DESPITE HEAT, MULLER TAKES THE WIN AT CANBERRA 48HR

Contributed by Kevin Muller, Canberra 48hr winner

The Canberra 48 Hour incorporated the AURA 48hr National Championships, and 29 runners competed in the event. They were joined by runners in other events too – the 24hr, 12hr and 6hr as well as a marathon during various times over the weekend of March 16 to 18. The run is used to raise awareness of prostate cancer, and included a successful 5kms world record attempt by cancer survivor Michael Milton who completed the distance on crutches.

The weather forecast was for unseasonally hot weather in Canberra, and it turned out to be accurate apart from a shower of rain pre-dawn Saturday morning.

I arrived at the event having done a few PBs in shorter events over the previous month, but new PBs on this weekend would be a tough ask. I arrived with my super crew sister Allison and we teamed up with John Pearson and his crew consisting of son Jack and friend Libby Swain.

My 48hr race started at midday on the Friday, and I decided to go out reasonably hard to see what would happen. By the 3hr mark I was in the lead, but I was feeling the heat and knew I was in for a long day or two on the track.

The comradery though between runners and crew in the event is awesome and helps to endure what at times seems like torture.

By 6pm we were joined by marathon runners and the front runners made us 48hr runners feel like turtles. The night cooled and I picked up the pace again, but as the sun rose higher into the sky Saturday morning, I faded again and the remainder of the race became a struggle to keep forward momentum.

We were soon joined by the 24hr runners from 9am and the 12 and 6hr runners at midday as the temperature really heated up. I noticed sweat pouring out of these runners within the first couple of laps – they were to do the most of their event in the heat.

I was still leading, but in complete survival mode as the heat took its toll.

It affected most of the runners in every event though Tia Jones and Mal Gamble achieved very good distances in the 12hr event. As the weather cooled on Saturday evening, I was able to break into a shuffle again, but anything faster was beyond me as the heat had sapped all my energy. Occasionally, I slumped into zombie mode and took a 10 minute powernap to refresh. Luke Mulley from Wagga was second male and keeping me honest as he spent little time off the track and kept moving forward. Meanwhile, the ladies were having a great battle with Nikki, Cheryl and Kerrie taking the lead and swapping positions at various stage. Kerrie and Cheryl both passed the 300kms mark. Kerrie ran strongly through the second night to move into a clear lead and outright second.

The night remained warm, and Sunday morning started calm, but the weather forecast was for strong winds to arrive mid-morning. Race Director Billy Pearce made sure everyone was aware, and packed up their marquees, tents and any items that could become missiles on the track. The morning was overcast, but quickly became hot when the sun made an appearance later in the morning.

After what seemed a lot longer than 48hrs, the final siren signalled the end and we could finally stop. I finished with 340kms which was well below my PB, but I was happy with the total considering the conditions.

The Canberra 48 Hour is a first class event, and although I don’t intend running 48 hours every year, this event weekend will always be included in my running calendar.

Pictured: Kevin Muller (left) during his Canberra 48 Hour race. Photograph – Supplied.