Johnson gives Ethiopians a dose of Advance Australia FairSo you thought Jana Pittman was Australia's only big gold medal hope in athletics at the Athens Olympics? Think again.Distance runner Benita Johnson has shot into calculations after a stunning victory at the world cross-country championships in Brussels. Johnson powered away from Ethiopian duo Ejigayehu Dibaba and defending champion Werknesh Kidane to win the eight-kilometre race in Brussels on Saturday in 27 minutes and 17 seconds. The 24-year-old won by 12s. Left in her wake were the cream of the world's female distance runners, who now have every reason to fear her in the Olympic 10,000 metres in August. Complete article at the Sydney Morning Herald Posted at 09:27 [Perma-Link] They also serve who do not compete in the half marathon - rain, hail or shineBy Heather QuinlanOnly one thing is more amazing than 4000 runners turning up for a race just after dawn on a wet, cold Sunday in May - and that's when all the race marshals arrive with smiles on their faces. This 100-per-cent roll-up happened at The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon last year, when some of the worst wintery conditions - including torrential rain as the starting gun was fired - were experienced. The volunteer marshals are mostly from running clubs and they fulfil their roles without any of the glory associated with competing in a major event, like achieving a personal best or even beating the person who starts next to you. Their reward is usually a muffin and a cuppa, a race T-shirt and a warm "thank you" from the organisers for taking on vital jobs, such as setting up roadside barriers, manning drink stations or directing runners. Complete article at the Sydney Morning Herald Posted at 09:26 [Perma-Link] Family runs can end in the odd quarrelBy Heather QuinlanThe Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon is well known for its high standard of running - and maybe now its running battles. For example, Bill Jessop of Picnic Point has demanded his wife Gina perform better in the race this year, while Gina thinks Bill should be getting out of bed for early morning runs like she does. The Quarrells of Narrabeen have no arguments with each other, but Jo and Darren desperately want to win the under-34 husband-and-wife team category and beat off the verbal challenges of several other couples they know. Race day, May 23, will be their sixth wedding anniversary, after all. Husbands and wives are proving to be the half marathon's hardiest team members, despite overall team numbers decreasing in 2003 due to the extraordinarily fast lodgment of entries in a restricted field of 4000. Complete article at the Sydney Morning Herald Posted at 09:25 [Perma-Link] Sydney race holds key to McCann's Athens spotby Heather QuinlanA few months ago, Australia's pre-eminent distance runner Kerryn McCann had lost sight of where her legs and feet could take her. Heavily pregnant with her second child, McCann wondered whether her stellar career was drawing to a close. Did she have it in her to qualify for a third Olympic Games, with only six months to produce the required times and a new baby and young son to raise? The question of Olympic selection will be answered next month when Athletics Australia announces its Games team but there is no doubt in McCann's mind that she can make the side. Complete article at the Sydney Morning Herald Posted at 09:25 [Perma-Link] Benita's gold lifts Games chancesby Jenny McAseyJUST hours after she became Australia's first medallist at a world cross-country championship, Benita Johnson predicted she would translate her success on to the track at the Athens Olympics. The diminutive Johnson, 24, took on the might of Africa's distance runners in a field of 100 in Brussels on Saturday, storming home to win by more than 50m on a hilly 8km course, regarded as one of the hardest in the 32-year history of cross-country championships. Her emphatic victory in 27min 17sec, ahead of Ethiopia's Dibaba Ejegayehu and Werknesh Kidane, came in the midst of heavy rain which made the course muddy and slippery. ``It gives me a lot of confidence going into Athens. I really do believe I can get a medal there in the 10,000m,'' Johnson said yesterday. ``I should be at a new level and even fitter for Athens. It will be a tough race, but I believe I can be right up there.'' Past winners of the world cross-country title include dual Olympic 10,000m champion Derartu Tulu, of Ethiopia, and 2000 Games 5000m silver medallist Sonia O'Sullivan, of Ireland. Johnson trains with O'Sullivan, who is the partner of her coach, Nic Bideau. ``The people who win this race generally go on to do great things that year,'' Bideau, who has coached Johnson for two years, said. ``This is one of the hardest races to win -- there are Olympic and world championships medallists all over the place. Today Benita can say she is the best female distance runner in the world. ``She is champion in a sport that everyone in the world does, or has done, at some stage in their life. Everyone has run the school cross-country race and she is the best at it.'' Mackay-born Johnson, who took up distance racing seriously only in 1997 after success as a junior hockey international, is proving to be one of Australia's steeliest athletes. She holds the national 2km, 3km, 5km and 10km records and has written herself into the record books again as the first Australian to stand on the podium at the cross-country championships, revered by the world's best distance runners. ``To win Australia's first ever medal and make it a gold one is a good start for our country and hopefully other Australian runners can look at that and say we can beat these Africans and do well on the world stage,'' Johnson said. In Brussels, she didn't fear either the dreadful weather or the dominant Africans, including defending world champion Kidane. ``It was very tough, it was cold, windy, wet and muddy, but I really believe in those sort of conditions, the fittest person is going to win. I wasn't fazed by it at all,'' Johnson said. ``I have had a lot of questions today about whether I believed I could win and I truly believed going into it that I could. ``I had beaten every one of the girls in the race individually over the last year, so just because there were a handful of Africans there to race doesn't mean they can't be beaten. I am the fittest I've ever been, so I just had to relax and make my move when I felt I could get a break.'' Johnson finished fifth last year in the short course (4km) race at the championships, the third time in succession she had finished in the top six. But she recalled how, after running third, she had been pipped just before the line by two Kenyans. ``That memory had been haunting me for a long time and I wasn't going to let it happen this time,'' she said. ``I have had a lot of disappointments at world cross in the last few years, missing medals, and I wasn't going to miss a medal this year.'' Johnson ran with the lead pack for the entire race at the Parc Van Laeken, but made her move at the final 2km loop. ``They don't particularly like the hills, so going into the final lap, there was a steep hill and that is where I made my first move because I could sense the Ethiopians were tiring. Article from The Australian Posted at 09:20 [Perma-Link] Stunning BenitaAustralian Benita Johnson has scored a stunning victory at the world cross-country championships to rocket into gold medal calculations for the Athens Olympics. Johnson powered away from Ethiopian duo Ejigayehu Dibaba and defending champion Werknesh Kidane to win the 8km race in Brussels yesterday in 27min 17sec. The 24-year-old Queenslander won by a clear 12 seconds. Left in her wake were the cream of the world's female distance runners, who now have every reason to fear her in the Olympic 10,000m in August. No Australian had previously won a medal of any colour at the annual world cross-country championships.Article from The Advertiser Posted at 09:19 [Perma-Link] Johnson victory rivals MonnaQueenslander Benita Johnson has won the women's world eight-kilometre cross-country title in Belgium, the greatest performance by an Australian distance runner since Steve Moneghetti won bronze in the marathon at the 1997 world championships.The Brussels long-course event is rated one of the world's toughest to win, ranked behind only the Olympic Games and the world track-and-field championships. Johnson, who dedicated her win to Moneghetti, pulled away decisively from defending champion Worknesh Kidane of Ethiopia and Kidane's teammate Ejagayou Dibaba in the final lap on the 2000 metres loop. "I'm just so thrilled to win," she said. Complete article at The Age website Posted at 09:18 [Perma-Link] Book ReviewThe Measure of Success: A Personal Perspective, Ron Clarke, Lothian Books, $34.95While Jack Brabham was collecting world titles, Ron Clarke was breaking world long-distance running records - 19 of them. This plain-speaking tale is about growing up in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, the importance of family (his brother, legendary Essendon captain Jack ``the architect'' Clarke, being an important presence in the book), and thrill and heartbreak on the world's great arenas - especially the 1968 Olympics in high-altitude Mexico City. But it is also about the idea of community and Clarke's generosity towards society's unsung heroes such as Diane Tribe-Bailey and her work with autistic children. His measures of success are family and philanthropic deeds, without which the life of the long-distance runner is indeed lonely. Article from the The Age Posted at 09:17 [Perma-Link] Benita grabs world cross-country titleby MIKE HURST, Athletics writerAFTER a long, hot summer back home -- during which her coach turned a blow-torch on Athletics Australia -- Benita Johnson ran into a gale-force winter storm in Belgium yesterday and forged a historic victory at the world cross-country championships. In the 32-year history of the event, and dating much further back to even before the IAAF bestowed the world title, no Australian had won a medal of any colour. Now Queenslander Johnson, 24, waif-like at 48kg and 166cm, has redressed the discrepancy saying: ``I reckon gold is a good place to start.'' Johnson's breakthrough first world crown on the muddy hills of Brussels' royal garden Parc Van Laeken came with team captain Steve Moneghetti on the verge of tears as he watched and cheered. Moneghetti, who ran overnight in his 11th and probably last world cross-country race, had never cracked a coin in this event, just like his fellow greats including Ron Clarke, Derek Clayton, Rob de Castella and Lisa Ondieki. They are in good company, as Johnson pointed out to The Daily Telegraph: ``Haile Gebrselassie [arguably history's greatest distance runner] hasn't ever won before. It's such an achievement.'' The world cross-country is the most competitive distance race in the world because each country may send up to six representatives, whereas there is a limit of three per nation at the world track and field championships and Olympic Games. With discontent simmering still after Athletics Australia's $1.3million loss last financial year -- and an Australian Sports Commission review of AA now under way following Johnson's coach, Nic Bideau's call for the AA board to resign -- the gold medal shines like a beacon for the sport. Referring to AA board member and review chairman Herb Elliott's unfortunate claim that he hadn't seen any world-class results from Bideau's coaching, Bideau retorted yesterday: ``Tell Herb Elliott when you see him, that's a world-class performance!'' Bideau added: ``Only Ethiopia and Australia won [Ethiopia swept the medals in the 4km men's short-course, led by Kenenisa Bekele, and junior girls races]. She beat the superstars, world record-holders, Olympic medalists. ``And she didn't just beat them, she thrashed them. She won by 70 metres.'' Australia, with Haley McGregor 17th, Anna Thompson 26th and Georgie Clarke 55th among the four scoring members, placed sixth in the 8km women's long-course race. Had Victorian Olympian Natalie Harvey (28th yesterday) not switched allegiance to Britain last month, it would have been Australia for the team bronze medal instead of Britain. ``This has really fired up Australian distance running and shown that we can beat these Africans,'' said Johnson, whose training partner, Geelong's Craig Mottram, was the first non-African finishing a highly creditable ninth in yesterday's short-course race. Mottram, due to race the 12km overnight, might yet compete for Britain. His father is English and his mother a Scot. ``It's not as crazy as it sounds,'' he said. ``It is a definite possibility.'' But Johnson said she was ``determined to make the organisers search through their tapes to find Advance Australia Fair''. ``Ethiopians won everything else today. It was something different to listen to. It's been hard with some of the stuff [controversy] going on in Australia. We want to lift the sport. ``I honestly thought I could win the race. But doing it is another matter. ``I really believe there's a lot more to come. I can getter fitter and faster for the Olympics and I can get on the [medals] dais for the 10,000m. ``I think I've come on in leaps and bounds since the [track] world championships in Paris last August [where she took 50sec off Ondieki's national 10,000m record-finishing eighth] but the breakthrough was winning bronze in the world half-marathon championship in October [on debut]. Article from the Daily Telegraph. Posted at 09:14 [Perma-Link] Johnson primed for Athens goldAUSTRALIAN Benita Johnson has scored a stunning victory at the world cross-country championships to rocket into gold medal calculations for the Athens Olympics.Johnson powered away from Ethiopian duo Ejigayehu Dibaba and defending champion Werknesh Kidane to win the 8km race in Brussels yesterday in a time of 27 minutes 17 seconds. The 24-year-old Queenslander won by a clear 12 seconds. Left in her wake were the cream of the world's female distance runners, who now have every reason to fear her in the Olympic 10,000m in August. ``I've always believed in myself and my ability. I've beaten all of those girls in the last 12 months,'' said Johnson. ``I just had to beat them individually and run a smart race.'' No Australian had previously won a medal of any colour at the annual world cross-country championships, prompting Johnson's coach Nick Bideau to rate her performance as unequalled in her country's proud distance running history. ``[Robert] De Castella and [Steve] Moneghetti were the best we've ever had and they were never able to win this,'' he said. Johnson ran with the lead group for the first 6km before making her move on the hill at the start of the final lap with 2km to go. She continued to surge ahead and crossed the finish line more than 50m ahead of silver medallist Dibaba. The only other runner in the top 10 not to hail from either Ethiopia or Kenya was eighth-placed Canadian Emilie Mondor. ``The number one thing is I know I can beat the Africans. [British marathon world record holder] Paula Radcliffe was a great role model for that,'' said Johnson. ``Mentally, I think a lot of runners from other countries just don't think they can beat them. ``I wanted the crowd to hear a different anthem to the Ethiopian one as they had heard it enough. ``I wanted the organisers to go scrabbling through the tape box to find an Australian one.'' Johnson's next competitive outing will be a 5km race in Carlsbad, California on March 28 as her focus shifts towards the Olympic 10,000m. World 400m hurdles champion Jana Pittman remains Australia's best chance of track and field success in Athens, but Johnson now deserves to be ranked alongside pole vaulter Dmitri Markov as the other leading hopes for Olympic gold in the Games' showpiece sport. Article from The Mercury Posted at 09:13 [Perma-Link]
Benita Johnson wins IAAF World Cross Country ChampionshipsBrussels, Belgium - Benita Johnson won Australia’s first ever medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships here at Parc Van Laeken, and then declared that her stirring performance to take the women’s long race title helped to show distance runners from around the world that the Africans are not unbeatable."I just didn’t want to hear the Ethiopian anthem again," the 24-year-old from Queensland said. "I was determined to make the organisers search through their tapes to find 'Advance Australia Fair'." Johnson produced a performance of rugged courage, forcing the pace in the final two-kilometre lap of the 8km race to break away from her last remaining challengers, Ethiopia's defending champion Werknesh Kidane and her team mate, Ejegayehu Dibaba, to come home around 70 metres clear in 27:17, with Dibaba taking the silver medal in 27:29, five seconds clear of the fading Kidane. Ethiopia took their third team medal of the day, with Kenya claiming silver ahead of an exultant team from Britain, who just 48 hours before the championships had lost their team captain, and seemingly any hope of a medal, when two-time champion Paula Radcliffe withdrew with a hamstring injury. "Paula has shown us the way to beat the Africans," Johnson said. "It is really important that people from the rest of the world believe that they can beat the Africans. The Africans all train really hard, and we just have to train just as hard. Anyone can win the race if they have it up here," Johnson said, tapping her finger on the side of her head. Coached by Nick Bideau, the partner of former champion Sonia O'Sullivan, Johnson's gold medal is the culmination of three years of solid progression against the world’s best distance runners at the World Cross. Last autumn, the Australian won bronze at the IAAF Half-marathon World Championship, but it has been at cross-country that Johnson has shown her greatest consistency. "I’ve had sixth, fourth and fifth place finishes," she said. "Last year, I was about 20 metres from my first world medal… Losing there was huge motivation for me here." And Johnson’s determination was written all over her face as a leading group of a dozen women set off in the midst of a gale-force rainstorm around the former royal gardens. Prominent in the leading group with Dibaba, Kidane and Johnson were Kenya's Alice Timbilili, Lorna Kiplagat, running for the Netherlands, Canada’s Emilie Mondor and Britain’s Kathy Butler. After heavy overnight rain and the day's two previous races, the course was becoming increasingly sticky in a number of places, a factor which Kidane found discomforting, but which Johnson relished. "I grew up in Mackay, and did lot of my training as a kid on the beach and on sand hills," she said. "You learn how to run well when the going's not so good." With the halfway mark passed in 13:47, Kidane was working hard at the front. "I felt I had to take the lead because the pace was not fast and I needed to break up the field," last year’s World silver medallist at 10,000m explained. But with the leading group down to four with a lap to run, the decisive move was Johnson's as the leaders started their long uphill slog away from the grandstands. "I felt with the steep hill going into the last lap that the two Ethiopians girls were starting to tire," Johnson said. "I was tired too, but I thought I had to give it a go. I was hurting real bad, but I really wanted that medal." By the time Johnson had crested the rise at the far side of the course, the gap to Kidane was 10 metres and growing. "It was really tough. It was a good cross-country course, really heavy with some hard hills, a true test of who is the fittest distance runner on the day." Johnson came into the race straight from the Australian Olympic track trials in Melbourne, where she won the 10,000m, and clearly is at the top of her form. "Our country’s never won a medal at the World Cross before," she said, "and I reckon gold is a good place to start." Steven Downes for the IAAF Australian SummaryWomen's Long Course 1st Benita Johnson 27:17 17th Haley McGregor 28:41 26th Anna Thompson 28:57 55th Georgie Clarke 30:07 84th Kylie Risk 32:04 Team 6th Australia 99 pts Men's Short Course 9th Craig Mottram 11:51 25th Michael Power 12:06 101st Alastair Stevenson 12:54 103rd Michael Shelley 13:00 115th David Ruschena 13:17 Team 12th Australia 238 pts 32nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships - Full Results21 March 2004 - 6.38am Brussels, Belgium. 20-21 March 2004 Courtesy of www.iaaf.org Women's Long Course Cross Country 1 Johnson Benita AUS 27:17 2 Dibaba Ejegayehu ETH 27:29 3 Kidane Werknesh ETH 27:34 4 Timbilili Alice KEN 27:36 5 Erkesso Teyba ETH 27:43 6 Kiplagat Lornah NED 27:56 7 Jepkorir Eunice KEN 27:59 8 Mondor Émilie CAN 28:01 9 Domongole Fridah KEN 28:03 10 Barsosio Sally KEN 28:08 11 Butler Kathy GBR 28:13 12 Jevtic Olivera SCG 28:18 13 Yelling Liz GBR 28:25 14 Maury Margaret FRA 28:29 15 O'Neill Kate USA 28:37 16 Tulu Derartu ETH 28:39 17 McGregor Haley AUS 28:41 18 Tisi Patrizia ITA 28:45 19 Dahmani Zahia FRA 28:46 20 Ngotho Jane KEN 28:47 21 Sampaio Helena POR 28:48 22 Damen Louise GBR 28:48 23 Ritter Susanne GER 28:53 24 Chébili Rkia FRA 28:56 25 Newberry Kathy USA 28:56 26 Thompson Anna AUS 28:57 27 McGregor Katie USA 28:57 28 Harvey Natalie GBR 28:58 29 Yelling Hayley GBR 29:00 30 McKiernan Catherina IRL 29:04 31 Schwabe Annemarie USA 29:05 32 Stallwood Rebecca CAN 29:06 33 Klilech-Fauvel Fatiha FRA 29:07 34 Kipchumba Irene Kwambai KEN 29:09 35 Daunay Christelle FRA 29:15 36 Bak Justyna POL 29:20 37 Ichikawa Yoshiko JPN 29:20 38 O'Neill Laura USA 29:27 39 Deemay Josephine TAN 29:31 40 Rosa Analía POR 29:38 41 Ejjafini Nadia BRN 29:38 42 Aboulahcen Mounia BEL 29:40 43 Kuma Eyerusalem ETH 29:41 44 Recio Teresa ESP 29:46 45 Asahssah Malika MAR 29:48 46 Habtemariam Nebiat ERI 29:51 47 Aguilar Alessandra ESP 29:52 48 Ryan Rosemary IRL 29:53 49 Dias Ana POR 29:59 50 Yvelain Fatima FRA 30:00 51 Wahbi Kenza MAR 30:01 52 Sato Yumi JPN 30:02 53 Notagashira Miho JPN 30:05 54 Plá Judith ESP 30:06 55 Clarke Georgie AUS 30:07 56 Smolders Anja BEL 30:08 57 Rosa Mónica POR 30:08 58 Zambrano Maria CAN 30:09 59 Hailu Alemtsehay ETH 30:12 60 Machado Olga POR 30:13 61 Piedra Amaia ESP 30:16 62 Offergeld Kim BEL 30:17 63 Rody Kristina CAN 30:17 64 Ogoshi Kazue JPN 30:20 65 Izem Hafida MAR 30:23 66 Lopes Elisabete POR 30:26 67 Looper Antje NED 30:26 68 de Croock Stephanie BEL 30:27 69 Curley Pauline IRL 30:27 70 Mills Stephanie CAN 30:28 71 Byrne Jolene IRL 30:31 72 Montane Silvia ESP 30:40 73 Labrecque Lisa CAN 30:42 74 Kamangila Faith ZIM 30:43 75 Britton Fionnuala IRL 30:43 76 Debaets Corinne BEL 30:49 77 Nadym Drissia MAR 30:52 78 Ros Beatriz ESP 30:55 79 Austin Molly USA 31:00 80 Verthé Sylvie BEL 31:11 81 Joseph Restituta TAN 31:27 82 Joseph Emeliana TAN 31:43 83 O'Sullivan Niamh IRL 31:48 84 Risk Kylie AUS 32:04 85 Vieira Maria Lúcia Alves BRA 32:13 86 Apaza Rosa BOL 32:19 87 Maldonado Zenaida PUR 32:54 88 Monterroso Elsa GUA 33:21 89 Orlova Olesia KGZ 33:23 90 Díaz María PUR 33:42 91 Rendazza Regina ISV 33:49 92 Kirgizbaeva Veronika UZB 35:37 93 Hamilton Lisha ISV 35:42 94 David Ruth ISV 38:12 95 Witty Rachel ISV 38:24 96 Motorina Anna TKM 40:06 Soud Kanbouchia MAR DNF Hussein Hawa TAN DNS Chikwakwa Catherine MAW DNS Yoshimatsu Hisae JPN DNS Teams Event 1 Ethiopia 26 2 Kenya 30 3 Great Britain & N.I. 74 4 France 90 5 United States 98 6 Australia 99 7 Canada 161 8 Portugal 167 9 Spain 206 10 Japan 206 11 Ireland 218 12 Belgium 228 13 Morocco 238 14 Virgin Islands 373 Men's Short Course 1 Bekele Kenenisa ETH 11:31 2 Gebremariam Gebre-egziabher ETH 11:36 3 Zewdie Maregu ETH 11:42 4 Hassan Abdullah Ahmad QAT 11:44 5 Shaheen Saif Saaeed QAT 11:44 6 Kirui Eliud Kibet KEN 11:45 7 Songok Isaac Kiprono KEN 11:45 8 Zaman Sultan Khamis QAT 11:50 9 Mottram Craig AUS 11:51 10 Kaouch Adil MAR 11:56 11 Birhanu Dejene ETH 11:56 12 Suárez Alejandro MEX 11:56 13 Boukensa Tarek ALG 11:57 14 Garcia Carlos ESP 11:58 15 Tahri Bouabdallah FRA 11:58 16 Cragg Alistair Ian IRL 11:58 17 Sullivan Kevin CAN 11:58 18 Morrison Paul CAN 11:59 19 Chebii Abraham KEN 11:59 20 Muneria Kiplimo KEN 12:00 21 Songok Boniface Kiprotich KEN 12:01 22 Al-Ameeri Abdulaziz Abdelrahman QAT 12:03 23 Saadoun Ali Al-Dawoodi QAT 12:05 24 Es-Saadi Ridouane BEL 12:06 25 Power Michael AUS 12:06 26 Moussaoui Samir ALG 12:06 27 Chopa Damian Paul TAN 12:07 28 Ouerdi Zouhair MAR 12:09 29 Adelo Hussan ETH 12:10 30 Ezzine Hamid MAR 12:11 31 Awel Mohamed ETH 12:12 32 Kibowen John KEN 12:12 33 Gary Robert USA 12:12 34 Nicolas Benoit FRA 12:14 35 Pusterla Umberto ITA 12:15 36 Watson Luke USA 12:17 37 Graffin Andrew GBR 12:19 38 Khaldi Mohamed ALG 12:20 39 Waldeselassie Amanuel ERI 12:21 40 Teixeira Mário POR 12:22 41 Bourgeois Joël CAN 12:23 42 Willis Nicholas NZL 12:23 43 Bourfaa Noureddine ALG 12:23 44 Caliandro Cosimo ITA 12:23 45 Damião Manuel POR 12:23 46 Rebenciuc Sandu USA 12:23 47 Borms Wim BEL 12:24 48 Cordes Jared USA 12:24 49 Jiménez Antonio David ESP 12:25 50 Abdallah Ali ERI 12:25 51 Ezzine Ali MAR 12:26 52 Hayden Ryan CAN 12:26 53 Wójcik Rafal POL 12:27 54 Marofit Mourad MAR 12:27 55 Maduro José POR 12:27 56 Nyasango Cuthbert ZIM 12:27 57 Naïli Ahmed ALG 12:28 58 Connor Ian USA 12:29 59 Blanco José Luis ESP 12:30 60 Festa Isaiah USA 12:30 61 Manirazika Egide BDI 12:31 62 Coolsaet Reid CAN 12:31 63 Piedra Byron ECU 12:32 64 Connolly Robert IRL 12:32 65 Perrone Lorenzo ITA 12:33 66 Silva Rui Pedro POR 12:33 67 Munthali Francis MAW 12:34 68 Sekletov Aleksandr RUS 12:35 69 Kifletsion Habtai ERI 12:36 70 Benz Thomas SUI 12:36 71 Martínez Antonio Manuel ESP 12:36 72 Viciosa Isaac ESP 12:37 73 Vögeli Daniel SUI 12:37 74 Crepaldi Gianni ITA 12:38 75 Zahraoui Abdelhalim MAR 12:38 76 Cantin Jayson CAN 12:38 77 Pimentel Licinio POR 12:39 78 Van Den Velde Stijn BEL 12:39 79 Margeirsson Sveinn ISL 12:40 80 Benhari El-Mokhtar FRA 12:40 81 Abraham Aléxis FRA 12:40 82 Jenni Walter SUI 12:41 83 Ninga Mussa Mohamed TAN 12:42 84 Pilaluisa Cesar ECU 12:42 85 Buc Boštjan SLO 12:43 86 Shapovalov Pavel RUS 12:43 87 Birchall Robert GBR 12:44 88 Ficagna Celso BRA 12:45 89 Bandi Philippe SUI 12:45 90 Buck Rees NZL 12:45 91 Vermeiren Johan BEL 12:45 92 Orlov Aleksandr RUS 12:46 93 Baddeley Andrew GBR 12:46 94 Ghoulam Nabil FRA 12:46 95 Saifeldin Khamis Abdullah QAT 12:49 96 Iwamizu Yoshitaka JPN 12:50 97 Morales Jonathan MEX 12:50 98 Gurkin Aleksey RUS 12:51 99 Ribeiro Pedro POR 12:52 100 Chancusig Edgar ECU 12:53 101 Stevenson Alastair AUS 12:54 102 Nieves Néstor VEN 12:56 103 Shelley Michael AUS 13:00 104 Desmedt Frederic BEL 13:01 105 Adhanom Abrha ERI 13:03 106 Akkas Halil TUR 13:03 107 Cedazo Yair MEX 13:03 108 Martínez Víctor AND 13:06 109 Mächler Michael SUI 13:06 110 Bagrev Denis KGZ 13:08 111 Arias Richard ECU 13:09 112 Hernandez Cayetano MEX 13:09 113 Gallardo Sergio ESP 13:12 114 Tesfay Micxhael ERI 13:14 115 Ruschena David AUS 13:17 116 Van Rooy Rom BEL 13:18 117 García Perez Miguel Ángel VEN 13:19 118 Margeirsson Björn ISL 13:20 119 Sinitsyn Alexandr KAZ 13:21 120 Awadah Hussein LIB 13:23 121 Rogart Stephen TAN 13:24 122 Sansa Josep AND 13:24 123 Stucki Pius SUI 13:26 124 Almassri Nader PLE 13:27 125 Greaux Alexander PUR 13:28 126 Labiche Antoine Simon SEY 13:29 127 Iñiguez Moisés MEX 13:29 128 Irmatov Nozimjon TJK 13:31 129 Nemec Dario CRO 13:31 130 Aliyev Aazam UZB 13:33 131 Kifleyesus Misgina ERI 13:45 132 Tonchinski Uladzimir BLR 13:50 133 Santivañez Beltran Mario Jorge BOL 13:55 134 Gafarov Fikret AZE 13:56 135 Ndayisenga Jean-Berchmans BDI 13:57 136 Marie Ronny SEY 13:58 137 Arngrímson Sigurbjörn Arni ISL 14:02 138 Nurmuradov Serdar TKM 14:22 139 Escajadillo Vladimir PER 14:43 Athamna Noureddine ALG DNF González Freddy VEN DNS Pangiso Kelvin ZIM DNS Gidabuday Julius TAN DNS Teams Event 1 Ethiopia 17 2 Qatar 39 3 Kenya 52 4 Morocco 119 5 Algeria 120 6 Canada 128 7 United States 163 8 Spain 193 9 Portugal 206 10 France 210 11 Italy 218 12 Australia 238 13 Belgium 240 14 Eritrea 263 15 Switzerland 314 16 Mexico 328 17 Russia 344 18 Ecuador 358 Benita @ IAAF World Cross Country ChampsBenita’s complete results at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships:2001 6th, 2002 4th, 2003 5th, 2004 1st [2001-2003 short course, 2004 long course] Australia’s Top-10 finishersAustralia’s Top-10 finishers at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships: 1st Benita Johnson 2004 4th Steve Moneghetti 1989 4th Benita Johnson 2002 5th Benita Johnson 2003 5th Jackie Perkins 1989 5th Craig Mottram 2002 5th Susie Power 1993 [junior race] 6th Benita Johnson 2001 6th Steve Moneghetti 1992 6th Rob de Castella 1981 6th Rob de Castella 1983 8th Craig Mottram 2001 8th Krishna Stanton 1987 9th Craig Mottram 2004 9th Suzy Walsham 1989 [junior race] 9th Melissa Rollison 2002 [junior race] 10th Rob de Castella 1982 Posted at 11:02 [Perma-Link]
Cathy Freeman Tribute DinnerA Cathy Freeman Tribute Dinner is organised for next month, and all interested parties are invited to be a part of it - the details are:Event: Cathy Freeman Tribute Date: Wednesday 21st April, 2004 Venue: The Palladium at Crown, L1 Crown Towers, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank, Melbourne Time: 7.00pm for 7.30pm Dress: After five Tickets: $99.00 per person, or $990 per table of 10 Bookings: From Ticketmaster7 from Monday 22 March, phone 136-100 Phone your friends and coordinate a table of 10 & then call ticketmaster7 to make your booking. Get yourself organised so that you don't miss the opportunity to be a part of this great celebration. Cathy Freeman will get the farewell function her career achievements warrant at a tribute dinner to be hosted by Eddie McGuire at Crown Casino next month. The dinner, on Wednesday, April 21, will offer Freeman's friends, fans and sponsors the chance to say "goodbye" after a career spanning almost 15 years and crowned by her gold medal in the 400 metres at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Freeman drifted into retirement just before last year's world championships in Paris with the acknowledgement that she no longer had the drive and will to succeed at the highest levels of the sport. She had two heavy defeats at the hands of the Mexican runner Ana G |