With Horsham runners featuring strongly on the leaders board over the majority of the season, Stawell runner Meg Parnaby has kept the winning theme following Rhonda Clarke’s win last week. With a major disruption in her training program, Meg Parnaby has shaken off the the effects of a “bruising slip at the supermarket” where she took a tumble. After weeks of recovery Meg prepared for the picturesque course along the Bungally Creek at Haven, just south of Horsham on Saturday.
Suited by the fast and flat nature of the five kilometer course, the easiest on the club’s 18-race calendar, Parnaby made the most of her favourable handicap and withstood a late challenge from Bobby Freeland to win the Community Axis-sponsored event by 1 second. Gaynor Radovic was third completing the trifecta for Stawell runners.
Having won the her last outing on the bike at the end of June, and the Grampians Vets having a spell in July, Meg enjoyed her “fresh legs” in the fine and sunny conditions.
“I am absolutely rapt to win again because I heard Bobby Freeland’s tell-tale footsteps and I had to dig really deep to hold him off”.
Collapsing in a “Stan Watson” style of exhaustion, and gasping for air Meg could only stutter “I couldn’t have done that without the extra work I’ve been doing on the bike which maintains your fitness, even if your not running as much.”
The small but keenly contested field of 15 runners show cased the handicapping skills of Charlie Jones. You could “throw a blanket” over the first eleven runners with less than 2 minutes separating the field. Fittingly Col Barnett ran the quickest time of 19 minutes on his home track, with a very happy Anthony Morey breaking through the 20 minute barrier, and Susie Ellis again the fastest woman with 21 minutes 40 seconds.
Most impressive was Tobias Blair in the Juniors with a strong run time of 21 minutes 51 seconds, mixing with many of the senior runners. This was Tobias last race for the season as he heads off to his mother’s native country of Denmark for 6 months.
Lilly Mc Flynn bolted away to a strong win on the sandy track in the sub junior division of the race.
By Gary Howden