2010 LEAFY SEA DRAGON RACE'N RAMBLE RACE REPORT

This is the race report that I wrote for SARRC. A good result for me; first place in a time of 37:20.

Rising early on Sunday morning I noticed one thing: the wind. Never mind that, it’s the same for everyone. I picked up my mother-in-law (Julie) and took the easy drive down to Normanville. When we arrived at the Normanville Beach carpark, everything was set up and ready for the start of the 10km walk starting at 8am. Julie had forgotten her race number, but was able to have it replaced by the very helpful ladies at the late entry desk. The wind was playing havoc with all the equipment set up in the starting area, but a few adjustments by the plentiful volunteers had most things tied or weighed down or packed away.

The 10km walk started with a healthy field of walkers setting off into the stiff ESE wind. I went to the late entry desk and entered then went off to get ready for the race making use of the convenient facilities.

The start of the 10km run came around quickly and we set off. Just as we started, a massive gust of wind whipped up dust and sand and momentarily stopped us all in our tracks. We made our way through town with great encouragement from some enthusiastic locals and found ourselves running out of Normanville towards Carrickalinga, thankfully with a crosswind for most of the rest of the race. The well signed and marshalled course wound its way through the streets of Carrickalinga eventually reaching the turning point halfway around Haycock point. Upon turning back we were met by another brief blast of wind before getting back into the crosswind. The two conveniently placed drink stations would have provided plenty of hydration, although it was a fairly cool morning and I didn’t require them much. Back through town, past the fans and finally down the home stretch with a tailwind at last! The finish line beckoned and we were done.

There was time for a couple of pieces of fruit and a coffee from the Kiosk before the presentation. An interesting feature of the race for me was the awarding of prizemoney to placegetters.

Thanks to the generosity of local businesses and families there were modest cash prizes for all placegetters and plenty of random draw prizes. Besides the beautiful location and the excellent course, the best feature of the event was the enthusiasm of the race organisers and volunteers.

Thankyou to all of you for putting on such an enjoyable event.