Members of the newly formed Sapphire Coast Runners have taken out awards at the weekend’s Stromlo Running Festival 2015 in the Weston Creek district of Canberra.
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Steph Auston of Merimbula won the female division of the gruelling 30km trail run event and Merimbula’s Steve Isles finished third in the men’s division of the 30km event.
“I’m pretty tired, it is the longest race I’ve ever done,” Ms Auston said after her win.
She finished three minutes ahead of her nearest rival on the hilly course.
“The first thing I wanted to do after was lay down,” she said with a laugh.
Ms Auston was star struck to meet Oceania marathon record holder Robert de Castella.
“It was very cool, he’s such a legend in the sport and the work he does with The Indigenous Marathon Project is amazing,” Ms Auston said.
It was her final race for 2015 and her first place is more than a great way to finish the year’s events.
Lisa Lukassen of Merimbula also competed in the 30km event and a host of other Sapphire Coast Runners took part in the shorter 10km trail run event.
Glenn and Tammy Edmonds of Bega, Michelle van der Voort of Tura Beach, Cath Griffin of Bega, Anna Leamon of Brogo and Melissa Dougherty of Bega all competed well in the 10km event.
Club president David Dyer said the weekend saw some great results for the young club.
“It’s great because we’ve only been a club for about two months and we’re just running enthusiasts from around the area,” he said.
“Everyone is improving by training with some great runners.
“Steph [Auston] and Steve [Isles] are always inviting everyone to go for a run with them, they are both very accomplished runners,” he said.
The 10km course comprised of a route winding it’s way around the lower slopes of Canberra’s Mt Stromlo.
The course has some beautiful scenery and is considered suitable for runners of all levels.
Participants in the 30km event initially completed the 10km course before passing through the event hub and completing a second loop of 20km.
The second loop is considered a challenging course and travels around the western part of Stromlo Forest providing amazing views of the Brindabella mountains before ascending the western side of the mountain.
Some major climbs provided a test for all the day’s runners and the final few kilometres offered a fast descent back down to the event hub and the finish line.
