Sri Chinmoy Geelong Foreshore Race Report 07

11 November 2007, Rippleside Park, Geelong

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Sri Chinmoy Geelong Foreshore Run last Sunday. Conditions were clear and perfect to enjoy the beauty that the geelong Waterfront has to offer. The new course starting and finishing from Rippleside Park was well received and we hope to make this event a regular feature on our Geelong Running Calendar.

Congratulation to Matthew Johnsen to man a suburb 33.08 to win the 10km event by over 2 minutes and become the inaugural course record holder.

A full list of results and photographs from the day are now available. If you would like to provide us with feedback from the day you can email us at [email protected].

Many of you will be aware that Sri Chinmoy, the founder and inspiration behind the worldwide Sri Chinmoy Races, passed away last month at his home in New York. In his memory we will continue to offer our regular variety of runs, swims and triathlons across Australia and New Zealand, and we look forward to seeing you all at one of our next events.

Happy training

The Sri Chinmoy Races Team

Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team articles - more articles

The first run course for the Short Course race starts from the transition area behind the ActewAGL substation at the end of Frith Rd, Acton. Start on Frith Rd heading uphill. Turn left through the large gate into the National Botanic Gardens. Proceed straight ahead on this main road for a few hundred metres until you come to a sign indicating that you turn left onto another road. This road will bring you down to the lower main road where you turn left again.

Follow this road until there is a turn-off to your right through a gate onto a concrete walking track leading into the CSIRO. Turn off this track to your left onto an almost-invisible dirt walking track which brings you back to Frith Rd, which you follow back to the transition compound and prepare for the mountain bike leg.

7 KM Cycle The mountain bike leg of the Short Course starts directly on Frith Rd. Proceed straight through the large gate onto the dirt road. Turn right at the first fork, then left through the gate into Black Mountain Reserve.

Follow this main dirt road uphill and turn right at the first opportunity. Ignore the next turn off to your left and continue to your right onto the fast, scenic loop around Little Black Mountain. After the hairpin turn to your left, do not take the first turn-off heading downhill to your right. Instead continue through a few small ups and downs, taking the next main turn to your right. Head downhill through a quite nice descent through eucalypts, continuing on this road all the way till you reach a T-junction. Go right here, up a slight rise. Turn right again before you reach Belconnen Way, continuing along the main track under the power lines. Follow this track all the way around to the transition compound, and prepare for the final run leg.

Sri Chinmoy Short Course Run.jpg

2.5 KM Run The final run leg for the Short Course heads out from the compound back in the direction from which you just rode (the bike and run courses will be separated by para-webbing), then after a few hundred metres turns left onto a narrow walking track which climbs steeply uphill for about 300 metres before flattening out.

When this walking track reaches the main dirt road, turn left. You are now following the first part of the mountain bike course, but in reverse direction (all the bikes will have passed through here by now). Continue on this road, turning left at the T-junction, heading downhill. Go through the gate leading out of Black Mountain Reserve, turn right then immediately left again, still heading downhill. Pass through the big gate onto the bitumen road, then look for the finish line straight ahead.

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The first leg of the Long Course is a 5 km run around the Foreshore Loop Track. The run starts from the Foreshores car park and heads up the bitumen road for a hundred metres or so, then turns left through the gate onto the main dirt road heading south. Follow this road for about 2 kilometres. At the bottom of a long hill, look for the signs onto the wallking trail to your left. Follow this walking trail across a small creek (if it is flowing), then follow the inlet out to the lake foreshores. The trail heads north to the finish at the Foreshores car park, where you transition to the paddle leg.

The transition compound is in the car park at the top of the concrete boat ramp.

The paddle course is 2 laps of a 5 km loop, travelling in a clockwise direction. Head out from the starting cove and turn to your left, towards the dam wall. A few hundred metres before the dam, turn at the marker buoy and head towards the far shore. Turn right again at the next marker buoy near the far shore, then follow the eastern shore directly south for over 2 kilometres. Turn right again at the southernmost marker buoy and paddle back towards the Foreshores car park. On the first lap, just cruise past the marker buoy without turning in to the starting cove and continue on your second lap. At the end of your second lap, re-enter the little cove and alight at the bottom of the boat ramp. Once again, athletes may take assitance porting their craft from the shore the short distance to the paddle/mountain bike transition.

Leg 3 is a 31 km mountain bike ride, starting once more from the Foreshores car park. Head up the main bitumen road for a hundred metres or so, then turn left through the gate onto the Western Foreshores Walking Track, a dirt road in good condition (the first few kilometres are the same as your first run course).

This road follows the western foreshores. There are a few decent climbs and descents, then the road flattens for the final few kilometres before Tin Hut Dam. Just before you reach the Tin Hut car park, turn left, then right onto another track still heading south (this way you avoid the public road).

After another short climb, you will come out above the London Bridge Woolshed car park. Here the short course turns right to the car park, but you will turn to your left, down a long swooping incline to the usually-bone-dry Drawdown Crossing, where you will be met with a 15 - 20 metre stretch of water that needs to be either waded across or paddled. There will be a kayak on hand for those who do not wish to wade across. Follow this track around, looping up to your left, then turn left at the next intersection. The next few kilometres are 2-way traffic, so be sure to remain on your left at all times, particularly coming down hills.

Follow the signs to Gelignite Crossing. The track borders private property and the nature reserve for a while, then heads into a very steep descent to Gelignite Crossing. Take great care here and look out for bikers coming the other way. Turn left to cross over Queanbeyan Creek at Gelignite Crossing. You may have to wade a little. There follows a series of very steep climbs and drops. From the highest point, there is a long and satisfying descent all the way to the next crossing of Queanbeyan River.

From here there is another long climb, then another steep descent back to Gelignite Crossing, which this time you do not cross. Continue straight ahead here up the steep hill out of Gelignite Crossing. This is the 2-way section again, so look out for bikes coming in the other direction! Ignore the turn-offs to your right. Eventually you will come out into a clearing, with London Bridge Arch on your right. Veer left at the signposted intersection, then turn right at the next sign to the London Bridge Woolshed (do not go all the way to London Bridge Homestead).

This track brings you to the London Bridge Woolshed car park. Go through the gate at the bottom and immediately sharp left into the car park, round the large rocks and into the transition area on the grass in front of the car park. Transition here to leg 4, the final run.



From the transition area, run straight up across the grass towards the small gap in the fence to start the final 5 km run. Go through this gap and cross the road, looking out for bikes and runners coming from your right. Turn left onto the upper road a few metres higher. At the 4-way intersection, turn right to head down a long hill to the Drawdown Crossing, , where you will be met with a 15 - 20 metre stretch of water that needs to be either waded across, swum or paddled. There will be a kayak on hand for those who do not wish to swim or wade across. Just after the Crossing, look for a walking track heading up a series of steps on your left. Take this track and continue following it to the top of the ridge. Along the ridgeline you will come to a fork where another track joins yours from the right. Do a hairpin right hand turn here and follow this other track down to Washpen Crossing. Continue on the main dirt road to your right, following this road straight ahead past a few turns to left and right. For a while you will be back on the bike course. Follow this dirt road up a small hill and out into a clearing. After a few hundred metres, turn right at the signposted intersection (where the bike course continues to the left). Head back towards London Bridge Arch. Run around to the right of the arch, then up and over it, turning to your right at the main road at the top. This road brings you back to the car park. Go through the gate at the bottom and immediately sharp left into the car park, round the large rocks and into the Finish Chute on the grass in front of the car park.