Leichhardt Road Race 2019 by Chris Jackson.

Leichhardt Road Race 2019 by Chris Jackson.

Leichhardt is the second of seven Bus Institute Sport Association Road Races and is run around the scenic Bay Run in Sydney’s Inner-West (I highly recommend visiting this for a run but if your going on a weekend get there early as it’s REALLY popular).

The Bay Run by itself is 7Km but our course includes a loop through Callan Park (formerly an asylum for the insane) with a testing 50 meter ascent over 900 meters taking the total distance to 8.3Km

I missed the first race of the season (Brookvale Depot Road Race run around Narrabeen Lake) through injury and was super keen to get some points on the board at Leichhardt. Just participating counts toward the end of season total and to be honest after running the SMH Half Marathon two days before I’d have been happy just to get around the course and finish top 10.

So these are Handicapped races. The slowest runners start first and the quickest try to run them down. I’m somewhere in the middle giving the first runner about 10 minutes head start and leading the fastest by about 15 minutes.

We line up not far from a well know Italian Wedding venue Le Montage in Lilyfield. The race officials start calling names and sending runners on their way clockwise around the bay. There are five in front of me and seventeen behind. It’s eleven o’clock, about 25-27 degrees and there’s some smoke hanging over the bay from the fires in the mountains. The first 4Km are a little uncomfortable. My legs are a bit heavy and it’s pretty warm but I make it up the slight incline and onto the Iron Cove Bridge in pretty good shape having passed one runner and just behind another. I’m running at about 5.30min/Km

Leaving the Iron Cove Bridge we drop down into King George’s Park and start the climb into Callan Park. There’s a drink station here and I was very thankful for some cold water to drink and to douse my hair and face. I pass the next runner on the long hill which was a boost to my confidence. I didn’t know if he was going to stay with me so I push harder up the hill to try and open a gap between us. This brings me into contact with the next runner who I pass on the way down from Callan Park to the bay again. Now it’s a flat one and a half kilometres to the finish.

I always had in mind to just make it to this point and if there’s anything left to give, give it now. I come home running sub 5min/Km like I’ve been doing in our weekly tempo runs and pass the last two runners about 500 meters from the finish. I’m getting close to the Vomit Zone but manage to finish with breakfast intact.

My PB (42:45) on this course was in 2015 and this time was a little slower (45:03) but I hadn’t run a Half Marathon two days prior in 2015. I’m a much, much better runner now and I put that down to two things: The team at Manly Beach Running Club whom I love to see and run with as often as possible. And Joe Ward. Nothing Joe has ask me to do has had a negative impact on my running or my outlook on life. Joe’s coaching has shown me that I can push myself further and harder than I thought possible.
My handicap for the next race will be increased by a couple of minutes because of my win at Leichhardt. But next time I’ll have fresh legs so who knows what will happen.

Chris Jackson.

 King George’s Park