You guys are off to Louisville for Conference this weekend, can you guys emulate the All Blacks and win while doing it the hard way?

The guys and I are really looking forward to this weekend. We’re expecting it to be just as much of a nail bitter as the AB’s had over the Frogs (Editors note: The Runner’s Tribe does not take responsibility for Mathews racial comments regarding the sovereign state of France). However, we do have a few Kiwi’s in our way, with the boys at Providence running awesome this year, but we’re looking forward to the showdown. The Big East is such a big deal for both the team and the coaching staff and this is the first time in a decade we have had a legitimate chance at taking home the title. So we’ll take it anyway we have to run it (be it ugly or not).

Typically you have finished the money-end of each season as Villanova’s no.1 guy both on and off the course, are you starting to find some form?

This year definitely hasn’t gone according to plan. I’ve really come to realize how big of a toll stress can play on a runner. Unfortunately this is part and parcel with being a student athlete at such an academically rigorous school. It has been a combination of a few things that we think (my coaches and I) has left me pretty drained. Things are turning around for the better, and after a great summer and an even better opener at the Mainline Invite I know the form is there. It’s really great to have a team of studs who have stepped up and kept us competitive while a few of the guys get back on track.

Two years ago your team was 11th in the country and you were All-American, yet last year you didn’t quite match the same success. What happened?

Last year was one of those years where things didn’t seem to click across the board, which is a tough thing to swallow on the back of such a good season the year before. We had a few injuries and illnesses take down some of our top guys early, but again we had guys step up to keep the momentum rolling. In fact I would say that a lot of guys left the season on a high note. We really got up and had a stella run at regional’s (considering the circumstances) placing second behind a very good Princeton team. NCAA’s was always going to be tough running against such a high caliber field especially when things aren’t going exactly to plan. We ended up 23rd which is honestly where we were probably expected to fall.

Your team mates Matt Gibney and Keith Capecci are both running well this season and will be huge factors at Conference, who do you think would win in a mud-wrestling fight between those two?

To your first point: The boys are really leading the charge out there this season! It’s great to see Gibney showing us distance boys how it’s done, and Keith being a Bawse as usual.

Now to the meat of your question: That’s a huge call. You have two large Alpha males squaring off. This thing is definitely going late into the 12th. If I’m going to go with my gut I’d have to go with Keith. Having had experience with the big guy in the ring I can say first hand that he knows how to get the job done. However if you’ve ever seen the Gibinator with 100 to go you know he won’t go down without a fight. I say Keith gets it in a choke out- give or take some hair pulling.

I heard that you are engaged to be married, is that true?

Mathew declined to offer a legitimate response to this question obviously due to the seriousness of the situation. We at The Runner’s Tribe wish him all the best.

I thought I would give everyone an update seeing though it’s been a while since Australia has seen or heard from me. Believe it or not I have turned into a grizzly... an Adams State Grizzly. Adams State College is in Alamosa, Colorado, USA. Most people are probably thinking like where, what, why would you go there?  In this blog I will try and answer a few of the questions that I have been asked.

Australians have probably never heard of Adams State College yet in the American running community it is one of the most talked about running programs. Adams State indisputably is the most successful running collegiate program across all divisions.  It has won over 50 national cross countries, indoor and outdoor national titles in the NAIA and NCAA Division 2.  This is staggering considering it is only a small state liberal arts college in the middle of the San Luis Valley in south east Colorado.  The program was founded by world famous coach,  Dr. Joe Vigil who was later the coach of Deena Kastor (Current American Women’s Marathon Record Holder and Olympic Bronze Medalists) and Meb Keflezighi (Olympic Silver Marathon Medalist). Vigil also coached Pat Porter who attended Adams State College. Porter is arguably America’s best cross country runner winning 8 consecutive US cross country titles in the 80’s and five top 10 finishes in the World Cross Country with a best placing of 4^th.  Probably the most well known feat of ASC is the 1992 Men's cross country team that became the first and only team in collegiate cross country history to record a perfect score at the NCAA D2 National Championships.

The current head coach of Adams State is Coach Damon Martin who took over the reins in the 90’s after serving as Vigil’s assistant for many years.  Coach has even taken the program to another level in his time. We have won the last 3 national cross country D2 titles (which I was lucky enough to be a part of this year’s championships). Last year the team also won the indoor championship and had a team of 5 athletes who ran under 14min for 5k with Brian Medigovic and Aaron Braun running PR’s of 13.29 and 13.35.

Why did you go to college? Couldn’t you have got a contract or just continued to train in Australia?    

 If you really want to be a full time athlete from Australia you need to be down around the low 3.30’s.   As an Australian athlete there isn’t a lot of support out there. As much as I wanted to stay in Australia I knew it wasn’t a viable option financially as well as not having a system in which I could achieve my full potential. My brother has been over in America for the last two years and I felt like he was living the runners dream, while I was training away, alone in Newry with my parents support and trying to complete a Commerce degree at university. I came to Alamosa earlier in the year so my brother Dean (who is my coach) could keep a closer eye on my training as I made my comeback from injury. Over that time I was able to get a good look into the college athlete’s lifestyle. Over that time I saw that I was missing out on a lot… Dean had training partners, great facilities, an amazing training environment and a support team around him day in day out. 

Why wouldn’t you go to a big D1 school?                                                                                                           
 Adam State doesn’t have the million dollar athletic budgets like the D1 schools but I feel I have everything I need.  Here at Adams we are kind of like the blue-collar workers. Of course going to a D1 college would have been a great experience and plenty of fun, but I knew at Adams State that this was the place that I could stay focused and receive the support and guidance that allows me to best achieve my potential. Adams is known for developing athletes not recruiting athletes. It doesn’t get footlocker finalist they get athletes like Aaron Braun. Braun only ran 4:24 for the mile and 9:34 for the 2mile in high school yet ended up closing his collegiate career running 13.36 for 5k, one of the fastest 5k times across all divisions.  

However, probably the biggest reason why I did come to Adams was because I didn’t have to change much. I am still coached by my brother Dean, who works closely with Coach Martin bouncing ideas endlessly trying to work out what’s best for me. I also knew that training at altitude (Alamosa is at 2300m altitude) worked for me. I was able to run over a 3sec pb with only a couple months training and after having 5 months of no running because of injuries.  My running goals have always been centralized around Olympics and World Champs. Coach Martin understands my goals and is in full support of me achieving them.

My first semester at Adams has been a great experience. I am grateful of being given this opportunity and I really feel as if I am a part of something very special here at Adams State. I have the opportunity to train with people, be surrounded by great facilities and have a fully supporting team that really believes in my ability.

It was an amazing experience being a part of a winning team when we won the National Cross Champs in the snow at Louisville, Kentucky. I kind of missed out on playing team sports like cricket and footy as a kid as I choose to be a runner at a very young age. Therefore, it was an amazing experience to share a championship with the team. I ended up finishing 14^th overall and was 4^th man on our team. The D2 cross country champs are an event to be seen… the crowd is amazing it was as if you’re in the tour de France. Adams holds a fierce rivalry with Western State. The rivalry is something I had heard about but I didn’t expect it to be like it was. The hostility between fans is probably similar to that of the River Plate and Boca Juniors fans.  One of the great things about Adams State is that we do have a big following and that there are a lot of diehard fans who travel a long way to watch us race.

I know personally from my semester here that I wouldn’t have been ready for the training load and structure of the American college system straight out of high school. I was close to coming over here from high school but I think I made the right decision in waiting those two years. I think the Aussies with the most success over here have been those who have waited. But I guess it depends on the athlete.

At the moment I am busy putting in my base prep for the indoor and Australian season. I hope to see everyone when I get back home for the Sydney Track Classic and Australian Champs in a couple of months.

Merry Xmas & B Good

Craig Huffer

Today was a pretty significant race day for me: the NCAA West Region Cross Country Championships. It was the last time that I’d represent the Oregon Ducks in front of our home crowd, having only eligibility left to last me through the indoor season.  Our team placed 2^nd to secure our berth at Nationals. Everyone who was anyone was out there, and seeing faces that I knew in the crowd really helped push me along. I particularly liked it when my Australian friend yelled, “Av-a- go-ya-mug!” as per request. I managed to finish 10^th over the 6k. My time was 20:24, though I’m not sure if it was a personal best or not seeing as the courses vary. It was a big improvement for me since our conference meet, 2 weeks ago, where I finished back in 23^rd. The difference was made up from saving my energy and excitement until the end, rather than the other way around. 6k is obviously a lot farther than my distance on the track, so harnessing the long distance mentality is something that I’ve had to work on.  Being on a collegiate team has helped me to grow into the role of a team player, and into my potential as an athlete.  Next up…Nationals in Terra Haute!

View Zoe's blog homepage HERE

Lisa Weightman Berlin World Champs Interview

© 2009 The Runner's Tribe, all rights reserved. Published Tuesday August 18, 2009

Brought to you by Edward Ovadia who is in Berlin with official IAAF accreditation covering the championships for Runnerstribe.com

Brought to you by Edward Ovadia who is in Berlin with official IAAF accreditation covering the championships for Runnerstribe.com

The womens marathon kicked off the last day of competition, with Lisa Weightman the only Aussie lining up. Weightman was running only her third marathon of her life, after a great debut in London last year, and then an admirable run in the Olympics where she placed 33rd.

Runners to look out for included America's favourite Kara Goucher, China's Chunxiu Zhou (bronze medalist in last year's home Olympics), Ethiopian Dire Tune, as well as a stellar team from Ethiopia, Kenya, China and Japan.

The pace was slow early on, with a big pack bunching up at the front. Through 10km, Weightman was a minute back in 43rd, and using the tactic that served our boys so well yesterday, of coming through the field.

Through 15km there as still a massive pack of 25 runners together, which included all the favourites. Weightman was 1:28 back in 41st place, and holding her place well.

German hope Irina Mikitenko wasn't able to compete due to injuries, and Paula Radcliffe, who was running her own race to make it to the start line in one piece after recovering from injury, just missed out, with a half marathon the weekend before taking its toll.

Approaching halfway, the pack was still on, with over 20 women running together, and all passing halfway in 1:13:39, with Weightman 1:33 behind the pace, in 1:15:12, and in 34th place - moving nicely through the field.

At 25km, the pack still has 25 people in it, but Weightman was slowly making her way up, now in 31st place. But at only 1:25 minutes behind the leaders, she was not dropping off at all. In fact she was running faster than the leaders, but just had a bit of ground to make up.

By 30km the pack had trung out a little, but was still dragging 10 people along for the ride. Goucher was slowly dropping, now seven seconds adrift, but still in contact. Nailiya Yulamanova of Russia (Rotterdam marathon winner this year) was still forcing the pace, along with Xiaolin Zhu and Xue Bai of China. Weightman was sitting in 29th, but was now 2:16 behind the leaders, as the women in the front decided to make an honest race of it.

And then it was down to four - Yulamanova, Zhu, Yoshimi Ozaki of Japan, and Aselefech Mergia of Ethiopia - with Goucher, Zhou, and Bai chasing.

As we passed two hours, it was down to three. A Chinese (Zhu), an Ethiopian (Mergia), and Japanese (Ozaki) - and none of the really big names that we had expected - they were all chasing. Goucher 45 seconds behind, and Zhou 20 seconds behind in fifth, behind a dropping Yulamanova. Weightman was 23rd now, 3:45 behind the leaders, and closing fast. There was a big gap to the next runner in front of her, nearly a minute, but if she could bridge that gap then there were another seven runners ready to pounce on.

With two kilometers to go, there were still thee in it. Zhu whips her hat off, and it's game on. The pace is on, and only Zhu and Ozaki go with it, with Mergia dropping immediately. But Zhou was closing very quickly, and making moves to catch Mergia in third. At the same time, Zhu was making a break for it, with one kilometre to go.

And coming under the Brandenburg Gate first was Zhu, in 2:25:15, with Ozaki a close second, and Mergia holding on for third, with Zhou just behind in fourth. All the top four ended up finishing within 30 seconds of each other, in what was a thrilling and tight finish! Weightman finished 18th, a super placing, and a PB to boot, running 2:30:42.

Weightman:"I was just concentrating on exactly what Dick [Telford, Weightman's coach] and the team said to do, I had Susan telling me to concentrate, and she was handing out my drinks, so I had a good team! I pretty much was on track - Dick just said that given the heat, and my PB kind of shape, just to go out in 18 minutes for the first 5km, and I was spot on that, and went through 36:10 [at 10km], and felt pretty comfortable, just make sure I wasn't breathing hard. And then I started running 3:30 mins/km in the second 10km, and felt good then. I had a little bad patch for three of four kilometers in the third lap, around 37km, but then I saw a bunch of girls up ahead, so as I was passing people it made it a lot easier to keep going through."

"I didn't take a big risk today, just because I didn't know how it was going to go with the heat, and I don't have that much experience at this! It was pretty hot, I was taking drinks at every drink stop, and water at every water stop, just to put over my head. It's definitely hotter than Beijing, so I'm happy with the time considering it was a PB in this kind of sun - there wasn't really much shade."

 

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'Hills are speedword in disguise '
Frank Shorter

© 2008 The Runner's Tribe, all rights reserved.

Kathrine Switzer will always be best known as the woman who challenged the all-male tradition of the Boston Marathon and became the first woman to officially enter and run the event. Her entry created an uproar and worldwide notoriety when a race official tried to forcibly remove her from the competition.

Three decades later, the incident continues to capture the public imagination and is, in part, the reason Switzer has dedicated her multi-faceted career to creating opportunities and equal sport status for women.

That career has included creating programs in 27 countries for over 1 million women that led to the inclusion of the women's marathon as an official event in the Olympic Games, changing forever the face of sports, health and opportunities for women around the world.

The "Boston Incident" also inspired Kathrine to become a good athlete: She has run 35 marathons, won the 1974 New York City Marathon, and ran her personal best of 2:51.33 by finishing 2nd in the 1975 Boston Marathon. At the time, this was the 6th best women's marathon time in the world, and 3rd in the U.S.A

RunnersTribe: Kathrrine, thanks for you time. You recently launched a new book, a memoir titled 'Marathon Woman'. Can you give a run down on the guts of the book?

Kathrine Switzer : MARATHON WOMAN is my 3rd book; it is an autobiography, but told in the scope of the women's marathon and other women's sports history from about 1960-84. It is not really about 'running', although of course it IS about running; it's more about overcoming the impossible and changing women's lives. It's quite popular, and won a 'Billie' award this year for outstanding journalism.

RT: Even though you finished that famous 1967 Boston marathon, you were disqualified by Jock Semple. Did you ever hear much from Jack after that? Any apologies ?

KS: Jock Semple and I were at daggers drawn for 5 years after the Boston incident, and then he kissed me on the starting line of the 1973 Boston Marathon, so that was his way of saying, 'sorry, I was wrong.' We women had proved ourselves and he knew it. We went on to become best of friends, making speeches and appearances together. I was with him a few hours before he died; he was a man who changed my life and taught me that sometimes your biggest negatives can become your biggest positives.

That famous Boston incident, Courtesy of AP/Wideworld Photo

RT: You have lived an amazing life since that race in 1967 (no doubt before that as well). For example your role in establishing the Avon International Marathon (which proved a pivotal event in securing the women's marathon as an official event in the Olympic Games in 1984) truly helped shape the face of women's marathon running. If you had to choose just one or two highlights from your life thus far, what would they be?

KS: There are many highlights in my life, partly because I'm such an optimist that I find a lot of joy in things. But one of the greatest was seeing the women in the 1980 Avon Marathon come across the Westminster Bridge in London. It was the first time London streets had been closed for a sports event and I created the race that made that happen--it has since gone on to be the London Marathon! But I also knew with that race we had the required number of countries and continents to get the women's marathon in the Olympic Games, we'd worked hard to make that happen. The 2nd biggest was being in the room after frantic last-minute campaigning 6 months later when the IOC voted the women's marathon into the Olympic Games for 1984. I knew the whole world was going to change after that.

Kathrine Switzer, Marathon Woman - Courtesy of NzoneTonight

RT: What are your views on the current state of marathon running in America and around the world?

KS: It is interesting to watch the current state of marathon running, and how it changes as more countries emerge into the athletic forum. From the Brits to the Americans and then the Japanese, we all thought the Kenyans would hold dominance forever...but now it's the Ethiopians and pretty soon anybody who is born and bred at altitude will have the advantage. Ryan Hall fits that mold; he's an altitude boy.

RT: Childhood obesity is becoming a real problem for the majority of Western countries. Do you have any thoughts on ways we could combat this and hopefully increase the number of kids taking part in junior running?

KS: Childhood obesity is easy to solve. You can eat less or burn more to stay slim. And kids aren't exercising; hell, they aren't even moving! Americans are both rich and afraid--this is the first generation that doesn't have to be really worried about where food is coming from (a good thing) but afraid to let their kids go outside and play (a terrible thing). So the result is going to be a generation that will be diabetic and uninsurable. It will cost billions in health care. Children's running is a lot more fun and way cheaper--every running club in the USA should have a free kids program and every school should have a 'kids run the world' or 'kids run LA' kind of program--these cost nothing and give kids self-esteem and good health.

RT: What does the future hold for you, any grand plans?

KS: The future, I hope, is to spend more time with my husband, the great inspiration and love of my life, and to write more books. I've wanted to be a writer since I was 12, and people seem to like my books, so that is what I want to do. I'm also thinking about aging myself back into contention. Some of the Age Group 90+ records are pretty soft.

Kathrine's website

The Willandra cross country course in Nowra has hosted three Australian championships, the first in 1992, followed by 1994 and then again in 2002. In a blast from the past, our heroes of yesteryear recall their memories of this race and the unique course.

Malcolm Norwood:

It was 1992, the year of the Barcelona Olympics, and I was in particularly good form thanks to the guidance of coach Chris Wardlaw. The Australian cross country titles were being conducted in Nowra for the first time. I was well prepared, and after inspecting the course the day before, I was impressed by its design and the challenges it would offer. The best way for me to communicate my thoughts of the course is to reflect on the race plan I implemented on the day of the race, which lead to my win.

In particular I remember that around the 2km mark there was a steep hill followed by a gentle downhill section, which reminded me of the course in Bundoora. It was here that I planned to make my move to take the lead. Other sections of the course, especially toward the start, I remember as being very tight. In these sections I planned to run as efficiently as possible and conserve my energy, and not worry too much about where I was in the pack.

On the day of the race conditions were ideal. I felt very relaxed since I had a clear plan in mind and avoided going too hard at the start, which let me avoid the jostling for a prominent position early on. By the time we reached the hill at the 2km point I was in touch with the bunch. I followed my plan to run a controlled hill surge, powering off the top and then keeping up a fast pace for as long as I could without over-exerting. By the time I reached the top of the hill, to my surprise, I was in front. At that point I surged off the hill and found myself 40m to 60m ahead. From then on I kept up a controlled pace, keeping up surges across the hill section each time I crossed it.

With my plan firmly in mind, a very well marked out track to run on, and with the race under control from early on I was able to enjoy the moment, and secure a satisfying national title. I hope you all will enjoy running on the course as much as I did, and wish you all luck in the race. I hope that some day I will be able to come back to Nowra to enjoy the atmosphere of the national cross country titles.

Shaun Creighton:

The 1992 Australian Cross Country Championships held extra interest as Mal Norwood, Pat Carroll and myself were all attempting to rebound from the disappointment of not being selected to compete in the Olympic Games in Barcelona despite all qualifying. Added to the mix were Julian Paynter fresh from winning the City to Surf and strong cross country runners Robbie O'Donnell, Wayne Larden and Rod Higgins who were all in good form.

I'd run over the Nowra course a few weeks before the race, so was aware of the infamous hill. On race day, I decided to start conservatively and try to work into a winning position late in the race. The plan was sound, but my execution of it was not. Having caught Mal Norwood at the bottom of the big hill on the final lap, I tried to break him as soon as I caught him. I gained a small lead half way up the hill, but had run out of gas by the top, giving Mal an opportunity to catch me on the crest and run away unchallenged. In hindsight, the better tactic was to wait until the crest and then make a strong run for home. I guess that's why they say hindsight is 20/20 !

Mal and I were both clearly in very good shape for this race. A few weeks later he ran 61.56 to place 16th in the World Half Marathon Championships and at the same time I took the bronze medal in the 3000m steeplechase at the World Cup in Havana.

Nowra is a terrific course and a true test of cross country running ability.

Jackie Fairweather:

Even though the first Australian X-C championships in Nowra was 17 years ago, I remember vividly that hill. The year 1992 was a bit of a breakthrough one for me with my running, resulting in me finally making my first Australian Team (for 1993 World X-C). I had started training for triathlon in early 1992 and the cross training lead to a quantum leap forward in my running performances. I came into Nowra fit, strong and confident after some recent good races and duathlon performances...

The field was very strong with some of the best runners of the era on the start line. The pace was fast from the start and there was a big group of us. But then we hit the hill and that sorted things out pretty quickly, with Kerryn McCann surging ahead and stringing us out. From there on it was survival. My diary entry from the race reads: ``Really hard race. Didn't feel like I ran well but came 6th. Should have been 3rd or 4th but wasn't aggressive, positive or tough enough. Really died but so did everyone else.'' The underlining of the word ``tough'' says it all. This is one tough course and really sorts people out. It is not enough to be fit going into a Nat X-C at Nowra, you have to be prepared for the course and prepared to be tough.

Interestingly that first year just 45sec spread the first 10 women - great close, hard racing and preparation for World X-C. Nowra is certainly a X-C course befitting a National Championship.

Wayne Larden:

I recall the 1992 Australian Cross Country Championships at Rod's farm in Nowra for a number of reasons. Firstly I remember the hills and the perfectly purpose built facility that Rod had made with love over a long period of time. I had heard of the cross country course many times before from locals and others who had been there to race. So a few of the boys who were living and training in Canberra thought we should take a reci to Nowra for the State champs immediately before the nationals.

Jules Paynter, Dave Evans and a few other loaded into the AIS camper and headed up the coast with the view of getting whatever advantage we could over the other lads coming in for nationals that year. It was a great trip and I can't recall where we all finished but we all agreed we better do a bit more hill work before nationals.

The other thing that I remember most about that first trip down to Rod's farm was the awesome hospitality. I couldn't recall a State Championship like it with home baked goodies, tea and coffee for everyone. We were all really warmly received by Nowra and we all went back to Canberra raving about the course and event.

So with a month or two of intense hill training we headed back to Nowra for nationals were an awesome field lined up to tackle Rod's hills for the first ever National Cross Country title at the venue.

Once again the baked goodies, tea, coffee and warm welcome was there when we arrived although this time the atmosphere was a bit more intense with the national title up for grabs. Most of the top runners were there minus a couple and those who were there were renowned ``strong men'' so we knew we were going to be punished over the 12km course.

The configuration of the course allows 3km or 4km loops so for the open men we had 3 laps to do to make up the 12km and it was pretty well on from the start with the big man Mal Norwood leading the charge. The other part of this course that everyone who has ever run there will remember is The Hill. It probably has a name but let's just call it Dead Horse for the purpose of this article. I call it that because it reminds me of the hill climb up to Thredbo which is, according to cyclists, Australia's most punishing hill climb - and of course, it would kill a horse. It isn't a super long hill but it is so steep if it was raining too much and you had the wrong spikes on you could easily slide back down to the bottom.



Luckily for us we were prepared and didn't slide back down the hill but on the second lap when the strong men are turning the screws and decide to put the boot in just before the hill it sure felt like we were going backwards. I remember thinking I was going all right, still in contact with the main contenders approaching the second hill until big Mal started pushing the pace into the hill on lap two, up the hill then over the hill and all the way to the finish.

From there Mal strung out the field in his usual dominant fashion to take the first ever Aussie title at the farm.

The other thing which I think has been lost from running events in some ways was the fantastic party we all had together that night. I was fortunate enough to be on the organising group who co-ordinated with a local pub to ensure we all managed to get to the one place and have a good time together after the event. I really remember the great time we all had with athletes from all the different states and it is one of my fondest memories.

I hope all the competitors in this year's nationals have an equally memorable time in Nowra and I want to say congratulations to Rod and his club mates for putting on such a great event and having the ongoing passion and energy to put together what I would vote as the best national cross country I've been to.

Rob O'Donnell:

Although my memory is blurred by the 17 years that have passed since the 1992 National Cross Country Championships, held for the first time in Nowra, I do remember a few things about the race. It was and still remains famous for THAT HILL and is very suited to a good strong cross country runner as it is a true cross country course

It was was held at the farm of Rod Gibbs ( a previous manager of traveling Australian teams) and presented a very challenging course. Victoria had a very strong team and back then the National Title was the most direct path into the Australian team for the world cross country championships so we were all keen to perform well.

I remember the course most for the very steep hill of about 200m out the back before disappearing from the spectators' eyes through some trees and re-appearing to run down the steep other side of the hill. Ironically the downhill was where a lot of race winning breaks were established. Letting go down the hill before taking a sharp left hand turn at the bottom at which point there was maybe 1.5 km to go, was very important.

Shaun Creighton and Malcolm Norwood had a titanic battle for first place while a few of us battled for the bronze medal eventually won by Pat Carroll when he ran away from me in the last 1 km. It was also the first time I became aware of Kerryn Hindmarsh- McCann who ran away with the women's race starting what was to become a great career.

Tania Turney:

I remember Nowra being a pretty tough course with the hills. I also remember running in at the end with Jenny Lund. I have never liked sprint finishes and she just got past me on the line. For a cross country course it is hard but that is what cross country should be.

AUSTRALIAN CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS 1992 Nowra 29th August
12KM
1 Malcolm Norwood Vic 36.37.0
2 Shaun Creighton Vic 36.46.0
3 Pat Carroll Qld 37.02.0
4 Rob O'Donnell Vic 37.10.0
5 Wayne Larden ACT 37.23.0
6 Rod Higgins ACT 37.33.0
7 Julian Paynter Vic 37.51.0
8 Jason Cameron New Zealand 38.03.0
9 Paul Arthur NSW 38.15.0


TEAMS
1 Victoria 14 pts
2 ACT 36 pts
3 NSW 52 pts
4 Queensland 57 pts
5 New Zealand 60 pts
6 Tasmania 81 pts


WOMEN
6KM
1 Kerryn Hindmarsh-McCann NSW 21.15.0
2 Sue Malaxos WA 21.28.0
3 Sue Mahony NSW 21.37.0
4 Jenny Green-Lund Qld 21.38.0
5 Tania Turney Vic 21.38.0
6 Jackie Gallagher-Fairweather Qld 21.47.0
7 Carole Connolly Qld 21.51.0
8 Glenys Kroon New Zealand 21.54.0
9 Maryann Murray Tas 21.59.0


TEAMS
1 NSW 19 pts
2 Queensland 22 pts
3 Victoria 37 pts
4 ACT 58 pts


Compiled and edited by David Tarbotton and Ron Bendall for Athletics NSW

Results courtesy of

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