Hornet techo a fighting force in ADF road championships

By Michael Brooke
Volume 48, No. 6, April 20, 2006

CPL Damian Enderby

THE odds were stacked 35-1 against the Air Force snatching a win or a place in the ADF 10km Road Running Championship at Holsworthy, but that didn’t stop one determined airman from coming within seconds of an upset.

CPL Damian Enderby, an aviation technician from 77SQN, was Air Force’s sole representative in the Men’s Open category and any success against 31 Army and three Navy runners ranked as a long shot.

But Enderby ran the race of his life to clock 36.37mins and only missed out on third place by 40 seconds.

The race involved 35 male and female competitors running four laps of the Army’s 2.4km basic fitness assessment course, plus an extra 400 metre track.

The Army runners appeared poised for a clean sweep of all five race categories when Enderby made his move.

The 29-year-old got within spitting distance of race winner, CPL Dave Whitehead, but the plucky airman faded during the last lap and placed fifth with a time of 36.37mins.

Enderby said he was happy with his race time but disappointed with the placing.

“It was a very tough race because the Army had their best runners competing,” he said.

He said he will use this race as a springboard for other ADF running competitions later this year and urged other Air Force personnel to “get out there and have a go”.

“I was the only guy representing the Air Force but I hope that others get into the swing of competitive running because we need to mount better challenges against the Army’s runners.”

He said he will next compete in the ADF Half-Marathon in Queensland. The 10km championship was conducted as part of the annual inter-Service competition organised by the Australian Defence Force Running and Athletics Association (ADFRAA).

ADFRAA President CAPT Frank Kresse said the objectives of sport in the ADF are to encourage participation, to develop a competitive ethos and esprit de corps.

“Competitions, such as this race, provide the perfect opportunity to build qualities in the respective workplaces, units and, ultimately, the ADF,” he said.

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