Knox Roadrunners

January 07 – Edition 16

Happy New Year

We hope that everyone at KRR has a safe and happy New Year. Looking forward to some more PBs in 2007, running faster, feeling fitter or simply still running. May everyone have an injury free year and enjoy their running. The start of a new year is always a time to review the past year and set some goals for the next. In 2006 the members of the club had many fine achievements. The following list covers some. I apologise for those that I have surely missed. A great year and very well done everyone.

Issy Bespalov

2nd Woman Great Ocean Rd Marathon 3:17:10.0 (45k) 3:02:48.2 (42k) 6th Woman Melbourne Marathon 3:01:05

Lesley Bower

1st Age Group Great Ocean Road Half Marathon 1:59:14.0 (23k) 1:48:59.1 (21k) 3rd Interstate & Overseas Women’s Team City to Surf (also Young Heather White)

Anna D’Alberto, Helen Stanley, Michelle Tham

2nd Social Team Melbourne Half Marathon

Issy Bespalov, Denise Hearn, Marie Kavanagh

1st Social Team Melbourne Marathon

Milan Stanisic, John Signorini, John Raskas

3rd Social Team Melbourne Marathon

Katherine Sharpe, Sarah Hortin, Grant Scurry, Derek Dawkins

Completed first marathon

DT

Return to form in Melbourne Half Marathon 1:49:37 (Go DT, great to see you back as a force at KRR)

Dave Black

Just running after his massive accident, but running in sensational form leading the pack

Bruce Rattenbury

Marathon PB in Melbourne Marathon 3:23:20

Greg Palmer

Returning from injury 48.51 in Olympic Dream

Kim Wright, Denise Hearn, Anna D’Alberto, Bret Butler

Oxfam Run – fastest team from KRR to all complete the event – 15.54

Anna D’Alberto

60 mins in City to Surf (4 minute PB)

City to Surf

Nearly everyone ran a PB

So in 2007 we are looking forward to even more PBs, some sub 3 marathons and the return of the Retired Executives to Oxfam in the Fourtone team trying to grab the club Oxfam record.The Run for the Kids and the Great Ocean Road Marathon will become traditions and all of the regular runs will be back.
See you all on the track on Saturdays.

Christmas Lunch & Club Awards

Helen did her usual great job of arranging the venue for our Christmas Lunch at the Royal Hotel once more.  We had 55 members and guests for lunch and that kept the place very noisy with all the excited chatter.
After lunch we presented the 2006 club awards. 

The Leo Rooney Award for the Best Club Person was unanimously awarded to Dave Weedon for his fantastic support in arranging and driving the bus for events throughout the year.

Dave did such a good job that he turned up with the bus for the Carrum Biggie despite the Pres & Vice Pres both thinking the other had arranged with Dave to drive the bus.  Neither had of course!!   The Greg Palmer Award for the Most Improved Runner was awarded for the first time in Greg’s name.  In a year of so many amazing performances it was a difficult choice with the committee nominating six different members.  The winner was Sarah Hortin for her incredible effort of starting in January unable to run 10k and by October completing the Melbourne Marathon.  Sarah trained hard with the club almost every week and stuck religiously to her game plan.  Well done Sarah.  

Kris Kringle
Our annual Kris Kringle had some “interesting” items this year.  The concept requires participants to draw a name out of the hat and purchase a gift of no more than $10 and write a short, offensive, humorous poem to the recipient that they receive anonymously.  One of the highlights this year was the nodding dog to go in the back seat of Jim McGregor’s Jaguar.  A classy item that he will no doubt place there with pride.
The Pres got his usual derogatory mention in the Lady Pres’ poem, but the person who wrote the Pres’ poem managed to besmirch both the Pres himself and the Vice Pres.  (We think that the Vice Pres had slunk away to Point Lonsdale to avoid the Kris Kringle, but there is just no escape.  Queer that!)

Summer Running School

Our summer running series commenced this week and will continue until the end of January.  These are a series of away runs from various locations followed by breakfast.

Sweat vs Steam

Grant Scurry says that he  was thinking of the Olympic Dream runners as he was sweating it out against the Paddle steamer “Adelaide” up at Echuca in the Sweat V’s Steam fun run.  Not a bad little event run over dirt tracks along the Murray and through the Port of Echuca. Distance is 13km or a 5km event. Very laid back but well organised. You picked up your race bib at the Shamrock Hotel on Saturday (very dangerous).  Its organised by the Echuca YMCA.  Plenty of drink stations along the route which were welcome, as it was pretty warm by the 8.00am start.  Massages after the event and bacon and eggs if desired.The Adelaide came in at 59min and Grant come in at 63min.  

Heather White Fun Run

The Heather White was run with a smaller crowd than usual.  The dress theme of a “legend” was obviously the challenge that kept runners away.  However a few brave souls dressed up and after a difficult run in heat and smoke from the bush fires we kicked back for a DT cooked breakfast.The winner of the prestigious Barry Boyd Award went to Fran Stone for her amazing appearance as Tina Turner.  Some of those voting also thought she deserved it for her choice of running companion.  Karen agreed, then asked who that was!!

Barry Boyd winner, Fran Stone joined by her running companion, Karen Cosson as well as Lesley Bower and Heather White