2ND ANNUAL RED ROCK TO COFF’S HARBOUR JETTY
ULTRAMARATHON – 45KM – 9TH FEBRUARY, 1992
by Steel Beveridge
This year I’ve enclosed a map so that everyone can see where the course goes. However, it is upside down ’cause that’s the way we run it…… To explain, we start in the north at Red Rock then proceed south to Coff s Harbour, got it?
Settling on a date for this beach and headland scenic tour-on-foot is the most difficult part of the race/run organisation process. The tide has to be right, or at least as good as the weekends in February will allow. This year, the best day was already grabbed by a popular triathlon, so we took up the only other option – February 9th, with low tide at 7.00am. This was not as good as last year because it meant that the later part of the run would be along beaches being gnawed away by the rising tide.
Nonetheless, at 6am, five set out from Red Rock to run the full 45km (approx) to the jetty. Four mc3 e were there until Woolgoolga, a mere 16/17km. We were to lose one of our number at Moonee when ly chafed feet finally became too painful. However, by then, most of us had become aware of another presence, a late starter.
Jim Bennington had overslept, then decided to ‘have a run’ anyway, arriving at Red Rock at 6.45am. He sent his ‘crew’ on ahead to have a surf and feed him at Woolgoolga, but his catch-up charge carried him past them there and they finally caught up with him at Emerald Beach, some 10km later. Jim’s elapsed time to Coffs Jetty was 3 hours 45 minutes, a new record by over half an hour. In the process, he passed all of us who had started at 6.00am. A winner all ends up!!
First lady was Megan Wiggins from Sandy Beach (near Woolgoolga), who covered the course in 4 hours 59min49s. to set the standard for the ladies of the future. Megan, an ex-Kiwi, had moved up in distance from the half-marathon to this event and ran very strongly until very near the end, when climbing headlands, swimming creeks and ploughing through rapidly-softening sand began to take their toll on her legs. She will go faster next time.
Of the other finishers of the full distance, both Danny Rhoades and myself made it two from two, with Danny actually improving his time by ten minutes. I slowed half an hour somehow……..but there’s always next year. The other finisher, an erstwhile sprinter, Yale Carden, showed that he has what it takes in the long run. His repertoire now spans the full gamut from 100metres (c.11.3secs) to ultra- marathon. (pocket-size).
Next year, we will hope to run again in February, tides permitting.
RESULTS:
1. Jim Bennington (Nana Glen) 40 yrs. 3:45:00
2. Steel Beveridge (Nth.Sapphire) 41 yrs. 4:45:17
3. Megan Wiggins (Sandy Beach) 32 yrs. 4:59:49
4. Yale Carden (Toormina) 16 yrs 6:15:00
5. Danny Rhoades (Toormina) 17 yrs 6:30:00
Tags: Australia, Ultra history
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Tags: Australia, Ultra history
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