I hadn't been for a run up Mount Mee since January so laced up my trail shoes and headed up via the backway, Wamuran via the Diagular Highway. A few years back I used to run the 12km road section from Wamuran to the Mount Mee sign and back ! A hideously hilly up and down road run ! I'd run it with Ian Kent or Kenty as he was known.
Much better for the body to just run the oh so hideous (on the body) but the oh so beautiful trail in the State forest.
Basically you park at the Gantry lookout area and run out along Lovedays 'road' till you get to L Traverse , run up the seriously "is this hill ever going to end" hill?
Turnaround and run back. It's a monster but I love doing it.
The Bell birds and the Whip birds are your only company, plenty of rustling in the bushes as you go by which are probably the local little rock wallabies and the large reptile monitor lizards. No snakes this time, two four wheel drive vehicles in the whole 1hour 35 I was out running.
Much better for the body to just run the oh so hideous (on the body) but the oh so beautiful trail in the State forest.
Basically you park at the Gantry lookout area and run out along Lovedays 'road' till you get to L Traverse , run up the seriously "is this hill ever going to end" hill?
Turnaround and run back. It's a monster but I love doing it.
The Bell birds and the Whip birds are your only company, plenty of rustling in the bushes as you go by which are probably the local little rock wallabies and the large reptile monitor lizards. No snakes this time, two four wheel drive vehicles in the whole 1hour 35 I was out running.
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Even the Dugong were smiling yesterday when David McSweeney comprehensively defeated arch rival Mike Trees once again on age grading at Sandgate park run . Running on a course the man dubbed the Garmin Lama has dominated on for so long , it will soon bear a bronzed star and his hand print embedded at the start line to commemorate his achievements , there was never any doubt as to the outcome. Competing as an Northern versus Southern Hemisphere formatted slugfest over a gruelling three " Tri runathon" format of 3k track , 5k road and 1500 track , it was expected this age graded heavy weight world championship ( age graded as per IAAF rules) would be closer than eventuated . After the GL's stunning age graded win in the 3k it was thought the highly credentialed Trees would throw everything at his Scottish adversary to keep the best of three contest alive . Trees is acclaimed the world over as a specialist 'into the wind' runner and Sandgate delivered conditions in spades aptly suited to the Irishmen's strength . It was thought the GL would have to establish a big lead with the wind assisting to counter his opponents strength running back into it . In the end it proved a no contest . Needing to win by more than five seconds it was the GL who clung like a barnacle to the Sandgate sea wall to his Northern hemisphere antagonist . As Trees explained after , " I couldn't believe the crowd support out there for David . Unbelievable . The bagpipes , the cheering , the sheer unadulterated enthusiasm of the crowd . It's hard to counter . Hard to stay focused . I thought some of that foul abuse directed at my Irish background was uncalled for but I understand that passions were running high and its part of the game ." With McSweeney's unexpected win it means that next Wednesdays' 1500 meter is a dead rubber with only Trees' pride at stake . A special raffle has been organised and a select few who win will be able to join these megastars in an ," let's run with the legends" charity affair . Winners will be notified via email . With the Southern Hemisphere competition now decided the protagonists now move to the Northern Hemisphere later in the month to continue their epic duel which has captured the public's attention and threatened to overshadow the World Rugby cup . At least in this contest there will be a home nations winner . Scotland or Ireland . Hopefully the result won't be decided by a one eyed Afrikaans .
Mike Trees' odyssey Downunder culminated in controversial if not shambolic circumstances last night at a wind swept and bleak QE2 stadium with niether runner making an appearance much to the bitter disappointment of a packed crowd . The well credentialed Trees had arrived in Australia to much fanfare in what was seen as contest of global proportions with his former school boy rival , Australia's own adopted son David McSweeney , or the Garmin Lama as he is more widely known . Although a dead rubber with McSweeney having already wrapped up the best of three age graded contest, the 1500 meters was seen as an opputunity for Trees to salvage something from what must have been a bitterly disappointing tour for him . Of course Trees was also disappointed that the very fair and impartial rules of international age grading , agreed on before the contest , had not helped his cause . Sources close to Trees had said he thought the whole concept of age grading was outdated and obsolete and that he felt he had been the better performed athlete . Sources that prefer to remain anonymous also claim that it's no coincidence that World Masters Athletics have buckled to pressure and will now age grade in five year blocks . Further adding to tensions between the pair was the raffling off for charity of the chance for members of the public to join in this historic race . " I wasn't happy with that at all and I think that was Mike's idea ," the Garmin Lama was quoted as saying . " One of the winners was a 62 year old who quite frankly was a hazard to the field . Apparently he has a history of falling over and is known for pulling pranks at public events and making a fool of himself . It was not fair on Mike or myself once I pointed this out to him to be expected to run under these conditions ." When asked if it was just sour grapes with the age graded rule change rather than the raffle that was at the heart of the matter , McSweeney choose his words carefully, " Look Mike has had a hard time of it here . This trip wasn't the financial windfall he'd hoped for . I can understand he was on a hiding to nothing tonight . I clearly had his measure on age grading but I don't believe it was sour grapes tonight . We both had to make a statement that we didn't want our challenge to be turned into a circus . This raffle was nothing Mike and I ever agreed to before hand . The poor bugger needed to fund his airfare to Japan . So I apologise if I upset my fans but a stance had to be taken . The Garmin Lama brand is not something that can be cheapened in this way . Mike understands that now and I have a clause in our Japan contract that will state that entry into any of our races by members of the public will be performance based and not at the whim of organisers looking to exploit my celebrity status . " For the record the well performed and up and coming Chris Bell won the race from the comeback king Paul Shard and the crowd got their money's worth with a fine exhibition of 1500 meter running.
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