Sydney Marathon 2022 by Nicola Silsby

Blackmores Sydney Marathon 2022

By Nicola Silsby

Plus Rejoov group results 50 runners+

My debut at the Blackmores marathon was unfortunately 3 years in the making thanks to Covid. Every year I had managed to get to the 36k mark in training only to have the event postponed in the final weeks leading up to it. But this year I finally made it to the start line!

The lead up to Blackmores had been an interesting one, with a very poorly planned trip to the UK to visit family, returning only 2 weeks before the race. But thanks to Greta’s training plan I managed to run (nearly!) all of the sessions and maintain the fitness I had built from Tuesday and Thursday’s at Centennial Park.

The last two weeks of training was a mixture of tapering and jet lag, however I was excited and felt strong heading to that start line. We could not have asked for more perfect race conditions with a beautiful sunrise and a clear sunny day. I knew whatever happened after the start gun, I had to embrace the incredible atmosphere and enjoy every moment.

I was incredibly lucky to have amazing support throughout the course, and seeing so many Rejoov singlets out there helped push me on. The first 20k I felt strong and I could feel those months of training paying off, but everyone has always said, the race starts at 32k, so I knew I had a long way to go.

Running around Pyrmont, it was so quiet and surprisingly hilly, I started to ask myself what on earth I was doing running a full, when half’s were just such a great distance! But turning into Darling harbour and knowing I had run this straight a hundred times before in training, I got my head down and wanted to finish strong.

I had a goal time in my head, but never having done the distance I had no idea what to expect, so when I ran past the 40k mark knowing I was close to the time, I had one last burst to get me to that finish line. Running around Circular Quay was truly amazing, seeing the support for all the runners really did help you get over that line, and finishing at the Opera House could not have been more iconic.

I can truly say I loved the race and would not have changed anything, and it was all down to the support and guidance from Greta and the Rejoov team. Training with such a strong group of people helps push you further than you think you can go, and I know I could not have done it without them! Here’s to an extended post-race rest…then on to the next one!

Blackmores rejoovers in alphabetical order:

HALF MARATHON
Adam Priest 1.47 pb running with Maddy
Alexandra McCaughan pacing a friend
Anthea Burton 92.53
Cathy Rowney 2.18 last year in the 50-59 age group :)
Cheryl Greenway 87.21 pb
Chris Don 77.26 Pb 19th male, 3rd in age group
Chris Knight 90.07 pb
Claire Cregan 1.41.36
Dan Mouat 87.58 pb training for 3 Bridges marathon
Flavia Caspary 2.01.56 backing up with Melbourne in 2 weeks
Georgina Beck first event back post injury
Graham Knox 1.48.35 pb
Graham Long 86.49 pb
Harriet Beavis 90.06
Ian Gabriel 81.08 pb 40th male, 1st in 45-49 age group
Jenna Wald 2.13 with partner Dave
Jonny Pisanelli 88.37 fuelled on pastries ;)
Laura Stevens 1.47
Louise Chisholm 1.39
Maddy Leggoe 1.47 pb
Mat Pirotta 1.39 pb
Nicole Katz 1.51.17 pb
Olivia Beck bib didn’t register
Penny Johnston 2.01.15 with hip injury
Sarah Melrose 1.48.27 with knee injury
Sharon Antonir 1.44.23 part of long run for Athens marathon

MARATHON
Alice Kendall 3.12 pb 14th female
Chris Khan 3.43 training for UTA 50k
Chris Truscott 3.15 pacer
Jasper Muir 3.23 pb training for UTA 100k
Megan Paton 4.37 pb
Michelle Woodman 4.23.47 pb
Neil Rosenbaum 3.17 pb
Nicola Silsby 3.22.37 debut 28th female
Oliver Gafen 4.25.57 debut

10KM BRIDGE RUN:
Alex Loftus 57.41
Andre Pech 43.16 with calf injury
Emma Trehy achilles guiding
Erol Sertbas 36.37 pb first event back since Canberra back in April
Josh Arthur 36.20
Harriet Don 51.01 post Oxfam Trailwalker 100k!!
Louise Burgess Cox 45.31 - 5th in 50-59 age group out of 798 in that age group wow!
Mitch Weber 55.24 - 57yrs after an 80km cycle training for St Kilda half ironman
Yury Glikin with 10yr boys Oscar Glikin 49.33 6th & Jaden 49.29 5th, top 6 in under 12s / 180 kids.

FAMILY RUN 3.5KM
Maya with her 10yr old sporty twin girls - we had to shout out to Olivia 15.13 4th out of 849 under 12 kids and Zara 17.28 30th, wow so awesome!

City to Surf 2022 by Chris Don

Foreword by Greta:

City to Surf 2022 made Sydney feel like we were back in action post Covid especially because C2S hadn’t been on since pre-Covid in 2019, so it was a race celebration more than ever!! Rejoover Chris Don shares his experience humbly, but we want to shout out what an outstanding breakthrough his run was to be our fastest rejoover on the day in 49:50!! He has come a long way which makes this run extra special. Everyone had epic runs and we are super proud of the entire 80 Rejoov runners on the day. Full results are shared after Chris Don’s blog:

CITY TO SURF 2022, by Chris Don

The City to Surf came around incredibly fast this year. I’m not sure whether it was the rained out summer (that felt like a warmer winter), or if it was just that time is flying by the older I get. Basically though, for me at least, August 14th this year felt like the day after January 1st…

The lead up to the event with Rejoov had been pretty solid. There had been a few Covid/Flu/Life induced speed bumps along the way but all in all, for the first time in a long time, I felt ok fitness wise. I had joined Rejoov in early January after returning from a teaching stint in the NT. One morning I was trudging my way painfully around Centennial when these fresh faced, happy bunch of runners floated past. Their groovy singlets read, ‘Rejoov Runners’.

“I want some of what they’re having”, I thought… And the rest was history.

Flash forward (literally like a flash), 6 months or so and I’m on the start line with my mate Jasper from Rejoov. I’d just thrown down a caffeinated Gel, something I didn’t even know was a thing prior to receiving my program. I’d never actually had one before a race but Rejoov had taken away all my usual excuses for an average performance (good training leading up, diet, knowing the course and so on…) so I figured I’d just lean on ‘the gel made my tummy feel weird’ excuse if things went pear shaped.

We’d done a lot of running on the course leading up to race day including heaps of hill sessions. We’d run a stack of kilometres. The day was perfect. After a few token laps from start line to port-a-loo which acted as the perfect warm-up, the ‘Welcome to Country’ began and things got real pretty fast.

I’ve always been a ‘go out hard and hold on’ kind of runner. I get over-excited and then always find myself fading at the end. Today this was even more so the case. The vibe, the music, all the people, had me really pumped. As I ran down past Rushcutters, I high-fived some singing Hari-Krishna’s and this only added to the overall energy.

I don’t have loads of running experience but the City-to-Surf obviously seems to be a pretty special run. All the bands, DJ’s and members of the public on the sidelines create such an awesome atmosphere. I remember spending many City-to-Surf’s somewhere on those very sidelines, at a house party or on the street, beer in hand, kicking on from the night before wondering whether one day I’d ever sort myself out enough to give it a crack. Today I guess was that day.

The race itself was a bit of blur. I ran hard the first 5km’s, probably too hard. Heartbreak hill was horrible. I remember towards the top doing a little vomit in my mouth, and based on the people pulling over to do the same I knew I wasn’t alone. One thing I did know for sure thanks to my training with Rejoov was that my ability to recover on the flat and downhill had improved a lot! All I had to do was get to the top. I deliberately blocked those secondary hills through Dover Heights out of my mind, until of course they arrived and made me feel very unwell once more.

During the race however I juts felt really calm. Like, it was weird. I think some people refer to this as being in ‘flow’. Rejoov, the coaches, the runners, had really inspired me these last months and I kind of just felt like today was the day all that was going to come to fruition. As I floated into Bondi I knew I was in the realms of big PB and I immediately felt kind of proud (something I had not felt in a long time) and also incredibly grateful for Rejoov, for my body, for my health, for life! Things were good!

After the race, I gave Jasper a feral sweaty hug making sure my vomit bag the first aid people had given me didn’t spill down his back. We chatted to other Rejoovers and runners, took photos and so on. It was an awesome vibe!

I wandered up to the train station a few hours later feeling great. I wanted more. I sent a message to Greta and Chris letting them know how awesome the day had been, thanking them for all the advice/support leading up to the event and asking about what next… It was such a great day and I’m already looking forward to next year!

C2S results in alphabetical order - some went hard and others ran for fun social runs with friends:

Congratulations everybody, marvellous conditions.

Joov top 6 males:
Chris Don 49.50
Josh Arthur 50.27
Chris Truscott 50.49
Jasper Muir 51.33
George Longbottom 53.37
Sam Cornell 53.44

Joov top 6 females:
Imy Briscoe 52.56
Estelle Berton 54.05
Katie R 56.06
Cheryl G 56.39
Alexandra M 57.02
Tess Aungles 59.25


82 runners:
Adam P 66 a 16min pb 🎉
Aisling 63.43 pb post GC mara
Alexandra 57.02 strong post covid
Andre 58.52 ✊🏻 calf went at 13k
Anthea Burton 60.18
Bella R 65.25 pb with Lily
Ben T 65mins post injury yay
Bipro 67.13 post injury 💪🏻
Cathie & Arianne Fab zebra teamwork
Cheryl 56.39 pb post GC mara
Chris Don 49.50 pb holy smokes
Chris K 57.36 pb yay sub 60
Chris T 50:49 #35 c2s 💛
Christian post covid, post injury 58,32pb
Claire C 63.35 for Matt Wacher 🤗
Coralie Great day!! 89mins
Daniel M 61.25 pb crushed it
Darren B with friends 👏🏻👏🏻
Dave Hurds 59.40 sub 60 ninja
Elle M 67.33 happy post sickness
Emma T awesome Achilles volunteering
Emily B 63.08 post sickness 💪🏻
Enya 1:18:23 unforgettable c2s, moving to 🇮🇪
Estelle 84.05 pb wowee ⚡️
Flavia 79.58 pb with Penny 👏🏻👏🏻
George L 53.37 then prob went 🏄‍♂️
Graham K Very happy. 4min PB 67:50
Graham L 64mins
Grant C dnf due to calf ❤️‍🩹
Harriet with the twins 👯‍♂️
Huss 62 pb woohoo, pumped for more
Ian G 53.56 another awesome event
Imy Briscoe 52.56 big pb 23rd female
Jane A 64.40 sisters out in force
Jasper 51.33 pb first time sub 60 😯
John Clarke 55.50 lucky baby slept
Jonny 56.46 smokin debut
Josh A 50.27 what a come back
Jenna 82:28 with Dave ❣️❣️
Kane 55.49pb by 1sec post holiday
Karin 86mins fabulous day
Katie R 56.06 happy with sub 60
Keira B 68.05 so good to be back
Kyle with friends 🎉
Laura S 76mins with friends 😃
Liam Flynn 56.07 well paced 🔥
Lily R 65.02 with Bella, go gals!
Lisa Sh fun morning with Botr
Louise BC 64:51 So happy
Louise Ch 64.00pb chasing Sharonne
Mark L 55.55 another pb this year 😅
Matt M with friends
Mat P 66min big pb since 2019
Meg D 65.07 way to go Megs
Megan P very happy 6min PB 1:16:18
Michael DS our physio 🙌🏼 55.31
Michelle Very happy 78.33. 8min Pb
Natalia P Beautiful day 75:23 debut
Nathan A 56.26 big 7min pb happy
Neil R 57.09 pb baby cuddles at the 🏁
Penny 79:19! Very happy! PB with Flavia⁩
Oliver G with girlfriend
Olivia B 58mins strong run
Peter Truscott 66.16, wife Melanie 77.08 and son Kieren 77.07
Polina What a beautiful day! 82min pb
Sam Cornell 53.44 in budgies
Sally Wood 60:28 pb +5k & 10k pbs 😮
Sammie Feeley 71.41
Sarah M 71.01 pb post holiday 🎉
Sean M so happy 65mins debut
Sharonne 63.29 marathon tng going well
Stuart 60.30 with girlfriend 👏🏻👏🏻
Tess A 59.25 what a finish 🥳
Tessa HS 68mins
Toby 65:12mins pb great atmosphere
Tom Williams 63.09 he’s back!!
Will V 58.29 brought it home!
Yury with his son Oscar 👏🏻👏🏻
Zac Smith 76.59

Greta’s Sydney 100km race recap

By Greta Truscott including a write up at the end by husband Chris Truscott on his insights

Greta - getting warm - image Bradley Farley

The inaugural Sydney International 100km road event took place on a sunny Autumn day 23rd April 2022. Race organiser Gary Mullins and AURA president, Ewan Horsburgh bent over backwards to stage these 100km Nationals so that runners could have the chance to qualify for the IAU 100km World Champs in Berlin 27th August 2022 and set fast times in open and age categories. The original course at Penrith Regatta Centre was closed due to flood damage so at the 11th hour, Gary had the Narrabeen Recreation Centre as a newly measured certified course of 30 x 3.32km including the track and 3 x out ‘n’ back roads and a car park starting with an extra lap of the 400m tartan track. We were relieved and thankful for the race to go ahead and for great conditions, albeit a touch warm in the middle of the day, it was definitely a great day for it. 

certified course of 30 x 3.32km laps including the track and 3 x out ‘n’ back roads

 I had entered the 100km race late January after seeing it pop up on Instagram. It seemed like an amazing opportunity to really test myself. I encouraged others to enter, but I couldn’t seem to get any takers! The longest ultra I’d ever done was the West Mac Monster 65km on the Larapinta trail in May last year. I had participated in just one multi-day event, Pat Farmer’s 1000 Miles to Light with an Aussie team (Pat, Deirdre Hopkins, Justin McDonald and I) versus an American team (Dean Karnazes, Shan Riggs, Samantha Pruitt & Katie Visco) in August last year. Each runner ran 40km a day, which added up to 400km per person over the ten days (280km in one week) and I held up pretty well… pretty sore towards the end, but it made me believe my body could do more than I thought it could (thanks Pat). So after the 1000MTL, I was on the lookout for something to grab my attention!! Turns out it was this 100km event!! 

Greta & Barry - early start with head torches - image deirdre hopkins

After entering the 100km I thought that I’d love a coach to really push me harder than I’d push myself and harder than husband Chris would push me. We are both very experienced coaches in pushing others but I wanted that for myself too and also I didn’t want to take any frustration out on Chris. I hadn’t had a coach since my previous awesome coach Sean Williams left Sydney in 2016.

I contacted coach Barry Keem and my program started a few days later with 11 weeks of careful programming until race day. This consisted of 9 weeks of approx 120km per week including 2 x speed sessions and a long run that kept building to 60km, which was my longest run 5 weeks before race day. The target for this 60km was 5min/km and I managed 4.54min/km not stopping the watch and it felt good and steady. Many of my runs were lapping round Centennial Park getting used to lots of boring laps! But I really enjoyed achieving the long runs the most. It was reassuring that both Barry and I were working towards the same event with similar training except he was doing more weekly mileage. 

Support Crew Deirdre Hopkins and Greta’s fuel/hydration table - image Bradley Farley

I’ve been running and racing for many years since my early 20s, and have done a broad range of events, but I don’t usually do big mileage weeks so Barry’s program was quite a step up!! 1000MTL was my biggest week but other than that my weekly mileage was usually around 60-80km / week. I am more of a mixed run swimmer due to a dodgy knee and ankle. I had knee surgery as a teenager to tidy up a badly torn meniscus with 2/3 of my lateral meniscus removed. My ankle that had been broken as a kid - snapped in the spokes of a bike - never seemed quite right especially the last 10yrs. A couple MRI’s on the ankle have shown some cartilage missing, joint compression and a navicular stress fracture. I run quite light and “toey” so I have quite strong calves and quads and with my ankle slightly supinated and dorsi-flexed for longer runs to help take the load off. I had lots of horse riding and “growing up rough & tumble in the Red Centre bush” type of injuries. I keep up strength work to manage my trouble areas and have always been careful on the mileage and unsure of the marathon and ultra distances. But what I I did have was resilience and a consistent base over many years. 

One issue I had early on in the program was a sudden drop in weight to 49kg (I’m 164cm and usually 52kg) and loss of my cycle. I always eat heaps, but didn’t realise I had to eat even more so I ended up eating more than Chris! I clawed back my cycle by putting back on enough weight (my sweet spot for this race was 51kg) with plenty of eating and high calorie drinks such as smoothies (thanks nurse Cathy for some of those). Nutritionist Lisa Sherman checked my food intake and supplements again for this 100k race as she had done for me in the prep for 1000MTL. It’s so important the nutrition, plenty of energy and enough weight, to keep healthy bones as well as for performance.

Barry seemed to know how hard to push me without breaking me, and push me to my absolute max in a limited time he did!! Although there were a couple times I should’ve really told him how my dodgy ankle was feeling because it nearly did break after one of the long runs but after that I made sure to keep him posted properly. We tweaked things if we had to. Being around for a long time, I knew how to keep on top of recovery and niggles pretty well. And having a coach, I feel helps me to be a better coach too. 

Thanks immensely all the supporters, keeping me going - image Bradley farley

Fast forward to 100km race day, it kicked off in the dark just before 6am with a cosy field of 19 runners in head torches along with Phil Balnave in his trade-mark sandals, a friendly comrade. Each runner had set up their table at the track full of their drinks and fuel. I was so grateful to see my support crew Deirdre Hopkins taking the early shift until Chris and Jaden arrived after school sport along with many other legendary Rejoovers and friends. There was a lead bike to show us the way for the first lap and marshals on the out n back U-turns. It was an intimate course and ultra-runners proved super encouraging on this battle field together.

I was leading the ladies for a short time then Clare Palmer took the lead with myself and Corrina Black closely following then somewhere in the second half Corrrina took the lead with Clare in 2nd and myself in 3rd, then I went into 2nd and Clare was coming 3rd. Us 3 ladies remained pretty close together until the last part of the race where Corrina made more gap holding her pace pretty tightly whereas Clare and I faded a touch more. I started pretty much at 4.50s and faded to low 5s pace average by the end. I was 4hrs 9mins at 50km mark, which is sub 8.20 (8.20 = 5min/km pace) if I held that pace but I was realistically aiming for 8.30-50 with a fall back of sub 9.20 if I blew up and a fall back after that was to finish!.. read on to see what happens…   

Wet rat - image Bradley Farley

The cheer squad started rolling in after sunrise throughout the day, including Jacqui, Cathie, Arianne, Helen, Mary, Allison, Susan, Grant, Lisa, Michael, Emma, Janine, Justine, Reidy & lil Freddie, Brad Farley, Nedd Brockman, Jemma Griffin, Dougie, Hayley Blease, Strommie & lil Elka, Will Woollams, Errol & kids Bronte & Emily. Plus amazing volunteers including Andy Heyden, Michael Distefano, Sophie Brown and all the support crews and families of all of the runners. 

Chris and Jaden cheering out on the course

Going round the course, there were amazing, infectious smiles all day from Corrina and Pam. Clare was tenacious and encouraging in her debut 100k as was I. Dion was smooth, open and sharing all day, he even pointed out to me early on when I almost went the wrong way after I’d lost Geoff who I was following. Geoff was wonderful even when deep in the pain cave and we’d share quite a few words in passing. Barry was in the zone yet always checking on me as he went past. Others were so extremely focused like Clay who seemed like he was doing a half marathon race effort! Other runners like the two Stuarts, Dale and gang were unreal and such sports!! 

Big thanks Chris, Jaden and all the amazing cheer squad & supporters - image Bradley Farley

 I found my biggest problem was my quads that felt like they were getting tighter and tighter in the last 40km and that they were going to savagely cramp in the last 10-15km so I was managing those with breathing and pacing. All up I lost about 4mins of not moving from a few things. One, I had to have a loo stop losing about a minute. Two, my feet swelled more than I’d ever experienced so I changed shoes twice which lost me a couple mins, plus a flying superman fall over a speed hump cost another minute at about the 60km mark OUCH that took a chunk out of my knee and my elbow!! Lying on the ground, I rolled onto my back and looked up at the sky for a moment to shake out my spasming quads, awkwardly got up and kept running. 

Constant hydration & fuelling - image Bradley Farley

Nutrition and hydration was a constant!! I took a gel every 6-8km. Constantly sipped my 150mL bottles of Tailwind, which I’d throw down at the table and collect a fresh bottle every lap from the support crew along with throwing cold cups of water into my mouth and whole bottles of water over my head as the day heated up. I was nibbling on solids every couple of laps EG banana, vegemite sandwich, potato, anzac biscuit. The Tailwind was essential for carbs and electrolytes especially as I found it hard to consume anything else for the last 20km. Coke was also a life saver for the last 3hrs to keep energised. My support crew were amazing in handing me items as I called out so I didn’t have to stop. Even in the latter stages I barely stopped a matter of seconds to gain more food items and try and stomach whatever I could as the ingestion battle grew towards the end.

I was counting down the final laps, which seemed to go on forever. I could see a few guys had finished and then Corrina. I became more excited in my final 3.32k lap and tried to pick up speed as much as my quads would let me, which wasn’t much. I knew it was going to be tight to break 8hrs50 so for the last lap of the track, I managed low 4min pace to duck under 8.50 (8:49:11 = 5:17min/km ave) with everyone cheering me in!! Big hugs with Chris, Jaden, Gary Mullins, Barry, Ewan and anyone willing to hug me in sweaty, covid times. Out of 19 runners that started, 13 finished including Dion, Clay, Andy, Josef McGrath, Kurtis Stirling, Corrina, myself, Clare, Geoff Millar, Stuart Hughes, Stuart Wallace, Pam Muston and Dale Paul.  There were a few that couldn’t finish on the day for various reasons, but that is the nature of the ultra beast where you don’t always come out on top. It only fuels you more for the next race!!

Post 100k family hugs - image Bradley Farley

Top 3 men + top 3 women with race organiser Gary Mullins & AURA president Ewan Horsburgh

The top 3 men and women received beautiful medals from Athletics Australia and a massive box of Lindt chocolates each and a glass trophy. 

Women:

Corrina Black 8.36.39 (B qualifier)  

Greta Truscott 8.49.11 (B qualifier) 

Clare Palmer 8.54.35 (C qualifier) 

Men: 

Dion Finocchiaro 6.30.43 (A qualifier and close to the Aus record Tim Sloane 6.29) 

Clay Dawson 7.07.25 (B qualifier) 

Andy McDonnell 7.17.06 (B qualifier) 

Pam Muston broke the over 60s age group record in 11.23.33 wow!! 

Greta & coach Barry - proudly sponsored by Suunto watches

I was so relieved and happy to complete this race within the time I wanted and have the energy to cross the finish line strongly and hug and smile with everyone. 

Mentally, I was very focused going into this and was going to give it everything even if it meant finishing with injury. I wanted this and I went after it using what Dean Karnazes and Nedd Brockmann had taught me about how you can run in pain and injury. Kerrie Otto De Grancy (Evolve Yourself Institute) taught me to use the mind and breath to shift and manage problems going on in the body. She also made me think of my why. Why did I want to do this?

I wanted to prove to myself that I could run 100km, that even though I couldn’t get my head around it, I still believed somewhere deep down that I could do it. In the lead up, I had visualised what I would do throughout the race physically and mentally and what state I wanted to be in after I crossed the finish line. Barry believed I could do it and inspired me to try. 

I was able to push myself very hard because not only do I love running long distances, but also I had anger and frustration and I wanted to achieve this for myself against the struggles of life and loss. I wanted a high, I wanted a win and I was willing to fight for it in a good, uplifting type of space. A space that would make me stronger and share in this experience richly with other runners and supporters.  

I tell our boy Jaden that you win some, you lose some, and today I felt that I won and the whole family is still eating that massive box of chocolate. 

Finish line happy with our boy jaden - image bradley farley

Huge thanks to: 

My sponsors:  

2XU – racing in my favourite crop and a philosophy that believes in community, change and growth  

SUUNTO ANZ – capturing my adventure every time and sharing stories (Suunto family - Damian Commane, Anthony Gordon, Nathan Roderick & Clare Cole) 

HOKA Australia – empowering team and outstanding shoes to make me go the distance and achieve my dreams 

 And:

Runners Shop NSW (201 Clovelly Rd, Randwick) – quality service and care

Tailwind Nutrition Australia – keeping me going big time!! 

Sydney International event organisers Gary Mullins, TRT, Noemi Bangel & volunteers  

Australian Ultra Running Association (AURA) - President Ewan Horsburgh 

Rejoov Runners, Runners in the Dark, Hurts Squad

Lisa Sherman - Whole Life Nutrition, The Running Room / iMove (Alex, Paddy, Michael in Clovelly/Coogee), Recoverie Coogee, Central Performance (Ben Liddy) & Maya Remedial Thai Massage 173 Arden St, Coogee

My family, friends and coach - all of who share this experience in the lead up and ever since ;)

Beautiful glass trophy 2nd place - Sydney International 100km

tempus sports timing splits for greta

Insights written by husband Chris Truscott:

The 100km distance isn’t for everyone. It takes a lot of determination outside of all the training & prep involved. Had Greta not have gotten herself through last year’s 1000 Miles to Light so well, I may have advised her against tackling the 100km given her previous background with injuries. Greta had also stood on the sidelines as I competed in several trail and road events of the same distance from 2008 and culminating in the World 100km Champs in Qatar 2014.

So it was now her opportunity and boy did she grab onto it. Race day aside, the way she handled the entire training process in the months leading up was inspiring. In part, having a new coach Barry who has lived & breathed the 100km event certainly helped. A coach she was not previously close with and as such didn’t want to whinge and complain to also made it a positive but methodical experience.

And in part, she is just one tough cookie. The Greta on display to everyone is always happy, positive and encouraging. One you can’t say no to when she takes your photo for the 1000th time. She certainly is like this most of the time at home, but there is also a fiercely competitive alter ego at play as well. And not necessarily against others, but definitely against herself. Proving her body wrong has become a steadfast past time of hers and this event proved once again the results that can be achieved with such a belief.

Race Day - Jaden & I rocked up just after the 40km mark was passed (compulsory school sport I assure you) to see Greta with a big smile on her face and handling it really well. She was in 3rd place with all 3 ladies on the 400m track section simultaneously which was fantastic to see. I got to check out the course soon after noticing the many speedbumps the runners had to encounter and even commenting on this to one of the marshals. Little did I know that not 10mins later Greta would take a dive over one of them. Ouch! Nothing worse than bark off on the bitumen with so many kms to go. Again that tough mental fortitude shone through and she continued.

The dreaded 60-80km section came and went as her gait turned into a rhythmic shuffle and time elapsed. She moved into 2nd position and this would be hers to keep till the end. The first lady, Corrina had the experience on the board already but needed to draw on this to run a huge PB just to keep Gret at bay. The pace slowed as is absolutely natural so the target was sub 8:50 and a B qualifier. I was doing the maths each lap. Jaden was wetting the sponges and eating mum’s lollies as lap by lap went by.

Then the bell.

One to go. Would she break the B qualifier? From our perspective, we were trying to run this last lap for her but she could only do what her body had left so she kept that focus and stared down the face of that forthcoming finish line. She broke into the 400m track section for the last time and with the largest contingent of supporters out there, was lifted for the whole lap to help get her over the line in 8hr 49min.

Final thoughts from me are in those post run hours and days. Greta continued to handle the enormity of the distance and her achievement extremely well. After a couple of my 100km, I have been a mess for days, but she continued to show why she is such an inspiration to all our Rejoov Running group.

Well done G.

After hugs with Chris and jaden - Greta going in for a big hug with race organiser gary mullins