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138km Vanuatu record smashed
Edition 1174, September 6, 2007 |
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| Top effort: Defence Athletic Club members donate toys to Vanuatu’s Vila Central Hospital. The women’s team won the 138km Round Island Relay and also donated their $2500 prize money. |
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THE Defence Athletic Club’s Thunderbirds have smashed the women’s record in the challenging and internationally acclaimed 138km Round Island Relay on Vanuatu’s Efate Island by more than 20 minutes.
Undeterred by the course, hot weather or quality of the opposition, the Thunderbirds women lowered the course record by more than 20 minutes to win gold before the team donated its $2500 prizemoney to the Vila Central Hospital.
The 10-leg relay race in July celebrated Vanuatu’s Independence in 1980, with teams racing over varying distances and terrain, through villages – where locals came out to cheer on the runners – and back to finish at the capital, Port Vila.
The 10 male ADF runners (Thunderbolts) and 10 female members representing the club also aimed to provide serious competition to the French Military for line honours in the military category among the 34 other teams taking part.
The Thunderbirds didn’t have it all their own way, with a local team taking the lead mid-race. By the fifth checkpoint the Thunderbirds were never headed again.
Spurred on by a brilliant first leg by WO2 Alisa Wickham and three new individual leg records from Maj Fiona King, Cpl Beck Christou and OCdt Lisa Flint, the Thunderbirds stormed home to win in 10hr 55min and 32sec.
Team manager Capt Frank Kresse (Navy) said that the team went to Vanuatu with the aim of featuring strongly in the final results.
“All members of the team did themselves, the Defence Athletic Club and Australia proud,” he said. “In particular, the Thunderbirds, who overcame a tough challenge mid-race and became the first [team] to break the 11-hour mark.”
Not to be outdone, the men’s Thunderbolts team collected silver behind a strong French military team.
In an impressive performance, RAAF young gun Flt-Lt Paul Martinovich opened with a brilliant first leg to set up the team for a competitive race.
Equally impressive was Sgt Mat Skate in making up ground over the long 16km leg and veteran runner Craig Ambler who overtook several teams on the final leg for the team to finish in 9hr 54min and 46sec.
On the eve of the race, the team paid a surprise visit to patients at the children’s ward of the local hospital with toys they brought from Australia.
Afterwards they announced that they would donate their prize money to the children’s ward.
The Australian High Com-missioner, John Pilbeam, handed over the prizemoney to the hospital. |
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