The Shoalhaven King of the Mountain
16 Jul 09
Sunday July 5 saw the 35th annual running of the Shoalhaven King of the Mountain race.
A gruelling 32km race starting at Cambewarra Public School and finishing at the Kangaroo Valley Showground via Mount Scanzi and some of the most beautiful running terrain you could ask for.
This was my second year in a row for entering and unlike last year I had done very little training this time, having been a couple of months since I last did a training run over 15km.
Anyway, impressed with my effort of actually finishing last year, I paid my entry fee online during late May and was committed to giving it another go.
Working at the Glengarry Campus and running with the boys a couple of times a week keeps me with a base level of fitness to draw upon and armed with the knowledge that I had already done it once before, I set off early on Sunday morning towards Cambewarra.
In the car were my fellow runner and neighbour Amanda Bates (a KOM “virgin”), her partner Duncan Macaulay and another friend Sally Fenner, both of whom were going to ride the race on their bikes offering moral support along the way, which in itself is no easy task.
By 9 am, 140 or so runners had congregated in the cold and wind to start the race and as the horn blew it was all on again for another year. As I headed off amongst the crowd, I tuned into my iPod and settled into a comfortable pace, heading out along Illaroo Road and into the long and winding Bugong Road.
The race is well organised by Nowra Athletics Club and the smiling, supportive faces of the volunteers at the eight or so much needed drink stops along the way are very much appreciated; however I did resist a shot of Bundy Rum awaiting all who dared at Gearys Gap, 24 km in, at the top of Mount Scanzi despite the fact that the undisputed hardest (and slowest) 2 km’s of the whole race is the ascent of Mt Scanzi up from Duffy’s Corner.
Once over the hump, you are blessed with the beautiful sight of Kangaroo Valley down below in the distance
and the feeling of nearly there comes across far too soon as the long slog along Mt Scanzi Road, past the Golf Club and on to Moss Vale Road takes its toll.
By now there is only 1 km remaining and the legs are getting very wobbly and it is probably only the fact that you have to run through the village and right around to the Showground to the finish that keeps you moving.
Stopping and walking, while high on the list of priorities at this point, would not look good as you pass through friends and well-wishers cheering from the side of the road. And so it was onto the big finish at the Showground, bagpipes playing, people cheering you in and my beautiful family waiting for my arrival.
The tea and scones supplied for the runners at the end also helps with the recovery.
Although exhausted and a bit wobbly in the leg department, there is a great feeling of satisfaction and achievement at reaching the end.
My finishing time was 2:50:35, which surprisingly was just over 1 minute quicker than last year (although some 45 minutes behind the winner, Alex Mathews from Turramurra).
I was happy with my performance and a friend pointed out this equates to about two seconds per km quicker than last year; however had I stopped for an extra pee stop along the way then it could have been a different story.
My position improved and on the Nowra Athletics Club official results it turns out I was the first Kangaroo Valley resident to cross the line.
This sounds pretty impressive until you look at the entire list of 134 runners who finished and only three are listed to be from KV!
My fellow runner Amanda Bates finished strongly and was the first female KV resident to cross the line while Karan Kenny was the other listed KV finisher with an impressive effort having not competed for a number of years.
Overall it is a great race and a great day, even though walking is a bit of an issue for the next couple of days.
I am now in training to run the Sydney marathon in September which by all accounts whilst 10 km longer and virtually flat compared to the King of the Mountain should be easier although not as scenic as running through the beautiful Kangaroo Valley and it’s surroundings.
See you all there next year!
Stuart Llewellyn