Most runners have a few special items in their running wardrobe which hold value beyond their material form. Whether pristine, tatty or in between, our favourite shirts often trigger memories such as hard-won personal achievements or joyful times spent with running buddies. After the arrival of our current RCR kit, many of you asked about earlier club shirts and as promised I have sourced some “Shirt Stories”. Like the shirts themselves, these stories ended up being more than the sum of their parts, providing an insight into the unique character of RCR and the lasting impact that being part of a club can have on an individual.
Many RCR members remember running with Sam Winnie, her ability to wax lyrical even at the end of long, exhausting runs endeared her to many. Originally from Wales, Sam decided to end her decade long Australian adventure and return to home and family in 2015. RCR holds a special place in Sam’s heart, as involvement with the club encouraged her to set and achieve personal goals, that by anyone’s estimation are ultimate tests of human endurance. During her time with RCR Sam took part in everything from fun runs to ultra-marathons. Under the mentorship of RCR Life Member Bruce “Digger” Hargreaves, Sam managed to complete the Comrades Marathon, a gruelling ultra-marathon of approximately 89 km* which many competitors do not finish within the 12-hour cut off time. Sam’s “Shirt Story” captures two pivotal moments from her Comrades training.
New members may not realise that RCR has a sister club – River City Runners Japan. A group founded by Sho “Bazza” Okura who wanted to take a little of his Australian running experience back to Japan. Sho’s love of running and his talent for weaving Aussie idioms into every conversation made for many fun times.
RCR members still enjoy seeing the healthy rivalry between Sho and his fellow “gentlemen runner” Neil Ticknell whenever the pair meet for races. Sho loves to spin a good yarn and his “Shirt Story” is no exception. I am sure it will delight you as much as it did me!
Behind every running shirt there is a story, be it a moment of pride, a season of training or a PB achieved. If your much-loved shirts could talk what stories would they tell? I look forward to the opportunity of presenting more “Shirt Stories” whether your favourite gear is a vintage piece of RCR kit or an event shirt earned through the blood, sweat and tears of competition. If you have a shirt with a tale to tell let me know by dropping a line and photo to rcr.shirts@gmail.com or catching up for a chat over post-run coffee.
* The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately 89 kms run annually in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race. The direction of the race alternates each year between the "up" run (87 km) starting from Durban and the "down" run (now 90.184 km) starting from Pietermaritzburg (SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comrades_Marathon)
Many RCR members remember running with Sam Winnie, her ability to wax lyrical even at the end of long, exhausting runs endeared her to many. Originally from Wales, Sam decided to end her decade long Australian adventure and return to home and family in 2015. RCR holds a special place in Sam’s heart, as involvement with the club encouraged her to set and achieve personal goals, that by anyone’s estimation are ultimate tests of human endurance. During her time with RCR Sam took part in everything from fun runs to ultra-marathons. Under the mentorship of RCR Life Member Bruce “Digger” Hargreaves, Sam managed to complete the Comrades Marathon, a gruelling ultra-marathon of approximately 89 km* which many competitors do not finish within the 12-hour cut off time. Sam’s “Shirt Story” captures two pivotal moments from her Comrades training.
New members may not realise that RCR has a sister club – River City Runners Japan. A group founded by Sho “Bazza” Okura who wanted to take a little of his Australian running experience back to Japan. Sho’s love of running and his talent for weaving Aussie idioms into every conversation made for many fun times.
RCR members still enjoy seeing the healthy rivalry between Sho and his fellow “gentlemen runner” Neil Ticknell whenever the pair meet for races. Sho loves to spin a good yarn and his “Shirt Story” is no exception. I am sure it will delight you as much as it did me!
Behind every running shirt there is a story, be it a moment of pride, a season of training or a PB achieved. If your much-loved shirts could talk what stories would they tell? I look forward to the opportunity of presenting more “Shirt Stories” whether your favourite gear is a vintage piece of RCR kit or an event shirt earned through the blood, sweat and tears of competition. If you have a shirt with a tale to tell let me know by dropping a line and photo to rcr.shirts@gmail.com or catching up for a chat over post-run coffee.
* The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately 89 kms run annually in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race. The direction of the race alternates each year between the "up" run (87 km) starting from Durban and the "down" run (now 90.184 km) starting from Pietermaritzburg (SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comrades_Marathon)
Ready, Steady .... Comrades! - Sam Winnie
You can see Sam smiling (at 1:06 minutes) and find out more about Comrades here: https://youtu.be/fz2FtwTJ eY
A Tale of Two Gentleman Runners - Sho “Bazza” Okura
I love this photo
from Canberra as it reminds me of very good and happy times with Pat and Cathy,
two legends of the club!
This photo was taken
at Canungra at the end of a 56 km training run for my first Comrades! Digger
organised the run and was as proud as punch that I didn’t die!
A Tale of Two Gentleman Runners - Sho “Bazza” Okura
When Pat took this
picture before Coastal High 50 in 2018, I had no doubt about my win over Neil.
I smiled like the sun in my yellow club shirt. Unfortunately, I was defeated,
but I’d like to compete again soon with my lifelong rival, wearing the new blue
shirt Chris delivered to Japan.
Check
out scenes from Coastal High the site of Neil and Sho’s showdown: https://youtu.be/Gj1SazAjhus
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