Speewah Legend Footrace – Race Report and Results

A weekend of mixed weather helped keep the mud slippery and the leeches active in preparation for the first ever Speewah Legend Footrace – the 2nd event in the 2010 Dirty Northern Trail Running Series. With Cassowaries, Musky Rat Kangaroos, Pademelons, Scrub Pythons, Giant Centipedes, Feral Pigs and Tree Snakes (and leeches) all spotted during track work leading up to the event, a true wilderness running experience was on offer to those lucky enough to secure an entry. Permit conditions allowed a maximum of 50 entrants and spots quickly filled with trail runners accepting the challenge of the 4.4km, 8km and 17km courses on offer. All three courses departed and finished from the lovely Speewah Campground, traversing the trails intersecting Barron Gorge National Park and visiting sites of tremendous natural attraction such as The Kauris, Tobys Lookout, Glacier Rock and the two Stony Creek Crossings.

Julie Sager (2:08:09) and Chris White (1:37:08) were female and male 17km winners, Fiona Campbell (49:21) and Bini James (40:26) were quickest around the 8km course while 4.4km couldn’t separate Christine Bell and Louise Gale who tied over the shorter event. (Detailed results can be found here). Despite runners returning covered with varying combinations of mud, blood and sweat, feedback was overwhelmingly positive. With continued support the first ever Speewah Legend may grow to become an iconic event on the North Queensland Sporting Calendar.

The Trail Running Series was created and is now coordinated (with the Cairns Roadies) by a group of runners (Shane White, Murray Anderson, Shawn Depper and Chris White) who do so through a love of trail running – not of event administration. Having such a great group of willing and professional volunteers allows us to participate in these events and not be solely event coordinators who forego the joys of running in the events they coordinate. We do feel truly lucky and genuinely appreciate having such wonderful help from people such as Kim Seccafien, Nance Storch and Lorraine Lawson (Registration and Recording), Rob Mackenzie and Christine Bell and Louise Gale (Starter and Timekeeping), Neridah White (Catering), Mike Coleman and John Harders (Remote Checkpoint Officials, Event Photographers and Trail Marker Collectors) and Idan Piercy (Trail Marker Collector) along with the other willing helpers at set up, pack up and throughout the event who made the event – and our participation in it – possible. THANKS!

Again Results can be found here!