Chapter Ten
"The 1991 Race"
"Bryan
Smith triumphant!"
Ultra events were to continue almost as soon as the last runner
crossed the line in the 1990 Westfield. Bob Burns was to win the Aust 48 hour
race in June 90 with a distance of 307.94km. Westfield aspirant, Lindsay
Philipps ran a very consistent 240.301km in the same event.
4th and 5th of
August 90 saw the second running of the Totos 24 hour Challenge at Olympic
Park, Melbourne. Yiannis Kouros was to absolutely blitz the field with an
amazing 280.8km. Second was fellow Westfield runner, John Breit with a good
total of 238.46km. This would have been good enough to win on any other
occasion.
Anyce Kip Melham was to win the
Westfield Sydney Striders 24 hour track race in September with a splendid
206.3km. Bryan Smith was to win the CampbellTown Mall 24 hour track race in
October with a great total of 222.516km. Peter Gray won the Sri Chinmoy 24 hour
race in Adelaide with a total of 202.014km. This was done in scorching heat of
38 degrees.
The CampbellTown 6 Day Race was held
in November 90 with Kiwi runner, Sandra Barwick winning with a magnificent
883.631km. Fellow Westfield runner, Tony Collins finished third with 770.104km.
Yiannis Kouros
was to win his second 24 hour race in a six month period when he won the Wyong
24 hour race on the Australia Day Weekend with 257.81km. This was an excellent
effort when you consider that it was run on a soft grass track. Bryan Smith won
his second 24 hour race for the year when he completed 250.729km to win the
Victorian 24 hour Championship in February 91.
The stage was
certainly set for the 91 Westfield to be a crackerjack event. There were some
top performances by runners around Australia. What would the ninth running of
the event bring?
1991 was to see
major changes in the running of the Westfield Run. "The ninth running of
the Sydney to Melbourne Westfield Run will see a number of exciting
changes" is how the Executive director of the event, Mr Chris Bates,
announced the changes to the Press conference on 16 April 1991.
"We are continually looking at
ways to improve the Westfield Run and this year we've increased prizemoney,
introduced handicapping for the entire field and through the advice of the NSW
and Victorian Police Departments, altered the course of the race to ensure
better safety for the runners and the public" said Chris Bates.
The new route for this year's event
is 1028km. This is the second longest distance that the race has been run. The
event is due to start on Wednesday 15th May 91 from the Westfield
ShoppingTown in Liverpool. Organisers have given the runners an extra day to
complete the event.
The route this year will go along
the Hume and Federal Highway's to Canberra and then the Monaro Highway to
Cooma. After Cooma, the course goes along the Snowy Mountains Highway through
Adaminaby and up to Cabramurra, which is the highest town in Australia.
The course then goes through
Kosciusko National Park, before going along the Alpine Way to Corryong. The
runners then head to Wodonga before turning left and heading along the Hume
Highway towards Melbourne. The finish will once again be at Doncaster Shopping
center. It will definitely be a course that will test all the runners.
Fifty runners applied for this
year's run. A final field of twenty four was accepted into the race. There are
six internationals in the team who are from France, USA, New Zealand and Japan.
There are three women in the event and nine runners are having their first
start.
This year's run will be a complete
handicap run and the prizemoney will total $100 000. This will include $30 000
for the first runner across the line and $30 000 for the runner with the
fastest time. This is the richest ever prizemoney available for an Ultra
Marathon. Prizemoney will be distributed to the Top ten finishers.
There were complaints from a few of
the runners about the new prizemoney system. Kevin Mansell said "I'd like
to see it shared around a bit more. The 24 hour handicap is very tough and the
way things are I could run 11th with the second fastest time and
hardly get anything".
Fellow runner,
Tony Collins said " It's worked out well for me but some of the others in
the last group are going to find it tough".
Australian Ultra
Runners Association has established handicaps for the race. The runners will
start in four hourly intervals with the first group starting at 1100 hrs on
Wednesday 15th May and the scratch group starting 24 hours later.
Athletics Australia will also be involved in the running of the race.
The Cliff Young
Award for the first Aussie to cross the Finish is again being held with $1000
and the Gumboot trophy. There will also be a new award to remember the late
Ernie Cattle. Ernie Cattle from Holbrook ran in the Westfield in 1988,1989 and
1990. He was well known for his sprinting first marathons and died tragically
last year when his Ultra light plane crashed. This award will carry $1000 and a
trophy. It will be awarded to the person with the fastest marathon to complete
the whole race.
The three women
entered for the race are all new to the event and two are from Australia. They
are 38 year old, Dawn Parris from
Melbourne, 40 year old Helen Stanger
from Sydney in NSW and 39 year old Randi
Bromka from Colarado in USA. Randi has the advantage of doing a lot of
training in the mountains around Colarado and in the winter she is an avid
skier. Both Australian women are confident of upstaging their more fancied
American opponent.
Top female Ultra
Runner, Sandra Barwick from New Zealand is to view the run from a different
perspective this year and become an official motivator. Cliff Young and Sandra
Barwick are to travel back and forth along the route and do what they can to
get the runners to Melbourne.
Don Mitchell from New
Zealand is competing for the third time. In 1989 he finished sixth and in 1990
he finished fifth. He is confident of improving on last year’s race.
Jean -Gilles Boussiquet
from Paris is competing in the Westfield for the first time. He is a previous
world record holder over 24 hours, 48 hours and 6 days. He is confident of
winning and it is only lack of sponsorship that has prevented him from
competing on previous occasions.
The Australian contingent is led by Kevin Mansell, David Standeven
and Bryan Smith. The three of them belong to the select group of runners that
have ran 1000km in under 6 days.
Mansell along
with Mark Gladwell will be aiming to be the first runners to complete five
Westfield's in a row. Kevin Mansell
has gone from being an alcoholic and smoker to one of the best athletes for his
age in the country. He was asked why he was coming back for his fifth Westfield
to which he replied "It's the new challenge every year. Now the challenge
is just to finish another one because noone's ever finished five in a row
before."
He was also
asked about his race tactics to which he replied "I try to run my own race
without worrying about anyone behind me or anyone in front of me. When you're
running well it's not very hard to motivate yourself. I set myself little goals
along the way."
David Standeven etched his
name into history in 1989 when he beat Kouros by half an hour for line honours.
Bryan Smith has two forth
placings and a second to his name. He must start the short priced favourite for
this year's run. Bryan Smith is employed as a lines Officer with Telecom and it
was only last week that he was climbing the Towers around Mallacoota as part of
his every day job. He also gets to train in hilly areas which will help him in
this year's race.
Maurice Taylor from NSW
will also be a leading contender for this year's race. He finished in the Top
five in 1989 and 1990. He is confident of repeating his success once again.
Owen Tolliday is returning
to the race after a years break. In 1988 and 1989 he finished in the Top ten
and his recent form suggests that he should not be overlooked.
26 year old, Peter Gray from Geelong was the
youngest to finish in last year's event. He has been running very well in 24
hour events and should be much improved in 1991. Peter draws inspiration for
his races from the Rocky and Chariots of Fire Soundtracks. He has them playing
over the support vehicle's loudspeakers and loses himself in the music. Peter
Gray will be raising money for the Geelong Salvation Army Alzheimer's Appeal
during the 91 Westfield.
Andrew Law from Tasmania
is back for his second attempt. He finished twelfth last year and was the first
Tasmanian ever to finish. Since the 1991 Westfield, Andrew has spent six months
dealing with injuries. Two of those months were even spent with his leg in
plaster. His tibial tendon had snapped at the 700km of the 1990 race. Surgeons
had to remove 4cm of his tendon and then had to have lots of physio and
exercise to fully recover. He also had specially made orthotics to help the
muscles in the arch of his feet return to normal.
After six months
of training, he attempted 7km and 10km runs. He would return home with the odd
sore spots, but it didn't look as though he would make the starting line for
this year's race. It was two months before the race when Andrew's trainer,
Albert Johnson suggested that he take the orthotics out. Andrew's form improved
dramatically as a result. He had some tremendous runs over Mount Wellington and
was looking in top condition for the race.
There are also
nine newcomers in the field. These include 23 year old, Craig Rowe, a labourer from Dee Why in NSW. Craig has spent a few
years in prison and is using the event to show that he can achieve something worthwhile
with his life.
52 year old, Keith O Connell is the oldest in the
race. This is his first event, but he has crewed for runners over the last four
years and should know what tis expected of him.
Shaun Scanlon from Miller
in NSW is having his second start. He is an ex-champion boxer and should do
well if he shows his fighting spirit from his pugilistic days.
Twenty five year
old, Lindsay Philips from Queensland
is having his first start in the event.
One of the many
people that supplied information for this book was Queenslander, Jan Collins.
She was a crew member for Lindsay Phillips in the race and provided a wonderful
insight to the life of a crew member in the Westfield. Excerpts from her letter
are printed on the next few pages;
Apparently Lindsay had some problems raising the sponsorship
and it only all fell into place in the last few days when we set off from
Brisbane - Ray Chatterton, crew Manager, Val Case and myself backup and 2 young
men (non runners) - we were still well short of the required crew of seven.
Charlie Lynn was adamant that Lindsay would not start
unless he had a full crew on board. So on arriving in Sydney a plea for help
was broadcast over one of the popular radio stations and a young fellow was
game enough to take the trip on. Graeme came from Parramatta and was an
absolute God-send when he answered the radio plea. He was such a handy-man and
as we had lots of problems with vehicles etc, I don’t know how we would have
managed.
For instance on race start day we still did not have
strobe lighting on the vans and he wired and rigged that all up before
nightfall. And also that afternoon he and I were off the route to some little
town chasing around hardware stores for little bits and pieces to rig up the
van before night driving.
Coming into Canberra it was soon noticed I was the
only crew person who had been to that city so I was designated navigator for
sure there. Once again I found myself at Belconnen running around Supermarkets
etc I have no idea wha the res tof them did, probably slept or showered. I
always seemed to miss out on both. As a matter of fact my first shower wa sin
Albury at a Truck stop. "Dear me wha tam I doing here?"
For instance we were told at our crew briefing in
Liverpool we would only drive for two hours at a time. Some days I was driving
4/5/6 hours at a time and he would not let me talk at all. "You just
concentrate on Lindsay". Well I'm a chatty woman and to sit in silence and
not say boo really got on my nerves so we had words(and tears) about that. I
guess we were all under stress because we were thrown together at the last
minute with the mammoth job of getting this fantastic runner to Melbourne
Another memory, running through the Snowy Mountains.
Lindsay pleaded for the trees to stop. "When are these trees going to
stop" he said. I guess he was sick of the scenery!.
Jan Collins also
wrote an article on her crewing experience in the Westfield. Here are some
excerpts from that article:
The first shock came when the crew manager placed into
my shaking hands the keys to the Toyota Dyna 4 berth campervan which I and
another lady, Val Case had to drive to Sydney " straight through and be
there by 9am the following morning". Thank goodness it was automatic and
really fairly easy to handle once out on the highway. We took it in turns and
she very graciously handed me the keys in time for Sydney's peak hour traffic.
On arrival in Sydney we had pre-race briefing,
shopping for food for Lindsay and seven crew members. I also had to do the
banking find a Caravan Park for two vehicles for that night and had a very
polite confrontation with the Liverpool Traffic Police as I was parked in a one
hour parking bay for most of that first day. Being a women comes in handy
sometimes. That night I also had to arrange with the NRMA to attend one of the
vehicles whose batteries were playing up.
PEV1 is crewed by the driver is crewed by the driver
who must watch the runner constantly for unannounced stops - Lindsay was great
at this - so a very delicate foot on the brake is the tune for your alloted
time driving. The navigator does just that but also keeps the Westfield Log, a
massive book with every known signpost between Sydney and Melbourne and must
put down the exact time the runner passes all these markers en route.
He/she also keeps a timed record of all stops whether
it is for a sleep, massage, icing of feet, a rest, passing urine, a real pit
stop or whatever so deep concentration is again called for here. The third
person in this vehicle looks after the runner's food and drinks which entailed
keeping an eye on the time and drink content.
Lindsay drank every half an hour and we varied the
formula between plain water and maximum, So Good with Sustagen, milo, malt etc
and vegetable or fruit juices and glucose. He was fed main meals four times a
day, plus chocs, nibbles, cake , whatever he felt like whenever. This person
also has to feed the other crew members in that van and I quite often forgot to
feed myself because I was so busy. Oh and should I forget to say I also had to
spend many hours out on the road behind Lindsay, jogging, walking, and general
encouragement. When relieved of duty in the PEV1 youi either tore back the 300m
to the other van at night or called them up for crew change.
Just a rare
incisive view in to the different world of crewing. The runner you are crewing
for certainly takes looking after twenty four hours a day for the duration of
the race and any crew that haven't been willing to do this has resulted in a
less than 100 percent performance from the runner.
Thirty five year
old, Russel Prince from New Zealand
has excellent times over the shorter Ultras, but it is unknown if he will
translate this to the longer distances.
Tatsuya Muramatsu from
Japan is having his second start. He completed 479km last year and is confident
of completing the event this year.
World Champion
Ultra Runner, Yiannis Kouros decided not to compete in the 1991 Race. Westfield
Race Director, Charlie Lynn was dismayed at Yiannis' decision and expressed his
feelings in a Press Release titled "Inside Westfield 91". Here are
excerpts from that Press Statement.
It's ironic that the World's Greatest Race will be
even greater without the world's Greatest ultrarunner.
The
Kouros saga has generated a fair bit of media comment.
Nobody
disputes that Yiannis Kouros is the greatest Ultrarunner of all time. His
achievements in four previous Westfield Run's, the Colac 6 day race, the New
Zealand Ultrathon and the Greek spartathalon are legendary. He is the Greek God
of U;traRunning.
So
why is he not competing in the 1991 Westfield Run?
Only
Yiannis Kouros can really answer that question.
From
a race organisers viewpoint it seems he has been badly advised.
His
manager's demands for appearance money, race expenses, and clothing exceeded $
80 000. His booty would probably have increased to $ 140 000 with prizemoney.
One
would hope the sport could eventually afford such largesse, but in 1991 it is
simply out of the question.
Yiannis
seems to have forgotten that he achieved his fame through the Westfield Run.
Without it he would still be a relatively unknown groundsman at a Sports
Stadium in Athens, Greece.
He
also seems to have forgotten that it was the Westfield Race Organisation which
stood behind him when the IAAF imposed an international ban on him for
competing in South Africa in 1988. Westfield had the ban rescinded and Yiannis
won about $40 000 as a result.
But
rather than thank the sponsor for the fame he has achieved, an dfor the support
he has received, he has chosen to knock them instead.
Kouros's
recent actions indicate that he considers himself to be bigger than the sport.
He is
naive or is being badly advised.
Westfield's
decision to stand firm against his demands should encourage him to change
either his attitude, his sport or his manager!
Either
way the other Westfield Runners will benefit. They not only have more
prizemoney but they also have a real chance to win it.
It
looks like being the greatest race yet.
Yiannis Kouros
was to run solo from Sydney to Melbourne at the same time as the 91 Westfield.
His run was sponsored by Parklea Markets and his manager, Theo Premetis was to
claim that it was the only time that the police would allow him to run .
Premetis also said that Kouros wanted to prove that Westfield did not own ultra
Distance running and that other companies could afford to sponsor the world's
best Ultra distance athlete. The time for his run was never properly recorded
and the terrible mix up when he finished was an anticlimax to all his previous
finishes in previous Westfield's.
The start of the 1991 Westfield was absolutely great, with Julie
Andrews giving a fantastic rendition of 'Advance Australia Fair', whilst the
runners waited on centre stage to be called to the starting line.
'Chariots of Fire' played and the
final countdown began. The Mayor of Liverpool fires the starting pistol and
sends them on their trip down the bitumen road towards Melbourne.
Helen Stangar' attempt on the 1991
Westfield Run was recorded by Bill Hick in his account called " 1991
Westfield Run - The Unfinished Journey". Bill was on Helen's crew for the
journey and had helped her with training prior to the event.
Helen's race started well, but the
organisation of the crew left a lot to be desired. As Bill Hicks described it
"The start of Helen's race began with all the precision and timing of a
derailed freight train".
The oldest runner in the field,
Keith O' Connel, takes the lead early. All of the runners starting at this time
are novice "Westfielders" and are happy to chat for the first few
kilometres.
The support vehicles and crews are
allowed to join their runners near the Macarthur Tourist Centre at Liverpool.
Robert Channells moves into the lead near the Campbelltown exit. He leads at
the Marathon mark, with young Lindsay Phillips on his heel.
The marathon times of the first
group indicate that they all intend to run sensibly and are not going to burn
themselves out in the first 100 kilometres.
Marathon times (
Group 1):
1. Robert Channells 3 hr 56m
2. Lindsay Phillips 3 hr 56m
3. Randi Bromka
4 hr 02m
4. Helen Stangar
4 hr 02m
5 Dawn Parris 4 hr 05 m
6. Harry Clements 4 hr 22m
7. Keith O Connell 4 hr 26 m
8 Craig Rowe 4 hr 48 m
Just after the first group go
through their Marathon, the second group of three runners leave on their
arduous journey. They are T. Muramatsu, Shaun Scanlon and Eduardo Vega. Eduardo
Vega leads this second group as they go through the marathon.
Their times are:
1. Eduardo Vega 3 hr 53 m
2. Shaun Scanlon 3 hr 57 m
3. Tatch Muramatsu 4 hr 00m
Eduardo Vega fell off the pace
slightly from the 55 kilometre mark when he contracted a stomach upset. Shaun
Scanlon was running confidently and was confident of breaking 200 kilometres
for his first 24 hours of the race. Muramatsu was looking as though he was an
improved Ultra runner on last year’s run.
It was twelve hours into the race
when the third group of runners left from Westfield Shopping Centre at
Liverpool. Those runners were Andrew Law, Peter Gray, Tony Collins and Mark
Gladwell. There was only a small group of well wishers present when the
haunting music of "Advance Australia Fair" echoed through the centre.
Westfield Executive, Chris Bates fired the gun at 11.00pm and the small group
were off into the cold dark that faced them outside.
It was 11.00am on Thursday when the
final group of runners were under starters orders. It is twenty four hours
after the first group had left and the scratch runners were now started on
their own journey.
The marathon times for the first
group of runners were:
1. Russel
Prince 3 hr 02m 02s
2. Don
Mitchell 3 hr 28m 23s
3. Owen
Tolliday 3 hr 33m 14s
4. David
Standeven 3 hr 40m 24s
5. Bryan
Smith 3 hr 4om 33s
6. Jean
Boussiquet 3 hr 56m 39s
7. Maurice
Taylor 4 hr 00m 07s
8. Kevin
Mansell 4 hr 00m 07s
Russel Prince is running well from
the beginning and is letting the rest of the field know that he is in it to
win. Bryan Smith reaches the 100km mark in 9 hours and 32 minutes, but is 19km
behind Prince. Owen Tolliday is running aggressively and reaches the 100km mark
in 9 hours and 12 minutes. Kevin Mansell and Maurice Taylor are running
steadily and know that the race does not start until the forth day/.
Don Mitchell and David Standeven are
two minutes ahead of Smith at the 100 kilometres mark.
The Frenchman, Jean-Gilles Bousiquet
ignores the fast spurts from the other runners and settles into a steady gait.
He is taking his time and getting use to the Australian conditions. He knows
that the race does not start until the Monday or Tuesday.
The front runners have been going
for 24 hours and Russel Prince has completed 225km. Bryan Smith has 209km.
Boussiquet has 201km and Maurice Taylor, David Standeven and Don Mitchell all
have 188km to their name. Kevin Mansell is struggling with tonsillitis, but is
determined to finish and complete five Westfield runs in a row which is an
ultra achievement in itself!
Meanwhile, Robert Channells is in
the lead and has a 20km break on Keith O'Connell. Helen Stangar and Randi
Bromka are in third and forth place. Helen has a 10km break on her rival. It is
evident that these two runners are going to fight out the women's first prize.
Bill Hicks remembered this part of
the journey when he said "We've just finished a rough night. Helen ran to
exhaustion and had to stop and be ferried to a motel in Canberra. Because of
the sudden decision to stop, and major electrical problems with the lead
vehicle, both night shift vehicles went with Helen. This left Hicky and Telf
standing on the side of the road at midnight guarding the crew's witches hats
and log book. The temperature dropped to zero degrees that night. Eventually
Robbo came and got us and Billy guarded the spot in one of the vans until
4.30am when Helen got back on the road again.".
Helen Stangar was only a day into the race
when she had a beautiful gift given to her by the side of the road. "She
was just about to stop for a break when out of the dark stepped an elderly
gentleman with a red rose for her. It was a beautiful thought and one that
Helen has said she will always remember."
It was only a day or so into the
race, when motivator, Sandra Barwick needed a pit stop and stopped by a bush
near the side of the road. She turned her head and saw the body of a lady.
Being the curious type, she headed over and ascertained that it was a sex doll.
Cliff Young was delighted with the find and tied it to the front of the vehicle
for the trip into Canberra. It raised a laugh with everyone concerned.
Russel Prince reached the Canberra
mark late on Friday afternoon. He has completed 250km of the race, but finds
that Bryan Smith is only 500 metres behind him. Both runners have very capable
coaches with them for this event.
Fred Hellyer who is an expert at the
Ultra game is coaching Bryan Smith. He was on Geoff Molloy's crew in 84 when he
won. Fred is confident that his charge will be the one to beat in 91 and
records everything that Bryan eats, drinks and wears.
Max Marsh is the coach of Russel
Prince. Max has looked after Dick Tout and Sandra Barwick on previous occasions
and is regarded as one of the best running coaches in the southern hemisphere.
As Robert Channells passes through
Michelago, the top runners are approaching Canberra Robert now has a 7km lead
over Keith O Connel and a 65km break over the scratch runners.
Robert Channells arrives in Cooma at
0230 hrs in the morning. There is usually a crowd of some description to see
the runners into Cooma, but Westfield is old news now and everyone is home in
bed. Keith O Connell continues his consistent run and passes Robert just before
sunrise.
Tony Collins is
now in third place. He is 6km behind O Connell as he hits the Snowy Mountain
Highway towards Adaminaby. Tony had a handicap of 12 hours and has already
passed nine runners. He has had two and a half hours rest in his first 55
hours.
By midday on
Saturday 18th May, Robert Channells has regained the lead from Keith
O Connell. The field positions are:
|
Position
|
Name
|
Handicap
|
Distance
|
|
1
|
Robert
Channells
|
0
|
418.1km
|
|
2
|
Keith O
Connell
|
0
|
413.8km
|
|
3
|
Helen Stangar
|
0
|
400.3km
|
|
4
|
Tony Collins
|
12
|
398.7km
|
|
5
|
Craig Rowe
|
0
|
389.0km
|
|
6
|
Tatch
Muramatsu
|
4
|
384.7km
|
|
7
|
Eduardo Vega
|
4
|
384.9KM
|
|
8
|
Russel Prince
|
24
|
383.1km
|
|
9
|
Mark Gladwell
|
12
|
377.5km
|
|
10
|
Bryan Smith
|
24
|
377.3km
|
|
11
|
Peter Gray
|
12
|
375.2km
|
|
12
|
Randi Bromka
|
0
|
372.5km
|
|
13
|
Lindsay
Philips
|
0
|
370.4km
|
|
14
|
Harry Clements
|
0
|
370.0km
|
|
15
|
Jean-Gilles
Boussiquet
|
24
|
365.9km
|
|
16
|
Andrew Law
|
12
|
346.1km
|
|
17
|
Dawn Parris
|
0
|
341.8km
|
|
18
|
Don Mitchell
|
24
|
337.5km
|
|
19
|
Owen Tolliday
|
24
|
337.0km
|
|
20
|
Maurice Taylor
|
24
|
329.0km
|
|
21
|
Kevin Mansell
|
24
|
320.2km
|
|
22
|
Shaun Scanlon
|
4
|
305.7km
|
|
23
|
David
Standeven
|
24
|
276.7km
|
All of the
runners are still in the field at the end of Day three, but there are worrying
cracks starting to appear. David Standeven is struggling. His crew are trying
to urge him on and he hangs on in the hope that he will make good. Owen
Tolliday set a great pace for the first 250km but has groin problems and has to
get treatment in Canberra. Shaun Scanlon takes a long break in Canberra. Kevin
Mansell has tonsillitis, but is vowing to complete the race and make it five in
a row.
The people of Adaminaby turn out in
force to greet Robert Channells as he reaches there in mid Saturday afternoon.
The town puts on a free BBQ for all of the runners, crews and officials. This
is well received by all concerned. It is unfortunate that David Standeven and
Owen Tolliday are forced to retire before the township, but they come into town
to sample some local hospitality.
By midnight, the runners are headed
for the mountain. The temperature has dropped to minus seven degrees and thick
black ice has formed on the road.
Tony Collins is running well up the
mountain and captures the lead from Robert Channells. Russel Prince has a 11km
lead over Bryan Smith and is only 30km behind Tony Collins. Meanwhile French
runner, Jean-Gilles Boussiquet is running well and is only 16km behind Bryan Smith.
The women are also running very
well. At Adaminaby, Helen Stangar is in third place. Randi Bromka is having
tendonitis problems and Dawn Parris is getting stronger after throwing off an
ankle scare early in the race.
The generosity of country people
never ceased to amaze runners, crew and officials throughout the nine years of
the Westfield Run. Bill Hick, who was crewing for Helen Stangar remembered one
such incident of country hospitality. "Whilst getting ready to meet Helen
the local farm kids came out with some Anzac biscuits for all the crew. A great
thought. Then a couple of hours alter in the dark this little boy appears next
to Helen and gives her some biscuits also. As if that wasn't enough, he
returned puffing a few minutes later with some more for Barb who was running
with Helen at the time. You don't meet kids like that every day."
Tony Collins is the first to reach
Australia's highest town, Cabramurra. This milestone occurs at 0400 hrs on
Sunday morning. Keith o Connell moves into second place from Robert Channells.
Bryan Smith also moves ahead of Russel Prince. The French runner, Boussiquet
also moves further up the field.
It was at this stage of the race
when Bryan Smith overtook Helen Stangar. "Not long after Helen started,
Bryan Smith came up beside her and slowed for a chat. They ran together for a
while and Bryan even had a plate of porridge with her. The comradeship between
these athletes is extraordinary.".
By midday on
Sunday, May 19th, the positions are:
|
POSITION
|
NAME
|
HANDICAP
|
DISTANCE
|
|
1
|
Tony Collins
|
12
|
548.9km
|
|
2
|
Keith O
Connell
|
0
|
526.1km
|
|
3
|
Bryan Smith
|
24
|
508.6km
|
|
4
|
Eduardo Vega
|
4
|
506.2km
|
|
5
|
Robert
Channells
|
0
|
505.4km
|
|
6
|
Mark Gladwell
|
12
|
500.8km
|
|
7
|
Russel Prince
|
24
|
498.6km
|
|
8
|
Helen Stangar
|
0
|
497.8km
|
|
9
|
JeanGilles
Boussiquet
|
24
|
496.5km
|
|
10
|
Tatch
Muramatsu
|
4
|
492.2km
|
|
11
|
Craig Rowe
|
0
|
490.8km
|
|
12
|
Peter Gray
|
12
|
476.0km
|
|
13
|
Lindsay
Philips
|
0
|
473.3km
|
|
14
|
Andrew Law
|
12
|
472.3km
|
|
15
|
Maurice Taylor
|
24
|
466.2km
|
|
16
|
Kevin Mansell
|
24
|
456.2km
|
|
17
|
Don Mitchell
|
24
|
452.2km
|
|
18
|
Dawn Parris
|
0
|
449.6km
|
|
19
|
Randi Bromka
|
0
|
447.5km
|
|
20
|
Harry Clements
|
0
|
443.6km
|
|
21
|
Shaun Scanlon
|
4
|
428.2km
|
The runners are
finding it easier to travel the mountains during daytime, because they can see
the task in front of them. It is a different story of a night time, when the
temperature drops, black ice forms on the road and it is very easy for them to
lose their footing as they are plodding through the night.
Tony Collins is
the first one to cross the border into Victoria. He enters the small township
of Corryong as the sun sets. He is having bronchitis trouble, but is determined
not to give up the lead position. He is known as a runner that will never
surrender. Bryan Smith is now in second position and is running off the
mountain as Tony passes through Corryong.
Russel Prince is
in fifth , whilst Jean-Gilles Boussiquet is content to run back in the pack.
Andrew Law is picking up the pace as he runs through the mountains. His
training over Mount Wellington is starting to pay dividends.
It was about
this stage of the race when a very funny incident happened in Helen Stangar's
crew.
"As we
drove into the township Barbara asked us to stop so she could do a big wee. She
was busting. We told her to nick into the bush on the side of the road and
nobody would know. "Trust me!" The moment she left the vehicle, Hicky
got on the radio and told every crew within earshot about Barb's little dash
into the bush. The calls of "Good Luck Barb" and "We hope
everything comes out okay in the long run" filled the air waves for the
next few minutes. Even the Japanese crew responded, although we're not sure
exactly what they said. Well Barb was having trouble. I think the cold weather
had frozen up the plumbing. Eventually she emerged from the bushes which she
thought had covered her actions. The natural thing to do of course was to let
all those concerned know that everything was okay. The airwaves ran hot with
messages of congratulations for Barb. Once again the Japanese sent Barb their
best wishes. Now I ask you, where would you meet a group of people more
concerned for the welfare of a fellow human being?"
Helen Stangar is
now 6th and has a sixty kilometre lead over Randi Bromka, who is
suffering from shin splints. Eventually the mountains become too steep and she
is forced to withdraw at Cabramarra. She has reached 500km and reaches our
highest town at 0307hrs on Monday morning. Day four of the race starts and
fourteen runners have left the high country and in the state of Victoria.
A couple of one
liners heard in the Stangar camp during the race were "Hicky, that was
coffee with one tea you wanted wasn't it?" and "Hicky, is there
anything I can give you that you would normally get at home". It's hoped
that Bill didn't take the lady up on that offer.
By midday on
Monday 20th May, Tony Collins has a 27km lead over Bryan Smith. The
Frenchman, Jean-Gilles Boussiquet has ran well off the mountain and is now in
third place. The placings at the start of Day four are:
|
POSITION
|
NAME
|
HANDICAP
|
DISTANCE
|
|
1
|
Tony Collins
|
12
|
690.5
|
|
2
|
Bryan Smith
|
24
|
663.3km
|
|
3
|
Jean-Gilles
Bousiquet
|
24
|
639.8km
|
|
4
|
Andrew Law
|
12
|
637.6km
|
|
5
|
Mark Gladwell
|
12
|
634.0km
|
|
6
|
Keith O
Connell
|
0
|
621.5km
|
|
7
|
Maurice Taylor
|
24
|
619.0km
|
|
8
|
Russel Prince
|
24
|
609.0km
|
|
9
|
Robert
Channells
|
0
|
608.0km
|
|
10
|
Helen Stangar
|
0
|
606.1km
|
|
11
|
Eduardo Vega
|
4
|
605.9km
|
|
12
|
Kevin Mansell
|
24
|
592.8km
|
|
13
|
Don Mitchell
|
24
|
592.2km
|
|
14
|
Lindsay
Philips
|
0
|
590.5km
|
|
15
|
Tatch
Muramatsu
|
4
|
586.2km
|
|
16
|
Peter Gray
|
12
|
576.9km
|
|
17
|
Craig Rowe
|
0
|
575.7km
|
|
18
|
Harry Clements
|
0
|
555.3km
|
|
19
|
Dawn Parris
|
0
|
542.0km
|
|
20
|
Shaun Scanlon
|
4
|
527.9km
|
Tony Collins
keeps his lead despite suffering from bronchitis and exercise induced asthma.
It was the approaching air of Wodonga that helped onset Collins bronchitis
after running through the cool mountain air for the previous four days. "I
feel strong and have the smell of victory in my nostrils. My body is holding up
well and with the exception of a touch of bronchitis I feel good. I just have
to keep going and hopefully things will go my way." Tony Collins was only
able to train about 70km a week due to work commitments with his practise. This
makes his effort in this year's race even more remarkable.
Bryan Smith is
keeping a good pace, but is finding it hard to catch Tony Collins. At the same
time, Andrew Law manages to sneak into third from Jean-Gilles Boussiquet.
It was at this
stage, when fellow crew members of Bill Hick got their revenge. It was probably
Barb exacting revenge after his piece of public broadcasting a couple of day's
earlier. She hid his clothes in the shower and he spent 30 minutes and about
2km walking backwards and forwards between the vans trying to remember if he
really did get his gear out, and if he did, what van it was in.
Barb was quick
to get into Hick's bed very quickly later on in the race. Hicky had set up his
mattress at the Corryong Caravan Park. He wrote a few notes outside and had a
few minutes of sunshine before going back in the Van and finding barb asleep in
his bed.
Russel Prince is
forced to retire from the race with bronchial pneumonia at Tallangatta. Shaun
Scanlon also retires from the run at Tooma Dam after a great effort. Meanwhile,
Maurice Taylor and Kevin Mansell start making their way through the pack with
good running.
It is 0300hrs on
Wednesday morning when Bryan Smith finally catches the distant reflection of
Tony Collins support vehicles. Smith had only had 3 hours and 49 minutes sleep
since leaving Liverpool last Thursday. It is only another hour before Bryan
finally catches Tony. At the time, Tony is having a rest, but gets out of bed
and walks a few hundred metres with Tony. It is a great show of sportsmanship
that is only found in Ultra Running.
At midday 22nd
May the placings are:
|
POSITION
|
NAME
|
HANDICAP
|
DISTANCE
|
|
1
|
Bryan Smith
|
24
|
813.6km
|
|
2
|
Tony Collins
|
12
|
810.9
|
|
3
|
Andrew Law
|
12
|
775.2km
|
|
4
|
Maurice Taylor
|
24
|
759.0km
|
|
5
|
Jean-Gilles
Boussiquet
|
24
|
757.5km
|
|
6
|
Mark Gladwell
|
12
|
755.6km
|
|
7
|
Lindsay
Phillips
|
0
|
736.2km
|
|
8
|
Don Mitchell
|
24
|
732km
|
|
9
|
Eduardo Vega
|
4
|
731.8km
|
|
10
|
Keith O Connell
|
0
|
731.4km
|
|
11
|
Peter Gray
|
12
|
729.1km
|
|
12
|
Kevin Mansell
|
24
|
727.1km
|
|
13
|
Robert
Channells
|
0
|
705.1km
|
|
14
|
Helen Stangar
|
0
|
697.5km
|
|
15
|
Craig Rowe
|
0
|
694.9km
|
|
16
|
Harry Clements
|
0
|
675.5km
|
|
17
|
Tatch
Muramatsu
|
4
|
660km
|
Jean-Gilles
Bousiquet and Andrew Law battle through the night. The Frenchman is forced to
rest early in the morning and Law has a 20km lead by midday. At the same time,
Maurice Taylor moves into 4th place.
Dawn Parris is
forced to withdraw from the race at 1100hrs. She had covered 606km in six days,
but a severe ankle injury and severe tendonitis has taken it's toll. "It's
not fair. Everything about me is fantastic - my crew is in high spirits, I feel
great, I'm motivated, but this bit in my instep just won't let me run - and it
won't go away!"
Tatsuya
Muramatsu failed in his second bid to complete the Westfield Race. He said he
had dedicated his effort to a training partner who had been diagnosed with
terminal cancer a week before he arrived in Australia. "It's not just my
legs that hurt but also my soul" said Muramatsu, shortly after withdrawing
from the race. He was going ok until a viral infection caused him dizziness and
constant vomiting.
Helen Stangar is
140km further down the road from Dawn, but is going through her own hell. She
has been on the road for seven days and covered a remarkable 750km. In that
time she has only had 13 hours rest. Unfortunately it seems as though Melbourne
is out of reach this year.
When Yiannis
Kouros went past Helen Stangar earlier in the race, Billy Collis "decided
to do the right thing and play "Zorba the Greek" over the outside
speakers as Kouros went past our lead vehicle. Billy, typically stuffed it up.
As he ran past all that could be heard from our vehicle was the "Heel Toe
Polka". Billy's comment was "Well that's Greek isn't it?""
Robert Channels
is also struggling to stay in the race. His running high has dipped to a
running low. He is trying desperately to focus on the finish, but his body is
fading and it seems as though it will be too far away. It is 0900 hrs on
Wednesday when he withdraws from the race.
The tailenders
of the race are now Harry Clements and Craig Rowe. The cut off point at Benalla
is now over them like a prison sentence. Harry Clements manages to get into a
rhythm and keeps it going towards the cut off, but Craig Rowe must be near the
end of his race. His feet have doubled in size and are badly blistered. His
final run is one of the great achievements of the 91 Westfield. Officials and
onlookers watch as he struggles towards the cut off. He is hallucinating and
his feet are killing him. He makes the cut by a whisker, but is asleep by the
time he lies down in his van.
Charlie Lynn
predicted on the first day of the race that Craig Rowe would last less than two
days of the race after seeing Rowe smoking a cigarette on the first day. As a
result of Lynn's broadside, Rowe adopted the moniker of "Smokey Rowe and
the Nicotine addicts" and blasted Lynn in the Race Newsletter. This
provided good motivation for Rowe as he kept plugging on down the road.
Bryan Smith goes
through Seymour and has 80km to go to victory. He has a 12km break over Tony
Collins, but his crew are not relaxing. They very much know the fighting spirit
of Tony Collins and know that he will not give in without a fight.
At the beginning
of day 6, Thursday May 23rd, there are fourteen runners left in the
field.
|
Position
|
Name
|
Handicap
|
Distance
|
|
1
|
Bryan Smith
|
24
|
948.8km
|
|
2
|
Tony Collins
|
12
|
936.0km
|
|
3
|
Andrew Law
|
12
|
897.5km
|
|
4
|
Maurice Taylor
|
24
|
886.2km
|
|
5
|
Kevin Mansell
|
24
|
871.9km
|
|
6
|
Jean-Gilles
Boussiquet
|
24
|
859.2km
|
|
7
|
Mark Gladwell
|
12
|
854.4km
|
|
8
|
Don Mitchell
|
24
|
851.5km
|
|
9
|
Eduardo Vega
|
4
|
851.4km
|
|
10
|
Keith O
Connell
|
0
|
837.3km
|
|
11
|
Peter Gray
|
12
|
836.0km
|
|
12
|
Lindsay
Phillips
|
0
|
821.0km
|
|
13
|
Harry Clements
|
0
|
821.0km
|
|
14
|
Craig Rowe
|
0
|
819.5km
|
The runners have
now passed their final check point. Many of them have been defeated. The
remaining 14 runners are now set for the most difficult task they have ever
faced.
Towards the end of the race, the
Westfield run even rated a mention in the 21 May edition of the UK Evening
Standard. The "Mick Dennis" column described the race but portrayed
it as a pointless exercise and finished the article with the comment
"Would you buy a set of dentures from Tony Collins?" Oh well, any
publicity is good publicity!
Helen Stangar and her crew were
close by when Craig Rowe was at the end of his race. "The next 20 minutes
was one of the saddest parts of the race. Craig, because of his background, had
more to gain from this race than any other competitor. To his mind his whole
future depended on his performance in this race. If he didn't perform he would
be a failure. His courage proved to be one of the finest competitors you could
ever wish to see. He pushed himself beyond the accepted limits of endurance. He
was in agony, and hallucinating, yet he wouldn't give up."
"Helen, practically unable to
walk herself, supported Craig for about 200 metres and talked to him as nobody
else could, as somebody who had just been through the private hell he was now
going through. At the end of their walk together Craig withdrew from the race.
Just when you think all the emotional times are behind you, events like this
bring back to reality of just what this race does to people." Said Bill
Hick when describing the human drama that was unfolding on the Hume Highway.
It is shortly
before midnight on Wednesday night when Bryan Smith finally crosses the Finish
Line. His time is 6 days 12 hours and 15 minutes after setting out from Sydney.
There is only a small crowd waiting at the finishing line, but it is a great
experience for Bryan and his wife, Jan. He has won $30, 000 for winning line
honours and another $ 30 000 for recording the fastest time of the race.
Race doctor, Joe
Graiche said Smith had 'genetic superiority ' over the other runners. "His
stride and physical stature are above all that I've seen. He has the ability to
be better than Yiannis Kouros and experience is all he needs." Is how
Graiche described the winner of the 1991 Race. Dr Graiche further added that
"He was the only runner who did not require any medical attention
throughout the entire race. Unlike the other runners he did not use any NSAIDS
(anti -inflammatory drugs). He came out of the mountains without any chest
problems and probably will have only minor blisters."
Bryan Smith
later described the Snowy Mountains as the hardest part of the course.
"The most difficult part was coming over the Snowy Mountains when it was
very cold and only about minus eight degrees. It was very steep and I had
icicles dripping off my beard but I had speakers on my car and listening to the
music helped."
Smith began
running ten years ago and ran his first marathon two years after that. It was
only a couple of years after that that he ran in his first Ultra. He described
his training for the race when he said " I'm normally a night owl and I
started training a few months before this race by staying up late at night:
during the run I only got about seven hours sleep altogether"
Smith was interviewed
by "The Mail Express" a couple of weeks after the run and declared
that he would not run in the Westfield again. "I want to go out on top.
And the race is so demanding on the body that if I ran it again I don't know if
I could do that."
Smith cited four
reasons for his success. They were a better training schedule, a great support
crew, thermal clothing and massages. His better training schedule involved a
more consistent mileage around the 160km a week. He made sure he had the right
clothing prior to going into the event and he took two masseurs with him for
the event. This is so they could work on both legs at once.
One of Bryan's
masseurs was Fred Hellyer who is a seasoned Westfield campaigner. Hellyer
mapped out the course prior to the event, advised Smith when he had a hill to
tackle, how steep it was. Hellyer also advised on when rests should be taken
and when to power walk. Fred Hellyer was part of Geoff Molloy's crew in 1984
and has picked up a wealth of Ultra knowledge over the years.
Tony Collins is
now 18km behind and is assured of second place. He eventually finishes in a
time of 7 days, 4 hours and 17 minutes. The real winners out of Tony's run are
the youngsters undergoing cancer therapy at Camperdown Hospital in Sydney.
Since 1989 he has raised $100, 000 for them and declared that he would donate
his $15 000 przemoney from this event to them as well.
Andrew Law knows
that he cannot catch Tony Collins, but he can’t afford to slacken as Maurice
Taylor is only 17km behind him. Maurice is running another consistent race and
is assured of finishing in forth place.
Kevin Mansell is
13km behind Taylor and is holding off a determined challenge from Jean-Gilles
Boussiquet. Boussiquet picks up the pace as he enters Melbourne and comes within
300 metres of Kevin as he enters Melbourne.
Mansell is not
intimidated though and increases his speed to 14kph as he goes through the
city. The Frenchman also picks up the pace and chases Mansell right to the
Finish line. This is a classic duel between two world class champions.
Mansell holds
off and crosses the end in an emotional state. He is in a frenzy and takes a
while to settle down. "Mentally I feel great man. Of course physically I
feel like crap, but it's worth it. I love this race and I want to run the next
five in a row as well. That's my target, 10 Sydney to Melbourne finishes".
By the time the
Frenchman crosses the line, Kevin Mansell is the first to congratulate him.
Unfortunately, the Frenchman suffered crew problems during the race. There was
an interpreter on board for the race, but he was injured so his crew have to
cart out a mini tape recorder and tape his race plans before relaying them to
his wife in the first support van. His crew were relatively experienced (only
two had previous Westfield experience)and were arguing with each other. This is
ridiculous when Westfield invited a top overseas runner for the event and can’t
look after him properly.
Don Mitchell
finishes two and a half hours after the Frenchman and declares that it was his
last. This is the third time that he has finished the Race. Eduardo Vega is the
next to finish. This is the first time that he has finished within the allotted
time. Last year he finished 47 minutes after the cut off. He crosses the finish
line after 8 days 1 hour and 59 minutes and is wrapped in his success.
Mark Gladwell
and Peter Gray are the next to finish. Both are seasoned campaigners and Mark
joins his friend Kevin Mansell in the record books as being the only runners to
finish five Westfields in a row. Peter Gray was asked about the race on
completion and said "I said to myself it's gotten to the stage it doesn't
matter what placing I come because this race is the best in the world. I had
that much energy level at the end I just jumped up in the air in relief"
Gray also went to great pains to explain after the race that he did not go for
dips in the Tumut Lake, as had been reported in the Press during the race.
Keith O Connell
is the next to finish in a time of 8 days 10 hours and 51 minutes. He has
crewed for other runners on previous occasions and can be seen plodding around
in all the NSW endurance events. He is wearing a large grin and his humour is
as sharp as ever as he runs through Melbourne towards the finish.
Sandra Barwick
was lucky enough to run the last stretch of the race with the first and last
runners, Bryan Smith and Keith O Connell and enjoyed sharing the experience
with both of them. This is what Barwick said about her Westfield experience on
the other side of the fence. "This experience has given me another outlook
on Ultra Distance Running. The gratitude I have at seeing how hard the
organising side work, but most of all the satisfaction I have got in giving
something back in the way of support - motivation to everyone on this
magnificent run and to Ultra Distance Running, a sport I am dedicated to and a
very special part of my life along with everyone involved in it.".
Queenslander,
Lindsay Phillips didn’t quite make it to the finish line. His race ended at the
1000km mark when 2300hrs ticked over on the last day. Considering the problems
Lindsay had to even get to the starting line, his achievement was excellent and
he should be a runner to contend with in future years.
`
The following
quote was said by Helen Stangar during the 1991 Westfield. It typifies the
spirit of the typical fighting Ultra Marathon runner.
I'm going to win!
But,
If I can't win, I'm going to run a PB
But,
If I can't run a PB I'm going to run
The best I possibly can on the other day.
Westfield RUN 1991 - FINAL PLACINGS
|
Position
|
Runner
|
Country
|
Handicap
|
Time
|
Position(fastest time)
|
|
1
|
Bryan
Smith
|
Australia
|
24
|
6d12h50m
|
1
|
|
2
|
Tony
Collins
|
Australia
|
12
|
7d4h17m
|
5
|
|
3
|
Andrew
Law
|
Australia
|
12
|
7d9h32m
|
7
|
|
4
|
Maurice
Taylor
|
Australia
|
24
|
6d23h22m
|
2
|
|
5
|
Kevin
Mansell
|
Australia
|
24
|
7d2h26m
|
3
|
|
6
|
Jean-Gilles
Boussiquet
|
France
|
24
|
7d2h47m
|
4
|
|
7
|
Don
Mitchell
|
NZ
|
24
|
7d5h8m
|
6
|
|
8
|
Eduardo
Vega
|
Australia
|
4
|
8d1h59m
|
10
|
|
9
|
Mark
Gladwell
|
Australia
|
12
|
7d20h45m
|
8
|
|
10
|
Peter
Gray
|
Australia
|
12
|
7d21h28m
|
9
|
|
11
|
Keith
O Connell
|
Australia
|
0
|
8d10h51m
|
11
|
WITHDRAWALS
|
Serial
|
Runners
|
Country
|
Km
|
Date
|
Time
|
Reason
|
|
12
|
Lindsay
Phillips
|
Australia
|
1000km
|
22May
|
2300
|
Retired
|
|
13
|
Craig
Rowe
|
Australia
|
920.5km
|
22May
|
1402
|
Retired
|
|
14
|
Harry
Clements
|
Australia
|
874.1km
|
22May
|
1403
|
Tendonitis
|
|
15
|
Robert
Channells
|
Australia
|
770.0km
|
22May
|
0900
|
Retired
|
|
16
|
Helen
Stangar
|
Australia
|
750.4km
|
22
May
|
0900
|
Retired
|
|
17
|
Tatsuya
Maramatsu
|
Japan
|
664.1km
|
21
May
|
1310
|
Viral
Infection
|
|
18
|
Dawn
Parris
|
Australia
|
606.7km
|
21
May
|
1100
|
Tendonitis
|
|
19
|
Russel
Prince
|
NZ
|
588km
|
20
May
|
2330
|
Bronchial
Pneumonia
|
|
20
|
Shaun
Scanlon
|
Australia
|
526.5km
|
20
May
|
1731
|
Tendonitis
|
|
21
|
Randi
Bromka
|
Australia
|
500km
|
20
May
|
1507
|
Tendontis
|
|
22
|
Owen
Tolliday
|
Australia
|
442km
|
19
May
|
1730
|
Hip/Groin
strain
|
|
23
|
David
Standeven
|
Australia
|
422km
|
19
May
|
1657
|
Retired
|
