Narangba Runners

Latest News

Numbers are on the increase again with a good showing tonight at Narangba Station. It was good to see Cara return after taking it a little easier for a while following her preparation and completion of the Kakoda Challenge a few weeks ago.

There are definite starters on Thursday night at North Lakes. Stir is participating in a Nike challenge where he needs to run up to 10k’s per day for 22 days so he is currently keen to do every run on the schedule.

Mountain biking is still on the agenda most weekends and road rides are set to make a return now that more civilised temperatures have arrived. More about that soon.

see you at a run (or ride), Ron

Flight Centre Epic

Ben (Son) and I competed in the Flight Centre Mountain Bike Epic last weekend for the first time so I thought it worth posting our experience.

Firstly - it’s an EPIC!!

We did the 52k Merida Pursuit which started at 10:30am with an easy roll initially for several hundred cyclists before entering the first of the private properties and starting to climb. A loose rocky surface was on the agenda and cyclists seemed to just fall over without warning. From there it was a series of dirt and bitumen roads, hill climbs that were unimaginable, exhilarating downhills, more private properties and temperatures hitting the low 30’s. I managed to make it to the 25km checkpoint feeling pretty good and pushed on with enthusiasm. Somewhere during the next 10km I hit a wall with severe cramping which eventually passed when another stretch of bitumen appeared. Finally at the 40km mark we entered the final stage of the race which included about 8km of technical single track. Where I was there were more competitors walking than cycling and many of us were stopping frequently to rest. Cramps were the biggest problem and I coined the phrase “cramp and crash”. Riders were with you one minute and then careered off the trail into the bush with cramps the next. I was also starting to feel like I might black out from dehydration and the relentless cramping and took some time out in the shade with another rider feeling the same. I have to say that the camararderie amongst mountain bikers is without peer and everyone passing by checks that you are okay. Anyway, after reaching the 40k mark in 3 hours it took another 1:50 to ride the final 12k’s. I collapsed over the line, drank a litre of Staminade and vowed never to compete in another Epic. For the following hour I was cramping from head to toe in an unprecedented way but like all things it passed eventually.

Ben made the comment that it was the toughest thing he had ever done and I would have to agree 100%. How do the 100k riders do it?

By Monday night the conversation at home had turned to planning a strategy for next year! My wife Annette can’t believe it after witnessing the carnage and can’t understand the attraction - me either!

As far as the results go, I expected to be almost last in the 50-59 group with the amount of time I spent resting. I was pleased to eventually place 28th out of 41 finishers in a time of 4:53.41 while Ben managed an impressive 10th place in the 20-29 group in a time of 3:10.44.

Check back in 12 months for the 2010 report!

DELXC 6 Hour Trail Run

I received some flyers today addressed to Narangba Runners about a trail run west of Brisbane on 27th September. It was exciting to receive something in the mail addressed to Narangba Runners considering we don’t officially have a mailing address but when I opened it there was a distinct feel of a mountain bike event about it. Anyway, as it turns out they are holding this 6 hour trail run in September and then in October there is a mountain bike enduro on the same course. You can find all the details at www.delxc.com.

Details are here and here.

Activities this Week

Hi Runners,

We have definite starters for North Lakes on Thursday night this week meeting at the usual location at 6:30pm.

Tonight a Narangba we had 4 runners enjoying the unseasonally warm weather so hopefully we will see more runners returning in the next few weeks.

Something we haven’t done for quite a while is a night run at the enviro park. Let me know if you’re keen and I will try to schedule one around the next full moon.

Finally, there will almost certainly be a mountain bike epic sometime this weekend. Check back later in the week for details.

bye for now, Ron

Latest News

Hi Runners,

Tuesdays and Thursdays are still on with the runs starting at 6:30 pm at Narangba Station and North Lakes respectively. The warmer weather will hopefully see a return to the numbers we were seeing last summer.

On Saturday the 22nd we are meeting at the Williamson Road entrance to the Sheepstation Creek Environmental Park at 7:00am. This is a combined run for N’Ba Runners and my D’Bay Athletics Club middle distance squad.

See you at a run, Ron

Wednesday MTB Ride Anyone!

With Wednesday being a public holiday for some of us I am thinking of going for another ride around the Glasshouse Mountains area. Let me know if you are interested and once we have a plan I will post the details here.

Update: No ride planned.