Zac Standish
Latrobe Valley local Narelle Crozier won her second consecutive Traralgon Marathon on Sunday in what was a dominant display along the Gippsland Rail Trail.
Finishing with a sub three hour time of 2:56:08, the 40-year old proved age is just a number to easily finish ahead of Anna Ellis and Yani Cornthwaite.
Speaking with The Express after the run, Crozier said the course, support and weather made for an enjoyable experience.
“It was really good and great weather for a run, the course was fantastic this year going out and back (through the rail trail), it was great to see so many volunteers along the way, and different roads made for a very pleasant day,” she said.
“To run across the line in first only added to the day, to see so many smiling faces and Harriers people cheering me on at the end was really special.”
A long-time multi-sport athlete that has taken on extreme athletic challenges such as Ironmans, Triathlons and Ultra Marathons, she said her preparation for this year’s event was far from ideal.
“I am very bad at preparation and only entered last Monday, so it was a bit of a last minute entry and I haven’t done too many long runs recently,” she said.
“I had a lot of people come up to me asking if I would defend my title, and I have been on a number of mountain bike rides, kayaks and regular runs so I was in pretty good condition and thought it would be fun to come back and give it another go.”
Finishing with a personal best marathon time, Crozier was able to shave almost 20 minutes off her winning performance from last year.
She highlighted the influence of a number of people in helping her make it happen.
“Definitely my support crew and my training buddies who push me along have helped me greatly and came out here to cheer me on,” she said.
“Then just all of the Harriers as well, they put on a great day and are super dedicated with volunteers all across the Rail Trail course helping out and making sure things run smoothly.”
Moving forward she has her eye on a number of multi-sport events in the second half of the year.
“I have a couple of big races coming up including a 36 hour event called X-Marathon in September and then I also have a half Ironman in November before doing another 36-hour event to finish out the year,” she said.
“The 36-hour races are a combination of Kayaking, Packrafting, Mountain biking, Hike-a-bike, trail running, a bit of abseiling, so it encompasses a bit of everything and is a very exciting challenge to look forward to.”
And how about an attempt at a third straight title in 2022?
“Yeah why not I would have another go, if I am still keen to do it and am able to get my times down I would certainly love to defend my title again,” she said.
