Wrest Point to Pinnacle
16 November 1997Mt. Wellington, Tasmania
Just call me Mr. Consistency!
On Sunday I ran in the Point to Pinnacle run and walk. This race is marginally further than a half marathon -- 21.4K instead of 21.1K. It starts at sea level -- at the water's edge at the Wrest Point Casino -- and climbs the 1270m (about 4160ft) to the top of Mt Wellington.
- 1996 Point to Pinnacle, 1:38:53, 13th, 1st in 40+ age group.
- 1997 Point to Pinnacle, 1:38:33, 13th, 1st in 40+ age group.
It is not just me that is consistent -- the men's and women's winners were the same as last year (but both of them were slower this year). And, like last year, it was snowing as we approached the summit (even though summer officially starts in two weeks). (This is the only time I've touched snow this year.) Last year there was plenty of snow on the ground and the falling snow was heavy enough that visibility was severely restricted. This year there was no snow on the ground when I finished, and the falling snow was rather thin. The slower finishers apparently had a worse time though -- by then snow was falling to below halfway up the mountain.
The wind was more of a nuisance this year than in 1996, but was still nowhere near as strong as it often gets here. There is a weather station at the summit and the reported min and max temperatures for Sunday were -2C and 3C (about 28F and 38F). No mention of wind speed, so I can't work out the wind chill factor. I ran in a singlet and shorts and had a pair of gloves pinned to my shorts in case my hands started getting too cold. My arms were a bit cold near the end, but not bad enough to make it worth trying to unpin the gloves. (BTW, on the tights thread, I've worn tights on just one run in the nearly four years we've been living in Hobart. I don't recall whether I wore shorts over them. I don't have a prominent "braai pack", even in warm weather).
As in 1996, I ran the race very conservatively. No-one passed me, whereas I fed on "roadkill" to keep myself moving forward. Last year I passed the first woman at about 5 miles (and finished about 5 minutes in front of her). This year I ran with her for the first few miles and finished slightly further ahead of her.
There were 160 runners and walkers this year, up from about 110 last year. This is the best-organised race I've run in Australia. There are buses to take warm gear up to the top and bring runners/walkers back down afterwards. (One poor guy was getting car-sick {bus-sick?} on the winding trip back down the mountain. Our bus had to stop twice for him to get out and throw up.) The buses also provide a warm shelter after one has finished. The organisers have blankets available to wrap finishers in. (Old woollen blankets, not "space blankets" -- this is Tassie, after all.) There were some refreshments available at the summit, but the main goomies were at the reception/prize-giving back at the casino -- hot soup, sandwiches, fruit, mineral water and FREE beer (the brewery J. Boag & Sons being one of the sponsors). I didn't have any beer as I had to drive home afterwards (about a mile :-)) and usually get drunk on just one beer even when I am not dehydrated. (I will admit to opening one of Boag's products after dinner on Sunday evening though.) At least one of the elite runners brought in from interstate seemed to be enjoying frequent refills of his beer glass.
This being Australia, T-shirts were not included in the entry fee (Aus$15, with $3 off for registered running-club members). There were race T-shirts on sale though, with the profile of the course printed on them. Also, being Tassie, for most the way there weren't distance markers. The only markers were a "12km to go" sign and "X km to go" for X = 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
On the Friday before the race I had a call from a club-mate asking if I was willing to be part of a team in the team division. (Actually, he didn't *ask*, he *told* me I had been listed as part of the team.) The team event is decided on the combined times of the 4 team members. Our team won, finishing in positions 9, 11, 12 & 13. (I was lucky to win the 40+ age division as my team-mate who finished 11th will turn 40 in less than two weeks.)
Age division and team awards are mailed out rather than given at the award presentation. They are not even announced at the presentation. The race director claims that this is so that he can ensure that there aren't any mistakes. But it does mean that the age division winners miss out on being recognised at what is the biggest awards ceremony at any race in the area. Awards were handed out by, among others, Hobart's Lord Mayor and the Minister for the Environment in the State government. The latter was one of at least two state politicians who completed the walk. (But I still wouldn't vote for either of them as I don't agree with their politics.) The race was covered by news crews of all three of the TV stations which have locally produced news programs.
My staleness continues -- apart from in Sunday's race. When I went for a slow 5 miler on Saturday I felt as if my legs were going to go on strike. Maybe they were saving themselves for the next morning's madness. Do legs have minds of their own? Mine certainly seem to.
Next up: the Tasmanian (Cadbury's) "Glass and a Half" Marathon on January 11.
Cheers,
Dave
Report by: The Ancyent Marath'ner Dave Couper.
