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It could be said
that as a born and bred Queenslander I am biased when claiming
Queensland is home to some of the best running and triathlon
events in Australia.
In the early
years of my running career I stumbled across an advertisement in
a running magazine claiming that Noosa National Park was one of
the best places in the World to train. The advertisement was
placed by one of the legends of Australian distance running,
Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and Olympic Bronze Medalist, Dave
Power.
Dave owned and
operated a Motel at Noosaville, aptly named "The Games Motel",
and recommended that a perfect running holiday would entail
staying at his Motel and training in the National Park. I am
pleased to say that I did stay at Dave's and found him to be not
only a Champion athlete but also a Champion bloke.
In the interim
decades I have returned to Noosa numerous times for competition
and National training camps. The Noosa National Park is a
runner's paradise. Immediately leaving Hastings Street you find
yourself running on a board walk which takes you into the park
and along the coastal track. A run that you MUST experience.
The first Noosa Triathlon
Dave was one of
the main instigators of the Noosa Triathlon. I recall Dave
telling me a few years ago that he actually camped on-site in a
two man tent prior to the first Triathlon and was woken the
following morning by someone tripping over the ropes. Dave was
also a driving force behind the Noosa Marathon until such a time
that he handed both events over to Garth Prowd and his team at
USM.
The Marathon no
longer exists as it has been replaced by something more
achievable by most, the Noosa Journal Half Marathon as well as a
10km run. Both events are super fast, with the Half Marathon
taking you out and back twice and the one loop 10k.
Setting goals
With the Gold
Coast events behind us it is high time to start setting yourself
some new goals. The Noosa Journal Half Marathon and 10k is an
ideal place to start. Possibly you could follow the initial path
I took twenty years ago and combine a training, racing, eating,
surfing, sleeping holiday. I can assure you that it won't be the
first and only time you'll take your running shoes to
Noosa.
Hopefully you will be lacing up
your runners and sharing the day with me and thousands of other
runners in Noosa on August 21. Our
sport is very much alive and well.
Please don't hesitate to contact
me if you require guidance with your preparation for the Half
Marathon or 10k @ Noosa.
Cheers
Pat Carroll
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