2018

Over seventy runners converged on the usually quiet Sunday afternoon West Mackay streets for the annual Mackay Road Runners Tilse Toddle 5 & 10km event which was the second race on the official 2018 program. The oppressive weather did not deter runners, however, participants took into account the steamy humidity and sensibly adjusted their running capabilities to suit the conditions.

Club President, Tim Magoffin and Race Hosts, Paul & Janelle Tilse welcomed the spectacularly keen crowd before advising the latest Club news, notices, important upcoming events and course briefing. The course, which took runners South along the awesome City trails towards Archibald Street, consisted of two loops for the 10km and one for the 5km.

Julian Picot had an outstanding 10km run considering his very successful international race in a personal best time at the previous weekend’s 42.2km Marathon in Iwaki, Japan. Second placed Jared Spence was a further six minutes in deficit with Andy List less than one minute later for third. First female and eleventh overall, Carmel Mahon clocked forty-eight minutes 29 seconds ahead of second female and twelfth over, Jose Short (49:39). Jo Skinner also showed blistering pace to collect third place ahead of fast finishing Karla Hook, Vicki Vickers, Kylie Harbour, Judy Zahn, Ainslie Heinke, Lauren Dunne and Anna Walsh rounding out the top ten female finishers. Excellent 10km performances also came from Greame Harris, Leon Ryan, Craig McGahey, Matt Graves, Lindsey Wiggins, Ricky Parker, Tim Caddy, Scott McIntosh, Ross Vickers, Mark Walz, Stuart Sprott, Martin Lambert and Mark Takagaki. Congratulations to Scott and Dale McIntosh on the arrival of their beautiful new baby boy, James.

The five kilometre event was a hotly contested affair with Will Morgan literally scorching over the course in eighteen minutes 36 seconds ahead of first female Ashlee Scott (21:16) and Paul Arvidson (22:25) with Shelley Binney charging home only four seconds later. Peter Ford (23:36) had a great run followed in quick succession by Carolyn Steginga (23:45), Mark Pashalis (23:49) and Bianca Miles (24:11). Josh Eisemann made a welcome and long awaited return to the Mackay Road Running scene after a well-earned break from his Las Vegas Marathon last November. Josh’s injury woes held him back significantly in the 33,000 plus competitors in Vegas, however, Josh was not deterred, still completing the 42.2km and having a great time before, during and afterwards. Great running in the 5km also came from Layla Sanders, Jo Hughes, Kim Saron, Cilla Martland, Joanne Ashford, Jenny Smith, Geoff Neale, Bernadine McKinnon, June Bradley, Andrew Short, Daniel Stampa, Belinda Van Lint, Sandy Marchetti, Finn Zamparutti, Simba Walz, Darrin Pullen, Rodney Yates and Julie Whibley.

Many thanks to the awesome race day volunteers – very efficient timekeepers with results published within a few hours on the website (Brendan Bishop and Peter Wight), water station attendants (Ross Connor & Leanne Connor’s awesome coconut crumble sweets), course and race setup (Andrew Short & Tim Magoffin) and registrar (Paul Tilse). Please thank them and all Club volunteers as there would not be a club or events without them. Runners were also treated to post race treats, generously supplied by Jo Hughes, Leanne Connor, Sandy Marchetti and Paul Tilse. Thank you also to the understanding residents of Johnson Street for the couple of hours of minor traffic disruption.

This Sunday’s Martel Marina Sprint 5/10km event will commence from the Mackay Harbour’s Old Mulherin Park precincts starting at 5.30pm. The course will be a two loop course, taking runners onto the Breakwater and return. Members are to ensure they wear their race number and timing chip and also arrive at least 15/20 minutes prior to gun time. This will allow you to register with the timekeepers, warmup for your event and listen to the course description from the Race Director. This also allows the volunteers to warm up prior to their event. The Club also asks you to consider what you can do for your Club, all assistance greatly appreciated. Visit mackayroadrunners.com.au for upcoming events including the BMA Mackay Marina Run Launch 5km run, Friday 6pm from the City Cinema carpark, Gordon Street…..all proceeds to go to the BMA Mackay Marina Run’s charity – The Leukaemia Foundation. The general public, Club Members, their family and friends are invited to participate by walking or running this event and attending any of the club’s events.

Mackay Road Runners Club had an exciting Sunday last week starting with the Mackay Regional Council’s Sport Expo and Sign-On at the MECC from 9am to 1pm before hosting its first calendar run for 2018 at 5.30pm at the Old Mulherin Park, Mackay Harbour. With a very successful and busy morning at the Expo, Club President, Tim Magoffin was ecstatic with the response from interested persons at the expo followed up with over sixty runners at the social Lighthouse Warmup 5km at 5.30pm. Many thanks to the volunteers who assisted at the Expo as well as at the club event later that day.

The conditions in the beautiful Mackay Harbour Marina precincts, although very warm as predicted by the Weather Forecasters, were perfect for running. The 5km course which took runners onto the very scenic Breakwater, was a great start for the long and varied Club running season. Tim Magoffin welcomed the many new and existing runners before briefing them on the course description and thanking the off season social Summer Season Race Directors, Jim Ford, Alana Ford and Andrew Short. Runners enjoyed the flat course which also included some testing sections along the Breakwater’s partially blocked road and rocky wall which blocked the much needed cooling sea breezes. However, despite the warm, humid weather, excellent performances came from all runners including Lauren Morgan, Judy Zahn, Carl Pinkstone, Ricky Parker, Bill Morgan, Jarrod Spence, Arthur Dick, Bernadine McKinnon, Sandy Marchetti, Kim Saron, Andrew Short, Alana Ford, Carolyn Steginga, Leon Ryan, Mark McFadzen, Andrew Wallace, Alan Zamparutti, Mark Walz, Andrew Kelly, Will Morgan, Simba Walz, Carol Brown, Brenda Windsor and Cilla Martland.

In international running, local Julian Picot excelled in Tokyo’s Iwaki Sunshine Marathon, clocking an impressive personal best time of 2 hours 42 minutes. The conditions were marginally cooler in Japan than our 36 degrees, with Julian enduring a chilly 8 degrees throughout the 42km course. Congratulations to Julian on a fine performance, well done! Another club member to excel in his running was Calvin Franklin who has been competing in the Australian Junior Triathlon Series. With recent success in Adelaide and with another competition coming up in Perth, Calvin is in top class form to once again perform to a very high standard…good luck Calvin!

Mackay Road Runners next club event, The Tilse Toddle, will be held this Sunday at 5.30pm from 24 Johnson Street, West Mackay. The hosts welcome new and existing runners to a very social 5/10km run from 5.30pm with post run refreshments available. Even though this is a social event, runners are reminded to arrive at least 20 minutes prior to gun time, thus allowing for registration, course briefing and notices, etc. Runners are also reminded to join up online asap so that once the handicap runs commence, they will earn handicap and club championship points at specific events throughout the year as noted on the Program. Runners must wear their numbers and timing chips so that they are officially recorded on the results, otherwise, they will not have their times noted at all.

Mackay Road Runners invite all new and interested persons, current members, their families and friends to attend any or all of their events.

Mackay Road Runners Club Captain and Race Director, Jim Ford was ecstatic at the attendance of the Grand Finale of the Mackay Road Runners Summer Series social group training sessions. Many thanks to his lovely assistants, Alana Ford and Andrew Short, who have been collaborating with Jim to ensure there is an interestingly unique run concept on offer every Sunday afternoon. Runners benefited tremendously from their organisational skills with the off season weekly event which catered for varying abilities with shorter and longer distance options.

The Grove Wetlands Double Pump event was also a popularity contest to see who could get the most High Fives throughout the run…..of course, there was no competition as Jim Ford, being the most competitive (after Alana & Peter Ford) took out the coveted prize. Runners also had the pleasure of post-race drinks inside The Grove as well as end of series random draw prizes.

Runners are now looking forward to the new formal 2018 Calendar of events starting with a social 5km at 5.30pm this Sunday at the Mackay Harbour boat ramp/Old Mulherin Park precincts. All new and existing Members are warmly invited to come and try running with the local group that has had their running fix since ’76. The Calendar also includes Signature events such at the BMA Mackay Marina Run, Eungella King of the Mountain, The Magic Mile, 10km Club Championship, Cape Hillsborough Cross Country Club Championship plus many more.

Mackay Road Runners also welcomes new and existing runners to meet them at this Sunday’s Mackay Regional Council Sports Sign-on and Sporting Expo at the MECC from 9am to 1pm which showcases the many activities you can be involved in the region including the Mackay Road Runners Club. For those who would love to assist voluntarily with the Club, but not interested in running, you are most welcome to be included within the Club’s very supportive ranks. Members who are keen to join already, please visit mackayroadrunners.com.au Members who join before the end of February are automatically enrolled into Mackay Road Runners database where you will receive regular updates on local and out of town runs, as well as various Club information.

Congratulations to local runner, Julian Picot who will be departing the warm humidity of North Queensland to fly to Japan this weekend to compete in the Iwaki Sunshine Marathon. Julian has been sponsored by the Townsville Running Club after a very successful first local win in the Marathon at their running festival in August last year. Julian’s preparation has been mostly fine with a great taper week in the pouring rain, although the Japanese conditions will definitely be a test being way cooler than in Mackay.

Late last Sunday afternoon, over forty Mackay Road Runners enjoyed the challenge of the Harbour North Wall Three Peaks challenge, with distance options from 5km to 9.5km in perfectly breezy humid conditions. Club Captain, Jim Ford tested his charges in one of the final social off season training sessions prior to the first formal run on the 2018 Mackay Road Runners calendar. Jim, who’s running experience is boundless, is an awesome coach and organiser of the off season events as well as a major contributor throughout the official Club season. Alana Ford, who has also been an integral part of the Club being it’s 2017 Secretary, has also been an excellent motivator and energetic assistant to Jim throughout the Sunday afternoon events as well as the weekly social 6pm Wednesday runs from the Bluewater Quay. Alana has just stepped down from the Secretaryship to focus on a new role within the Club, which will assist new and inexperienced runners, thus offering additional inclusive benefits to the Club’s events. Jim & Alana, who are excellent athletes themselves, will be seen out and about supporting their favourite club as they have been since arriving in Mackay over ten years ago. Other family members, Peter, Alex and Anthea have also been enormous supporters of the Mackay Road Runners Club.

The Harbour North Wall Three Peaks Challenge was a testing affair with ascents of hills at the Seabreeze Hotel, Lamberts Beach Lookout and Albatross Street, Slade Point. Runners utilised varying terrains including the North Wall beach foreshore, sand dunes, Lamberts Beach/Slade Point Reserve trails and bitumen roads. Many thanks for weekly assistance to Jim & Alana via Andrew Short, who quickly jumps into action when required….much appreciated. Runners were also treated to a grand finale to the event with a sensational refreshing dip in the ocean post run and prior to the usual recovery of fruit and lollies. This also caused Jim a slight conundrum where he was unable to announce the team winners due to the runners preferring to frolic in the ocean… although all agreed…..no prize required….everyone’s a winner!

With the final run of the off season Summer Series this Sunday at 5.30pm from the Grove Tavern, Andergrove, runners and their families are invited to stay post run for the usual refreshments and/or refreshments for purchase inside the Tavern to celebrate the very successful social series. Runners can also look forward to random draw prizes as well as the usual congenial heckling and comradery within their ranks…..all welcome!

Mackay Road Runners held their Annual General Meeting last week where the official 2018 program was passed for approval as well as Committee positions vacated and filled. However, the Club is still looking for volunteers to fill or assist some very important roles so that they can continue to be one of the most successful and popular Clubs in the region. The 2018 program has now been updated on the Mackay Road Runners website – take the time to visit mackayroadrunners.com.au so you can plan your 2018 running year. The Club will also be calling for members, their family or friends to volunteer at least once throughout the year, mainly to assist current race day volunteers ie timekeepers, waterstop attendants, marshals, etc. With a current membership base of over 150, if members can give a small amount of their time, it would be much appreciated. Hence the load will be alleviated on the members who volunteer each and every week, thus allowing everyone to gain an insight into what is involved in staging a weekly event. Everyone loves to run, therefore, all voluntary assistance would be a valuable asset to all Club members.

Mackay Road Runners and the local community are reminded of the Mackay Regional Council’s Sports Expo and Sign on day on the 11th February from 9am to 1pm at the MECC. Mackay Road Runners will, as usual, be in attendance to answer any queries for new and existing Members. The Club will also conduct its first official calendar event in the afternoon on the same day, commencing 5.30pm at the Mackay Harbour Boat ramp carpark precincts…..all welcome!

With the Mackay Road Runners Summer social running program drawing to a close, Club Captain/Race Director, Jim Ford once again hosted a unique event from the Magpies Sporting Complex. The 6km & 12km run had participants opting to tackle whatever distance they chose, in addition to estimating the actual exact distance of their chosen course, with the winners taking the usual coveted prizes and bragging rights for closest estimate.

Over forty runners eagerly accepted the timed challenge, including the very welcome addition of many new and returning runners to the 2018 Mackay Road Runing scene. Jim welcomed all runners whilst he explained the short and long courses as well as the challenge concept. Excellent performances came from Rachel Silvestri, Ashlee Scott, Simon Henderson, Mark Walz, Carol Brown, Brenda Windsor, Sandra Henderson, Tim Caddy, Ross Connor, Jenene McLellan, Mitch Thompson, Alan Zamparutti, Steve Oberg, Charlie Martel, Craig McGahey, Leon Ryan,Darrin Pullen, Andrew Short, Jo Skinner, Peter Ellison, June Bradley Jose Short, Carmel Mahon, Paula Easton and Karla Hook.

Mackay Road Runners also welcomed the North Mackay Saints AFL girls team at the midweek social 5km at the Bluewater Quay. The girls have been very committed over the last several weeks to their pre-season training in a bid to better their 2017 season Grand Final performance…go The Saints!

The Mackay Road Runners Summer program continues for two more weeks, with this Sunday’s run commencing at The Mackay Harbour North Wall carpark at the usual time of 5.30pm. As this is an informal, social group training session, only a gold coin cost for participants is requested which goes towards post run refreshment, prizes, etc….. All welcome to attend, no need to be a Club Member, bring your friends and family for a great hour of running and social banter.
The AGM was held earlier this week, with the formalities of the 2018 official committee members and running program still to be announced….watch this space or visit mackayroadrunners.com.au

Mackay Road Runners’ Club Captain Jim Ford once again staged a unique course concept for over thirty runners from the Railway carpark, Paget. The Planet Paget 8km course was designed for teams to take in several streets of the Paget Commercial precinct endeavouring to locate markers in designated areas in each street. Teams had the challenge of running the 8km course but also keep their eyes peeled to mentally record the ten hotspots in the correct order to win the coveted prize.

Four teams were victorious in getting the order correct, however the fastest team consisting of Ashlee Scott, Carl Pinkstone, Jose Short and Glynis Forse were the ultimate champions. Excellent performances also came from Alana Ford, Queensland cricket champion, Adam Knesevic, Julian Picot, Emma Goodman-Jones, Carmel Mahon, Tim Caddy, Andrew Wallace, Stephen Oberg, Peter Ford, Jo Skinner, June Bradley, Mark Takagaki, Alan Zamparutti, Jenene McLellan, Andrew Short, Arthur Dick and Simon Henderson.

Many thanks once again to Jim and Alana for organising the Sunday afternoon social off season group training sessions and post run refreshments. The runners really appreciate the non-competitive, team oriented and course option concepts that are suitable for varying abilities. With only three more of these events prior to the formal Mackay Road Runners 2018 program commencing, the Club invites the public and club members to attend any of these training sessions for a gold coin donation towards post-race fruit, etc. This Sunday’s 6/12km event commences 5.30pm from Magpies Sporting Complex carpark, Glenella.

Current and intending Members are reminded that the Mackay Road Runners Annual General and Calendar Meeting will be held Monday, 22nd January 5.30pm at the Techserve office building, Tennyson Street, Mackay. All committee and other positions are open for re-election therefore, current position holders will stand down, awaiting nominee submissions. Whilst some of the members are happy to resit, all positions are open and welcome for new nominees. There will definitely be two positions where the sitting members have stepped down, therefore the very important roles will need to be filled. If you would like to help in any way but unable to attend the Meeting, please email roadrunnersmackay@gmail.com . To ensure the continued success of the Club, we ask that you all consider what you can do for your club, big or small – all assistance is gratefully accepted!

Mackay Road Runners first social off season Sunday event for 2018 was very well attended by approximately forty dedicated runners. The casual group training session commenced from the Harbour boat ramp carpark precinct at 5.30pm under the expert guidance of Club Captain and Race Director, Jim Ford. Jim’s course had runners leave the Harbour parklands toward the testing Mt Bassett incline via a one kilometre warmup run. All runners regrouped at the base of Mt Bassett prior to challenging themselves to multiple loops of the testing Mt Bassett ascent. Jim, as usual, integrated options for various abilities and fitness levels as well as a relay loop and a grand finale surprise staggered loop, all this before posing for a 2018 Calendar photoshoot. Thankfully the south-easterly breezes made for more enjoyable running as opposed to the previous week’s northerly winds which caused treacherously dangerous humidity levels. All runners enjoyed the course concept as always with Jim’s unique spin on making each outing an enjoyable and social one. Jim’s interesting, well thought out courses throughout the off season always get great support from the participants, even though some softies comment “I do not wanna play anymore”….but they always do….!

Well done to Julian Picot who has returned to the Mackay running scene after a short stint in Townsville where he graduated from his medical studies – congratulations Dr Julian Picot! As well as successfully completing his studies, Julian also showed a very clean pair of heels throughout the Mt Bassett 10km event, where he pitted himself against local champion and USA student, Liam Mumford. Liam will be returning to Virginia’s snowy/icy conditions this week to complete his third year of his academic and athletic university scholarship, although we may see him return mid 2018 for his local pet events, the M-Test Eungella King of the Mountain and the BMA Mackay Marina Run.

Meanwhile, at the Mt Bassett event, there were some outstanding performances from many runners including friendly heckling from not so competitive family members ie siblings Peter and Alana Ford and Dad and daughter, Charlie Bone and Sarah Jensen. It was great to see every team relay member supporting each – those were but not limited to:- Jose short, Maddy Price, Ashlee Scott, Bill Morgan, Ross Connor, Mark Pashalis, Colin Hardy, Carmel Mahon, Steve Oberg, Jo Hughes, Brenda Windsor, Carol Brown, Tim Caddy, Leon Ryan, Derek Woods, Noel Barnett, Jo Skinner, June Bradley, Peter Ellison, Matt Graves, Jo Skinner, Mark Takagaki, Mitchell Thompson and Arthur Dick.

This Sunday’s social off season event will commence at 5.30pm from the Railway Station car park, Paget. The 9km team challenge will be a definite mental and physical test, therefore an afternoon Nana nap is recommended. Runners are also reminded to ensure they keep hydrated at all times and to bring their own fluids/snacks if required throughout the run. Jim’s lovely assistant, Alana, does an awesome job bringing post run refreshments, however, runners are to be mindful of their own replenishment needs as well. Many thanks to Jim and Alana for their time in organising the Sunday events….so much appreciated.