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Journal of SYDNEY STRIDERS ROAD RUNNERS' CLUB INC. (Founded 1980).

P.O. Box 679, Crows Nest NSW 2065, AUSTRALIA.

Circulation 400.

Opinions published in this journal, whether expressed by members or non-members, do not necessarily represent the official policy of the club.

Advertising Rates

Full page $100 per issue, ½page $50, ¼page $25. Classified ads: Single edition $5, full year $25.

Striders: The Spirit of Adventure Lives On

When we received the photo opposite from Strider David Sill in England, the Blister editors began to entertain some serious doubts. Since David is an ultramarathoner of some note, it would not be unreasonable to assume his mind was pretty firmly fixed on a running theme most of the time. And yet here was clear, unambiguous photographic evidence of Our Man doing Something Other Than Running. We began to feel we had discovered one of life's great contradictions, or that the natural order of things had somehow been turned upside down. Until we read his accompanying letter, in which he described the picture as "a photo of me in France, thinking about running". Ah, so all was well then. He hadn't lost his grip, after all.

Elsewhere too, the flame of Striders' spirit of adventure continued to burn. Mark Fiore indulged in culinary experimentation in Japan. El Presidente braved the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. Scott Crawford added the Great Frozen Southern Land to the list of continents where Striders have run.

Hey guys, enough already! Readers will start to believe they won't get published in this magazine unless they hop on a plane!

Club NewsPicnic Relay, 20 October

from Keith White

The annual Picnic Relay Race will take place on Sunday 20 October at 9.00 am. The venue is Centennial Park (near the intersection of Loch Ave and Robinson Drive). Bring your family and friends for a day of running, walking, cycling, roller blading, eating drinking and talk. A great way to wind down (or up) after the Mount Wilson to Bilpin run. Teams will be organised on the day and there will be something for everyone. Bring your own grog. Contact Keith White 9958-0161 (h) 9929-0522 (w).

1996 Awards Presentation Brunch, Sunday 8 December

from Jim Screen

The Striders' Awards Presentation Day is one of the most enjoyable and important club events of the year. The venue is perfect, the food is good and your partners are welcome. It will be held as usual after the Xmas STaR and will provide a great opportunity for us to get together over an excellent brunch to hear about and acknowledge outstanding Strider athletic achievements during 1996.

Who knows? You might just happen to be one of the winners. But we will never know unless you have completed your race results forms and sent them in to Kevin Tiller at P.O. Box 679, Crows Nest 2065.

Don't forget to put the above date in your diary. Please complete the leaflet enclosed with this issue of The Blister and send it in with your cheque as soon as possible.

Blister #62 Errata

The David Sulman shown in the results of the last Marsfield 10k race with a time of 42m 39s was in fact David Solomon. Humble apologies.

Club Committee Minutes

summarised by John Turner

For members' information, these were the main items discussed at the July and August meetings of the Club Committee:

Meeting of 18 July 1996

• Review of 1993 Business Plan: a subcommittee comprising Jim Screen, Kevin Tiller and Stephen Jackson set up "to consider the appropriateness of the previous Business Plan to the Club in 1996 and recommend adjustments to ensure its relevance over at least the next three years." Interim report due mid-Sept, final recommendations by end November.
• Next year's Outstanding Achievement Awards Dinner to be held Thursday 6th March 1997 at Waverton Bowling Club.
• Need to arrange hosts for greeting our runners at the finishes of City to Surf and Sydney Marathon. Also, Chris Robb to order a new Striders banner and logo board for such occasions.
• Noted we are collecting more and more club archival material, most recently from Brian Colwell who has kindly donated his complete collection of Blisters and Calendars from Day 1. Jim Screen offered to store the stuff. Kevin Tiller keen to look at the possibility of doing a Club History in due course. Meanwhile please centralise archives with Jim (and that goes for all Club members ).
• Steve Cornelius asked re possible interest in a seminar by noted running author Alan Bolton. Muted reaction in view of poor attendance at similar Club-organised talks in the past.

Meeting of 29 August 1996

• Athletics NSW subscription renewed, enabling Strider runners to be Registered Athletes for events which require it.
• Public Risk insurance in place to cover events such as 10K series.
• Annual return lodged with Dept of Fair Trading. Reminder to do this in future within four weeks of each AGM.
• Special thanks to Dave and Helen Ritchie, and Murray Town/John Hamilton for hosting the Striders finishing breakfasts at City to Surf and Sydney Marathon respectively.

Club News

• Club's bank balance is healthy, mainly as a result of the continuing success of the 10K Series. Agreed to put $5,000 on six month fixed deposit. Prudent management requires that we build up a cushion for tough times, and recognise that the Club has a potential long term obligation to repay Life Members who so generously subscribed to their $1,000 debentures when the Club needed funds in 1992/93.
• Committee now has in place a Four Month planning calendar, hopefully to minimise last minute panics when preparing for Club events and deadlines.
• Noted that at least 35 members are now on Internet. Kevin Tiller's Sydney Striders HomePage now gives an intro. to the Club, ladder info., recent race results and a membership form. It is receiving lots of "hits" and some new members as a result (not all are nerds!). Agreed to put tempting snippets from each new Blister on it, together with a Contents list, to excite further interest. Need to get the HomePage listed on major search engines for people seeking the definitive Sydney running experience!
• Current membership 276 paid, plus 75 not yet paid. Reminder letter to be sent to defaulters. Noted there is a healthy stream of new members turning up at STaRs and 10Ks.

Thredbo Running Week 1997

by Chris Truscott

Well it's creeping up on us again and for all those Striders who are not familiar with it, Thredbo National Running Week is the annual pilgrimage south to Thredbo Alpine Village for some altitude training, altitude racing and - some say more importantly - altitude drinking!

The dates for next year's Runners' Week (actually 10 days) are the 10th to 20th January and those who might enjoy a bit of socialising, whilst indulging in a very worthwhile week of altitude training, are most encouraged to come along.

So you might be wondering what exactly can you do for 10 days at just the one place? Well, Running Week organiser Brian Lenton has put together a whole range of activities that will keep you busy every day, if so desired.

The outline is:

Friday: Arrive at your own leisure with an informal BBQ at night.

Saturday: Registration and payment of weekly activities ticket. This ticket gives you unlimited usage of the Crackenback Express Chair lift and also the 9 hole golf course for the duration of all 10 days. How much??. $29.00 (less than a half day winter ski lift ticket!)

Sunday: 6k fun run around Thredbo Valley Terminal.

Monday: Kosciusko, 13k walk/run to top of Kosi and back plus Pizza Mixed Relays, 1k or 2k.

Tuesday: 3k handicapped fun run, mixed tennis tournament (pairs mixed randomly) and Thredbo Invational & fun run miles.

Wednesday: Robinson Alpine Mountain & Lakes walking/running epic.

Thursday: Golf tournament, 60 minutes out and back Dingo Run, Friday Flat Lake Biathlon.

Friday: Fast golf tournament, tennis continues and volleyball competition.

Saturday: Kosciusko classic 8k starting Rawson Pass, turnaround at Snowy River Bridge and finishing back at the top of Mount Kosciusko.

Sunday: 6 km Village fun run and 100 Gift

Monday: Time to go home.

Most of the prizes won in Thredbo are from barrel draws, so everyone has equal chances and apart from the running activities as highlighted above, there are various social activities, such as: Nightly Happy hour, Champagne 3 course dinner, Mexican dinner, Revue evening, Cocktail evening, Canberra Marathon quiz night and a Bush Dance farewell night.

There is also an Alpine Toboggan Slide, Mountain Bike Hire, Video Game Arcade and plenty of shopping opportunities. Thredbo Running Week is the type of holiday, where you can have a million and one things to do 110% of the time or simply relax and enjoy the peaceful and quiet surroundings. The choice is yours, but one thing is certain, not only will you make a lot new friends from all around the country, but you'll return with a whole host of PB's just waiting to happen.

So put a group together and book. You are guaranteed a very enjoyable -yet beneficial- week.

To obtain a copy of the Running Week Program, please contact Brian Lenton, Honorary Organizer, Thredbo National Running Week, P.O. Box 5, Duffy, ACT 2611.

Club NewsTeam Spirit

by Margaret White

Like to feature among the placegetters in a major event like the City to Surf or the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon? It's not a pipe dream! You can do it. Just ENTER A TEAM!

Striders teams have enjoyed stunning success in recent races and many individuals have ruefully looked at the times of teams that did win and thought "If only I'd sent my entry to Margaret!"

In the Half-Marathon, Amanda Dawson, Breeda Kelly and Tina Campbell won the open female category while old timers Ray Doran, Ray Potter and Alex Whitworth were third male vets. Lesley Maher and Ros Lloyd were in the winning female vets team, but for another club which shall remain nameless! They'd better watch out next year!

In the City to Surf, our even older timers, Neil McPherson, Bruce Murray and Manfred Fiedler won the over sixty category. Alex Whitworth, Ray Doran, Rod Lovel and Trevor Jacobs were second in the jogging clubs. Fantastic effort!

Not only did these people win glory for themselves, they raised the profile of our club within the running community. But we could have done so much better! We are Sydney's premier running club - but none else knows. If we entered as many teams as possible in every event in which Striders participate, we'd clean up! We'd be invincible!! We'd have people clamouring to join!

So the next big teams opportunity is the Brindabella (10 Nov). Can't run 54k? No worries. Enter a relay team. Last year nearly 30 Striders went to Canberra, ate a massive meal of pizza and pasta, drank gallons of wine, had a fitful night's sleep, then rose at 5 am to meet the challenge. Of the 4 relay teams entered, 2 set records!

The event is divided into four relay legs of 8.7, 17.8, 17.4 and 9.9 km. You can have a team of 2, 3 or 4 runners. So chat to a few of your buddies and contact me! Or, if your buddies are all pikers, contact me anyway and I'll match you up with some new ones! It's a really well run, enjoyable event and you won't be sorry you made the effort.

If you're entering any other event, consider a team. Send your entry to me (IN PLENTY OF TIME) and, if I can, I'll put you in a team. If I can't, Ill just send your entry in. My address: 56 Third Ave, Willoughby 2068. Tel: 9958-0161.

SMH Half Marathon: More Results

Apologies to the following finishers whose names were somehow missed from the list published in Blister #62. They include a number of highly impressive PBs:

James Howard 1-27-00 (PB by 10 mins)

George Herisson 1-29-50 (PB by 2 mins)

Joe Vucetic 1-22.30

Clara Vucetic 1-28-00 (PB by 3:20)

Phil Kennedy 1-36-00 (PB by 1 min)

Graham Butler 1-39-42

Hugh Spencer 1-39-53

Don't forget, the only way to really ensure your results get printed in the Blister is to send them yourself to Database Manager Kevin Tiller.

Club NewsRoll of Honour

data supplied by Kevin Tiller

Only one Strider has passed a significant membership milestone since our last edition. Please join us in congratulating our former Club President

ALF FIELD on his 10 YEARS of membership, including some outstanding service to the club.

Club Uniform Price List

from Peter Truscott

Unfinancial "Members"

Another gentle reminder

The quotation marks are intentional, since if you're unfinancial, you're really not a member at all! Striders to whom this applies should by now have been contacted individually.

Your Blisters and Calendars will stop arriving in your mail-box very soon! If you genuinely believe you paid (and therefore we've stuffed up), please contact Kevin Tiller NOW to discuss the matter.

Blister #64 Deadline Dates

The deadline for photos, other graphics, items in Apple Mac format, and anything which requires re-typing will be Sunday 24 November. The deadline for contributions via email or on PC format floppy disks will be Sunday 1 December.

Please note that these deadlines will be pretty strictly adhered to on this occasion, since we absolutely positively definitely non-negotiably HAVE to have Blister #64 out before Christmas.

Apple Macintosh stuff to Nick Themsen, please. Technical items (health, medicine, diet, training, bikes, swimming, triathlon) to Sarah Entwistle. Photos and other graphics to Graham Butler. Tabular material (Word tables, Excel spreadsheets, Access databases) to Steve Cornelius. Other PC-format files, textfiles etc, and stuff that needs re-typing,, to any of the 4 Blister committee members. See page 2 for contact details.

Thanks, folks

from the Blister editors

The Blister editors would like to thank all those who responded to our desperate pleas for articles and pictures. There is always, 2 weeks before Blister deadline date, that dreadful moment when we get together to discuss publishable material we've received, and are forced to the appalling conclusion that we have 1 photo and enough text to fill 6 pages. It's truly pathetic.

Briefly, we go into desperation mode. But then somehow, the floodgates open and contributions start to roll in like the outflow from Warragamba on a hot day. Remarkable photographs magically materialise, of Striders on mountain-tops, Striders finishing ultras, Striders getting prizes, Striders being Striders, Striders living life. And stories, of Striders doing everything and anything, everywhere and anywhere, with everyone and anyone. Somehow we've got 40 pages, and we're wondering how we can cram it all in.

Then the phone rings, a week after deadline date, and it's a desperate Strider offering a massive bribe if we will just conjure up a ¼ page for the last-minute item he's going to send us in a taxi. The quality of this publication is truly what you, the readers, make it. Many thanks, and just keep on doing it!

PB (President's Blarney)

by John Turner Breathes there a man [or woman] with soul so dead / Who never to him[her]self has said: / "Beaudy mate, it's this month's first Saturday. / I better get out and run in the Striders 10K." Or words to that effect.

Sadly, it's true. I know, I know - it's hard to believe, isn't it? Yet there are still a few Striders out there who've never sampled a 10K. Never experienced so much pure delight, such a sense of well-being, such paroxysms of joy, that can only come from pitting oneself against this pinnacle of Saturday morning challenges.

I mean, what else could you possibly do once a month, between say, 6:30 am and 8:30 am (allowing for travelling time), that can bring such ultimate contentment and satisfaction? OK, you married ones have a bit of an excuse, but why not put it off for another week? We're talking about no more than 35 minutes of vigorous physical effort - OK, in your case maybe a bit longer. From what I hear, that's still about 30 minutes more than you married ones can manage in the alternative! In any case, all you'd have to do is arise 5 minutes earlier, so to speak, and you'd still make the start of the 10K. Really, there's no excuse.

Also, spare a thought for Director John Hamilton and his merry band of 10K committee people. Did you know that, last time, he had to make 24 phone calls to raise the 7 volunteer marshals needed for the Meadowbank course? It's a major undertaking. Every month there are a hundred things to be done. The duties list fills two pages. Fifteen different types of gear to be brought to the venue, from safety pins to banners; thirty jobs to be carried out before the race starts, from course checking to stopwatch setting; and lots more after it finishes, from clean-up to publishing results. Not to mention market promotion between times, and arranging Armaguard for the prize money. All voluntary.

And don't discount the work put in by Manager Chris Robb and his Sporting Spectrum organisation in all of this. Who do you think takes all the phone inquiries from non-Striders, prints the race entry forms and race numbers, and prints and sends out the results booklets to competitors afterwards? Doesn't happen by itself. Sure, we pay a modest fee for that service, but we couldn't operate without it.

Then there's the prize money. Oh, you didn't know about the prize money? Thought $$$$s would get you going. Well, you'll just have to come along and find out, won't you!

Best of all, there's the happy faces at the end of the run. That's why I don't race any more, even though I know I could show those young fellas a thing or two. I just go as a marshal . That way I get to see the delirious contortions of joy on their faces. I'm sure it's delirious - bit uncertain about the joy. Anyway, we've only ever lost one runner. He was a visiting Pom from Oxford so it didn't matter. (Got onto us through the Internet . Some of them can be pretty smart, eh!) He was OK really because he later gave me an Oxford University running singlet. Still, it taught him a lesson: ie if you're a visiting Pom who's about to beat all the locals in their own race, don't presume our marshals will give you a fair break. Like, they'll hide in the bushes until you've gone past - which is what happened on this occasion I'd say. Ve haf vays to stop handicap burglars! Particularly if we suspect they're just after the prize money. Ah yes, the prize money.....

One more thing. You know how I bang on about spreading Striders' net wider, particularly towards Western Sydney. Well, John Hamilton's doing it. With this new Stephen Jackson designed course at Meadowbank, we're close to the demographic centre of Sydney - just across the Parramatta River in Silverwater. (It took me 20 minutes from Paddington.) All we'd need to do is design a course for Bicentennial Park at Homebush, and we're right there. We'd have the Olympics in our sights, too, if you see what I mean.

I wish more Striders would come to the 10Ks. Maybe if we quintupled the prize money .....

Finally, a word about families. It's a real delight to see so many Strider families represented at our STaRs and 10Ks these days. Striders has always had a great family feel about it, but even more so now. I love it. It's the women, you know. As I've always said: without women you don't get families. Isn't that so true? And Striders is simply littered with women these days, often with a good bloke in tow. Look at Kevin Tiller! More power to the women, I say …. and to their families.

While I'm on the subject, please think about the woman who usually tows Vice President & Secretary Jim Screen. Jim's wife Annette has had a tough time with bowel cancer recently. Fortunately, they caught it early and she'll be fine with the upcoming chemo, but I know every Strider will join me in wishing her a speedy recovery. Never mind the tow rope, Annette. Just give Jim the odd prod from behind - that'll do for now.

Keep Striding on,

John Turner, President

Kev's Korner

from Kevin Tiller

You pick what you plant.

Just as you can't expect to put potatoes into the ground and harvest tomatoes, you can't become a runner by cycling or lifting weights.

City-to-Surf Analysis

from Jim Donovan

For those of a statistical bent, James tells us that this year's overall City-to-Surf results (not separated by sex, age etc) show a mean of 109:21, a median of 100:31, and a mode probably about 79:30, with a lesser mode at about 148 mins.

Striders' City-to-Surf Results 1996

data supplied by Kevin Tiller

Congratulations to Ray Doran, who won the Male 55-59 age category, and Joanne Cowan, winner of the Female 40-44 age category.

A fabulous run of 46:42 made Chris Truscott fastest Strider.

Jazmin Tiller's finishing time of 1:14:59 was one second faster than that of her Dad (Kevin), which is not surprising since he was pushing her stroller. She counted herself fortunate not to be disqualified for accepting assistance.

Apart from little Jazmin, who in later years probably won't remember much about it, 12 Striders set personal best times in the 1996 City-to-Surf.

A total of 63 Striders reported their finishing times this year.

Chris Truscott	0.46.42 PB
Trevor Jacobs	0.47.03
John Sauer	0.47.44
Ray Doran	0.50.09
Jo Cowan (F)	0.50.28
Stephen Jackson	0.50.42
Chris Smith	0.51.23
Andrew Hallam	0.51.34 PB
Godfrey Franz	0.51.42
Grahame Murphy	0.52.06
Geoff Cox	0.53.15
Matthew Hammond	0.53.43 PB
Marlies Laaper (F)	0.54.09
Dawn Tiller (F)	0.54.15 PB
Ray Potter	0.54.48
Rod Lovel	0.55.06
Richard Briscoe	0.55.53 PB
Jeff Gissing	0.56.10
Charles Coville	0.56.34
Guy Griffin	0.57.08 PB
Mark Fiore	0.57.12
Steve Hitchcock	0.58.03
Peter Truscott	0.58.31
George Herrisson	0.58.52
Derek Smith	0.58.54
Kelvin Marshall	0.59.??
Murray Town	0.59.17
Geoff Taylor	0.59.27
Darren Benson	0.59.39
Kevin O'Kane	1.03.04
LouiseF'simmons (F)	1.03.23
Neil McPherson	1.03.29 PB
Mark Robinson	1.03.43
Charles Reis	1.04.??
Michael Wilson	1.04.28 PB
Paul Lunnsman	1.05.21
Fiona Pelly (F)	1.06.00 PB
Manfred Fiedler	1.06.38
Bruce Murray	1.06.54
Jim Screen	1.07.07
Breeda Kelly (F)	1.07.25
Philip Kennedy	1.08.00
Merri Mack (F)	1.08.13
Stephen Guy	1.10.04 PB
Robert Norman	1.11.00
Paul Theriault	1.12.09
David Theriault	1.14.57
Jazmin Tiller (F)	1.14.59 PB
Kevin Tiller	1.15.00
Ross Betts	1.16.33
Lesley Clarke (F)	1.17.34
Jim Donovan	1.18.21
Bill Blecha	1.21.??
Margaret White (F)	1.21.00
Margaret Smith (F)	1.22.14
Kirsten Themsen (F)	1.22.50 PB
Belinda O'Neil (F)	1.27.40
Nobby Young	1.29.29
Grant Rankin	1.31.00
Graham Firkin	1.31.53
Jesse Inglis	1.33.00 PB
Bruce Inglis	1.33.00
Anthony Howatson	1.39.40

Diary of a Ski Disaster

by Jean-Louis Didomenico

Last week-end was a 3-day first attempt to check the snow out in Australia... for me, after 13 years being here.

I did not know it was going to be such a fight! I am used to European runs, 500m drop minimum, with many at 1,000 metres and more. But, some friends were pestering me to go and see the beauty of the Snowies. Didn't want to drive... caught the bus... WRONG!!!!

Much later I found out that Cooma has a little airport... with my frequent flyer Ansett I could have done it in 10 times less...and for free !!! Anyway...Thursday night, Central station, 23:00, a bunch of Rambos with their snow boards, boarding the Greyhound. Very uncomfortable.

Running 10kms requires some fitness... but skiing requires some good shaped squats... and I forgot all about it! Not for long, as they reminded me of their existence very quickly !!!

Perisher... last week-end, while Sydney was battling a storm and holding its roofs and fences... Perisher was coping with a blizzard and snow falls. Well, if Perisher has the highest ski lift in Australia, it has also the most exposed to blizzard... bottom line: withhold the quad-chair-lift. This is more or less 20% of the capacity gone.

Outcome? queueueueueueueueueuuuuusss!!! at every T-bar... at 58 dollars per day, queuing 45 minutes, lift-up in 5 minutes (or less) and run down in 5 or 10... that makes it 6 to 10 dollars per run.

The trip back home was on Sunday afternoon. What can one guess on Friday afternoon but traffic jams? We were stranded for 2 hours literally stopped... no way out to stretch our legs... one never knows when the traffic might move on again.

End result, 3 days of very little sleep, and a return at 2am... with work to go to the next ... sorry, SAME MORNING !!!

I am telling you... a 10kms run is more fun.

More news of Carl Barker

from Dave Beattie in England

[Eds' note: This is part of the text of an email message received recently by S.W.Bag from one of his old mates in England]

I did the Two Bridges race in Scotland last Saturday - 35 miles 650 yards, including the Kincardine Bridge and the Forth Bridge. Met an Aussie chum of yours - member of Striders! Carl Barker, Oz international ultra-runner - he ran very well and finished 4^th. Had a good chat with Carl, he knew you well, and is in UK for some time yet, but will eventually return to Sydney. The race was won by Simon Lund of Wigan Athletic Club (95 winner).

Letters to the Editor

How much salt?

Dear Striders,

Following the comment about 'Less salt' on page 25 in Blister #62 I would like to make my fellow Striders aware of the following. Runners' sweat can contain 1+ gram of sodium (or salt) per litre, and in hot conditions you can easily sweat 2 litres an hour. As a comparison a typical sports drink may contain 100 mg sodium per can.

Based on this, many long distance runners may have a problem getting enough salt rather than too much. Obviously this is very individual depending on how long you run, how much you sweat and what your sodium intake normally is like. It is also my understanding that low sodium levels may prevent your body from absorbing fluids that you take on while running (ie low salt intake increasing the risk of dehydration rather than the other way around). For this reason sodium replenishment is a critical facet of performance during ultras and I understand that salt is regularly provided at aid stations on many ultras. I would be interested to know what other wisdom there is in the Striders community on this subject.

Finally for the record, I do not have any qualifications in this area but I take great interest in issues related to exercising in hot weather - my training for ultras in the unforgiving Hongkong summer make this a necessity!

Yours sweating, Benny Hagberg

[Eds' note: We are happy to oblige. There is indeed some other wisdom on this subject within the Striders community. See Fiona Pelly's article later in this edition of The Blister].

Not a bloke

Dear Sir,

I do not wish to seem pedantic (like a certain S.W. Bag), but who was responsible for putting together the Sydney Morning Herald Half-Marathon article and results (page 28, Blister #62)? I would like it known that I am not a BLOKE - so therefore I demand an "F" beside my name next time I appear in a results list.

TYIA, Tina Campbell F

[Eds' note: We approached the person responsible (the Database Manager) and his considered reply was: "F Off"].

World Vets' Championships 1997

[Eds' note: the following letter was received via email by Kevin Tiller after its author had encountered our World Wide Web page].

Dear Striders,

Greetings from South Africa. Thought I would let you know about the forthcoming World Veterans' Athletics Championships to be held in Durban, South Africa from 17 to 27 July 1997. Besides the usual track and field events, there will be Cross country, road walk and a marathon event. We will soon have our own site and more information available. Meantime, contact me on funinsun@iafrica.com or fax 27-31-3046196.

This is going to be two weeks of great competition and fun. Over 7,500 Athletes are expected and it is hoped that the standard marathon will be the biggest ever held on the African continent. So start planning to be there.

I also send greetings to all the Sydney Striders whom I know from the Comrades' Marathon - and to them I issue a very special invitation.

Kind regards, Linda Barron (CEO, World Veterans' Athletics Champs '97, formerly of Comrades' Marathon).

Nothing To Do With Me

Dear Sir,

Strider Jim Donovan reports that there is a shop marked "Sydney Bag's Warehouse" in Redfern Street, with apostrophe as shown. I wish to make it clear that it has nothing to do with me. My name is S.W. Bag, not S.B. Warehouse.

Sincerely, S.W. Bag

Letter from a bunch of Utopians

Estimata Sinjoro,

Skribo por ke vin informu ke Sinjoro S.W. BAG neniam konkursis en la Maratonkonkuro por Esperantistoj. Se vi tian kredo, vi estas idioto. Bonvoli sangu via registroj.

Sincere, Malgaja Bastardo, Race Director, Maratonkonkuro por Esperantistoj

The Salt Story

by Fiona Pelly

[Eds' note: Fiona Pelly is an accredited sports dietician and a member of Sydney Striders. She has kindly offered to contribute regularly to The Blister on topics related to runners' diet and nutrition, to share with us the benefit of her expertise. She can be contacted on 9888-3638 or 015-462-262].

In response to Benny Hagberg's letter, I thought it would be worthwhile discussing sodium requirements for athletes. As stated in last month's Blister, most Australians do consume too much salt or sodium , but does this apply to those who exercise?

Sodium is needed to balance the amount of water within the cells of our body. The level of sodium in our body is carefully maintained by the kidneys. If we eat salty foods more sodium is excreted, while a diet low in salt results in reabsorption of sodium back into the blood. Sodium is also lost via sweat, however athletes and those who live in hot climates are more efficient at diluting their sweat. Athletes are also better at reducing loss of sodium through the kidneys. As most athletes eat more food than the average non-exerciser, they also tend to consume higher levels of sodium. For this reason most athletes do not require additional salt in their diet.

However, as Benny pointed out, loss of sodium through sweat can become a problem during ultra-endurance events (or continuous exercise that lasts over 4 hours). Risk groups are:

• Those who sweat profusely and only partially replace this loss with water or a low sodium drink (otherwise known as hyponatraemic dehydration)
• Those who have a low sweat rate who consume excess amounts of water in effect diluting their sweat (water intoxication).

Both situations can easily be rectified by substituting water with sports drinks. To make sure adequate sodium and fluid is obtain, drink a sports drink with a concentration of 20-30 mmol sodium. (46mg -69mg per 100mls) This should be stated on the label. Note that although most sports drinks contain some sodium, not all contain this higher concentration.

The first sports drinks introduced in the 1970's contained high levels of sodium to mimic the composition of sweat. It was originally thought that significant levels of sodium were lost in sweat and must be replaced, which we now know is not true (except in the extreme cases mentioned above.) Why then are sodium and other minerals added to sports drinks ?

The reasons are outlined below:

• Sodium increases the speed at which fluid and glucose is absorbed into the body. This means that we are less suseptible to dehydration and thus can exercise for longer or at a higher intensity.
• Sodium improves palatibility as it offsets the sweetness of the added sugars. There is also some evidence that after exercise and when dehydrated most people have a preference for a slightly salty tasting beverage
• Sodium and other electrolytes do need replacing in ultra endurance events over 4 hours.

The most common problem arises in those who sweat profusely, as they are at risk of both dehydration and sodium depletion. Many athletes don't drink enough on a day to day basis and often go into events already partially dehydrated. Fluid is absorbed faster if small amounts are drunk regularly. If already dehydrated, fluid will be absorbed slowly and may sit in your stomach or cause a stitch during running. This often results in the athlete drinking less due to discomfort, which of course exacerbates the problem! Dehydration can also cause gastric upset, so runner's diarrhoea can be caused by lack of fluid as much as by the food you eat beforehand. Loss of as little as 2% of body weight can decrease exercise performance even at low intensities . Dehydration can also affect mental functioning and co-ordination. Most seriously, a loss of 5-6% body weight due to dehydration becomes dangerous and can result in heat stroke and death

Start by drinking regularily throughout the day. Don't save up until training. Check the colour of your urine. This should be vertually clear (unless taking vitamin supplements!). During exercise fluid losses should be matched to sweat rate. Obviously, the more you sweat, the more you lose.

Sweat rate is determined by:

• Sex - males sweat more than females;
• Fitness level - sweating mechanisms are better in the very fit;
• Exercise intensity and duration;
• Temperature and humidity;
• Body surface area (the bigger you are, the more sweat you lose);
• Genetics - thank your parents for this one!

On average most people will sweat at a rate of 1 Litre/hour. Fluid replacement should match the rate of sweating which can be measured by loss of body weight during exercise ie. 1 kilogram of weight loss = 1 litre of fluid that needs replacing. Remember, thirst is NOT a good indication of fluid needs.

Latest research indicates that extra salt will not reduce cramping. Cramping has more to do with poor posture, shortened muscle length, very intense exercie and exercise to fatigue, although the exact cause is still not known.

In answer to Benny's letter:

A low sodium intake won't prevent fluid absorption, but consuming sodium in combination with fluid can speed it up. This may be the saving grace against dehydration in those that struggle to meet fluid losses. For ultras and other events over 4 hours, YES, sodium replacement is vital as large amounts will be lost in sweat especially in hot climates (such as Benny's training conditions in Bangkok.)

I have outlined below a strategy for those who compete in ultras:

• Make sure you're fully hydrated BEFORE the race;
• Check the type of sports drink on offer at drink stations - does it contain sufficient sodium? (and carbohydrate);
• Consume sports drink from early in the race - don't wait until already dehydrated.
• Match your own sweat rates as mentioned above (practise in training first). Remember the hotter the day, the more you will need. This may mean more than one cup per drink station;
• If possible, make up your own drinks. This way you ensure the right concentration. Always make to instructions on the container. Altering concentrations can affect the carbohydrate concentration which will slow down the rate of fluid absorption possibly leading to dehydration.
• If you can stomach it and feel hungry, eat solid food towards end of race. (eg. Sports bar) This will provide sodium and carbohydrate, but remember you MUST drink as well.
• Practice using sports drinks in training

Good luck Benny in your next event!

Striders' Club Logo

Note from the Blister editors

The question of the club logo was raised at the Annual General Meeting in May, and two articles on the subject were published in Blister #62. Since then, correspondence on the matter has been received from some Striders members. These views are well respected and have been noted by the Club Committee. The Blister is happy to receive further letters and invites debate on this controversial and important subject. However, we have decided to defer publication of further correspondence on the logo until the next Blister issue #64 which will be out before Christmas. This decision was taken in order to allow the Business Plan Review Sub-Committee, appointed by the club committee, time to finish its task of recommending future directions for the Club without being biased or encumbered by the logo debate.

Benson takes off!!

by Peter Truscott (sequel to "Benson prepares for Takeoff", Blister #59)

It seems that ever since Darren Benson was a boy, all he wanted to do was fly. His obsession first became evident to me last October, when he thought that if he ran fast enough along the Townsville Airport Tarmac, he might actually take-off. Unfortunately his attempt was cut short and he was subsequently grounded by a pack of hungry German Shepherds and an astounded Security Guard.

Well, not to be disheartened, Bensmeister (as he is known to some) tried again, just before this year's City to Surf. He decided he didn't want to be stopped short in his next attempt by any more dogs!! So, he chose a different venue to further explore his "Superman Fantasy!". Lyons Road, Five Dock was the place!! Halfway across the road was the successful take-off, and the other side of the Holden Barina was touch-down!!!

He had done it!! Darren had actually flown. Witnessed by many, including one particularly distraught driver, Darren managed to achieve more height and length than both Tim Forsythe and Carl Lewis could ever hope for!

There are a few who hope Darren's days of flying (besides using an aircraft, like the rest of us) are over. At the same time, we are pleased to announce, full recovery was made!!

Your High Performance Training Diet: Part 3

Adapted from an article by Karen Inge B.Sc. Dip Diet F.ASMF

[Eds' note: Parts 1 and 2 of this series of articles were printed in Blisters #61 and #62].

Vitamins and minerals to maximise performance

Ensuring an adequate vitamin and mineral intake is essential for maximising performance. A good intake of the antioxidant vitamins - A, C and E - is important for recovery. These are found in green and yellow vegetables, fresh fruit, and brown rice, rice bran, wheatgerm, nuts and seeds respectively.

The B-group vitamins are also essential for optimal athletic performance. These are used to assist in many important functions in the body including the conversion of carbohydrate to energy, and are found in wholegrain cereals such as brown rice legumes, green, leafy vegetables as well as low fat dairy products, lean meat, and liver.

While deficiencies of vitamins will affect your performance, there is no evidence that athletes should be supplementing with particular vitamins to improve performance if their dietary intake is adequate.

There are two minerals of particular concern for athletes, iron and calcium.

Iron is important for maintaining haemoglobin levels, and deficiencies can result in tiredness, early fatigue and poor performance. Particularly at risk are female athletes (especially those trying to lose weight), endurance athletes and vegetarians.

The richest sources of iron in the diet include liver and kidney, lean red meat and poultry. Green leafy vegetables, legumes, eggs and some breakfast cereals also contain a lot of iron, however we don't absorb this iron as well. Including vitamin C rich foods with these sources of iron will help enhance absorption, for example have a glass of orange juice with your lentil, rice and spinach pie.

Tips to increase iron intake:

• The richest sources of iron in the diet include lean red meat, liver and kidney as well as the dark meat of poultry and fish. Eat these foods on a regular basis.
• Include plenty of green leafy vegetables, iron rich breakfast cereals, and legumes.
• Include Vitamin C rich foods with meals based on iron rich plant foods to help absorption.
• Avoid drinking tea with meals as its tannic acid stops iron absorption.
• Only take iron supplements if advised by your dietitian or physician after blood tests to determine your iron levels.

Calcium is important for bone strength and muscle and nerve function. During adolescence when growth is occurring, calcium needs are high. Female athletes who have infrequent or absent menstruation also have much higher calcium requirements as they are at higher risk of 'osteoporosis', or thinning of the bones.

The best sources of calcium in the diet are low fat dairy foods and canned fish with edible bones. Green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds also contain calcium, however it is not as well absorbed from these foods.

Tips to increase calcium intake:

• Include at least three serves of lot fat dairy foods each day - milk, yoghurt, and low fat cheese.
• Include low-fat milk, like Lite White, on cereal, in smoothies, or in custards and rice puddings.
• Melt low fat cheese on rice cakes, or use ricotta cheese or low fat Philadelphia on toast in place of margarine or butter .
• Dollop low fat yoghurt or low fat cream cheese on baked potatoes, or eat low fat fruit yoghurt as a snack.
• Make creamy rice pudding by blending Sunlong Jasmine rice with low fat fromage frais and fresh or canned fruit. Chill and enjoy.

Humans are the only animals for whom thirst is not an accurate indicator of fluid needs. By the time you feel thirsty, you are already partially dehydrated.

The effects of dehydration are debilitating and extremely dangerous, so it is of vital importance to prevent this from occurring. The correct way to replace water losses and maintain normal temperature is to drink enough fluid to replace the amount of fluid lost.

A good guide is for every kilogram lost during exercise, you need to drink one litre of water. This fluid should be replaced before, during, and after exercise. Keep fluid intake to no more than 1 litre per hour - approximately half a glass of water every 10-15 minutes in the hours before exercise. Young children may need a little less but it is still critical that they have fluid regularly throughout exercise sessions.

Water is the best fluid to replace sweat losses during training, however, in endurance events (such as marathons or triathlons), a carbohydrate/electrolyte are recommended. Drinks very high in sugar, such as soft drinks, are best avoided before and during exercise, but may be used immediately after exercise to help recovery.

Alcohol is a powerful drug which has an adverse effect on sporting performance. Although different people react differently, even small amounts will make you perform worse rather than better. Alcohol increases the risk of dehydration and can cause low blood sugar levels, therefore should be avoided well before and after exercise. Alcohol is also high in kilojoules with few other essential nutrients so it should be avoided by athletes needing to lose body fat. After exercise alcohol can aggravate soft tissue injuries resulting in increased bruising and swelling. This can delay treatment and slow down recovery.

Musical Quiz Corner

by Terry McIver

The Music Quiz continues to attract a small but dedicated band of followers. Tina Campbell and David Ritchie scored 4¾ and 4½ respectively out of 5 for their responses to the questions in Blister #62, losing marks for spelling Bobby Darin's surname incorrectly. Tina spelled it Darren as in Benson, while David spelled it Darrin as in nothing we've ever heard of. Once again David Sill got all the correct answers and spelled them all correctly. We suspect he has some encyclopaedia of rock music at his disposal, but what can we say other than "Congratulations"?

The answers were (1) Bobby Darin; (2) Little Richard; (3) Chubby Checker; (4) Cher; (5) Cliff Richard (who doesn't).

David Sill sent quite a provocative note, but from a safe distance (England!). He wrote: "In reply to John Hamilton's comment that he 'could have answered all the last ones if he was as old as David Sill', please tell John that wisdom comes with age and life experience. He should show due respect to his elders, preferably from a kneeling position. Please make the questions a bit harder in future or John might fluke one right one day!".

Well I guess we'll just leave you two to sort it out between yourselves. Meanwhile, here are 5 more questions, all of which have something to do with musicians or their relatives: (1) Who said they were more popular than Jesus Christ? (2) What is Cilla Black's real name? (3) By what name is Yusuf Islam better known? (4) Who did Linda Ronstadt's backing group go on to be? (5) Who invented the typist's life-saver White-Out?

Sydney Marathon: Striders' Results

data supplied by Kevin Tiller

The following 28 Striders reported their times in the 1996 Sydney Marathon:

John Young	2.35.30	PB Debut
Phil Hugill	2.47.20	PB
Joanne Cowan (F)	2.47.22
George Lisson	2.53.09	PB
Jonathan Trope	2.58.55
Wayne Stanton	2.59.48
Guy Griffin	3.07.00	PB
Richard Briscoe	3.11.12
Mike Ward	3.12.20
Peter H'schmidt	3.15.00
David Soloman	3.16.30	PB
Geoff Taylor	3.17.30
Stephen Jackson	3.36.00
Philip Kennedy	3.36.00
Graham Shipley	3.36.10
Murray Town	3.37.00
Brent Waters	3.38.00
Leo Leader	3.38.00
Neil McPherson	3.43.12	PB
Bruce Murray	3.45.00
Jim Screen	3.46.44
Tony Crosby	3.56.00
Wayne McCarthy	3.56.00
Paula Whitehouse (F)	3.56.48	PB Debut
Alf Field	4.00.01
Irwin Light	4.03.00
Margaret Smith (F)	4.22.10
Margaret Gee (F)	4.38.00	PB

Personal Profile: Peter Truscott

by Sarah Entwistle

In this edition, we profile Peter Truscott, who does such a great job as Uniform Director on the Striders' club committee.

Full name	Peter Gordon Truscott
Place of Birth	Royal North Shore Sydney
Age	27
Star sign	Taurus
Family	4 brothers, 1 sister & Dad
Striders' committee pos'n	Uniform Director
Occupation	Asstistant Managing Director, family business
Best Feature	Coolmax running singlet sold for $25
Worst Feature	My Achilles tendon
Favourite non-running reading	TV Guide
Favourite music	Mental as Anything
Favourite food	Pasta Marinara
Best time of day	Going back to bed at night
Other pastimes	Ten Pin Bowling, Cricket
Person most admired	Steve Moneghetti
Dreams & ambitions	To keep bettering myself in everything I do
Years running	On and off for 15 years
Why started	I wanted to be as good as my elder brother Robert
Sporting ambitions	To get within half an hour of my brother Chris in a marathon, then I might break three hours
Races/events you are most proud of	Each year I'm waiting for it. I'm still waiting.
Training partners	My brother Chris, sister Jenny and the stopwatch
Pre-race preparation	Go out to the Orient in town, drink, pick up some women, then refuse any invitation because you have to get up in one hour to run. Although, it depends how good looking they are - if they are really good, forget the run!

Member of the Month

by Sarah Entwistle

July: Ray Doran

Ray Doran must be the most feared vet runner in Sydney. He just seems to get faster and faster with age, and in the last few months has blitzed every race in Sydney either winning his category or, in the case of the Mini-Mosmarathon 5k, winning outright. Our July Member of the Month Award very deservedly goes to Ray who promises to keep beating most guys half his age.

Recent Results

Mini Mosmarathon, 5k	17.25 WINNER!
Ryde City Games, 9k	31.40 1st 50+
City to Surf, 14k	50.09 1st 50+
Sutherland to Surf, 11k	37.50 1st 50+
UTS Haberfield Bay Run, 7k	24.38 1st 50+
SMH Half-M'thon, 21.1k	1.20.10 1st 50+

August: Jonathan Trope

We're not sure we should really reward anyone mad enough to run Comrades, but Jonathan Trope made such a good job of it we've decided to be a rash and name him the August Member of the Month. Jonathan was first Strider home by more than one hour, so he certainly deserves the accolade. However, we do want to stress that we don't encourage this sort of lunatic behaviour! Fortunately, Jonathan sometimes runs shorter distances too and has just run a PB at the new Meadowbank 10k.

Recent Results

Canberra Marathon, 42.2.k	2.56.00
SMH Half-M'thon, 21.1k	1:24:24
Comrades, 90k	7.43.00
Sydney Marathon, 42.2k	2.58.00
Striders 10k, Meadowbank	37.01 PB

Congratulations to Ray and Jonathan who both win one of our popular Sydney Striders' training tops.

Please see our hardworking uniform manager, Peter Truscott, at the next STaR to collect your prize.

Striders' Race Results

data supplied by Kevin Tiller

Date	Event	Dist	Name	Time	Notes
26/05/1996	SMH Half	21.1	John Hamilton	1.24.20
30/06/1996	Sutherland Shire Half	21.1	John Hamilton	1.21.20
30/06/1996	Sutherland Shire Half	21.1	Matthew Hammond	1.20.27
01/07/1996	Lake Macquarie Half	21.1	John Hamilton	1.22.00
21/07/1996	Gold Coast Half	21.1	Chris Truscott	1.10.22
21/07/1996	Gold Coast Marathon	42.2	George Herisson	3.18
21/07/1996	Gold Coast Marathon	42.2	Fiona Pelly	3.37.06	F PB
25/08/1996	Grantham Canal Run (UK)	53.0	David Sill	4.51.45	35th out of 160

Running the Bases

by Dr John Bingham [The 2nd in the "Penguin Papers" series].

One my way to the pool one evening, I noticed a young boy, maybe 10 or 11 years old, standing alone at home plate in an empty baseball field. His actions struck me as curious and I found myself so fascinated that I just sat in my car and watched.

He was standing at home plate swinging his arms around wildly. Suddenly, without warning, he bolted towards first base. As he rounded first base, he through his arms up and ran around the bases waving his fists above his head. At that moment, I knew what had happened. He had hit the winning home run, and was running the bases.

His joy was the joy that many of us feel every time we put on our running shoes. It is a joy that is rooted not in PRs but resides deep in our imaginations. Those of you at the front may be doers, and I applaud your accomplishments. But from the mid-pack back, we are dreamers living out a fantasy that is no less real that the boy in the ball park.

I know, as I approach that point in a race where doubt creeps into my mind, that I am running with unrivalled grace. Or at least, I think I know. I worked the water table at a recent local 5K, and watched with amazement as friends that I knew had been ahead of me the week before PLODDED past. How can this be, I wondered. How is it that I am so fluid and graceful [in my mind] and yet my Penguin colleagues look so ponderous.

My answer may be your answer. I am running in my childhood dream. I am running unfettered by my past indiscretions with food and smoke and people. For the 20 minutes [or 30, or 60] a day that I am running, I am a runner. I am skilled and competent. I am relaxed and self-assured. I am all that I ever wanted to be. I am all that I am not when I'm not running.

The lesson I learned, again, from this boy was that it is important to put action into your dreams. It wasn't enough for him to hit the winning home run in his mind. He needed his body to experience the real sensation of running the bases. It wasn't until I began to put action into my dream of being fitter, and healthier, and leaner that my body finally got the message. I had often hit the home run of dieting success or saving money or being better in my relationships, but I rarely ran the bases.

I am often asked by well meaning non-runners and some not so kind eagles and sparrows if I get bored running as slowly as I do. My answer is always; NO ! How can I be bored when I'm leading the Boston Marathon? How can I be bored when I am locked in mortal combat with the memory of a mean spirited elementary P.E. teacher. How can I be bored when I am running down that junior high bully? After a lifetime of running from, how can I be bored running to.

Not long ago, in the middle of a 5k, I yelled to a corner worker, 'Hey, seen any fast runners come by here yet?' He looked at me, and without hesitation said, 'Nope, you're the first one'. I don't know who that man was, but I know that in his heart he is a Penguin. He knew that for me, as for so many others, the real race is in our imaginations. And he knew, that what was most important was that I was running the bases.

Waddle on, friends.

For the Female Runner

from Kevin Tiller

Can't make the Australian Olympic team? Lisa Ondieki too fast for you ? Then you should move to one of the following countries, where the female marathon record is more achievable:

Laos: 3:37.26 Khampeng Mitpasa (Moscow, 6 July 1986); Sudan: 6:20.46 Abdelhadir Nadiri (Zagreb, 19 July 1987); Gibraltar: 5:45.30 Jackie Bebagun (Gibraltar, 6 April 1985); Senegal: 5:25.13 Gilberte-Marie Gomis (Dakar, 11 January 1987); Northern Marianne: 5:10.56 Carol Lynn Pierce (Mangilao, 2 Aprile 1994); Fiji: 5:06.22 Anasa Navavia (Suva, September 1984); Virgin Islands: 4:41.30 Velma George (New York, 14 November 1993); American Samoa: 4:18.57 Georgine Tomisato (Pago Pago, 1983).

Half-Wit Half

from an anonymous runner on the Internet

Found a great ½-marathon, the Half-Wit Half in Reading, Pennsylvania. Running it for the T-shirt (doesn't everyone need one that proclaims they're a half-wit?) and for the race description which says in part, "A VERY diverse dirt, rock, grass and leaf-covered single-double-triple-track trail run. Ugly uphills, steep downhills; steps and stumps; rocks and roots; creeks and critters; fallen trees and probably fallen runners, uneven footing and uncaring volunteers.

Only negative is brief asphalt at the finish and the possibility of nice weather; we are not set up to allow entries under 18 or to organize search parties, initiate medivacs, perform CPR on the first date or provide on-trail Last Rites or mercy killings.

We CAN & WILL give you an accurate and interesting course, hold a well organized and runner-friendly event and answer the question: 'WHAT SICKO LAID OUT THIS COURSE?'" With that kind of publicity who could pass this race up?

Because we are Men (The Repressed Male)

supplied by Nick Themsen

If you put a woman on a pedestal and try to protect her from the Rat Race, you're a Male Chauvinist Pig. If you stay home and do the housework, you're a pansy. If you work too hard, there's never any time for her and the kids. If you don't work enough, you're a good-for-nothing layabout. If she has a boring repetitive job with low pay, this is exploitation, but if you have a similar job, you should get off your arse and find something better. If you get a promotion ahead of her, that is favouritism. If she gets a job ahead of you, it's equal opportunity. If you mention how nice she looks, it's sexual harassment, if you keep quiet, it's male indifference. If you cry, you're a sheila - if you don't, you're an insensitive bastard. If you thump her, it's wife-bashing. If she thumps you, it's self defence. If you ask her to do something she doesn't enjoy, that's domination. If she asks you, it's a favour. If you appreciate the female form and frilly underwear, you're a pervert. If you don't, you're a poofter. If you buy her flowers, you're after something. If you don't, you're not thoughtful. If she has a headache, she's tired. If you have a headache, you don't love her any more. If you want it too often, you're oversexed. If you don't, there must be someone else.

2000 Olympics: Is the Dream Becoming a Nightmare?

By Steve Cornelius

Like most Sydneysiders, my heart swelled with civic pride in September 1993 when my city won the right to stage the 2000 Olympic Games. Here at last, I thought, was the one chance in my lifetime to attend a sporting event of global significance without incurring the prohibitive cost of international travel. Such considerations have, with monotonous predictability, scuppered all my previous plans to attend Olympic Games or soccer World Cups (every 2 years for about the last 20 years!). This was a dream come true. And when plans were announced for a 110,000 seater stadium, the biggest in Olympic history, it looked like tickets for high profile events might just be a little easier to obtain.

How naïve I was! SOCOG now seems to be going flat out to make it difficult for ordinary citizens to attend any of those high-profile Olympic events. Fabulously attractive as the $10,000 "Gold Pass" offer is, how many ordinary Australians can justify an outlay like that for such a share right now? Governments blather interminably about their devotion to "The Family" and "Mainstream Australia", whatever they are, but your average 4-person family of sporting enthusiasts (2 adults, 2 kids) would have to fork out $40,000 for the privilege, a sum easily exceeding many Australians' annual net family income. Increasingly, the average family is beginning to feel not mainstream but distinctly marginal.

My wife and I had, of course, prepared ourselves to pay possibly as much as a couple of thousand dollars for Olympic tickets around 1999. In Atlanta, the cheapest tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies were about 300 Aussie dollars, with athletics and swimming finals sessions not far behind. And of course such sessions were always going to be over-subscribed. It was never going to be easy, and it was never going to be cheap. But it would have been worth making a few sacrifices, we thought, to participate in one or more of the great moments in Sydney's history. We would even have been willing to queue for a few hours (or even days) in the rain to get those precious tickets.

But then came the punch in the guts. Mere willingness to save pennies and queue in the rain wasn't going to be enough - now our attendance at the really big Olympic events required the staggering sum of $20,000, up front, now please, not in 1999. On the other hand, if we couldn't afford that, we could join the shitfight with the rest of the plebs later for the remaining 30,000 tickets. Us and the rest of the world. (NB it's not 80,000, because 50,000 are reserved for "Olympic Family". Do you wish you had a family like that?).

So we went from a reasonable chance of obtaining reasonably expensive but affordable tickets, in equal competition with everyone else, to pretty much Buckley's chance of getting any tickets at all, since we don't meet the first requirement - a fat bank balance.

The $10,000 share offer is a terrific way to finance the building of the stadium. Unfortunately it's also a terrific way to ensure only corporate fatcats get to attend the Games, because it now looks likely the typical purchaser of a $10,000 share in the Homebush stadium will not be an individual or family, but a corporate entity, whose smartypants bean-counters will doubtless find devious ways of writing off the expense as a tax deduction. The tickets will become not just tickets to a sporting event, but status symbols and tools of corporate entertaining, as the SCG's and SFS's corporate boxes have now become.

Mr Chris Chapman, CEO of Stadium Australia, the consortium building the stadium, showed recently just how out of touch with reality the scheme really is. Replying to suggestions the 4 banks underwriting the deal might reserve most Gold Passes for their own clients, he commented that Stadium Australia would encourage them to exercise their discretion to ensure average families could obtain packages. What a joke! As if the "average family" is suddenly going to find $10,000 worth of spare cash floating around for each of its members to go to the Olympics!

Are we sounding like sore losers? You bet we are! What began as the fulfilment of a dream for ordinary Sydneysiders is now rapidly turning into our worst nightmare. We feel like the world is invited to our town's biggest party, but the doorman has strict instructions to keep us out. In fact, being anywhere in the world other than Sydney in September 2000 is beginning to sound like fun. I'm glad I have no kids - I don't think I could dream up an adequate response to the question "Daddy, when the Olympics came to Our Town, why did we just go to the beach?".

Marathon Ladder

data supplied by Kevin Tiller

The marathon ladder is updated to include the recent Sydney Marathon. Only those who have run a marathon as a Striders member are listed. Where those members are known to have run a marathon prior to joining, it is also listed (right columns), and marked with an asterisk if faster than the best as a Strider. Please notify Kevin Tiller of any errors or omissions, but refrain from abusing him - it's unlikely to be his fault.