A word from our President

What an amazing few weeks of running and results we have had.   The heat and humidity has snuck in making the occasional run a little uncomfortable giving us a taste of what’s to come but conditions over the weekend were great for running and conducive to some great results at the Melbourne Marathon and Griffith Sport Toohey Trail. The best thing for me was seeing the team spirit that was evident in all the photos and posts that were shared.

The member profiles have been coming through, thanks Rob for pulling these together and Nick ‘Irish’ Roberts and Michael who have already shared a little more about themselves.  When it comes to your turn remember there are no wrong answers and you answer the questions or share as little or as much detail as you like. 

Hopefully all those that train at QSAC this week were aware that the track and carpark were not open to the public or River City Runners due to the INAS Games from Monday 14th to Friday 18th October.  Sessions have continued thanks to our run leaders who have created sessions suitable for the change in venue.  If you’re unsure if the facilities are open to the public you can check the daily timetable here. 

While most were either in Melbourne or Racing the Toohey Forest Trails I spent the weekend in the Snowy Valleys Region just the other side of the Snowy Mountains.  I travelled via Sydney and Albury to the small town of Tumbarumba where the Hume and Hovell Trail event is held.  This event hosted the National 100km Trail Championships.  I had a great run and I too got to run in the rain for an hour or so on Saturday.  The Hume and Hovell event offers distances of 22km, 50km, 100km and 100 miles.  I recommend it for the small community friendly atmosphere, amazing trails this event was run on 95% single track the track was very well marked and it was delightful cool and green. 

Great stuff.
Jodie Oborne
President

Member Profile - Mike Ballantyne

Mike Ballantyne

What made you start running?
I’ll try and keep this short! My wife had our fourth child when I was 42, I was quite unfit and overweight and realised if I was going to be around to see her grow up I needed to get my health in order. I started walking a lot and changing my eating habits and after losing some weight decided to start running sometimes to break up the monotony. I found that actually really enjoyed it and I have been ever since.

 How did you become a member of RCR?

A running friend of mine who helped me get started had recently begun running with RCR, so he invited me along.

How long have you been a member?

Around 2 ½ years now I think.

What sessions or events do you attend as a River City Runner?

I’m there most Saturday mornings and get to the Tuesday morning trail run as often as I can.

Where were you born?
Brisbane born and bred.

Running Nickname or Alias? (if you have one)

Haven’t managed to pick one up yet, I’m open to suggestions.

Something surprising most people won’t know about you?

I played around 2000 games of competitive Laser Tag when I was younger, and I wasn’t even much good.

Favourite place to run?
I really enjoy a good run near the ocean, I ran a few times around Mooloolaba recently, that was great.

Big goals you have over the next 12 months?

Hopefully doing a trail ultra next year.

Is there anything more you would like offered as a member River City Runners?

I’m partial to a share in a Ferrari, but the membership fees might not cover it.

Member Profile - Nick Roberts

Nick "Irish" Roberts

1. What made you start running?
2. How did you become a member of RCR?
3. How long have you been a member?
4. What sessions or events do you attend as a River City Runner?
5. Where were you born?
6. Running Nickname or Alias?
7. Favourite place to run?
8. Big goals you have over the next 12 months? 

1. I needed to find a hobby that I could do on my own and in my spare time, so I started off doing a 5km run around my local area which took me a long time to complete!

2. I wanted to find people who loved running and had the same interest as me, so I Googled some clubs in the area and RCR popped up. 

One day as I was running in Daisy Hill I was attacked by two strange men called Mal and Pat. They told me they were members of the RCR club & they told me about the social run that the club participates in on Saturday mornings so I decided to give it a go.

3. I have been a member for the past 2 years.

4. I love doing the Wednesday morning Daisy Hill run and the Saturday morning social run to catch up with everyone.

5 & 6. I was born in Ireland and my nickname is Irish.

7. My favourite places to run are Mt Coot-Tha and Daisy Hill - it's great having places like that to run so close to the city.

8. My goals for next year are to get more experience in the longer runs, so I will be entering more marathons and the 50K runs. 

I love being  a member of RCR - I have met good friends there who have a lot of running experience who are all willing to give me advice on different aspects of running.