ATHLETICS
TRARALGON MARATHON
BY BLAKE METCALF-HOLT AND BARRY HIGGINS
NEAR on its 59th year, the Traralgon Marathon and Running Festival takes over the Latrobe Valley this weekend.
This Sunday (June 14), close to 500 runners, coming locally as well as from across Victoria and interstate, are expected to hit the pavement for Australia’s oldest continuous marathon.
Organised under the same crew within the Traralgon Harriers Athletics Club, the hub of the marathon will once again be at the Glengarry Football-Netball Club.
After changing its course to begin last year’s event, the marathon will commence at the Glengarry Recreation Reserve and go along the Gippsland Plains Rail Trail to Toongabbie and back.
The organising committee of the Traralgon Marathon actively listen to its participates, ensuring a lighter and scenic run accustomed to newcomers and experienced runners.
Along the journey, participants will enjoy the peaceful surroundings of the rail trail, while also experiencing the strong community support that has become a hallmark of the event.
This has seen it become known as ‘the friendly marathon’.
“We’re proud to continue the tradition of the Traralgon Marathon while providing a safe, friendly and professionally organised event for runners of all abilities,” race director Desley Gray told the Express.
“We pride ourselves on creating Australia’s friendliest marathon experience, and that comes from the incredible support of our volunteers, sponsors, local community and fellow runners.”
Gray, into her third year as race director of the Traralgon Marathon, added that the committee is looking forward to welcoming runners to what is quickly becoming one of the most popular running events in regional Victoria.
A week out from the marathon, the 10km event is sold out, while only a handful of places remained in both the main event and half-marathon.
Beginning just a year after the Traralgon Harriers was founded, the local club rightfully treats the marathon as its most pivotal day every 12 months.
“We’re so proud to host what is the nation’s longest running marathon event right here in the Latrobe Valley,” Traralgon Harriers President Giuseppe Marino said.
“I think it’s a remarkable achievement for our proud club, which is all volunteer-based, and it’s the result of generations of dedicated Harriers members and volunteers working tirelessly to make the event a success year-after-year.
The Traralgon Marathon again sees heavy support from Glengarry FNC, as well as its major sponsors.
“We’re extremely proud to be working with such dedicated community partners,” Marino added.
“Our mission at the Traralgon Harriers is to ensure athletes of all ages and abilities can reach their full potential, and events such as the Traralgon Marathon are the perfect opportunity for our community to take part in a major event close to home.”
The Traralgon Marathon is turned into a real celebration, ensuring participants enjoy their time before, during and after the events, with music, free food, prizes for placegetters, and a ripping atmosphere involved.
Since it’s establishment in 1968, the Traralgon Marathon has been a staple on the Gippsland calendar, and has only gotten bigger and better year-on-year.
The Traralgon Marathon will see some impressive competitors take part, perhaps none more so than former Morwell boy Curtis Cooper.
Kickstarting the monster undertaking of 52 marathons in 52 weeks almost a year ago, Cooper will complete the penultimate run when passing the finish line at Glengarry this weekend.
Taking on the Brisbane Marathon on Sunday (June 7), the Traralgon Marathon moves him just shy of the ridiculous milestone.
Cooper’s quest began on June 30 last year, in which he completed seven marathons in seven days across seven states, it will all cumulate at the Bravehearts 777 event in Perth on June 29.
The former Latrobe Valley Express employee has set his sights on raising $52,000 for the Bravehearts Foundation to help protect kids from child sexual abuse.
You can donate to Cooper’s cause, which currently sits at over $45,000 raised, at: https://fundraise.bravehearts.org.au/52-in-52
THIS Sunday’s Traralgon Marathon sees it retain its record as Australia’s oldest continuous marathon.
This year is its 59th consecutive running since its inception in 1968, soon after the beginning of the Traralgon Harriers Athletics Club in 1967.
From humble beginnings as an all-male event, with the first woman entrant 10 years later, the local classic 42.2km run has grown remarkably in numbers, with entrants from across Victoria and interstate as well as from overseas.
Dual Olympian and then world marathon record holder, Derek Clayton, ran and won at Traralgon in 1970, to set the still standing race record of 2:13:40.
Clayton recently gave his views on marathons.
“As marathons around the world have gone from strength to strength, especially with the incredible growth of female participation, the event is not just for the elite but for the many thousands who run to find satisfaction in achieving a worthy goal”.
Clayton said he still has happy memories of the Traralgon marathon.
“It is a credit to all those dedicated Traralgon Harriers who have ensured the event has prospered and continued to this day” he said.
And after the excitement of this year’s marathon, running from the Glengarry Recreation Reserve and along the Gippsland Plains Rail Trail and return, the Harriers will be eagerly looking forward to next year’s 60th anniversary celebration.
All long running (pun intended) events have unique occasions along the way that remain in the memories of those who were there, or are recorded in the annals of history.
Traralgon has some of these special landmarks.
The Traralgon Marathon had its first running in 1968, an historic local event. But the next year made its mark.
Run in blizzard conditions with visibility at times down to only a few metres, only 14 of the 26 starters completed the course, with some suffering from hypothermia.
National champion Ian Wheeler won in 2:27:49 but was unable to walk for several hours.
Other impressive times were run in the 1970’s.
Melbourne runner Kon Butko and his Black and Tan terrier Scottie ran together a few times with both recorded as finishing, with Kon and his beloved dog achieving the same time.
One year the results posted “Kon Butko (Scottie) 4:09:18.” Kon claimed he ran extra kilometres retrieving Scottie from the farmers’ cows in the adjoining paddocks.
It took 10 years for the first woman to run at Traralgon. In 1978, Patricia Cooper ran her first marathon as the only female competitor in the field, alongside 87 male starters.
It was a partner’s double the next year, as revered Harrier pioneer Martin Thompson and his wife Linda both won, with ” hail, rain and freezing gales taking their toll of the field” according to the Traralgon Journal.
Derek Clayton was not the only celebrity to run the Traralgon Marathon. Other interesting people followed.
Former world featherweight boxing champion Johnny Famechon, in his mid-40s, ran 3:28:31 in 1989.
In 1991, he suffered horrific injuries when by hit a car when out jogging in Sydney. Happily, he recovered over time.
The year before, a highlight of the day was the appearance of the legendary Sydney to Melbourne winner Cliff Young, then aged 68, who was the official race starter and then ran under 3:30.
Many Harriers have won their local marathon over the years, including Ian Cornthwaite, Darrel Cross, Fay Tomholt, Anne Wilson, Lee Graham, Nenet Susa, Kylie Murray and Ryan Wissmer.
A number of Harriers, including Ian Heafield and Bruce Salisbury, have run sub-three hour times at Traralgon – and elsewhere. They say that it is not about winning – it is about the enjoyment of taking part and the sense of achievement that follows.
There are many multi-winners, with Mary Edwards (1986-1989) achieving the first four in a row, followed by Morgan Tucker (1991-1994).
In the numbers game, John Mackenzie and Sandra Timmer-Arends are the standout performers.
MacKenzie has five consecutive titles to his name for a total of seven, beginning in 2001, following Ian Cornthwaite’s millennium victory in 2000.
John earlier said he had fond memories of the course and club that made him the man he has become.
“The Traralgon Harriers is a fantastic club; they accept anyone of any calibre and any level,” he said.
“It changed me; it gave me people to talk to, people to run with, it gave me a support group, it gave me knowledge when I didn’t have it, and people I could look up to and respect.”
Timmer-Arends was a talented runner in middle-distance school events, and joined the Traralgon Harriers in the early 1990’s.
Sandra said she started out with the Harriers’ 5km races, running to get fit. She won four Traralgons in a row (2006-2009) with a total of seven victories.
At Melbourne in 1999, she placed second behind Susan Hobson who ran an Olympic qualifying time for Sydney 2000. Sandra has won or finished in single digit placings in a number of marathons around Australia.
Other highlights were to represent Australia at the world 100km road championships in France in 1999 and at the World Cup 100km championships in South Korea in 2006.
Also in 1999, beside a number of fellow Harriers, Sandra ran and won the gruelling Mansfield to Mount Buller 50km road race, setting the women’s record, and winning again in 2000 and 2001, in even faster times.
Sandra won the Walhalla Wound-Up 50km ultra for five years straight, from 2003 to 2007, setting the course record in 2004. She now enjoys the weekly Traralgon parkrun where she is one of the highly respected and appreciated race directors.
Some people run marathons, others with further horizons, including many Harriers past and present, have run ultra-marathons – anything further than the 42.2km endurance event.
A special few have even ran around the world!
Danish runner Jesper Olsen ran through Gippsland in November 2004 as part of the Australian leg of his two-year, 26,000 kilometre attempt to be the first person to circumnavigate the world on foot. And he was successful.
Harrier members ran with Olen on the Saturday afternoon, from Flynn to Traralgon, and on Sunday morning from Traralgon to Warragul.
Nicole Morrison provided the greatest stretch of moral support, running with Jesper from Hernes Oak to Warragul – about 36 kilometres!
Jesper’s local support team member Sandra Howorth sent an email, “Special thanks to those Traralgon runners who helped Jesper on his way, it was greatly appreciated”.
The Australian Ultra Runners (AURA) Vice President Phil Essam passed on his thanks for the support the Harriers provided.
Traralgon Harriers also received a special mention on the Cool Running website in relation to the run.
Jesper Olsen recently sent this message to a Harrier friend: “I still have very fond memories of Australia and the great support I got there!
Especially the above and beyond support during my run across the Nullarbor Desert – where Peter Gray insisted on supporting me. That probably saved my life. I am forever grateful for the Australian support of the world run”.
