Pork Fest!

Porcupine Gorge Race & Mt Walker Fun Run

18^th 19^th June 2011

Many a mate had touted this weekend as being great fun, in beautiful location and offering huge prize money. Not known as one to run fast when on camping trips, I rounded up my cash cows Chris White and Sue Crowe to have a crack at the sharp end! Together with Sue’s children Mikaela and Ebony we drove the 7hrs through dusk and into the night on the Lynd Highway. Two disillusioned kangaroos and several stops later (man do kids have small bladders!) we arrived at the Porcupine Gorge Camp Ground. Tents up, swags out, Clivus multrim visited, sleep.

Roasting the Pork!

Race start at 10am had the sun up, a record field of 110 amassed and the gun ready to fire. Mr White lead the field, I was soon in 5^th with Sue in 7^th. The course was pretty straight forward – 3.5km up the creek bed and its banks, same back, then a 1km climb out of the Gorge.

I ‘high fived’ Chris as he doubled back past me – if not for the cool air in the gorge and the water crossings he would have been breathing fire with smoke burning from his Vibram five fingers! Between other competitors stopping for a drink and falling over, Chris disappeared and I ended up running into second place wondering how long this would/could last! As Chris will contest, the course was too rocky to safely turn around and check your ‘six o’clock’ so you just hoped no one was on your tail!

Porcupine Gorge Race Start Area

By this time Sue had re tied her shoelaces, rolled her ankles and stopped at two drink stations all while establishing a solid lead amongst the gals!!! Sue’s comments post race were that the she felt compelled to stop at the drink stations as the volunteers had gone to significant effort to set them up!! Sue missed the race record by 20 seconds…smokin

Line honours went to Chris in 40:02, I was second in 41:47 and Sue skipped across the line in 47:55 – well hydrated!, first woman and 7^th overall. Mikaela and Ebony charged their events, met heaps of kids and had plenty of fun. While all breathless, we were so busy concentrating on foot placement the race was over before we knew it.

For the second year running the organisers have promoted a ‘weekend of running’ with the Mt Walker 4km fun run on the following day. After another 2degree night of camping, complete with Champagne and marshmallows, we drove 80 clicks to the southern side of Hughenden arriving at the spectacular start line high on the tabletop plateau of Mt Walker.

Park Benching...the Planking of the West!

We met up with Arnstein who picked up a 3^rd and 4^th for the weekend and evened the standings in what looks to be a long friendly battle between Sue and himself – one all folks! Similar results to the previous day ensued with Chris super speed shuffling ‘Tarahumara style’ up the final 1km hill climb for line honours. Sue’s final ‘kick’ strode her from 7^th to 4^th for the day and first in the women’s division, and I figure a second behind Chris is a first for my book!

Home via Townsville, next year locked in. Whose coming?!:)    Stru