Josh Amberger

Sunday 9.00am Jetty2Jetty & Queensland Open 10KM Championship

5th Place (1st M45) 32m36s (official)

Got to Woody Point in plenty of time for warm up and got slightly distracted watching the Half Mara runners come home - meant I wasn't standing around on the start line with everyone else for 15 mins prior! Race started and I went off pretty quick as normal and immediately was happy that my knee wasn't an issue (the Nurophen gel and Panadol must have dossed me up a treat!)
Settled back into a pack and watched Hintsah and Chris Reeves pull away. Michael Reeves pulled away and I was left in a pack another small pack that changed places a few times as first the younger guys pushed on ahead of me then I came through and towed them along behind me.
We caught the 4th place guy at about 5K turnaround which was along the Redcliffe Jetty and continued to run in a small pack for a few K's before 4th Place guy took off again and by 6K I was in no mans land running alone. Didn't where a watch as I didn't want to get distracted by times but felt pace was OK. At about 7K there is a Hill which really knocks the stuffing out of you, and what was a good momentum became a struggle before I managed to pick it up again as the course headed downhill. We were beginning to run into the back of the Half Mara finishers which affected vision a little. There were signs along the way giving good encouragement. ('Hills are your friend'), a few bagpipe players and singers added to the atmosphere. The conditions were perfect NO wind Bright and sunny with the temp picking up all the time. When I got up it was a chilly 9 O C but by the start of the race it was 14.7 O C and felt nice and warm in the sun. At the finish I was drenched from sweat and happy to cross the line in 32m34 which was about what I had hoped for! I felt that the lack of any intensive training and an effect upon my performance but I gotta be happy with a time approx 90secs quicker than last year (suffering hernia!). Bramble Bay looked its best calm glassy water reflections, magical stuff.
I said Caloundra was gorgeous but so was this.

5th in the Queensland Open 10K Championship!!
32m36 on a course with hills!

Chris Reeves finished 1st in 31m16, Hintsah was 2nd 31m30s.
3rd was Josh Amberger (32m01) overtook Michael Reeves (32m13) in the final couple of K's.