Jordan Pearce

Sunday 8.00am Mooloolah Sunshine Coast CC Race Day 2.

12KM 3rd Overall (1st M40 -49) 44m50

3KM 2nd Overall (1st M40 - 49) ??

As I warmed up I could feel my Quads were very much feeling yesterdays 22K and Thursday's Hill Session. However, as I was regarding this CC as conditioning work I didn't mind too much, just the physical discomfort is not pleasant when you toe the line!
Yesterdays rain and this mornings showers did not create the Muddy Quagmire I had expected.
At the start, the normal youthful exuberance led off but this course quickly went uphill and the old hands came to the fore. Ben Holland went straight into the lead followed by a Maroochy Tri type runner , then Peter Bock and Neil Labinski, with me next.
The course was true cross country with multi terrain styles, open grassland , grass banked Dam walls, very tight twisting technical woodland paths and also more traditional woodland trails. There was even a causeway (flooded) between dams that had to be waded/leaped steeple chase waterjump style!
As things settled down, I overtook Peter and went after Neil who I'd managed to beat a fortnight ago ,however today he was on fire and there was no catching him! In fact he took the Tri guy and was chasing down the run away leader! I managed to catch Tri guy into the second lap and pushed on to prevent him from sticking with me. This course had a couple of switchbacks so you can monitor exactly how far behind and in front you are. The second time around the series of three hills really hurt! I was happy to finish third but again I was way behind Ben Holland and Neil Labinski.
20 mins later with rain falling persistently I lined up for the 3KM. This time the Open Men and Masters were all off together. Again the youthful exuberance led off and again the hills sorted out the Men from the Boys. Brendan Whelan and Jordan Pearce took the lead. Brendan cannot run down hill! Something he will readily admit and so it was easy for me to take him on a downhill section just before the tight twisty wood section.
A slight difficulty though was the fact that we now encountering earlier groups that had started five minutes in front. Overtaking on these sections was very difficult and I resorted to the old "TRACK!" shout or "RUNNER COMING THROUGH!". As I emerged out of the wooded section, the spectating Bockster shouted " Your not going to let the Young Feller Beat you ? !" I didn't even know for sure that I was running second till that point. But I put my head down caught young Jordan Pearce and tried to push immediately past but he stuck to me! I pushed again but he was resisting my attempts to shake him. The finish was to the right, just a short way off the Dam wall bank track , we were going flat out for the line!.
Unfortunately he had the inside line to the right and therefore the advantage and beat me across the line by inches!! I was happy enough with the result. A good days training!