Australian Government, Department of Defence

Like a vintage wine, former Navy athlete Rowan Walker, 36, just keeps getting better with age and has the City2Surf time to prove it.

Competing in the 14km event from Sydney to Bondi beach on August 12, along with about 60,000 other fun runners, the former lieutenant who now works at Russell was 2.29sec faster this year in a Defence Athletics Club record 43min and 16sec than in his debut year of 1999 when he recorded 45.45.

That gave him eighth overall in the famous fun run this year but, paradoxically, Mr Walker does not figure as the first official Defence runner home because he was not registered with the Defence Athletics Club.

He was a member until he left the Navy at the end of 2005 and resumed working again for Defence at the start of this year.

Last year he was studying for his Doctorate in US Strategic Studies and let his Defence club status lapse because he was still a member of Athletics Victoria’s Deakin Athletics Club in Victoria.

He expects to rejoin the Defence club so, rest assured, if he enjoys similar success next year, he will be duly recognised.

As a bronze medallist in the Australian marathon on the Gold Coast last year and the winner of the Run for the Kids Fun Run in Melbourne in April 2006, there’s every chance he will figure prominently in any future City2Surf he contests.

As he put it: “My hair is becoming greyer but my legs are getting faster.” His 43.16 is more than 1½ minutes better than the previous Defence record of 44.57 set 13 years ago in 1994.

“Granted that he is also a vet (over 35), his time was a remarkable nine minutes quicker than the previous best – 52.40 (set in 1997),” the secretary of the Defence Athletics Club, CAPT Nick Marcovich said.

LT Anthony Craig (LWC South Queensland) was the first of the registered runners home in 45.16. He was 21st overall.

FLTLT Richard Gardiner, of RAAF Williamtown, was second registered Defence male runner home in 47.17 and Cpl Jarrod Owen (Latchford Barracks) third in 48.02.

The first female was PTE Rhiannon Brown (AFG) in 57.53 from MAJ Fiona King (LTC Bandiana South) in 62.58. PTE Brown also placed third overall in her age category (21.25). Equal third were CPL Rebecca Cristou (Moorebank) and PTE Haley Park (Bandiana), both in 68.11.

“Great weather made for perfect running conditions and the Defence field of 59 comprised 44 males and 15 females,” Capt Marcovich said.

“The quality of the male field was one of the best in recent memory with four new top 15 times. In addition to a new overall record and vet time, MAJ Greg Barrowcliff’s 53.59 was 23sec faster than the previous 54.22 (1998) in the Masters category (over-45).”