Hintsa Mebrahtu

Friday 8.30pm
U.Q. Track St. Lucia
Mauncel Distance Classic
Open 5000m 9th 15m41s

A field of eleven of Queenslands finest plus me! I didnt really give the race too much of a plan but of course wanted a moral boosting fast time ! I knew that a deep into autumn race would leave me with readiness issues but thought that it was still worth giving it a go. I decided that I wouldnt do my normal blast at the start and it felt very difficult to hold back. I tucked in at the back of the field and tried to settle into a comfortable pace but found all the youngsters were comfortable running faster than me! I felt old as I dropped off the back of them but still ran an honest race! I went through 3K in 9m15 and I was happy with that. Being dropped from the group meant I ran 9 laps into the wind by myself! Very fortunately some of the youngsters heads went down and I caught one guy (Micheal Whiting) who then dropped out! Then I caught Neil Labinski who had beaten me last Sunday in The Caloundra Foreshore 10K (sweet revenge indeed as this guy has beaten me by three minutes in a Sunshine Coast CC this year! ). I also caught and past Daryl Crook who earlier this year had won the Queensland Open 5000m title - obviously having a bad one! Up front Hintsa Mebrahtu ran away from a big group to a clear win in 14m54, Second was Chris Reeves in 15m07 and last Sundays 10K Winner Aidan Hobbs took third in 15m09 ( We shall lock horns yet again in the Queensland Half Mara Champs on Sunday!). So 15m 41 was actually my fastest time this year, but about 12secs outside my Q'Land M45 2007 record. In this race last year I ran 15m42 = de ja vue! or Ground Hog Day!.
Not bad going for a windy Autumn day, though I'd have loved to have run 15m30something...!