M
Marty
Guest
This a copy of an article my local newspaper asked me to write about my
upcoming event.
This Sunday marks the Collie Rotary Clubs 5th Collie Marathon Relay,
which is becoming an important event on every athletes calendar. The
event is a multi-discipline event with an optional horse section.
Starting near the trotting track at 9 am sharp, cyclists ride a hilly 25
km bike ride out to the Collie Power station and back to the bridge near
the near the centre of town, then a horse rider does a 15 km dash around
a circuit to the east of Collie, returning again to the bridge. From
there, a canoeist paddles 11km downstream to the Griffin Bridge and then
back to Minninup pool where everyone stops for a lunch break. Next,
swimmers do a cold 1km swim at Minninup pool before the mountain bike
riders take off for a very scenic but tough 25km ride in the area east
of Collie, which is a part of the Wellington National Park. The riders
finish at Minninup Pool and runners take over and run a cross county run
10 km back to the trotting track, following the winding path next to the
river. The event is unique in that it brings together diverse
disciplines that don't normally mix and creates a strong team spirit.
Competitors in the event range from absolute beginners "having a go", to
champions competing at the highest levels. The cycle record is held by
Leon Vogel, who had just come back from cycling in Europe, several Avon
Descent winners are regular paddlers here and one of the swimmers is
Barbara Pellick who is one of the few people to swim across the English
Channel and back.
In addition to teams are the Ironmen and Ironwomen who do the whole
event on their own. These remarkable people often beat a lot of the
teams and require not only a high level of fitness but also the skills
for handling unstable kayaks and fast horses. Married couple Tim and
Sarah Weise of Narrogin have been regular entrants in the Ironman
section and will be here again this year. Mainpeak in Perth and local
businesses and industry has supported the event, with all money raised
from being spent locally or donated to community groups.
Marty
upcoming event.
This Sunday marks the Collie Rotary Clubs 5th Collie Marathon Relay,
which is becoming an important event on every athletes calendar. The
event is a multi-discipline event with an optional horse section.
Starting near the trotting track at 9 am sharp, cyclists ride a hilly 25
km bike ride out to the Collie Power station and back to the bridge near
the near the centre of town, then a horse rider does a 15 km dash around
a circuit to the east of Collie, returning again to the bridge. From
there, a canoeist paddles 11km downstream to the Griffin Bridge and then
back to Minninup pool where everyone stops for a lunch break. Next,
swimmers do a cold 1km swim at Minninup pool before the mountain bike
riders take off for a very scenic but tough 25km ride in the area east
of Collie, which is a part of the Wellington National Park. The riders
finish at Minninup Pool and runners take over and run a cross county run
10 km back to the trotting track, following the winding path next to the
river. The event is unique in that it brings together diverse
disciplines that don't normally mix and creates a strong team spirit.
Competitors in the event range from absolute beginners "having a go", to
champions competing at the highest levels. The cycle record is held by
Leon Vogel, who had just come back from cycling in Europe, several Avon
Descent winners are regular paddlers here and one of the swimmers is
Barbara Pellick who is one of the few people to swim across the English
Channel and back.
In addition to teams are the Ironmen and Ironwomen who do the whole
event on their own. These remarkable people often beat a lot of the
teams and require not only a high level of fitness but also the skills
for handling unstable kayaks and fast horses. Married couple Tim and
Sarah Weise of Narrogin have been regular entrants in the Ironman
section and will be here again this year. Mainpeak in Perth and local
businesses and industry has supported the event, with all money raised
from being spent locally or donated to community groups.
Marty
