Outback half marathon – race recap

When I first started running at events, there were a few that were quickly on my wish list. Or rather a ‘dream list’ as I really thought they were so far out of my reach, both physically and financially. The Outback half marathon was one of them and running at Disney was another. In many ways, the fact that I’d managed to achieve some of my wish list just compelled me to see if I could achieve others and the turmoil of COVID times was the final deciding factor – life is short, book the trip. And so we did.

Last Thursday, we were up early to board a flight to Yulara from Melbourne. The training leading up to the event had been appalling with illness, injury and the general chaos of life all getting in the way. With recent travel issues, I also wasn’t confident our flight would actually be running and, equally, wasn’t sure I would avoid Covid long enough to make it on board. However the stars aligned and our flight left on time, with us on it. Along with my class pet, Artemis, who came along for the ride and to share the journey with our class back at school.

Artemis checking out the big rock itself from the plane.

The Outback marathon is an iconic event in a few ways. The course is situated around the township of Yulara, taking in views of Uluru and Kata Tjuta and running on red desert sands. Organised by Travelling Fit, it is also a trip rather than an event as, to participate, you need to book the package of accommodation, meals and optional tours. We had opted for the silver package, mostly due to time limitations but felt our 3 nights and 4 days would be enough of an experience.

Landing in Yulara, we were transported on coaches to the resort and our accommodation, Sails in the Desert. Again, there are multiple accommodation options but we figured this might be a ‘once in a lifetime’ thing so wanted to splurge. Walking into our room, we were glad we did – what an oasis in the desert. So roomy, plush carpets and furnishings, comfy bed and linen and a patio to soak up some Winter sun. A perfect home for a few days.

Dinner on the first night is included as a ‘get to know you’ event by the pool at Sails on the desert and we met a fabulous bunch of people on our table. Even better, many of them were sharing their own disrupted training cycles which instantly put me at ease about my own. Dinner was a buffet with plenty of options and delicious food. So far, ticking all of the boxes.

We were up early the next day, handed our breakfast backpack and headed out on the coaches to watch sunrise at Uluru. Coffee and tea were set up out there for us so, with a hot coffee in hand, we greeted the day and marvelled at the beauty of the rock, the landscape and the colours of the morning waking up. We were then dropped at the start of the base walk and set off at our own pace. Gary and I strolled, enjoying being up close to Uluru, especially around the side with more sensitive, culturally significant sites to the local Anangu people who have been caretakers of the land we were walking on for thousands of years. We stopped to munch on some breakfast and enjoyed the tranquillity. Despite a couple of coach loads of us having been dropped off, there was clearly room for all and, while we obviously saw people, we didn’t feel crowded.

We had been given multiple options for the morning, depending on how energetic we were feeling – we opted for a medium option and walked about ¾ of the base walk, around to a section we had seen on our previous trip. From there, we journeyed to the Cultural Centre were we browsed the information about the local history and had a coffee (yes, another one – it had been an early start, after all). Then it was time to head back to the resort for some lunch and an afternoon of relaxing.

In the late afternoon, we met up with everyone at the town square to buy some merchandise and listen to the race briefing. Oddly enough, I actually was really nervous and the race briefing helped me relax a bit by preparing me for what the event would be like. Another dinner followed, this time carb loading with a range of pasta on offer. We ate fairly quickly and headed to bed – another early start on race day.

Race day

We’d set our alarm for 5am as we’d decided to grab some toast and juice for breakfast at the restaurant before the buses left. Quite a few others did the same – great that it was open with the breakfast buffet on offer for us to get some fuel on board.

Then it was onto the coaches to be taken out to the start/finish line. I hadn’t realised that the race started at the Field of Lights exhibit and it was really special watching the sunrise with the twinkling artwork on display. Definitely one of those moments when you pinch yourself to check it’s real. What was equally as real were the toilet queues. Understandably, toilets are limited in the bush and there were 6 portaloos for us all however I did have some great chats to people while waiting. I have to say it’s the first time I’ve joined a toilet queue in the dark and not got into the toilet until the sun had risen! There were also tables and chairs, a big bag drop area and drinks available. We sat and took it all in and, even though my nerves were definitely still there, I was trying to just enjoy it all.

Soon enough, it was start time and we were gathered in between the flags. I tried to move as far back as I could but hadn’t judged it that well as there were still quite a few people behind me. They did the countdown and….we were off! Gary and I started together as he was doing run/walk intervals and was starting with a walk. This wasn’t how we usually started events together and made a really nice change. After a few minutes, he was off and most of the others had overtaken me which was completely fine with me. Time to do my own thing. I chatted to a couple of women from Brisbane who were walking the event then moved on a bit as I was doing some small bits of running early on. My calf felt ok but I was very keen not to push it early, not really knowing what to expect from the course.

One of my biggest concerns had been about the surface we were going to be running on but their description of ‘mixed’ was completely accurate. Early on, we were on tracks with corrugations and some soft sand but that would give way to areas of harder sand and, sometimes, gravel or dirt road. There are small patches where you’re on the sealed road but that’s really just when crossing over somewhere. From the map, it had been hard to predict what it would be like but the course was unique and wonderful. For most of it, you felt like you were running in the middle of the desert but with an ever changing landscape of dunes, views of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, scrub, trees and the occasional man made reminders that were actually on the outskirts of town. The surface changes meant boredom just wasn’t an option – a few small hills thrown in, some scrambles through softer sand, a dirt road or two – always something different.

And the people along the way were fabulous. Quite early on, I was keeping a similar pace to someone so we got talking – Rick from South Carolina. He turned out to be a fabulous companion for a significant part of the distance as our chatter made the kilometres absolutely fly by with us both surprised when our watches ticked over another kilometre (or mile!). As well as this, others who passed us were friendly and welcoming, something that isn’t always the case at other events. There was a very genuine and touching camaraderie about this event, both on race day and across the weekend, which played out with lots of ‘well done’ and ‘you’re doing great’ from marathoners and half marathoners out on course.

The aid stations are plentiful, popping up about every 3km, with friendly volunteers ready with drinks and jellybeans to top you up. There were even two (very welcome) portaloos at pivotal points on the course. The marshals were also endlessly encouraging.

This one was definitely measured in smiles not time. I had known I would walk most of it and did just that but, due to that, got through without any calf pain and feeling pretty good the whole way. In the last 3 km I started to struggle physically, just with tiredness, sore feet and gradually developing hatred of sand. But none of it was enough to take the shine off it and my smile stayed firmly on my face throughout. I could hear the ruckus at the finish line before I could see it and managed a run for the finish chute, feeling quite emotional crossing the line and feeling very fortunate to be able to do such an event in such a special place.

Post run, we sat, devoured sausage sizzle lunch and re-hydrated as we applauded others coming in. Being such an inclusive event with a generous cut off meant finishers continued well into the afternoon and were being greeted as warmly and enthusiastically as ever. Eventually we decided it was time to wash off the red dirt so headed back to the resorts for showers and a rest.

Not too long a rest though, as it was back on the coach later in the afternoon for sunset drinks and nibbles at Uluru. The sunset didn’t really play ball as the clouds had rolled in but none of us cared. It wasn’t about the sunset – it was a chance to share our joy at what we’d achieved, chat to new friends, share pictures of our how much sand we’d accumulated on our toes (yes, really, it was a thing!) and generally celebrate the awesomeness of the event. This was followed by dinner at our hotel – a delicious buffet which was the perfect post-race meal.

On our final morning, we managed a sleep in, kind of. A 7am alarm which neither of us needed as our bodies were well and truly awake already. We had breakfast at our hotel and then checked out before catching our coach back to the airport. I’m writing this from the air, heading back to Melbourne and still have the smile on the face as I relive the memories.

I know, this has been a massive blog. That’s because, despite it being a short holiday, it felt like we packed in so much. When we first signed up for this, I thought it would be a one off and something that, once I’d done it, I wouldn’t want to repeat. How wrong could I be? I would definitely do this one again. The magic of the place, the friendliness of the people, the inclusiveness of the event, the meticulous organisation of the itinerary – it all blended perfectly into a brilliant event that I feel you’d want to keep coming back to, no matter how many times you’d already been.

Volunteering. You should. Because it’s good. And donuts.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Which, actually, is really not a secret because lots of people already know about it. Volunteering is good. It’s fun. It’s not hard. And, not only does it benefit others, it actually also brings the volunteer just as much benefit.

A perfect example is this morning. I had decided to volunteer at parkrun this week and had to scout around to find somewhere that needed a volunteer as, wonderfully, most parkruns already had their spots filled. I picked the lovely Portarlington parkrun who needed a marshal which meant an early start (and a 45 minute drive) but totally worth it.

Just take a look at that – my marshal spot for this morning with a gorgeous view, all the peace and quiet you could ask for and even a few rays of sun to warm my face. Knowing that this is also often the windiest spot on course, I came prepared….

As I waited for the first runners to come down the hill, I had time to ponder what makes volunteering at parkrun great:

  • It makes you feel good. A friend and I call it ‘Smug Sunday’ when you’ve been for a long run but I think this could be amended to ‘Smug Saturday’ after volunteering at parkrun. You get a warm, fuzzy feeling that stays with you long after you’ve handed back the stunning orange vest.
  • You meet lovely people. The crew at Portarlington parkrun were friendly and welcoming, both volunteers and parkrunners. Being an introvert, I don’t always find it easy to meet and talk to people but volunteering gives you a purpose for doing both, making it a lot easier to get out there.
  • It’s easy. All of the roles at parkrun are super easy and require no special skills or attributes. To be marshal this morning, I needed to keep an eye on the course and any potential (unlikely) vehicle who wanted to access the boat ramp. And bring some gear back to the start line. That was it. I may have also danced on the spot a little (as it was a bit cold), smiled a lot and said ‘well done’ and ‘doing great’ whenever someone ran or walked past. See? Easy!
  • You get to experience the whole parkrun experience. This one is one I didn’t fully appreciate until I’d volunteered in a few different roles. When you run or walk, you experience what you experience and that’s it. As a back of the pack runner, I sometimes feel like I’m out there on my own or like I’m holding people up. No one makes me feel that way – it’s all my perception. However volunteering changed that. As a marshall today, I got to see all speeds of runner and walker and saw how much they were all enjoying it. I got to see the smile on the tail walker who was clearly happy to be out there. I saw that even the fast runners were often out their ‘on their own’, running their own run and not caring about anyone else. Volunteering really does give you a different perspective and a very useful one.
  • Donuts. Yeah, I know, this isn’t a feature of every parkrun but having a delicious selection of donuts not far away definitely sells Portarlington parkrun as a favourite. If not donuts, then breakfast and coffee. Because parkrun and breakfast go together as perfect companions and that’s not limited to those who’ve run and walked.

And, if this hasn’t convinced you enough, there’s the most important reason….

  • If you don’t volunteer now and then, parkrun won’t happen. There is no escaping this basic fact. While there will always be some people who like to volunteer rather than participate, the regular social media callouts for volunteers show that parkrun needs participants to choose to volunteer every now and then to keep it all happening. It wouldn’t feel right to me to continue to run, week after week, without contributing to keep the roster looking healthy.

parkrun tourism @ kate reed parkrun

I’m not always a big fan of the first parkrun of school holidays. In fact, quite often, I don’t make it out of bed for it. End of term tired is a whole new level of tired, particularly this term of this year. Oh so tired. However I had seriously improved my chances of attending by hopping on a plane as soon as school finished and heading to Tasmania.

And so it was, that on a fresh Tasmanian morning, we ended up at Kate Reed parkrun in Launceston. The 9am start had certainly helped as had a fabulous bed at our hotel the night before. I was well rested and intrigued by the descriptions I’d read of the course. I was even more intrigued by the start line which headed off in the direction of some delicious looking trails – my kind of parkrun!

We were given a first timers’ briefing which was wonderfully welcoming then the main briefing which was blissfully short as my fingers were starting to feel the chill. And then, we were off.

We had been promised that this was a playground for adults by the run director and he wasn’t wrong – it has all the trail goodness you can possibly pack into 5km. Start with a gentle downhill, throw in some tree roots and rocks to dodge, some slippery and sloshy mud and lots of twists and turns to keep it interesting. It’s described as ‘undulating’ and that’s true – not hilly as such but all the ups and downs of a trail. Between ups and downs and twists and turns, I was never entirely sure where I was or where anyone else was which was just how I liked it – alone on the trail but knowing the tail walkers weren’t too far away if needed. There were some members of the public out there on the trail too – walkers and mountain bikers but everyone happily shared the trail, said good morning and got on with their day.

I was having so much fun out there, I really wasn’t ready for the end but there it was, flags waving and a lovely volunteer waiting to hand me my token. My shoes at the end and the smile on my face both showed the level of fun had – seriously no better way to kick off our holiday. At the time, I made a call which I stand by a week later – this is the best parkrun I’ve done. Having experienced 103 different parkrun courses, I’ve certainly been to some incredible places but this one really does deserve top spot (so far!). The course is just the perfect mix of trail elements and, if I was a Launceston local, I’d be over the moon to have this as my home course.

Thanks to the fabulous and friendly volunteering team for the warm welcome (to make up for the chilly weather). To anyone visiting Tasmania, make sure your itinerary takes this one in and be sure to pack your trail shoes!

parkrun tourism @ burley griffin parkrun

I’d like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as the traditional custodians of the land we were running on this morning and pay my respects to their elders – past, present and emerging.

It is no longer an easy task to pick a parkrun when visiting the ACT as every one of them looks like a fabulous way to spend a Saturday. I’ll be honest – I picked Burley Griffin parkrun just because the name spoke to me as the most ‘Canberran’ of the bunch but we just as easily could have picked the others for a myriad of reasons. More reasons to come back!

We drove the windy road down to the start and were greeted by drifting balloons, part of the Canberra Balloon Spectacular, and a perfect backdrop to the morning.

First up, it was the first timers’ briefing and hats off to the team as this was one of the best I’ve heard. It was the right mix of information, humour and reassurance which would have been exactly what someone new to parkrun needed to hear and was also the right information for a visitor to the course. This was then followed up with an equally fabulous Run Director briefing.

And, with that, we were off. The course is a super easy to follow out and back along a cycling/walking path and, despite the multitude of people, it wasn’t hard to find space as people spread out quite quickly. There were a lot of other park users out and about, some walking, cycling and running on the path but also lots of people using the lake, the bbqs and picnic areas to get out and enjoy the sunshine.

The scenery is lovely on this course – running along the lake with trees, mountains and water framing your views. The Telstra tower looks over you at various points and a moving tribute to the more than 300 lives lost from the boat known as SIEV X accompanies a stretch of the course. It is an undulating and windy course but the undulations are gentle and the bends serve to give you lots of angles to view the scenery from.

Arriving back at the finish line, the volunteers and other parkrunners were friendly and welcoming and, if measuring this one in smiles, it was probably a PB.

For breakfast afterwards, we opted for the cafe at the Yarralumla Play Station – a fabulous quirky place with tables outside, the perfect place to enjoy the sunshine and great food and coffee to match.

Full marks to Burley Griffin parkrun – a great event and a wonderful way to kick off our weekend in Canberra. Thanks to all of the event team for the fabulous morning 😁

parkrun tourism @ warringal parklands

With parkrun back and touristing again an option, I happily climbed out of bed (well, mostly happily) to head to Warringal Parklands parkrun this morning. The rain was pretty steady on the drive over but the radar looked like it was moving and, besides, we’re not made of paper (as I’m fond of telling my students).

The view as we sheltered in the car wasn’t as positive as the radar had been but whatever – we were here now and needed to get it done. Pre-run toilet stop done and we moved in to listen to the first timers’ briefing to hear about the course.

After that, we walked to the start line, which is a little way along from the finish line, for the main briefing. The start is on the path but people did a great job of self seeding so it didn’t feel crowded and was wide enough for the crowd (about 120 today). And off we went.

It’s an easy to follow out and back course along the Yarra trail with bits of concrete but mostly gravel. A marshal was at the turnaround so you couldn’t miss it. The trail is gently undulating but doesn’t have any gruesome hills – all just gentle ups and downs to add some interest. The scenery is green and serene – the river, wetlands and parks border the trail with houses and civilization feeling a long way off. In fact there were a few points, particularly on the way back, when I felt like I was the only person on the course.

My running has been pretty inconsistent of late. Actually, ‘since 2020’ would be a better descriptor. However this week, I’ve managed to get back to my usual running days and felt great out there today, feeling like my runs during the week gave me what I needed to push it a bit harder at parkrun.

The rain came back in the last kilometre but, by then, I didn’t mind as I was suitably warmed up. In fact I felt, for the first time in a long time, like I could happily have kept running for longer. Nothing hurt, nothing ached, my lungs were good – it was one of those runs when it all came together.

The only (very small) sour point came after I got my results – realising I was 1 second from my last parkrun bingo time! Feels like I’ve been chasing that last time for ever – it’ll make it all the sweeter when I get it!

A big thank you to all the volunteers at Warringal Parklands parkrun, particularly for coming out in the rain to allow us all to run and walk. It’s a great parkrun – another one of those gems that’s tucked into suburbia but uncovers all sorts of delights once you start running. And it’s whet my appetite for exploring more of the Yarra Trail beyond the well-worn bits around Studley Park.

Dormant but not extinct

It’s been a long time between blog posts. I have continued to run relatively consistently (with a short break due to a calf strain) but it’s been a little bit aimless and the run parts of got less with walk parts taking precedence. With no events to train for and not being able to run with friends, the motivation has leaked away and it’s become just a thing I do rather than something particularly fulfilling.

I decided I needed some sort of training plan to get myself back on track and looked around for something achievable. What I really need right now is to set some goals and feel successful. I thought about couch to 5k but I’m one of those people who never actually finished it the first time (or the second, or the third) and just skipped straight to doing half marathons. I always found it a massive jump between a couple of the weeks so it left me feeling like I’d failed at it.

This time, I’ve found None to run which seems a lot more achievable and lot more beginner friendly. While I’m not a beginner, I need that gentle consistency to get me back to a routine.

I’ve just finished Week 2 and so far, so good. The run segments are enough to give me the push I’ve needed but they aren’t so frequent or so long that I’m at risk of not finishing them (at least not yet). Even better, there’s a supportive social media group to share achievements with and help keep me on track.

Shall let you know how it goes!

Race recap – #RunSweatInspire festival virtual half marathon

I have a little bit of a love-hate relationship with virtual runs. On the ‘hate’ side, they obviously lack the crowds, the excitement and the pure motivation that an actual, in-person event brings. Never underestimate the value of screaming people with signs to get you over a finish line that you’re positive you won’t reach. But on the ‘love’ side, they’re inclusive of all (a big bonus to those of us who run slower than average), they fit around your life and they still come with bling. And, at the moment with the pesky pandemic still roaming, they’re the only events on offer so I’m attempting to embrace them.

Today’s virtual event was the Run Sweat Inspire Festival, a joint venture between the National NAIDOC committee and the Indigenous Marathon Foundation. Distances were varied and participants could complete them in one go or over the week. The only catch is that all runs needed to be done this week, as this is normally NAIDOC week (although official celebrations have been postponed – pesky pandemic!).

I chose to run a half marathon which is definitely a bit of a stretch at the moment as I’ve been sticking to shorter distances. I do like a challenge. I didn’t care how I completed it and which parts I ran or walked, just wanted to get the distance done.

I set off from home just before the sun got up and parked outside the You Yangs (Wurdi Youang). When thinking of NAIDOC week, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate place to run. I’ve often said that this is my spiritual place but, more importantly, it’s been a culturally significant place for the Wadawurrung people for 60,000 years. I started my run by heading up to the top of Big Rock and paying my respects to the elders of this land.

From there, I ran back down and along the Great Circle Drive before doing a lap of the parkun course. As much as I usually grumble about the hill, I couldn’t help but think, as I went up it today, how grateful I’ll be for us to all be back at parkrun and I may even stop complaining about the hill as a token of my gratitude. Well, for a week anyway.

After that I headed towards and past the park office and down to the fence where a wonderful trail leads you around the edges of the park and almost guarantees minimal human contact. I did, however, disturb a family of kangaroos and a small wallaby. I love this trail because it’s uneven and full of tree roots and fallen branches – not a place for fast running but a wonderful way to distract yourself as you pick the best path to take and avoid rolling an ankle.

My final stint was up the hill and past Bunjil before heading back down and across to where I started. It was definitely a challenge today and I didn’t break any records but really enjoyed just being out there, especially for such a worthwhile cause. I ran, I definitely sweated and, hopefully, have inspired. #RunSweatInspire

Time to step outside and smell the eucalypts

It’s been hard to write about running over the last couple of months. It’s not that I haven’t been running – I’ve managed 121 kilometres since we were asked to exercise from home (and even more if you counted my journeys from the couch to the fridge) but they’ve been clocked up around my neighbourhood. And, while it’s a lovely neighbourhood, it’s not that inspiring to write about.

I’ve definitely also attempted to challenge myself and set small goals in all of this – Strava challenges and a mad Saturday where I ran a half marathon which started with 8km of laps of my backyard. Definitely not a PB I intend to repeat but an achievement I’m proud of.

Today I felt like I was set free – I returned to the You Yangs. For those not local, the You Yangs is a national park in Victoria and, for many, you’d barely notice it other than some bumps on the horizon as you head down the freeway. To those who know better, it’s a mini slice of heaven. I’m not a church loving person (other than for the architecture) and I think religion is really just politics in funny robes. But hanging out in the You Yangs has always brought out my spiritual side. I’ve had days running there where I was completely alone but felt like someone was watching out for me. And days where the trail and the rocks and the wildlife seemed to provide an answer to some unspoken question I didn’t know how to articulate.

This morning was definitely another spiritual experience. I ran up towards Big Rock and felt all the tension and uncertainty of the last few months drip away. Running around my neighbourhood never felt like this, no matter how beautiful the sunrise. I met a couple of kangaroos just before I climbed up Big Rock and they watched until I got to the top and then bounded off. The gentle colours of sunrise were kissing the sky and all I could see, wherever I looked, was serenity.

I know this isn’t the end of runs around my neighbourhood – working from home has given me a bit of flexibility in when I run and that’s ending soon so neighbourhood laps will be back on the agenda for weekday runs. But that sense of freedom, knowing that I have options? Priceless.

pandemic parkrun

I’ll admit, I haven’t been to parkrun for a while. It’s all the usual excuses – busy from a full on first term at school, tired from work with the extra stress of being exposed to large groups of potential germy children in small spaces, my provisionally named five-week-bronchitis. Oh and the whole ‘global pandemic’ thing which has completely upended every aspect of our life. You know, the usual stuff.

Luckily, this morning, a parkrun launched near me. Around my very own neighbourhood in fact. Amazing! Husband didn’t accompany me on this one – he chose instead to run the much more exclusive Treadmill parkrun, to which I wasn’t invited. Whatever. I heard the scenery’s rubbish anyway.

The run briefing was pretty standard – keep left, dogs on a short leash, run at least 1.5 metres from any other human you encounter and don’t cough in public unless you want to be arrested. I didn’t stay for the first timer briefing – pretty familiar with this course, having done multiple freedom runs on it over the years.

And then we (I) were off!

It’s a pretty easy course to follow and is mostly on suburban concrete paths. There’s not much signage but it’s all right turns so you shouldn’t really get lost.

I’m normally not one to speak ill of the volunteers but the course check person either didn’t get out of bed or travelled by canoe when checking the course as a lot of it was under water.

However, I channelled my teacher persona and told myself what I’d tell my students – “You’re not made of paper – get on with it!”. And I ran straight through.

I did encounter others on the course – a few other walkers and runners who were all being respectful and keeping their distance, as were the horses, rabbits and teddy bears.

Finishing this one, I had (obviously) very wet shoes and a very big smile – haven’t had that much fun at parkrun for ages and their finish arch was pretty spectacular.

It wouldn’t be parkrun without a post-parkrun coffee and breakfast and we’ve been very grateful that the fabulous Millars cafe is serving takeaway and local to us so husband popped by for a coffee and a muffin. And then, not letting physical distancing become social isolation, we joined our parkrun friends for our usual Saturday morning chat session, just slightly differently.

Would I do this parkrun again? Probably. Ok, definitely. Can’t beat a parkrun on your doorstep and, while the run might have been solo, the morning definitely wasn’t lonely with the breakfast as friendly as ever. So, until my usual parkrun is back up and running/walking, I think this one will do.

parkrun tourism @ kerang regional

For those of you who have known me for a while, you’d know that running is something that I discovered relatively recently (ie, 10 years ago). As a primary school aged kid, exercise wasn’t a word I thought about but I’d certainly get out on my bike at any chance I could, adored the monkey bars and swinging upside down and would run around quite happily for no reason at all.

Then high school hit. PE became not just something I disliked but something I actively dreaded. In particular, our annual cross country was something akin to a form of torture for me. I think it had something to do with not having a natural aptitude and with my perceived failure at it being so visible to everyone around me. Being overweight didn’t help. I also think it had a lot to do with the fact that I assumed that you were either good at it or not good at it and didn’t get that, like all other subjects, it could be worked on to see improvements.

I also hadn’t yet discovered that you could be not great at something but enjoy doing it anyway.

“What has all this got to do with parkrun tourism?” I hear you ask. A lot actually. My high school years of hating PE happened in the northern Victorian town of Kerang, with the cross country course in question being part of our parkrun of choice this morning. The irony was definitely not lost on me. I spent years begging my mother for excuse notes to get out of running along this levee bank and yet, here I was, actively driving several hours on a Friday night then getting out of bed early to choose to run it. Go figure.

We gathered at the start and met the friendliest bunch of people you could hope to find. This being a fairly new parkrun and well and truly out of the way for most tourists, it’s got a fresh and enthusiastic crowd, all eager to chat and get started. There was a respectable crowd in the 80s this morning, listening to the run briefing and then we were up to the start line.

It was a bit of a scrum at the start, not because it’s particularly narrow but because there is a real mix of runners, walkers and those in between and so it took everyone a while to spread out and work out where they needed to be. Thankfully, the trail is wide enough to allow for this and we all found our spots.

It’s a very easy to follow out and back course, along the river then up onto higher ground for a change of scenery before you hit the turnaround point (which is tantalisingly close to the start line) and go back the way you came.

The crowd maintained their friendly encouragement along the way with smiles and ‘great job’ as you passed people, regardless of where they were at in the journey. I couldn’t help but wonder if life would have been different if this had been my high school experience of running, with encouragement, a complete lack of competition (other than with myself) and an appreciation of getting out in the fresh air and moving my body, just for the sake of it.

I crossed the finish line with a smile, wishing I could go and have chat to my 13 year old self while also feeling very proud of the adult she’s grown up into. 206 parkruns done and finally feeling like I conquered the damn cross country course.

Coffee afterwards rotates venues – this week at the lovely Chino’s. Country towns and their coffee really have come a long way (or maybe I just wasn’t that into coffee when I lived here).

The verdict? Another great addition to the parkrun family. If this was my local course, I’d be a happy parkrunner. Well done to the event team at Kerang Regional – I suspect we’ll be back up your way at some point and will happily do this one again.