Fun RunsHooked on Health Women Do It Again: 8th Place, City To Surf August 8th 2010Of the 133 teams entered in the open women's teams event in this year's City to Surf, the Hooked on Health team of Sam Evans, Jane Raftesath and Deb Boyd placed eighth. Jane ran a Personal Best of 71:05, bettering last year's time by over 4 minutes. Sam's running also continues to improve. Whilst her time of 71:05 was not a PB, it was the fastest time she has done for the race since starting back into serious training after having children, and indicates she's well on the way to lowering some of her personal best times. Deb Boyd's time of 65:23 was also a PB. She has only been in the race once before - when she was about 12, so we can safely assume she lowered her mark by a pretty big margin! We had many great runs this year. Lots of people surprised themselves with just how well they went. It just goes to show what the right sort of training can do for you. Our other runners were: Melissa Hopkins: Mel's last big fun run before she returns to Perth at the end of the year. She finished in a comfortable 1:24:34, content to take in the sights and soak up the atmosphere. Our male contingent consisted of Marc Fitton and Spencer Keast, both of whom took the run easy, finishing in 73:48 and 75:36 respectively. The Bay Run 1st August 2010A small contingent of Hooked on Health runners enjoyed the beautiful morning running around Iron Cove. A really good effort from everyone, particularly those first timers. Special mention goes to Vivienne Edwards, who took 6 minutes off her previous 7km PB, finishing in 47:39. Congratulations to Linda Hughes who has never run anywhere near 7kms without stopping, but did so today. It's amazing how far you can run if you just take your time. Michelle Coates improved on last year's Bay Run time by 1 minute, finishing in 47:41, and the ever reliable Jo Keast offically placed 13th in her age category, finishing in a time of 37:45. Other Hooked on Health runners were Antonia Peek, Kylie Stapleton and Nalini Kara, all running for the first time with Hooked on Health. Hunter Valley Running Festival July 18th 2010Can you think of a better place to spend a "running" weekend than in the Hunter Valley? The local product definitely didn't hinder Monique Hauber-Davidson's form. She turned in a 10km PB of 59:57. This is a tough course, mostly on gravel roads and grass, over undulating to hilly terrain, with one doozy of a hill to contend with. Great effort Monique. Gold Coast Brings Out The Best: 4th July 2010This was a great weekend for us. Not only did we all enjoy leaving the Sydney winter for a few days, we set 5 Personal Bests, gained an offical 5th in category finish (Richard Sarkies 10km) 35th in category finish (Kirsten Todd Half Marathon) and had two other top 100 finishes (Spencer Keast 100th, and Jo Keast, 64th, both in the Half Marathon). Leanne Forster and Fiona Reeves both tackled the Half Marathon for the first time and loved it! Leanne finished in 1:59:02, and Fiona in 2:14:15. The Keast family had a great day, with Jo Keast setting a PB of 1:56:39. Bryson Keast entered his first fun run and set a 2km PB of 13:47, and whilst Spencer Keast didn't set a PB, he did run a great time of 1:46:37, his best in about 20 years. The Sarkies family fared well over the weekend too. As well as Richard's 5th place in the 10km, Wilson set a 4km PB of 24:11, and Saxon, spurred on by the crowd, ran a manful 2km, setting a PB of 24:26. The 4th member of the family, Kirsten Todd, found the going a bit tough in the Half Marathon, but managed a PB of 1:51:26. Whilst I wasn't that enthused about my own race, it was exciting and very rewarding to see everyone else doing so well and gaining so much enjoyment from running. Minimos Marathon 20th June 2010Deb Boyd came out with all guns blazing today, and set a 10km PB of 48:06. It was probably only race inexperience which prevented her from posting an even better time. Deb has posed the question since the race "Do you usually feel sick when you're in a fun run, because I felt sick after about the first 1km?" A sure sign that a bit more pacing practice will see some good improvement in Deb's 10km times. A flatter course might help too! In the 5km, Kellie Clarke lowered her PB to 29:20, bettering her previous 5km PB by a minute and a half. We had runners in the 2km, 5km and 10km races, ranging from 3 years to 50 something! In the 2km Oliva Foda, Emma Clarke, Geena Reeves, Wilson Sarkies and Saxon Sarkies did us proud. Wilson cover the 2kms in 10:23, whilst Oliva, Emma and Geena ran 12:58, 13:56, and 14:29 respecitvely, with is might be said, mixed levels of enthousiasm. Saxon is still running. Sandy Foda made her come back to running with daughter Olivia, after having spent some time on the sidelines recovering from injury, so whilst she hasn’t reached her full potential just yet, she is on the way. Welcome back We had quite a few top 20 and some top 10 finishes in age categories in both the 5km and the 10km, and most of our 10km runners beat Tony Abbott home, which is apparently something to boast about??? Our 5km runners were: Margie Jolliffe: 28:49, 9th in category, 38th female 10km runners Richard Sarkies: 38:40. 2nd in category, 13th male, 16th overall (Still a way to go yet Rich) Another good day at the Minimos. Races run and won (not by us unfortunately), cakes eaten, and 2nd hand toys (which don’t have all their parts) bought. It doesn’t get better than that! Oh… yes it does. I forgot to mention the sausage sizzle! 1st Place, Womens Team: SMH Half Marathon, 16th May 2010Hooked on Health's fantastic run continued today with our women's team of Michele Woods, Sam Evans, and Jane Raftesath taking out the women's team event in the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon, by the narrowest of margins. Unfortunately, our fourth team member, Stef O'Brien had to withdraw prior to the start of the race, due to illness. A half marathon virgin, three PB's and a "best time for ten years post babies". As a coach, you can't ask for much more than that! Marc Fitton, Michele Woods and Jane Raftesath all recorded PB's, Jane taking a massive 13 minutes off her previous best set in the same race last year, whilst Sam Evans ran her best time since giving birth to her three children, completing the run in 1hr 51 mins and 23 secs. Jane completed the 21 odd kilometres in 1hr 45 mins and 40 sec. Mark broke 1hr 50 mins for the first time (just), crossing the line at the 1 hr 49mins and 47 second mark! In her first half marathon, Michele took the pace out perhaps a little too hard and says she was feeling the fast pace by 8km. Oh dear, only 13kms to go! After 1 hr 53 mins and 29 secs, Michele was very thankful to cross the finish line. Great run Michele. New to Hooked on Health, Monique Hauber-Davidson also ran the half, finishing comfortably in 2hr 17 mins. From a spectator's point of view, it was a very chilly and nerve racking morning, but well worth it. Thanks to the rest of the Hooked on Health team for their good wishes and messages of congratulations. Mothers Day Classic Fun Run, Domain 9th May 2010Click for full race results It was great weather for a fun run on Sunday, a warmish morning with no wind. What an introduction for our fun run virgins! Hooked on Health placed third in the Teams - Health and Fitness Category. This is based on the number of team entrants, so thanks to everyone who entered as part of our team. We had a few keen runners who entered prior to me setting up the team, so next time... who knows. We had some great results, with everyone managing to run the whole way this time, in spite of kids darting across in front of them and some congestion in the narrow lanes. It was certainly better than last year. We had some personal bests from quite a few people. My measurement of the course on MapmyRun and Geodistance shows the course to be long, however this is by no means accurate. By my estimates, the finishing shute of about 200 meters was not included in race measurements - ie the 4km lap was from Hospital Rd to the corner of Art Gallery Rd and Central Ave, before you turned right into Central Ave, though this has not been confirmed by race organisers as yet. Special mention must go to Kate Wilson, from Frenchs Forest who finished 13th in the female 30-39 category and was the probably the 60th female home, and 148th overall. She had a timing chip malfunction which showed her completing the course in 27 odd minutes, however she actually ran around about 19:30. She may have placed a couple of spots higher than we have estimated, but certainly no further back in the field. Not bad in her first fun run! Our first timers were: Unfortunately, Ally Seymour and Nicole Billing were not able to run due to illness, but the next fun run is just around the corner girls!! Other 4km runners 8km runners Lindfield Rotary Fun Run 28th March 2010Our first run of the season was hot and hilly, and surprisingly long! For some reason, the 10km race was misdirected on the first lap, and the 10km runners ran an extra 400 odd meters. Some of the 5km runners also ran the extra distance, but some didn't as far as I can tell. If you were a 5km runner and did not run next to the railway line and up to Lindfield shops, then you did notdo the extra loop and ran a true 5kms. The mix up was a shame since the organisers had arranged for the course to be set by a certified measurer, and very dissappointing for those who were keen to post an accurate time. No word on the errror on the fun run website, but we have spoken to race organiser Garry McIntosh who confirms the loop added an extra 400m. We had a much smaller contingent than last year with quite a few people pulling out at the last minute due to illness, little niggles which could do without all those hills, or babysitting issues. We still had some notable runs in both the 5km and 10km events. First Hooked on Healther home in the 5km event was Leanne Forster, in her first run in Hooked on Health colours, and in the 10km event was Michele Woods, also in her first run for Hooked on Health. We finally got her to the start line! An even more amazing effort from Michele when you consider she's been on night duty for a week! Richard Sarkies took out his age division and finished 12th overall (not bad for an old man) and Jo Keast finished just out of the places in her age category. 10km 5km Wilson Sarkies 53rd under 12 boys - but he is only 6 years old! 36:45 Fabulous effort from both Jo and Ann, who ran the whole 5kms for the first time, and beat last years times by 3 mins 30 secs, and 3 mins 15 secs respectively!
Sri Chinmoy 22nd Nov 2009A very hot day saw four dedicated Hooked on Health runners and one partner (who it must be said is probably more dedicated to Leanne than he is to running) brave the conditions for the trot around Centennial Park. It was really a case of get through the run as best you can, with the temperature hovering just under thirty degrees at the 8am start time. I would love to be able to say we all posted PB's and a good time was had by all, but probably the best I can say about this one is that we all survived and so did Bec's underwear! (see the Run4Fun summary) Oh...and the pancakes were great. Run4Fun 8th Nov 2009Jane Raftesath, Bec Dunn, Melissa Hopkins and Daniela Calear all ran in the inaugural Run4Fun, and for some, the event was more eventful than others! Picture this. You've decided you're really going to give this running thing a go, and you have finally managed to string together some consistent training, juggling your training time between the demands of three young girls and your professional career. You've never entered a 10km fun run before, but you're feeling confident because of the training you've been doing and you want to put yourself to the test. Sound familiar? You stand around at the start line through 20 minutes of rain, not just drizzle, but rain. You are not deterred. The gun goes, you run the first km in good time. You are moving freely - indeed more freely than you had intended. In fact there are parts of you moving freely that really should not be seen in public to be doing so! That's right, you have an underwear malfunction. A quick trip to the loo saw Bec's bra being strung together with a hair elastic, and then she was on her way again. A few quick kms to make up time and twang, the excess stress was too much for Bec's straining garment, and she retired with what can only be described as an equipment malfunction. Our other runners did complete the full fun run course. Jane ran a PB of 52:20, a great effort as she found the course route a little boring, the water lacking and didn't see any markers after 7km. Melissa completed the course in 55:28, and Daniela, in her first 10km fun run, ran just over 71 mins. Balmain Fun Run 1st Nov 2009Just two Hooked on Health Runners entered this event, with Jo Keast achieving a top 10 finish in her category in the 5km fun run, in a time of Jo was 6th home in the female 40-59 category (and she would have been competing against quite a few runners in that category who are younger than her). She was the 16th female home out of 84 starters. Not bad for someone who has only returned to running fairly recently! Jo Little(Mosman) ran the 10km in a time of 56:21, which placed her 29th female home, and 14th in her age category. This was Jo's first (of many) 10km fun runs. Sydney Running Festival, 20th Sept 2009It was another nice warm day for the Sydney Running Festival, even warmer than last year. We had 34 Hooked on Health runners and walkers this year, including a few partners and children. A great day was had by everyone, in spite of toilets and water being in scarce supply, and a few glitches with baggage. Maybe next year these will be ironed out. Our hall of fame includes both Hooked on Health runners and others. Necessity is the mother of invention Congratulations to those women who made good use of the bushes and large tree roots as makeshift screening around an impromptu bush toilet. You freed the toilet lines up for those who were a little more modest. And nary a red singlet amongst you! Age is no barrier Our youngest runners, Zoe Fraser (7) and Wilson Sarkies (5), proved age was no barrier when they completed the 4km fun run in just under 36 minutes. Zoe's mother Eva must have really cracked the whip to keep them running most of the way. A fantastic way to give you a few hours peace and quiet in the afternoon. Wilson slept from 3:30 that afternoon, right through till the next morning! At the other end of the scale, we had a number of runners in the over 50's category, including Peta Addison and Jo Keast. Motherly Love Spotted by a Hooked on Health runner about 200m from the finish of the 9km event, a mother running with her daughter, about eight years old, who had found it all a bit too much and was vomiting. Mum's words of comfort and encouragement were "keep running darling". Tomorrow's champion, or future couch potato? Personal Bests |
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Saxon Sarkies powers to the finish in the 2km Kids Dash, Gold Coast, July 2010
A nervous Kate Wilson prior to the star of the Mothers' Day Classic May 2010 |
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