There is plenty to ponder along the Sri Chinmoy Lennox Gardens one mile loop. The charge of “too boring” could never be levelled at a route presenting such a dizzying parade of natural beauty, aesthetic richness, cultural variety, historical intrigue and political heft – 13 times around the course is barely enough to whet the appetite.

For starters, the park itself is a veritable arboreal feast with an array of native and introduced trees standing alone, in clusters, groves and copses, their correspondingly varied winged denizens flashing a fluttering smorgasbord of fleeting visual and vocal delights, the soothing sweep of lake, its elegance of waterbirds, slate cloud blotches latticed upon a pensive sky, a lone balloon, the grandeur of Black Mountain with its ever-aspiring tower, the jolting jaunty incongruity of the National Museum, ANU’s (what?!) – Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility – pretending to blend in unnoticed, before the easeful arching of Commonwealth Ave Bridge delivering to an implied city centre beyond. Bearing right to head up a slight slope of grass, the Katie Bender Memorial aches with the tragic folly of a day of festivity turned in an instant to unspeakable tragedy, the dual carriageway of Flynn Drive a reminder we are within a would-be city, the incongruous Albert Hall, the historic (now Hyatt) Hotel Canberra, former home of Prime Ministers and midnight Cabinet meetings, Canberra’s curiously quaint croquet club, the clumsily bungled espionage around the construction of the Chinese Embassy linked/separated with a narrow strip of tarmac from the British High Commission, the Nara Peace Garden, a glimpse of Parliament House looming with all it stood for, stands for, would and could stand for, before abruptly wheeling right into the Chinese Garden precinct an eclectic collection of cultural curios, the Canberra Yacht Club minding its business across Lotus Bay and around the beautifully curved and manicured bend to pass by the Rotary Peace Bell, silent sentinel of mankind’s eternal aspiration for the seemingly-unattainable Ideal. And all the fish, oblivious. An occasional turtle.

And all of that as nothing in compare to the stories, the histories, dramas and dreams, the personal trials and triumphs of ourselves – this marvellous assorted ensemble of runners – circling, striving and thriving, revolving, evolving and transcending on and along and around this wondrous loop of life.

Too boring? Only if …

Trevor Spencer and Alexandria Nicholls both led from the front in the men’s and women’s Half-Marathon, each carving impressive wins unchallenged – Trevor taking line honours in 1:15:04 by a clear 9 minutes from Dan Piercy (1:24:18) and Rex Wickenden (1:26:26); while Alexandria established a 7 minute gap ahead of Kate Ahern (1:33:25) and Caitlin Chandler (1:39:08).

Clare Wall ran so fast in the Female 60-69 category, that she even thought she had run one lap too short – but the timing data doesn’t lie and her consistent lap splits revealed a new age group record, breaking her own best time from yesteryear with a mighty impressive 1:47:00. Michelle Burns took out the F50-59 with 1:50:37; Aston Duncan blitzed the M50-59 field by 14 minutes and took 3rd outright with his fine run of 1:25:09; while Rodney Smith won the M60-69 in 1:40:43.

Today’s 5 mile race was a record fest, with 3 new fastest times racing to new heights: Debra Kay set a new standard for the F50-59 with 39:54; Trevor Jacobs made it 2 new course records in his last two Sri Chinmoy races starts with 39:31 in the M70+; while Anthony Kennedy broke the existing M50-59 time with his 29:53. Jennifer Kellett was guaranteed a win in the F60-69 as she was the only entrant – but even so, her stellar run of 37:43 saw her only a few seconds adrift of Elizabeth Simpson’s course best from 2021.

Sarah King ran a superb front-running race to win the women’s 5-miler in 31:16, from Lee Steel’s 37:48 and Kathryn Sliwinski in 38:03. Shamsher Foley had a much tighter tussle to win the men’s race, with only 4 seconds splitting his 28:49 from a fast-finishing Yiannis Eliopoulos’ 28:53, with Joe Erskine balancing the podium with his 29:47. Kim Houghton’s return to running saw him take out the M60-69 in a creditable 38:21.

Tom Sharp was too sharp in the 2 mile race, winning from the M17 and Over category in 12:11, with next home Tara Holmes, 1st in the Girls Under 17s with 12:53. Oliver Whiting led the Boys Under 13 and took 3rd outright with 13:43; while Fletcher Whiting was 4th and winner of the Boys Under 17 in 14:10. Fastest Girls Under 13 was Ava Harrington with 15:04; while Female 17 and Over winner Sibylla Muecke came home in 15:50.

While point-to-point races may boast a variety of vistas and terrains, if one is fortunate to have a superb outlook, an excellent surface and wonderful company all in the one place, why not enjoy these benefits for the whole race? The reliability and consistency of a loop course also affords an ideal opportunity to focus within, on on one’s running form, style and attitude, and to keep tabs on the entire field of both friends and rivals.

Although not a blazing hot sunny day in Canberra this Queen’s Birthday Holiday morning, a significant boon assisting all participants whispered in silence through an all-pervasive stillness. Those who ran this event in 2020 will recall the blustery gale that stood against every runner’s effort at forward progress. The lack of wind today perhaps aided in the achievement of no fewer than 5 age group and overall course records, a remarkable achievement given the relatively small field assembled.

Few timers has this event been dominated as comprehensively as Adrian McLean’s virtuoso performance today. The loop course, which effectively keeps the whole field closer together than they would appear in a linear race, disguised the margin of victory which ended up a whopping 7 minutes, In the process, Adrian’s 1:11:22 sliced a full 3 minutes from the old course record. Steve McCulloch was next among the mortals with 1:18:25, from 3rd placed Jimmy Byrne’s 1:18:54. Jon Schol made the trip from the South Coast wortthwhile to take out the Male 50-59 with a fine 1:35:29, ahead of Kim Houghton, who set a lifetime Half-Marathon PB of 1:37:36 at age 59 years and 11 months! Amazingly, Kim was the oldest runner in the men’s field.

In the women’s Half-Marathon, Bernie Connors had never attempted a race on a loop course, or an event of this distance, and surprised herself with a brilliant win in 1:39:15, from Amanda McCormack’s 1:41:11 and Linda Edstrom with 1:42:50. Evergreen Kerri Vaughan showed her experience and class to win the F50-59 in 1:54:14, from Fiona Websdane with 2:01:55. Meanwhile, Clare Wall had already finished and won the F60-69 with her outstanding new course record, another to better her own time from last year with 1:49:43; and the amazing Susan Archer claimed the F70+ trophy and a new age group best time, in the process holding off the 2 hour barrier, with her 1:59:07.

Tim Carton showed a clean pair of heels in the men’s 5 mile race, winning by over 2 minutes in 28:47, from Jason Chalker (31:30) and Keegan Moore (34:33). Darren Blackhurst was best among the M50-59 with 35:05, just ahead of Andrew Forster’s 35:25. Sandra Oliver took out the women’s race and an impressive 9th place overall with 36:10, while 2nd female was the outstanding Elizabeth Simpson, surpassing her own course record for the Female 60-69 with 37:28. Kathryn Sliwinsksi was next among the F Under 50 with 39:44, from Melanie Wellenberg’s 40:50. Jennifer Kellett continued the fine form of the F60-69s with her excellent 41:28. The M 70+ category was outstanding, with Paul Archer (44:26), Jim White (45:25) and Peter Badowski (45:29) all coming home ahead of the entire M60-69 field, where Ewen Thompson (49:12) just pipped Trevor Jacobs (49:13) for the title. Yvette Turner was fastest among the F50-59s, wining this category in 51:20 from Kim Falco’s 56:43; while Rae Palmer ran a fine race to also beat her own course record set last year in the F70+ with a wonderful 50:37.

The “sprint” 2-lap race saw a commanding run from Tom Sharp, winning comfortably from a small field in 12:18, ahead of 2nd placed Jules Tarry, who took out the Boys Under 13 category in 15:05, just ahead of his father Greg (15:07). Polly Templeton won the Female 17 and Over with 17:54.

Congratulations to all who participated, and gratitude to all who helped in any role.

 

What a lovely afternoon in Canberra! Intermittent bursts of sunshine, moderately warm with a light breeze and clear views across the lake to the Brindabellas beyond …

… except the race wasn’t held this afternoon: it was run in the morning, which showed altogether another face of Winter in Canberra – cold, blustery, rain squalls swirling from stressed clouds bustling over a fretful, surly lake. Bodies didn’t want to emerge from warm cars and jackets, pens refused to write, the computer timing system staged a defiant strike, barbecue gas bottles emitted more sound than heat as marquees strained to hurtle, yearning to fly free.

Yet in the path of these obstacles stood one compelling force to overwhelm them all: the spirit of a hundred runners gathered for a prize far more challenging – self-conquest. Accordingly, bodies duly emerged, pens grudgingly inscribed, the timing system reluctantly resuscitated, pancake mix started to thaw on the barbecue and all the marquees stayed ultimately in their appointed places.

Because the runners appeared, the race happened.

The one mile loop course around Lennox Gardens is certainly scenic: on a day like today it is also an adventure. Every time around, the waves prepared a new dance spectacular; every time around, the headwind struck from a fresh angle; every time around, there were ever more reasons to affirm and savour the simple, elemental joy that is the soul of running.

While we might run this course twenty times on fine days and not remember anything about it, none of us will forget today in a hurry… congratulations to one and all who turned out to run, support, cheer and help at what grew into a truly memorable occasion.

13 might be an unlucky number for some, but it is certainly a magic number when counting down 1-mile laps of a Half-Marathon!

From the outset it was clear that Penny Slater was running in another plane from the rest of the women’s Half-Marathon field. Zipping around among the faster men, her final time of 1:26:11 is one of the best races ever witnessed at this event, placing her 4th outright: her focus and determination throughout were surpassed only by her style and grace. 2nd woman was Lauren Evans with a gutsy 1:35:44, from Amanda McCormack’s effort of 1:36:41. Tracie Scarlett-Arundell was best among the Female 50-59 in 1:49:55; while the ever-classy Robyn McClelland took home the main prize in the Female 60-69 with her 2:10:17.

In the men’s race, Stephen Kiley’s strength and experience saw him prevail with 1:24:59, from a wholehearted run of 1:25:29 from Andrew Leigh, eclipsing David Beaven’s 1:25:45. Chris Gammon led home the Male 50-59 with 1:39:48, just 6 seconds adrift of the indefatigable Peter Clarke taking out the Male 60-69 in 1:39:42; while Jim White is settling into his new Male 70 and Over role nicely with a 1st-placed 2:14:06.

Tim Barnett and Jonathan Fearn enjoyed a tight tussle in the 2 mile race, with both breaking the old course record despite the conditions: Tim prevailing in a new course-best 10:50 from Jonathan’s 10:53. Nicholas Thauvette took out the Boys Under 17 in 13:21, and Eric de Fombelle the competitive Boys Under 13 cohort with 14:32.

Meanwhile Ashleigh van de Meulengraaf won the women’s 2 mile race in an excellent 13:33, ahead of 2nd placed Katherine Maundrell, who also won the Girls Under 17 with 14:37.

The outstanding performance in the 5-lap race came from Steve Rohan-Jones, who set a new Male 50-59 course record with his fine run of 30:44, which placed him 3rd outright behind male winner, the sprightly Mark Stevens (28:34) and 2nd-placed Daniel Carson (29:12). Ewen Thompson was fastest among the Male 60-69 with 43:59, while David Iverach took out the Male 70 and Over with a stirling run of 40:39 (faster than all the M60-69s).

Kim Cayzer was a clear champion in the women’s 5 mile dash with her impressive 36:31, form Kate McConchie’s 39:59. Sally Thauvette meanwhile won the Female 50-59 in 42:28; Jennifer Kellett took home the Female 60-69 main prize with 43:06; and Caroline Campbell added to her impressive list of records by establishing a wonderful new Best Time for Female 70 and Over of 53:07 (Caroline also holds the F60-69 and the F70+ records for the Half-Marathon at this event).

Our special gratitude to all helpers and well-wishers who swallowed whatever was served up by the conditions, to play a fine “supporting role” in the day’s drama.

Despite a significant decline in participation in the Half-Marathon, a dramatic rise in numbers in the 2 Mile race led to one of the largest fields ever assembled for the annual Sri Chinmoy Half-Marathon, 5 Mile and 2 Mile races in and around Telopea Park on the Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday, Monday 12 June 2017. A blanket of fog kept the temperatures reasonable for the start and early stages of the event, with the sun finally blazing through towards the end of the Half-Marathon.

Joshua Torley today almost achieved a unique feat. In not only winning the Half-Marathon but also setting a new course record time of 1:14:22, he would have held the records for the fastest times in various categories over all 3 distances at this event – Half-Marathon (2017), 5 Miles (2012) and 2 Miles (2010, for Boys Under 13). The only catch was that his record for the 5 Mile race fell today (more of that below…) While it is true that some faster times were recorded for the Half-Marathon back in the 1990s, these records have been lost. Congratulations for this amazing feat, Josh! A telling statistic from today’s run was that Josh’s last mile was also his fastest – a cracking 5:17.

Nine minutes behind Josh, though still running beautifully, David Beaven (1:23:30) outpaced Nicholas O’Neill (1:24:31) for the podium placings. Neal Ames took out the Male 50-59 in 1:36:18; and Laurie Irvine the Male 60-69 with his 1:54:43.

Jodie Barker was again outstanding in the women’s race, winning for at least the 4th time in 1:34:32. While most of us experience ups and downs in our running, Jodie is an inspiring example of consistent excellence, always running with fine form, focus and poise. Michelle Burns came in 2nd with 1:41:20, from Kelly-Ann Varey with 1:41:50. Paula Gaudry took out the Female 50-59 with 1:43:43; and Ruth Shegog the Female 60-69 in 2:22:21.

Jeffrey Van Gangelen ran a superb race in the Men’s 5 Mile, raining on Josh Torley’s parade by eclipsing his course record with an outstanding new best time of 27:49. Another age category record fell in the Female 60-69 with Jennifer Kellett taking a full 7 minutes off the old best time with her rapid 41:52 over the 5 miles.

Jeffrey was followed home in the men’s race by Glen Sturesteps in 2nd in 29:51, and Tobias Genet with 30:49 for 3rd placing. The male 50-59 was won by an ever-improving Kim Houghton, whose 34:12 was a lifetime PB over this distance. Now that’s an amazing feat! The Male 60-69 belonged today to Ewen Thompson’s fine 45:44; while the Male 70 and Over category – which boasted a field twice the size of the Male 60-69s – was won by Kevin Chamberlain in a sprightly 44:31.

Stephanie Torley was in a class of her own in the women’s 5 mile race, striding away to win stylishly in 31:48, from Claudia Brown in 35:42 and Natty Bech with 37:09. The Female 50-59 was won by Tracey O’Donnell, who made the drive down from Sydney to take out the category in a sizzling 40:44.

The largest field ever assembled for the 2 Mile race did not daunt Emma Dunn, who not only took out the Girls Under 17 – she won the race outright in fine style with a compelling 12:03. Mel Sykes-Bridge won the Female 17 and Over category in 14:51; and Hannah Quispes the Girls Under 13 in 15:42.

Andrew Welch was the fastest in the men’s 2 mile field, taking out the Male 17 and Over in 12:33; while Rohan O’Grady was not far behind to win the Boys Under 17 in 12:38; and Xavier Quispes the Boys Under 13 with 12:46.

 The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run – history’s longest torch relay, which this year is carrying the Peace Torch in relay from Brisbane to Adelaide – happened to be in Canberra for the weekend. Three members of the international relay team participated in today’s run: Abhinandan Willis from Melbourne and Kanyaka Arini from Bali both ran in the 5 Mile race, while Eniko Soron from Hungary ran in the 2 Mile. With the Peace Torch on hand, many participants took the opportunity to either run with or else to hold the Torch after their races. Thanks to all who took part in this inspiring global event!