RUNASONE HAS AN OLYMPIAN

While it wasn’t quite the weekend we had hoped for, we made the most of the opportunities presented to us! From Olympic team announcements to virtual marathons, this weekend had it all! As usual, it’s been a pleasure to witness the support from each person involved in this team whether it be in person or via messages from afar. Here’s my best attempt at a review that can perhaps be summarized as creating highs from lows!

In chronological order, we’ll begin with a small gathering of RunAsOne runners at the Torrens Park Run on Saturday morning! Immediately, I now regret starting this review from a first person point of view because I was first home in 14:46 after chasing Riley’s course record. Supporting from the sidelines, I’m positive I saw panic in Riley’s eyes as I hit halfway under pace. However, I faded towards the end and his record lives another week (and likely until he attempts it again). Not far behind, Luke Mitchell was second home in 15:47 after a fast start. He’ll be better for the pacing practise as he continues to learn and improve with every race effort. Patrick Hunt chased Luke home and finished in 16:27, before Oscar Bloomfield came storming home in a new 5km PB of 16:34! Not far behind Pat and Oscar, Josh Young made it a top 5 clean sweep for RunAsOne crossing the line in 16:42! It was also great to see Michael Cocks (aka Dad) continue to improve with every run post hip replacement as he crossed the line in 20:10, ahead of Ola Wicik who ran a park run PB! Elsewhere, Brant Lang ran a 5km PB of 17:25 in Victor Harbor, and enjoyed the bonus of a first place finish there! Joining Brant down South, Michelle Leyden ran her second fastest park run ever finishing in 22:31! Well done to every one else who got out for a park run this week, and we look forward to hearing how you went on Tuesday morning!

That afternoon we enjoyed some great success at the winter trails team event held at Waite Institute. Known within the team as the home of the infamous hill reps session, Cameron England and Nick Edwards kicked things off with a 2nd place finish in the long course event. Without a doubt, they’d be happy to attribute some of their success to those grueling hill reps sessions held adjacent to the start/finish area! Not to be outdone by the boys, Jenny Paradiso and Melanie Fiora took line honours in their category after successfully navigating the short course event. We’re very excited about these results, and look forward to the upcoming hill reps session where the rest of the team will join these four on the Waite hills!

After the dust had settled on Saturday and the group WhatsApp enjoyed a brief break, Sunday morning quickly rolled around and a large group of RunAsOne runners travelled to West Beach for a time trial. The local event was organised for those still wanting to make the most of their fitness in the absence of the Gold Coast Marathon weekend. While unofficial, the support on course made it feel otherwise. It was fantastic to witness the support from those either cheering from the sideline or running alongside in support. Our first finisher on the morning was Ryan Haylock who ran a half marathon time trial. Ryan ran a 2 min PB finishing in 76:13 taking another large chunk off of the already huge PB he set at McLaren Vale earlier this year. Nikki Austin was next to complete here time trial competing in the 10km option on offer. Nikki ran a fantastic race to earn a PB of 38:20! Still out on course, our two marathoners were hanging tough on their 8 lap journey. Coach Dylan Trenerry (correct spelling this time) took up the challenge and somehow managed to still be the hype man for the pack of runners that formed around him. Dylan earned a very well deserved PB of 2:56:02 which is his first time under 3 hours. Dylan’s focus now turns back to Ironman Triathlon, with the confidence that his run leg has never been better! Our other marathoner on the morning was Shane Cook who looked incredibly cool and composed for all 8 of the 5km laps. In the end, Shane managed a 1 min PB of 3:33! While the ideal finish line was not possible, these runners can walk way confident in their preparation for when an official event becomes a possibility again!

Last, but certainly not least, RunAsOne enjoyed the news of the group’s first Olympian being officially announced! While we expected the news, it was certainly no less exciting to all of her training partners here at home! After boarding the plane to chase her dreams at the start of the European Summer track season, coach Izzi immediately recorded a 15:04 5000m Olympic qualifying time when she won her first European race in Nijmegen, Netherlands. In the wake of the official word, we are once again all very proud of Izzi, and look forward to watching her realise a childhood dream later this month when she toes the line for the heats of the women’s 5000m at the Tokyo Olympic Games! In the lead up, Izzi will be racing some shorter events in preparation for the style of racing she is likely to encounter at the games. She kicked this campaign off in style running a Flinders Athletics Club Record of 4:12 for the 1500m in Lignano, Italy overnight. We wish her all the best for her final preparations, and know that she will do her country proud on the biggest stage of all!

So that’s a wrap on another weekend of running! Coming up, we have a number of runners targeting the ASA cross country races on offer, as well as the range of events on offer at SARRC’s Greenbelt challenge later in the month. Longer term, The Adelaide Marathon now becomes a real focus for many of the team! Regardless of events, tomorrow begins another week, and another opportunity to be better than we’ve ever been before!