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7.30 am Sunday 6 September 1998
City Botanic Gardens, Brisbane

$1,200 cash prize pool for the first 5 finishers in the 10k event $2,000 worth of Brooks sporting apparel $2000 worth of Sussan Clothing vouchers

Run or walk for fun on Sunday, September 6 in the INTRAINING Women's 10km Classic. Women of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate in the 10km run/walk, 5km run/walk or junior relay.

The 10km run/walk will start at 7:30am at the City Botanic Gardens. The course will follow the Brisbane River from the Gardens across Victoria Bridge to West End and then return. It is a flat, fast and scenic route that suits the fun runner and walker, the competitive athlete and those out for an enjoyable stroll.

Last year's winner Kerry Schreiber said that the women's fun run was a "Celebration of women in sport, of all ages and abilities." Kerry's mother and aunt completed the 10km distance for the first time last year. "I liked to see mum, who is a good friend as well as my mother, enjoy it [the walk] as much as I did. I do it for the competitive challenge whereas my mum and aunt do it for the personal challenge and fun."

The 5km run/walk was first introduced last year as a shorter option to the 10km. This distance was particularly popular with the younger age groups.

The junior relay is a three person tag relay. Each runner completes the 1km loop in the City Botanic Gardens. Great prizes are awarded to the first three teams in the secondary and primary school divisions. The school teams can be from individual schools, clubs or just a group of friends. School teams are encouraged to enter prior to the day, but they can also enter on race day.

As participation is the focus of the INTRAINING Women's 10km Classic, a prize is given to the school with the most entries from the junior relay, 10km and 5km. The participants can be students, teachers or parents from the same school. St. Joseph's Primary School in Bardon has been the winner for the last two years. Bernadette Skelly who led the large team of thirty-two claims enthusiasm to be the reason for the school's success. "The school has a really good cross country program called the Kilometre Club and the kids love it. When they see something that has to do with fitness, they jump at the chance to participate."

Team participation is becoming quite popular. In the 10km event, you can also participate as a member of a family, corporate or buddy team. The family and corporate teams are calculated on accumulated times of the three runners or walkers in each team. The buddy team must finish the race together. Two time buddy team winners and record holders, Betty Menzies, Michelle Curtin and Debbie Richards are in training for the 1998 INTRAINING Women's 10km Classic. Betty Menzies, who recently ran the Comrads Marathon in South Africa (87k), said that running the 10km event as a team has rekindled her enthusiasm to run and train. "I'll get there because of their (Michelle and Debbie) enthusiasm. Camaraderie is a team thing… It encourages you to do something that you would not normally do on your own."

Despite the competitiveness of these three ladies, buddy teams have been most popular with the walkers. Sue Wagner-Grose who walked with two other friends as a buddy team in 1996 said that walking the 10km was a great opportunity to do something outside of the office with her fellow workers. "You see a different side of people when challenged as in the 10km walk. They were younger and fitter than I was and I was doing something I hadn't done before."

Entry into the 10km and 5km run/walk is only $10. This includes a delicious muffin and fruit breakfast from Monte Carlo Café and Queensland Independent Fruit and Vegie Wholesalers and a massage from Shelley Matthews Physiotherapy. There are also great category and random draw prizes to be won including $2,000 worth of Brooks sporting apparel, $2,000 worth of Sussan Clothing vouchers and a $1,200 cash prize pool for the first five finishes in the 10km event.

The INTRAINING Women's 10km Classic is a fun way to spend the morning with friends and family. For more information, phone INTRAINING Running Centre on 07.3371.7811.

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