Wings for Life World Run (Melbourne) Australia
Sunday 3rd May 2015
Wings for Life is an international
not-for-profit spinal cord research foundation. Our mission is to find a cure
for spinal cord injury. We fund world-class scientific research and clinical
trials around the globe aimed at healing the injured spinal cord.
100% of your entry fee goes to life-changing research projects
aimed at healing the injured spinal cord. All administrative costs of the
event and foundation are covered by Red Bull.
Melbourne Start Time is 9.00pm!
Track Description
The Wings for Life World Run course
in Melbourne begins in the beachside suburb of Elwood and runs south along
Beach Road. When you reach Mordialloc (20km) you move onto Station Street and
follow that until the end of the street before crossing onto the Nepean
Highway. Once on the Nepean Highway (27km), runners will move onto the path
adjacent to Beach Road.
Catcher Car
The Catcher Car is the moving finish
line. When the Catcher Car overtakes you, your race is over. As the Catcher Car
approaches stay within 4m of the car to make sure your finish distance (result)
is measured. Once the Catcher Car passes you, make your way to the nearest
shuttle back to the start.
After the race
When you come back to the start we
encourage you to stay and watch the race unfold around the world on the big
screen at Elwood Park.
Pre-race -
My husband, Brad and I decided to enter the Wings
for Life World Run because it was different… A race at night where a car chases you!
Sounds like fun! And all those people who say, “If you see me running something
must be chasing me.” Wings For Life World Run is the event for you then! Most times I consider an event, the final decision comes down to the cause. In this case, Brad told
me about Josh Wood http://joshwood.com.au
I researched a little about Josh and I was amazed
and inspired by his resilience and determination to overcome the odds (I had
just finished reading, “The Long Run” by Matt Long. I loved the book and Josh’s
attitude reminded me of Matt). Brad and I decided we would run this one together, for spinal cord research.
Not long after we signed up, a friend, Kelly-Ann,
messaged me and said she was considering flying down from Canberra to race the
event. I met Kelly through Running Mums Australia (RMA) and we hit it off. I
was more than happy to have her stay with us and support her race. She had
the potential to win Wings for Life World Run - Australia!
Kelly ran her first marathon in Canberra 2014 (same
as me). She finished in 3:05 (I finished in 3:30). A year later, Kelly won the
50km event in Canberra 2015 (She finished in 3:30). I knew from the moment I
met Kelly that she was super fast and had untapped potential. And results were
beginning to capture the attention of others. Even with the limelight, Kelly
remained humble, down-to-earth and fun. And just for the record, she works her butt
off!
The couple of days leading up to the event, Kelly
and I socialised with fellow runners and friends (and maybe we did a little bit
of on-line stalking to see who else was racing… Dion Finocchiaro
and Cameron Hall!) Brad started to worry about
his aches and pains, and general fitness. He hadn’t run more than 12km in
months. I didn’t mind what distance he made so long as he enjoyed the night and
held a positive attitude. I wanted to enjoy the experience and run for the
cause.
Race day -
The day of the event was strange because the start
time was 9pm! We went to a café in Mornington for lunch and indulged in an avocado smash. Yum! In the afternoon we had a small amount of carbohydrates and
I had a Nuun hydration tablet (not for the run but an attempt to counteract the
wine I consumed in the days prior)! We organised our bags with a change of
clothes for after the event. May nights in Melbourne are cold and I knew I
would be running slightly slower than usual therefore I rugged up. I wore 2XU
knee length compressions, New Balance singlet and long sleeve top. And of
course my NB 890s. We were provided with a reflective vest and headlamp (as
well as 4 cans of Red Bull and other goodies). I wore my Garmin but I didn’t
take any fuel supplies as we were only expecting to run about 15km (Brad
revised his goal).
We arrived at the bus depot by 7pm and caught the
shuttle to the start line in Elwood. We completed our registration, received
our race pack and attached our bibs. There weren’t as many familiar faces as I
was expecting however it was already dark and difficult to see people. I saw a
few people I knew and chatted about their goals. Then we snuck behind the
barriers and scored a photo with Mick Fanning and Josh Wood. I was a little starstruck
when I spoke to Josh Wood. I told him he was the reason we were running.
Before long everyone headed to the start line. I wished Kelly good luck as she made her way down the front, and told her to keep up with Dion. The announcer explained the Catcher Car would drive behind cyclists. Runners had to watch for cyclists and as the Catcher Car passed, our timing chip would deactivate. After our race was over, we could make our way to the nearest bus stop and return to Elwood.
The race started and the pack spread out relatively
well considering the amount of people and the lighting. The first few
kilometres were quicker than anticipated and I told Brad to slow down. We ran
5:12, 5:06, 5:06, 5:08 and 5:12. After 5km (25:43) Brad said he was starting to
struggle so we slowed down. He had been swept up in the atmosphere but our goal
pace was 5:30min/km or slower. If we were going to last 15km we had to drop
back. The following 5km were approximately 5:30min/km pace (plus a toilet
stop). We were hoping to see Brad’s sister around the 8km mark but we missed
each other in the darkness. About 10km (54:40) Brad said both ITBs were sore
and I could sense his pain. He began laterally striking and sinking with each
step. Overall the course had been fairly flat with small undulations. I have
run Beach Rd many times during the day and the ocean view is beautiful. It can
be windy but on this night the temperature was perfect, and the air was still
and calm. We were incredibly lucky with the weather. And I loved the serenity
of running on a calm peaceful Melbourne night. It was around this stage that I
noticed the pack had dwindled. The faster runners were way ahead and the slower
ones started to drop out. By 13km, Brad decided to walk a little. He apologised
but I reassured him I didn’t mind. He was enjoying it (I think),
otherwise he was putting on a convincing show. He stayed positive throughout
the entire run. As we were
running I was talking crap to distract him and at the same time, wondering how
far we could go. I started thinking 16-18km would be great, however our pace dropped significantly from 13km onwards. We ran
5:58, 5:50, 7:01. We reached 15km (1hour 24min) and I suspected the Catcher Car would
make an appearance very soon. I encouraged Brad to keep going, run or walk,
just keep moving forward. He still had some fight in him and about 15.5km we
spotted the Catcher Car.
The buzz was amazing. The whole concept of running
away from the Catcher Car was very cool! It was different and exciting. How
long could we last?
“C’mon Brad, we can make 16km.” He agreed with a
grunt.
We continued plodding along with people sprinting
past us. They were trying to out run the car and the whole atmosphere lifted. We
made 16km (1hour 32min) and the car was drawing closer, but we kept going… Finally the
Catcher Car caught us at 16.5km (1hour 34min). I was really proud of Brad!
Post race -
We made our way to the bus stop and after a long
wait on the bus, we headed back to Elwood. I was so focused on how Kelly and
Dion were running. At Elwood park there was a big screen and various food stands.
I was expecting more atmosphere, noise and officials but there wasn’t much at
all (noise restrictions). It was freezing but thankfully there were some gas heaters spread out for
participants to stand under and defrost. We changed into warmer clothes and
watched the big screen. I saw a glimpse of Wings for Life leading female in Australia…
Kelly-Ann Varey! I was so excited but not surprised. Kelly looked
comfortable and she was chatting away with the camera crew. We waited and
watched for ages but didn't see any further updates. There were no updates at
all regarding the men. (We were told that Australia was a B-grade race therefore the coverage was mostly other
countries.) Due to noise restrictions, the big screen had no sound and nobody gave updates. People started leaving, but Brad and I were not deterred. We jumped on the Wings for Life website and started watching the live feed and
listening to the sound through our phones. We attempted to track Kelly and Dion
(who was yo-yoing with Michael Wardian for leading male in Australia). We were having our own private party and yelling, “Go
Kelly! Go Dion!”
The course double backs at 27km and
the surviving runners pass Elwood around 54km. We could see from tracking that
Dion and Mike Wardian were coming through soon, so we made our way onto the course.
We could also see that Kelly was close to being caught by the Catcher Car (I hoped
she would reach her 50km goal). Brad and I ran over to the road and within a few minutes we saw two
headlamps coming towards us. The first guy was Michael Wardian, an experienced,
accomplished ultra runner from USA. I knew him through www.ultrarunnerpodcast.com
An incredible runner and he looked the part of an
ultra trail runner with his beard and skinny frame. Dion was only a few metres
behind, looking comfortable but focused. We cheered for him and then the moment
was over. They continued to run into the darkness as we checked the website for
updates and saw Kelly had been caught… She WON! She was first place female in
Wings for Life World Run - Australia (clocked up nearly 51km)! What an awesome effort!
I was super excited and ran to the bus depot to meet her. I watched three buses
disembark but there was no Kelly. I asked the volunteers and they directed me
to the official tent, but nobody knew where she was. I was
stressing that nobody was there for her at her finish line. I heard someone
yelling and saw her across on other side of the park holding her trophy and
51km kilometre sign (looking freezing but happy)! Thankfully two lovely RMA
were there to help Kelly safely back to Elwood. She said the camera crew and
people on the course were wonderful.
A small group of us gathered around a heater and
listened to Kelly share her experience. We really wanted to wait for Dion and
Michael Wardian to finish, mainly so they would have a welcoming party! It is
the least you deserve as the Wings for Life World Run winner (after running 70km). However the last bus back to the car was about to leave. The bus driver was great. He lowered the ramp for Kelly so she could walk on and off the bus
easier (pretty funny), and allowed us to consume a glass of wine
to celebrate while he was driving. It may not have been the party we were
expecting but we made our own fun.
On the way back home we checked the results to discover Michael Wardian won and Dion Finocchiaro was close
second. I hoped someone was there to greet them at the end. An amazing effort…
running 70km in the dark without the usual hype and atmosphere of a day race.
Race feedback and will there be a next time -
The most obvious negative was the lack of atmosphere at the finish line especially for the winners. I
heard there were local residents who had issue with noise at night (especially
being Sunday). And there were noise restrictions.
There were definitely more positives; the cause,
the concept, the buzz at the start line, the organisation of registration
and bags, the course, the weather (surprisingly), food and the Catcher Car!
I will definitely be back to run it again however
next time I will be racing.
