Sitemap for http://www.achilles-sydney.org.au/

Newsletter October 2009

The Achilles Heel - Newsletter of the Achilles Running Club - Sydney

PO Box 240, Randwick,2031:
info@achilles-sydney.org.au
www.achilles-sydney.org.au

October 2009 Edition

In this Edition:

· New committee

· Database updates

· Bush walk

· City 2 Surf

· Sydney Tower Stair Climb

· Guide needed during week

· Nick goes to New York City

· End of year picnic

· Future events

· Membership

· Parking permits

· Club clothing

· Achilles website

· Guide training

· President’s Report

· Volunteer Roster

A big spring heading into summer “HI” to everyone.

Since the last newsletter, lots has been happening in Achilles. Large numbers of disabled and volunteer members continue to turn out on Sundays; we had a large and successful contingent of Achillians in the City 2 Surf and the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival; the AGM was held and some great new committee members were elected, namely Ben Phillips, Ian Cohen and Brian O’Dea. A very big and warm welcome to all of them. Below is the list of the committee for the next year. Also, the President’s Report is included at the end of the newsletter.

New committee

Ellis Janks - President

Martin Ruane - Vice President, webmaster & membership database co-ordinator

Ian Cohen - Treasurer

Ben Phillips – Events co-ordinator

Charlie McConnell – Events co-ordinator

James Howard – Minutes secretary

Nick Gleeson – Membership recruitment

Karen Parker – Minutes secretary

Brian O’Dea – Newsletter & events co-ordinator

Doug Ritchie – Training co-ordinator

A big welcome as well to the large numbers of new members and volunteers who have been coming to training on Sundays

Database update

We are presently updating all the contact details for our members. You will soon be asked (by email) to please give us relevant information. Please note that all information which we have about out members is kept confidential, is used only for Club purposes and will not be divulged to any person or organisation outside of Achilles. For example, you will note that when you receive group emails, the recipient list is suppressed so as to hide your email details.

Bushwalk

Another bushwalk is being planned and will take place in the next few weeks (probably Sunday 22 November). The details of the bushwalk have not been finalised but Bobbin Head in the Ku-ring-gai National Park is being earmarked. We are trying to hook up with people from the Parks and Wildlife Department who will accompany our group and be able to give interesting commentary on the bush and environment. Details of this bushwalk will be sent to you very soon. Please respond if you are interested to Charlie (9636 3727 charlie.mcconnell@auspost.com.au ) or Ellis (9664 4824 janks2@optusnet.com.au )

City 2 Surf

Once again, perfect weather greeted all those who made their way to Hyde Park on C2S Sunday, keeping intact the amazing record of this event never having been rained on. The following members snaked their way either walking or running, most being highly visible in their bright yellow singlets.

Phil Cook, Michael Levy, Lindy Hou, Doug Ritchie, Joe Habib, Martin Ruane, Ben Phillips, Ted Magen, Helen Simon, John Simon, Andrew Moller, James Howard,Charlie McConnell, Ian Cohen, Michael Bassil, Kathy Newby, John Domandl, Ellis Janks.

Well done to all of you. Once again, after the race, we received a large number of enquiries about Achilles. It is important that our members participate in these high profile events and that they wear the yellow singlets to make themselves extra visible

Sydney Tower Run

Getting to the highest point in Sydney is always going to be exciting, but getting there by foot makes it exciting fun! Phillip Cook (20mins13secs), Rael Cohen (13-30), John Domandl (12-48) and Doug Ritchie (13-56) got up the Sydney Tower, being ready to collapse after running up the 1504 stairs to the top. Rael did it twice! First he ran in his age category and if this wasn’t enough, he then guided Phil through the initial maze of passages and then up the stairwell. Congratulations to all 4 of you!

Guide needed – Haberfield area

One of our disabled members is keen to train during the week and is looking for a guide. This is in the Haberfield area and a slow running pace for about 5 km is envisaged. Anyone who is available, please contact the Club email info@achilles-sydney.org.au or janks2@optusnet.com.au

Nick goes to NYC

Nick Gleeson is always looking for a challenge. Once again, he has headed off to the Big Apple to take on the New York City Marathon on November 7. While in NYC, Nick will be meeting up with Achilles members from around the world both at a workshop which he will attend and during the event. Nick will be running with a guide from NY Achilles as well as a friend of his who lives in the USA. Best of luck to Nick – we are looking forward to hearing about the trip and event.

End of year picnic

The last training day will be on Sunday 13 December. The end of year picnic will take place after training on the lawns across the road from our unofficial Clubhouse (the Art Gallery of NSW). Besides giving us the opportunity for a slap-up feast, the Andrew Bristow Awards will be presented and it is always a great way to socialize and catch up with all the other members who are rostered on different Sundays and whom you don’t get to see during the year. Please mark this special day in your diary and bring your family and friends.

The first day of training in 2010 will be on 31 January, the 1^st Sunday after Australia Day.

Future events

We are planning a Club weekend away where all of our members can participate in an event. The Orange Colour City Running and Walking Festival on Sunday 7 March is being earmarked. There will be a 5 km fun run/walk, 10 km fun run and a half marathon. We plan to travel to Orange (NSW) on Saturday by bus and stay overnight. More details in the near future.

The Striders 10 km Series takes place on the first Saturday of each month from February to November. There is a 60 minute cut-off, so it is a good way for our running members to aim for fast times.

In the new year we will be letting you know about events our members can participate in. If you have an event in mind that you want to do, please let us know.

Membership

The renewal date for annual membership is 1 July each year. Annual fees are $20.Some of last years members have not renewed their membership (often they have just forgotten to) It is really important that you all renew your membership. Apart from the fact that Achilles uses membership fees for its running costs, we are also trying to secure corporate sponsorship. This is far easier to achieve with a larger membership base. Please forward your membership fees to our PO Box (240, Randwick 2031), or bring them to Sunday training and Ian or Ellis will issue a receipt. If your contact details have changed in the last year, please make sure that we have your current details.

Parking Permits

This is a reminder to everyone who brings a car to Sunday training – please make sure that you have a yellow parking permit. We have a supply of the permits so that all guides who drive in can keep one in their car – they will probably need to be kept in the boot or under the floor mat as they are A4 sized. Please don’t lose your permit – there are a limited number. These permits MUST BE DISPLAYED ON THE DASHBOARD otherwise we could be issued with a parking violation ticket that will NOT (as has been the case in the past) be cancelled. If by any chance you do not have a permit, at the least put a club brochure or a note with “Achilles – disabled” on the dashboard. This will suffice if the usual rangers are on duty, but sometimes there are new rangers who are not familiar with Achilles. You can get a permit from Ellis at Sunday training.

T-shirts, singlets and sloppy-joes

T-shirts with the yellow sleeves ($10) and club singlets ($20) are available for sale. There are still some old club t-shirts (all white) available ($5) for those who are keen on having a collectors’ item. There are also some sloppy-joes available ($30). Unfortunately there are limited numbers of small sizes in all the shirt ranges (not the singlets). Please let Ellis know (janks2@optusnet.com.au) if you want any of these items. There will be some shirts available for sale at Sunday training.

Achilles Website - www.achilles-sydney.org.au

The Achilles website is up and running and has lots of Club information eg roster, latest news, contacts. Please use it as an information resource.

Guide Training

To promote the ongoing safety and enjoyment of Achilles members, short and informal training sessions have been organised for the benefit of all volunteer guides, even those who have had years of experience at Achilles.

Sessions will take about 20 minutes and will be done before or after Sunday training. Participation is completely voluntary and don’t worry, there are no tests or evaluations after the session.

The course will concentrate on the most appropriate methods of guiding a person (Sighted Guide Techniques) who has vision impairment or a total vision loss. Recommended techniques for various situations will be shown and guidelines will be given for effective communication. If you wish to, you will be given the opportunity to walk/run (with a guide) in blindfold. The expectation is that you will gain a better understanding of the difficulties involved when moving around with a vision impairment.

Doug Ritchie will facilitate the sessions. Doug, who works for Guide Dogs, brings a wealth of experience to this course. Doug has been a long time guide/member of Achilles and has assisted in numerous events.

Doug will be delighted to hear from you if you want to arrange a session. Contact him at dritchie@guidedogs.com.au or at Sunday training.

We really do recommend that every guide makes use of this training.

President’s Report 2008/2009

The past year has been most positive and productive for Achilles thanks to the wonderful input by many individuals, groups and donors. There have been a number of significant events and activities which I will mention briefly.

1. Membership

Record numbers of people have consistently attended Sunday training and participating in organised runs and walks and social get-togethers. A large number of new members (volunteer and disabled) have joined this year, which has been very pleasing. The present membership is 60 made up of 18 disabled, 32 volunteers and 10 honorary members.

2. Finances

The financial status of the Club continues to be very sound. Funds have been received via membership fees, bank interest, the sale of clothing and donations. Sizable donations were received from The Ravine Foundation (funded the setting up of new website), The Prospect Shop (funded the hosting costs of the website for 12 months) and from Nick Dreyton and Viv Kartsoulis.

Special mention is made of Ted Magen who has been Treasurer of Achilles for the last 8 years. A big vote of thanks goes to Ted who has not only spend many hours of hard effort keeping the Club finances in check, but has tirelessly done many administrative functions like producing grant applications and communicating with Government regulatory bodies. Much of the successes of Achilles in the last 9 years is due to Ted.

I welcome Ian Cohen who will be taking over from Ted as Treasurer.

3. Events

Members participated in various events during the year, including the following: the Mothers Day Fun Run/Walk, Six Foot Track Marathon, Walk for Shirley, City2Surf, the Sydney Tower Run Up, various ultra-marathons (by Ultramarathon Man Mike Lovric), Canberra Fun Run and walk (Helen & John Simon), Cairns to Melbourne Cycle Event (Lindy Hou) . Social events included the end of year picnic and social breakfasts after Sunday training. Of particular note was the Club sponsored breakfasts held in conjunction with the plaque presentations for our supporters The Hastie Group and New Horizons Computer School.

Two bushwalks were held in October and April. These were both extremely successful and had very positive feedback from disabled participants and guides alike.

Special mention is made of John Simon — after completing this year’s City 2 Surf he is still part of a select group who have completed every C 2 S since its inception.

A number of members got together to train during the week and outside of Club training times. Some of our members participated in events (swimming, golf, dragon boat racing, cycling) outside of Achilles.

4. Uniforms

Part of the success in getting record numbers of enquiries about becoming involved with Achilles must be attributable to the high visibility of the club singlets and t-shirts. I suggest that the club should consider getting highly visible caps with the Achilles name and website address prominently displayed, as is the case with the singlets.

5. Training

As mentioned above, there have been record numbers of both disabled members and volunteers attending Sunday training. The majority of volunteers who turn up each Sunday are not on the roster and have been very much needed. So, everyone is encouraged to come to training as often as possible.

Thanks again to Doug Ritchie for running a training program for volunteers. Volunteers who have made use of the program have responded very enthusiastically. Thanks too to Rozanne Green for keeping the Sunday volunteer roster in order.

The parking permits issued by the Botanic Gardens Trust are being used. An effort has been made to supply those who frequently bring their car on Sundays with their own permit to be kept in their car. It is imperative that a permit (or at the least, a Club brochure or a note saying that you owner of the car is with Achilles) is displayed on the car dashboard. Parking fines will not be cancelled in the future.

Special thanks goes to Trevor Heaslip from the Botanic Gardens Trust for organising and supplying the parking permits.

6. Awards

The Andrew Bristow Memorial Awards were once again presented to a disabled member and a volunteer at the end of year picnic. This year’s recipients were Shane “Woody” Woodbridge and Chris Laing. Criteria for the award include the member’s contribution to Achilles, participation in the Club in general and the achievement of personal goals.

7. Website

The Achilles website has finally been replaced and is now fully functional. There has been a large increase in the enquiries being received through the contact email on the website (10 in the last few weeks) and we can now monitor various aspects of our website usage eg numbers of visits, average time spent viewing. I believe that the new website is one of the major factors for the large increase in numbers of people at Achilles.

Special note is made of the invaluable massive contribution that Martin Ruane has made in getting the website up and running.

8. Thanks

Thanks go to:

New Horizons Learning Centre and in particular Mark Davis, who has most generously continued to provide the venue for our meetings and to Carol Cooke for organising for a room to be available.

The Hastie Group for their efforts with the website.

The Prospect Shop for paying for the hosting costs of the website for 1 year.

Ravine Foundation for a donation which was put towards the costs of setting up the new website.

Marianne Von Lucken who resigned earlier this year from the committee after several years on the committee and as an active member.

Ted and Martin as mentioned before.

Nick and Charlie who have done enormous amounts of behind the scenes work

To the Committee for the excellent work they have put into the running of Achilles, and the time and effort they have generously given.

And of course thanks to all Achilles members for their excellent contributions and their enthusiasm. As always it has been a pleasure working with you.

9. Achilles in the future

I see exciting times ahead for Achilles. With the new website up and running and soon to be added to, there is likely to be more information readily available to the public and members and hence increased enquiries about Achilles and increased participation in Club events by the members.

More disabled members are needed. The marketing committee needs to get some of their ideas actioned.

The bushwalking events, which have been so popular, need to be pursued. At present we are in contact with the Department of Parks and Wildlife regarding further bushwalks and new venues and getting them involved as well.

Yellow head caps with the Club and website details on them would be a good way of promoting Achilles.

I know that there are a large number of people who have derived an enormous amount of benefit from their involvement with Achilles. For this reason I feel very positive about the place Achilles has in and the contribution it makes to our community.

I wish Achilles every success, and positive growth in the future.

Ellis Janks - President

ACHILLES CLUB ROSTER

Updated 2/9/2009

NOVEMBER 1- Colin Bradford, Nikki Caminer , Karen Parker, Ellis Janks, Angie Macken Volunteer Required

NOVEMBER 8– Mark Houlihan , Stephen Lenn, Ted Magen, Volunteer Required

NOVEMBER 15- Chris Laing, Diane Mcewin, Doug Ritchie, Martin Ruane, Volunteer Required

NOVEMBER 22- Marilyn Gould, Nikki Caminer , Karen Parker, Ellis Janks. Angie Macken Volunteer Required

NOVEMBER 29- Colin Bradford, Stephen Lenn, Ted Magen, Volunteer Required

DECEMBER 6 – Mark Houlihan, , Diane Mcewin, Doug Ritchie, Martin Ruane, Volunteer Required

DECEMBER 13 – END OF YEAR PICNIC

If you are not on the roster, but wish to be included, please email rozanne@bigpond.net.au

Jan 2010 Newsletter

The Achilles Heel

Newsletter of the Achilles Running Club - Sydney

PO Box 240, Randwick,2031:
info@achilles-sydney.org.au

January 2010 Edition
www.achilles-sydney.org.au

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this Edition:

President’s end of year message

Picnic in the Park and Andrew Bristow Awards

Matt makes a splash

Lindy goes to Canberra

Michael scales the heights

New York Nick

Sri Chinmoy Race

Rebel Run4Fun

Coming Events

2010 Volunteer Roster

PRESIDENT’S END OF YEAR MESSAGE

We have finally come to the end of a very busy and successful year at Achilles. There have been record numbers of members attending Sunday training and participating in the various athletic and social events during the year. The Club singlets and our revamped website have been instrumental in "marketing" Achilles. There is definitely a buzz of activity and excitement in the air in our Club. Next year is looking to be a very good one with various events planned for all members to participate in.

I hope that you all have a very merry festive season and a happy, healthy and active 2010. I'm sure that, come the first training session on 31 January, we all will be raring to go withall that is planned at Achilles.

Ellis

PICNIC IN THE PARK and THE 2009 ANDREW BRISTOW MEMORIAL AWARDS

In beautiful weather, we rounded off the Achilles year with the Picnic in the Domain. About 30 members and guests enjoyed a fine array of food and friendly banter in one of Sydney’s most pleasant spots.

During the breakfast, Club President Ellis Janks welcomed everyone, including Mrs Brenda Bristow. He also announced 2009 Andrew Bristow Memorial Award winners which were presented by Brenda.

The Disabled Athlete of the Year Award was won by Michael Bassil. Ellis praised Michael for being an inspiring example of a person who had overcome substantial difficulties and who had contributed much to Achilles. During the year, Michael underwent knee surgery and still made the effort to come to Sunday training, bandages, limp and all!

The Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Rael Cohen. Although in his HSC year, Rael had been present for most of the Sunday training sessions. His infectious enthusiasm had been appreciated by volunteers and athletes alike.

Ellis also commended the members of Foresight (Woody, Shayne, Joe and Sue) for their consistent support of the Achilles Club and its ideals.

MATT MAKES A SPLASH

Achilles member and Paralympian Matt Levy won six Gold Medals and broke six World Records at the recent World Multi-Disability Short Course Swimming Championships in Rio de Janeiro.

Matt’s impressive medal haul resulted from wins in the 50m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 100m individual medley. He was also part of the successful 4 x 100m freestyle and 4 x 100m freestyle relay teams.

After a short break, Matt will be training for the National trials in March in preparation for the World Championships in the Netherlands.

Matt is quite am inspiration in and out of the pool and we wish him well in his attempts to qualify for the World Championships.

Matt and his relay teammates waiting to receive Gold.

LINDY GOES TO CANBERRA

As Matt was winning his Gold Medals in Canberra, another Achilles Paralympian, Lindy Hou, was preparing for a move to Canberra. Lindy and her dog, Harper, joined us for a training session on Sunday December 6^th. Afterwards, those at training joined Lindy for a farewell breakfast in the park.

After arriving in Canberra, Lindy sent the following message:

“I would like to thank all the volunteers who guided me through those Sunday mornings runs. You folks are great, without your help we wouldn't get to enjoy those morning walks/runs. Congratulation also to those vision impaired people who managed to get out of bed on those Sunday mornings.

Harper & I will certainly keep up with our running and we plan to join the group for a run when we are in town.”

Lindy will be missed by her Achilles club mates but soon we will be able to follow her new challenges and triumphs on her website - http://www.lindyhou.com

MICHAEL SCALES THE HEIGHTS

For most people, running a Marathon is daunting enough. So consider the feat (and the feet!) of Achilles member and noted Ultra-runner Michael Lovric (Milo). He has just competed in the Coast to Kosciusko Ultra race. The C2K is 240 kilometres long and stretches from Boydtown Beach to Charlotte Pass, with a detour to the summit of Mount Kosciusko just before the finish. This is equivalent to 6 uphill marathons back-to-back. Michael finished the gruelling event in 4^th place in a time of 32 hours 7 minutes.

This is Milo at the summit. No he’s not smoking a cigar; he is eating a cookie.

NEW YORK NICK

In the October Newsletter, we wrote of Nick Gleeson’s plans to run the New York Marathon. Prevented from running the 2008 New York Marathon because of injury, Nick felt a little short of peak condition for this year’s race and a niggling injury refused to go away. Nonetheless, Nick and his guide completed the race in a shade over 6 hours.

Nick and friend Vina experience a Runner’s “Hi” in New York.

We were able to follow Nick’s progress on the internet. The only worry we had was that he was referred to throughout as “Nick Gleeson of Austria”. We wondered whether he would be bundled onto a plane for Vienna at the end of the race. However, he returned safely to Sydney and has resumed his running with Achilles.

“When we crossed that finish line everything became so very special. Achilles members were always in my thoughts.” – Nick, soon after the race.

SRI CHINMOY RACE IN CENTENNIAL PARK

Be and Martin approaching the finish.

After completing the Rebel Run4Fun (see below), Ben Phillips was keen to enter another race. The Si Chinmoy series is a popular set of races and Ben, guided by Martin Ruane, ran the Centennial Park race in November. On a hilly course over different terrains, Ben completed the race in 49 minutes.

REBEL RUN4FUN

Brian, Ben, Diana, Oscar and Phillip

On a blustery and wet Sunday, Ben Phillips (guided by Brian O’Dea and Oscar Frangiocomo) and Phillip Cook (guided by Diana Saleh) ran the inaugural Rebel Run4Fun race at Homebush. Philip completed the twists and turns in 62 minutes, while Ben, in his first race, got home in 71 minutes. Also running in the race was Colin Bradford, who took the above photograph.

COMING EVENTS

First day of training in 2010 is Sunday 31st January

The new season’s training will start at 0810 on Sunday 31^st January from our usual spot at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In 2010, we will be adding some variety to the Sunday sessions in order that people can monitor their fitness. We will let you have the details when they are finalised.

Volunteers: Don’t forget to bring your Parking Letters on 31^st January. If you do not have one, we will provide it on the day of training.

Orange Running Festival – March 6^th and 7^th.

As mentioned previously, we intend to take a team to the Orange Running Festival, which takes place on Sunday March 7^th. The events will be a half-marathon, 10K and a 5K family run/walk. The official website is here. However, at the time of writing, it is still under construction. During the coming weeks, details will be posted on the site.

We plan to arrive in Orange on Saturday 6^th. In order that we can arrange the bus hire and the Orange accommodation, we will need to have a list of entrants by the end of January. We will contact you early in January to advise how to confirm your interest.

Sri Chinmoy

The Sri Chinmoy 2010 series of races begins on Sunday February 21^st in Centennial Park. Held monthly in different parts of Sydney, these races cater for the competitive and the first-timers. Courses range from 4K to the Half Marathon. The post-race pancake-breakfast is sufficient incentive for some people. The 2010 Sydney running calendar can be found here.

Sydney Striders

The Sydney Striders is one of Sydney’s best known running clubs. Its programme includes a series of 10K road races. These take place on the first Saturday of each month, from February to November. Currently, these races are run over three courses: Lane Cove, Homebush and North Head.

Because of restrictions placed on Sydney Striders, there is a cut-off of 60 minutes in each of these races. So, go easy on the holiday festivities and start training.

Let us know if you wish to enter any of the 2010 series. The first race is at the hilly Lane Cove course on February 6^th. The Sydney Striders website is here.

Sydney Marathon Clinic

The Sydney Marathon Clinic is another great Sydney club. Its team of volunteers are friendly and efficient. There is great camaraderie among the runners and the SMC will welcome runners from Achilles. The monthly events include a 5K walk, 10K run and a longer race, which can be 21.1K, 25K or 30K.

The 2090/2010 series is underway, with the next races being run on 17^th January. (The series runs from October to June). All races are held at Smithfield. If any of our disabled members is interested in running in any of these races, contact Brian O’Dea at b.odea@bigond.net.au .

The Sydney Marathon Clinic website is here.

2010 VOLUNTEER ROSTER

January 31^st is not far away and we will soon be working on the Volunteer Roster. If you wish to be removed from or added to the current roster, lease contact Rozanne at Rozanne@bigpond.net.au

2006 Photos

Tower Run 2006 - Charlie, Neil and Ellis celebrate.

Marilyn and Heather enjoying a stroll.

Hastie Group Presentation 2008

Group Photo - Hastie Presentation 2008

Dave accepts his plaque from Woody while Joe muscles his way on the photo!!

Dave and Nick at the presentation morning.

Bushwalk May 2009

Group Photo Bushwalk 2009

It's storytime in the bush.

Lunch - a well earned rest and a bite to eat.

Peter and Chris.

Rael and Andy

July 2008 Newsletter

July 2008

The Achilles Heel

- Newsletter of the Achilles Running Club -Sydney

PO Box 240, Randwick,2031:

Achilles_syd@hotmail.com

www.achilles-sydney.org.au

July 2008 Edition

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The shortest day of the year has passed and still the weather on Sunday mornings has been really good for Achilles training. We have had good turnouts of both disabled members and guides. Thankfully we have more guides turning up than just those who have been on the roster. Please check on your roster day so that we can be assured of a nucleus of guides. As you should well know, Sunday mornings with Achilles has been a great place to be!

In this Edition:

*Breakfast to celebrate Marge Collier's 90th birthday

*City to Surf

*Bushwalk/Hiking day

*Welcome to New Members

*AGM

*Membership renewal

*News from Ali from the USA

*Michael Lovric - Ultra-marathon Man

*Matt Levy - Good Luck for Beijing

*Website

*Sunday Roster

CELEBRATORY BREAKFAST FOR 90 Y.O. MARGE COLLIER

Not many athletic clubs can boast having a 90 year old member. Heartiest congratulations to Marge, definitely our oldest, and one of our longest serving members. Everyone is amazed at Marge's true age given her youthful look and manner.

To celebrate Marge's 90th, we are having a breakfast. Achilles will foot the bill for the continental breakfast for all attending members.

(after Sunday training)janks@comcen.com.au).

Date: Sunday 3 August

Venue: NSW Rugby League Club, 165 Phillip Street, Sydney

Time: about 9-45am

Come and enjoy a great buffet continental breakfast, catch up with other club members and DRINK A TOAST (coffee, tea or juice) TO MARGE!

Please will you let it be known if you are coming to the breakfast so that we can ensure that the Rugby League Club are ready to accommodate us. email (

CITY 2 SURF

City 2 Surf is upon us once again. Following an earlier request, many of our members have signed up for this year's race. Once again, we are joining Guide Dogs in having our entries sponsored by Kimberley Clarke, the Kleenex tissue people (amongst their many products). Many thanks to them for their support of our great club.

Sunday 20 July 2008.

BUSHWALK/HIKING DAY

Together with Vision Australia, Achilles is holding a bushwalk in the Royal National Park. There will be a group of visual impaired people from Sydney and Wollongong coming along. This is open to any Achilles members who are keen to have a walk/hike over rough terrain. A 5 km track has been chosen that is reasonably easy, but we can incorporate more adventurous side tracks, to add excitement! The idea of having this day is to broaden the scope of what is offered to Achilles members and to attract new younger disabled people to Achilles.

Date:

Helensburgh (Royal National Park). Meeting at Helensburgh Station.10-00am till 3-30pm

Venue:

Time :

Train from Central Station or private car

Transport:

Anyone, disabled or guide, who is keen to be part of the hike, please contact Nick (

nicholas.gleeson@visionaustralia.org )

NEW MEMBERS

A very warm Achilles welcome to our newest members.

(lives in Newcastle)

Donella (Dee) Corbett

Angie Macken

John Domandl

Those who have been at Sunday training in the last month will have met Dee and Angie while those going in City to Surf will catch up with John.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Annual General Meeting will be taking place soon. We are very keen, as always, to have new people join the committee and add new ideas and help Achilles to move forward. As with each year, all committee positions will be vacated and up for nominations. If you would like to contribute to Achilles as a committee member and have the time, we'd love to have you nominate for the committee. Committee meetings take place on a Thursday evening roughly once every 6 weeks (venue the same as that of the AGM). Meetings start at 6-30 and are usually finished by 8 pm.

If you want to know more, please phone either Nick 9773 5631-(a/h) or Ellis 9664-4824-(a/h).

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

Membership renewal is due once again ( July each year). Annual fees are $20. It is vital for our club that you all renew your membership. Besides your fees being used for general running costs, we are trying to secure corporate sponsorship and the bigger our paid up membership, the better. Please forward your membership fees to PO Box 240, Randwick 2031 or give them to any committee member at training. Ted will forward a receipt to you. If your contact details have changed in the last year, please make sure that we have your updated information.

Please note: anyone who joined the club in or after March this year is financial through till June next year.

NEWS FROM ALI FROM N.Y.C.

This is an email received recently:-

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to say "hello" and see how everything is with you. I'm doing well back here although I think that, if I move there, I will be giving my cats away rather than going through the process of bringing them over. That said, nothing has opened up for me in Australia, so I just took a new job in my company that will have me here for another year. I'm a little disappointed, but hopefully when the economy gets better, something will open up in Sydney.

I tried running with Achilles about a month ago - I saw Artie. It wasn't quite the same as Sydney:( I miss you guys....send everyone my regards.

Cheers!

Ali

Michael Lovric - Ultra-marathon Man

Those who regularly come to Sunday training will have gotten used to the sight of a super-fit Michael Lovric arriving at training having just run from his home in Clovelly. After training, he then runs home. After reading what he REALLY does, you will appreciate that Sunday morning is a mere 'warm-up' session for this crazy ultra-marathon man.

I asked Michael to jot down a list of the events that he has participated in this year (so far!). No one will blame you for even feeling tired while reading Michael's amazing list of events.

--------

2008 has been a big year so far. However, it started on an ominous note with my first ever non-completion at the 'Beyond the Black Stump' (a 35 km road and trail race at Berowra) on New Year's Day. I managed to sprain both ankles before deciding that enough was enough and dropping out at the 21km mark.

With a week left to recover, I travelled down to the Victorian Alps to run the gruelling Bogong to Hotham 64km trail race. With both ankles less than perfect I gingerly completed the mountainous run in 11:20.

By February I was feeling recovered and headed up to SE Queensland to make my track debut at the Caboolture Dusk to Dawn running 108km in the 12 hour division.

In March I ran the 45km Six Foot Track in 4:53 (shaving 8 minutes off my previous year's time).

Later that month I headed down to Tasmania to run the 3 Peaks Race which consists of an 80km, 40km, and 30km run up serious mountains with about 600 miles of sailing in between.

[http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=17107]

In April I joined three others to run the 100km Melbourne Oxfam Trailwalker. Finishing in 12:31, our team came third.

The following week I decided to try to tackle the 12Gate Loop. This 110km run consists of a 6 foot track out and back with the Hellgate Loop thrown in to boot. It took me 18:44, but I produced the first ever successful completion of the course. [http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=17777&st=100]

With just a week to recover I was back in Victoria running the Wilson's Promontory 100km trail race in 14:35.

In May I was back in Queensland to run the Glasshouse Mountains 50 mile trail race (8:27), then running the Manly to Palm Beach out and back (60km road) in 5:27.

Since then I have been content running shorter races: The Nosh Run 15km trail (Lindfield) 71:55s and the Sydney Striders 10km road (North Head NSW) 38:46s

With a bit of rest under my belt I hope to do well in the next couple of races. June 14 is the date of the Poor Man's Comrades (for those who can't afford to go to South Africa) run between Sydney and Gosford. Then the following week I will be running from Katoomba to Mittagong.

--------------------------

Michael did in fact complete the last mentioned events. Congratulations to him on a quite extraordinary running and racing program.

Matthew Levy - Paralympics

has been hard at swimming training in preparation for the Paralympics. It is not long until he goes into pre-event team camp. We all wish him the best of luck and are looking forward to getting word of his success in the pool.

Matt Levy

Achilles Website

Please be aware of the Achilles website

www.achilles-sydney.org.au . On it is news updates, the Sunday volunteer roster, The Achilles Heel etc. We are still battling to get a photo gallery working (it is a long story). If anyone in the club is a "wizard" at websites and may be able to sort a few things out with our website, please contact Ellis (janks@comcen.com.au)

Sunday Volunteer Roster:

If anyone is not on the roster and wishes to be on it, please contact

janks@comcen.com.au. -

July 13

Karen Parker, Ellis Janks, Rebecca Sexton, Colin Bradford. Volunteer Required

- No training (WYD): Hiking Day (Royal National Park)

July 20

Neil McCarthy, Marilyn Gould, Nikki Caminer, Rebecca Sexton, Volunteer Required- SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K (Lane Cove)

July 27 -

August 2

- Mariana von Lucken, Diane McEwin, Chris Laing, Martin Ruane. Volunteer Required

August 3

- NO TRAINING - (City to Surf) Neil McCarthy, Colin Bradford, Nikki Caminer, Volunteer Required

August 10

- Doug Ritchie,

August 17

- Karen Parker, Ellis Janks, Rebecca Sexton, Mark Houlihan, Volunteer Required

August 24

Stephen Lenn, Mariana von Lucken, Marilyn Gould, Diane McEwin. Volunteer Required Neil McCarthy, Ted Magen. Volunteer Required - Nikki Caminer,

August 31 -

- SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K (North Head)

September 6

- Chris Laing, Doug Ritchie,

September 7

September 14

NO TRAINING - (Sydney Marathon and Running Festival) Karen Parker, Ellis Janks, Colin Bradford. Volunteer Required Stephen Lenn, Mark Houlihan, Rebecca Sexton. Volunteer Required

September 21 -

- Mariana von Lucken,

September 28

- SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K - (Sydney Olympic Park) Neil McCarthy. Volunteer Required

October 4

, Diane McEwin, Marilyn Gould, Doug Ritchie,

October 5 -

- Nikki Caminer,

October 12

Karen Parker, Chris Laing, Ellis Janks. Volunteer Required- Rebecca Sexton,

October 19

Mariana von Lucken, Colin Bradford, Stephen Lenn. Volunteer Required

April 2008 Newsletter

Achilles Heel April 2008

The Achilles Heel - Newsletter of the Achilles Running Club -Sydney

PO Box 240, Randwick,2031:

Achilles_syd@hotmail.com

www.achilles-sydney.org.au

April 2008 Edition

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this Edition:

*Andrew Bristow Memorial Awards

*Welcome to New Members

*Walk for Shirley - 6 April

*7 Magnificent Marathons

*Ali heads back to the USA

*Achilles has new singlets

*Matt Levy is off to Beijing

*Nick's next challenge - the Grand Union Canal Race

*Six Foot Track Race

*Sunday Roster

Achilles has been in full swing in 2008. There have regularly been 20 plus members at Sunday training, which has been really good to see. With new people (disabled and volunteers), new bright yellow club singlets, good weather and lots of enthusiasm, Sunday mornings with Achilles has been a great place to be!

Andrew Bristow Memorial Awards

These awards were presented, for the first time, at the end of year picnic in December. As previously mentioned, these awards, one for a disabled and one for a volunteer member, are given in recognition for both personal commitment and developement as well as contribution to Achilles. The 2 very worthy recipients were:

Stephen Lenn (volunteer) and Peter Beileiter (disabled)

Heartiest congratulations to both of them. The committee had a very difficult task in deciding who would receive these awards, given the large number of very worthy candidates.

Welcome to New Members

A very warm welcome to the newest members of Achilles:

Viv Kartsounis

Nick Drayton

Pam McMillan

Craig Twentymen

Kate Campbell

Martin Ruane

We look forward to having them join in with training, events and social activities.

Also, congratulations to Craig and Kate on their engagement - they still turned out for Sunday training the next morning(that is commitment for you!).

Walk for Shirley - 6 April

This is a fund-raiser for the Association of Blind Citizens of NSW and our Centre for blind people in Burwood

Anyone who is interested in participating in this event, please contact Nick (nicholas.gleeson@visionaustralia.org) asap.

Entry into the event will be paid for by Achilles (we have a group entry organised).

WHEN: Sunday, 6 April 2008

WHERE: Mason Park, Home Bush (off Underwood Road)

TIME: 9.30AM for a 10.00AM start

TRANSPORT: a bus will leave regularly from the Everton Road side of Strathfield Railway Station between 8.30AM and 9.30AM and return at the end of the day’s proceedings

PARKING: available at Mason Park

This is a non-competitive community event – No running or racing!

There are two overlapping courses 1.5 km or 2.5 km. Anyone wishing to walk further may repeat either course.

There will be a BBQ after the walk.

7 Magnificent Marathons - 10 April 2008

Blind athlete Dave Heeley from the UK is about to commence what can only be described as a very unusual and challenging task - 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days.

WHAT :- 7 MAGNIFICENT MARATHONS - Australasian leg - 42.2 km

WHEN :- THURSDAY 10 APRIL 2008, 8.30AM TO 2.30PM

WHERE :- McKAY SPORTS GROUNDS, CNR GRAND DRIVE and FEDERATION WAY, CENTENNIAL PARK,

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT are organising the Australasian marathon component and are looking for as many Achilles Club members as possible to take part and help support David in his challenge. Dave's aim in attempting this challenge is to raise awareness of vision impairment around the globe and to raise funds for Guide Dogs.

If you are interested being part of this great event by running part or all of the Marathon or walking part of this scenic and safe course, please see registration details below. If required sighted guides will be provided.

This is a great opportunity to showcase Achilles as the great club we know it is and your support will be greatly appreciated. Dave will have his own support team and media group who are making a documentary about his 7 marathons. Local media groups will be present, so this is a great opportunity to get media exposure.

To register as a participant or as a spectator for the Marathon, email: marathon@guidedogs.com.au or call (02) 9412 9300 and ask for the Marathon Team. Guide dog users participating are encouraged to leave their dogs with trained staff (Guide Dog Instructors) for the duration of your participation. Care will be taken to ensure shade and water etc are provided.

For more information on Dave's challenge, please go to www.guidedogs.com.au and follow the links to the 7 Magnificent Marathons website.

For any more information, please contact Doug (dritchie@guidedogs.com.au) or Ellis (janks@comcen.com.au) or 9664 4824 (a/h)

Ali heads back to the USA

For the last 6 months or so, Ali Amdur has been a regular volunteer at Sunday training and most of us have got to know her well. She was on a temporary work project in Sydney which has unfortunately come to an end. So, we had to bid Ali farewell last Sunday as she was due to return to New York. We all wish her well and hope that 'Seductive Sydney' and Achilles will lure her back here in the not too distant future.

Six Foot Track Race

Achilles had a record number of members in this gruelling 45 km mountain race. Under cloudy skies and with mild temperatures, the runners set off from the Explorers' Tree at Katoomba and headed down the very steep Nellie's Glen to the Megalong Valley. After wading through the waist deep Cox River, they then negotiated the extremely steep fire trail first over Mini Mini Saddle and then over Pluviometer Hill. Then they ran an undulating track until they finally descended down the suicidally steep path to the finish at Jenolan Caves.

We had a100% finishing record! Well done to all the following Achilles runners who took part.

- Viv Kartsounis (4 hours 49 minutes)

- Michael Lovric (4-53)

- John Davis (5-01)

- Ellis Janks (5-37)

- Michael Levy (5-53)

- Doug Ritchie (6-24)

- Nick Drayton (6-25)

Achilles has new singlets

Those who have been at Sunday training will have seen the new bright yellow club singlets. The manufacturer's blurb about the material used is: "Microtex 100% Polyester Microfibre - breathable mesh construction; sanitized and antimicrobial; moisture management treated; easy care; keeps wearer dry, cool and comfortable; excellent drying properties, UV protection 50+" - how fancy is that!

Those who have worn the singlets have given them the thumbs up for style, cut and comfort. They are bright yellow for visibility both for safety and recognition in a crowd, and Achilles website details are prominently displayed front and back.

A very big thank you goes to the Hastie Group and the Australian Fashion Group (AFG) who sponsored and manufactured the singlets.

They are available for sale at the below-cost price of $20 each - proceeds from these being used as club fund raising.

Matthew Levy makes the Australian Paralympic Team

Congratulations to Matt on once again being selected for the Australian Paralympic swimming team. He will compete in several events. Wishing him a very good build-up to the Games and fantastic experience at them. We will be eagerly waiting watching for his name in the results list.

Nick's next challenge - the Grand Union Canal Race

Nick Gleeson is presently training for one of his biggest challenges yet (and there have been very big ones in the past). This is the Grand Union Canal Race, a 232 km route from Birmingham to London, alongside canals (that is 16.5 City to Surfs back to back!). He will have 45 hours in which to complete this mammoth task. Best of luck to Nick. We are looking forward to getting his stories about this amazing challenge.

Achilles Website

If you have been checking up the Achilles website www.achilles-sydney.org.au , you will notice that it is getting more and more information. Please do check it to get latest news updates, the Sunday roster etc. We will soon have the photo gallery with an ongoing photo record of the club and its members.

Achilles is going bush

Plans are presently underway with Achilles and Vision Australia to put together a group of vision impaired people who want to go bushwalking. This experience will be open to anyone from Achilles who wants to participate, be you vision impaired or a volunteer. At Achilles, we are always trying to find ways for our members (and others) to have new and varied experiences involving exercise and social networking. More news about this when available.

Sunday social breakfast

A date for the first social breakfast after Sunday training has not yet been finalised. You will receive date details very soon. This message is to whet your appetite!

Sunday Roster:

March 30 - Mark Houlihan, Diane Mcewin, Chris Laing, Doug Ritchie. Volunteer Required

April 5 - SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K

April 6 - Neil McCarthy, Marilyn Gould, Nikki Caminer, Rebecca Sexton, Volunteer Required

April 12/13 - ASICS CANBERRA MARATHON AND ULTRA(ACT) and 5/10K

April 13 - NO TRAINING - (BRW Triathlon taking place)

April 20 - Mariana von Lucken, Mark Houlihan, Diane Mcewin, Chris Laing, Volunteer Required

April 27 - Doug Ritchie,Neil McCarthy, Marilyn Gould, Nikki Caminer, Volunteer Required

May 3 - SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K

May 4 - Karen Parker, Ellis Janks, Rebecca Sexton,Colin Bradford, Volunteer Required

May 11 - Stephen Lenn, Mariana von Lucken, Mark Houlihan, Diane Mcewin Volunteer Required

May 18 - NO TRAINING - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD HALF MARATHON

May 25 - Chris Laing, Doug Ritchie,Neil McCarthy, Marilyn Gould. Volunteer Required

June 1 - Nikki Caminer,Karen Parker, Ellis Janks, Rebecca Sexton. Volunteer Required

Jun 7 - SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K

June 8 - Mariana von Lucken,Colin Bradford, Stephen Lenn, Mark Houlihan. Volunteer Required

Jun 15 - Chris Laing, Diane Mcewin, Doug Ritchie,Neil McCarthy. Volunteer Required

June 22 - Marilyn Gould, Nikki Caminer,Karen Parker, Ellis Janks. Volunteer Required

June 29 - Rebecca Sexton,Mariana von Lucken,Colin Bradford, Stephen Lenn. Volunteer Required

Photo Gallery

Group shot of the team at Orange.

The beautiful grounds at the Orange Running Festival

Ben and Brian cross the finish line

Ben and Brian with their medals.

Shayne and Sue crossing the line

John and Helen cross the finish line of the 10km walk - great effort!

The nervous wait before the start!

news

Membership

Members with a Disability

Achilles welcomes anyone with a disability who wants to run or walk. Membership in the Achilles Running Club includes races, workouts, team T-shirts and our newsletter, The Achilles Heel.

Achilles members run and walk with such disabilities as stroke, cerebral palsy, paraplegia, arthritis, amputation, visual impairment, MS, cystic fibrosis, cancer, traumatic head injuries, transplants, and other conditions often thought to be reasons to stay "out of the running."

Some Achilles members are experienced athletes and others are exercising for the first time. The only prerequisite is an interest in exercise and a willingness to try.

Achilles members enjoy the companionship of other members and volunteers and the lift one gets to both body and mind from regular exercise.

You needn't worry about what to wear for your first workout. We are not trend setters. This means wearing something loose and comfortable, suitable to the weather. Make sure you can move comfortably and be ready to exercise.

Don't be concerned about being out of shape. People who have never exercised before tend to improve faster than those in better shape! Besides, the point is to have fun exercising. Whether you run a 4-minute km or walk at 30-minute pace, we welcome all speeds and all abilities.

Volunteers

Our volunteers are people who enjoy to walk and run; they are friendly, considerate men and women who think everyone should be able to experience the joy of exercise. Volunteering to run with Achilles members in regularly scheduled workouts is a way to get out and exercise in a low-stress, friendly environment.

As a volunteer you are not expected to be a professional, or an expert on health or fitness or physical disabilities. You simply need the desire to help those who are physically less fortunate than yourself. Your role is that of a companion. You are there for safety, morale, conversation, fun and exercise.

You will find us every Sunday morning, rain, hail, or shine, on the steps of the Art Gallery of NSW opposite the Domain at 8.10am.

We train (walk or run) for an hour, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of some of Sydney’s most spectacular parts – the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Opera House and Mrs Macquarie’s chair.

Come along and introduce yourself, new members and volunteers are always welcome.

Membership costs only $20 which goes to the running costs of the club.

Newsletters

Achilles Heel

For all the news and gossip, upcoming events and results, you simply can't go past the Achilles Heel Newsletter

October 2009

Please fill in your details below and submit, we will then add your email onto our newsletter database

Thank you for joining , we will email you soon.

October 2008 Newsletter

The Achilles Heel - Newsletter of the Achilles Running Club -Sydney
PO Box 240, Randwick,2031:
Achilles_syd@hotmail.com
www.achilles-sydney.org.au

October 2008 Edition

In this Edition:

*Hastie Group presentation & Breakfast

*Bushwalk/Hiking day

*AGM

*Membership renewal

*Paralympic results

*Andrew Bristow Memorial Award

*Vaka Moana - Voyages of the Ancestors

*Coburg 24 Hour Relay

*Six Foot Track Race

*Lions Christmas Cakes

*Achilles Website

*Sunday Roster

The end of spring has brought fine weather for Sunday morning Achilles trainings, and high numbers of both disabled members and guides. Thankfully, we have had more guides attending than only those rostered on. As we have had between 5 and 12 disabled people at training each week, your attendance has been very welcome. Please check the roster so that we can be assured of a nucleus of guides, and if you can continue to come on other days, please do. As always, Sunday mornings with Achilles is a great place to be!

Hastie Group Presentation & Breakfast

Date: Sunday 2 November

Venues: - Presentation to the Hastie Group - steps of the Art Gallery

- Breakfast - NSW Rugby League Club, 165 Phillip Street, Sydney

As you know, our popular new club singlets have been sponsored by the Hastie Group, providers commercial air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. We will be holding a formal "thank you" presentation on 2 November. Hastie Group CEO David Harris will be presented with a memento of our appreciation, an inscribed plaque on a wooden shield.

Following Sunday training and the Hastie Group presentation, Achilles will be contributing to the bill for the social breakfast. A bottomless cup of coffee/tea and toast costs $6-50, which is what Achilles will pay for all financial members - if you want the continental buffet or full cooked breakfast ($12-50 or $14-50), you will just need to pay in the difference. Yet another reason why it pays to be an Achilles member!

As you have read in an earlier email, we are hoping to have a massive turnout for this special day. In addition to the benefits this will offer of training in a big goprup and catching up with other members, it will also enable us to show our sponsors that we have a strong club. Photographs will be taken for the Achilles and the Hastie Group websites.

Bushwalk / Hiking Day

Date: Sunday 16 November 2008.

Venue: Starting from Hornsby Station. More details below

You'll be happy to hear iI's on again - the bushwalk we had to postpone owing to World Youth Day disruption to transport.

If the event is successful, it will be the first of many Achilles bushwalks. Everyone is welcome. Please let us know if you can be part of this exciting event.

There has been interest from others outside of Achilles, including visually impaired people and guides who have not yet been connected with Achilles. There has been quite some interest from Vision Australia clients, and we hope to encourage them and others of all ages to become involved with Achilles.

Route: - About 1 km by road to the Great North Walk, and then an out and back route on fire trail/bush track. The distance will be variable dependiing on how our participants are going.

Time : 10-00am to 3-30pm

Transport to the venue: Train or private car

Anyone, disabled or guide, who is keen to be part of the hike, please contact:

Nick (nicholas.gleeson@visionaustralia.org ) 9334 3209 (w) or

Ellis (janks@comcen.com.au) 9664 4824 (h)

You will receive full details of what to bring, time, place and transport.

Annual General Meeting

The Achilles RC AGM was held on 25 September. We are thrilled to have "new blood" on the newly elected committee. Its members:

Ellis Janks - President

Charlie McConnell -Vice President

Ted Magen - Treasurer

James Howard - Secretary

Angie Maken - Events Co-ordinator

Martin Ruane - Webmaster

Doug Ritchie - Training

Karen Parker

Neill McCarthy

Marianna von Lucken

Nick Gleeson

Membership Renewals
There are a few of you who have not renewed your membership for this year ('08/'09). Membership renewal was due in July. Annual fees are $20. It is vital for our club that you all renew your membership. Besides your fees being used for general running costs, we are trying to secure corporate sponsorship, and for this purpose, the bigger our paid up membership the better. Please forward your membership fees to PO Box 240, Randwick 2031, or give them to any committee member at training. Ted will forward a receipt to you. If your contact details have changed in the last year, please make sure that we have your updated information.

Please note: anyone who joined the club in or after March this year is financial through till June next year

Achilles at the Paralympics in Beijing

Achilles member Matt Levy had a very successful Paralympics. He won a gold medal in the 4 X 100m Medley and made it to the finals in his other 3 events - 200m Individual Medley (7th); 400m Freestyle (7th); 50m Freestyle (8th). Congratulations to Matt on these excellent results. He brought the gold medal to training last week so that us mere mortals could experience the feel of a genuine Paralympic gold medal.

Lindy Hou, who is visually impaired, has recently been coming to Sunday training. She was part of the Australian cycling team and also had a fantastic Games. She participated in 4 events and came home with silver and bronze medals. We look forward to Lindy being an active member of Achilles who, like Matt, will motivate the rest of us.

Andrew Bristow Memorial Award

Once again, the annual Andrew Bristow Memorial Awards will be presented at the end of the year picnic, one each for a disabled and volunteer member. If any of you wish to nominate someone for these awards, please contact Ellis (janks@comcen.com.au) or 9664 4824 (h).

VAKA MOANA - Voyages of the Ancestors - Touch Tour at Maritime Museum

A free curator-led touch tour will be held at the Australian Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour on Sunday 7 December, 11 am. "Voyages of the Ancestors - VAKA MOANA" is about the discovery and settlement of the islands of the Pacific. It features 200 artefacts, including rare carvings and canoes. The tour lasts approximately 1.5 hours and morning tea is provided. Bookings are essential. Please contact Nick if you wish to go

(nicholas.gleeson@visionaustralia.org ) or 9334 3209 (w) . A pdf brochure of the exhibition has been attached to this email newsletter.

Coburg 24 Hour Relay - Nick makes it into Runners' World magazine

This month's Runner's World magazine contains an article about Nick Gleeson and his participation in last year's Coburg 24 hour relay in Melbourne. Nick is keen to enter again - the next Coburg event is on 18 April 2009. Is there anyone else keen to take on this challenge? If you are interested in participating yourself or in being a guide for Nick, please contact him on nicholas.gleeson@visionaustralia.org or 9334 3209 (w). The field is limited and the event fills up very early - you will need to decide soon.

Six Foot Track Race

It is time to start training for next years Six Foot Tack race on 14 March 2009 ((or at least thinking about). Anyone who is keen to join the 2 Michaels (Levy and Ultramarathonman), Doug, Ellis & John in the race, please let us know. We hope to put together some good "team" training runs in preparation

Lions Christmas Cakes

It is fast approaching that time of the year - "the silly season"! This means that once again we will be helping the Lions Club of Bondi with selling the famous and delicious 1.5 kg Lions Christmas cakes. These will be available at $12 each at Sunday training, or you can contact Ellis (janks@comcen.com.au)

Achilles Website

Please be aware of the Achilles website, www.achilles-sydney.org.au . It offers news updates, the Sunday volunteer roster, The Achilles Heel etc. Martin has been able to get to grips with the website and we soon will have it fully updated, including having the photo gallery full of great Achilles photos. Please note that the home page includes a section titled "Latest News". Here you will find announcements about anything out of the ordinary, such as training changes due to road closures. There is also a new email contact address for Achilles - info@achilles-sydney.org.au. This replaces the old hotmail address.

Sunday Volunteer Roster:

Nov 1 - SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K - Lane Cove National Park

Nov 2 - HASTIE GROUP PRESENTATION AND BREAKFAST -

Chris Laing , Nikki Caminer, Karen Parker, Ellis Janks, Angie Macken & everyone!

Nov 9 - Marilyn Gould, Stephen Lenn, Ted Magen, Rebecca Sexton Volunteer Required

Nov 16 - BUSHWALK- leaving from Hornsby Station - 10 am

(NORMAL TRAINING) - Colin Bradford, Diane Mcewin, Doug Ritchie, Neil McCarthy, Angie Macken Volunteer Required

Nov 23 - Mark Houlihan, Nikki Caminer, Karen Parker, Ellis Janks. Volunteer Required

Nov 30 - Chris Laing , Stephen Lenn, Ted Magen, Rebecca Sexton Volunteer Required

Dec 7 - Marilyn Gould, Diane Mcewin, Doug Ritchie, Neil McCarthy, Volunteer Required

Dec 14 - END OF YEAR PICNIC - All members and their families

Merry XMAS & Happy CHANUKAH

Feb 1– Colin Bradford , Nikki Caminer, Karen Parker, Ellis Janks. Angie Macken Volunteer Required

Feb 8 -Mark Houlihan, Stephen Lenn, Ted Magen,Rebecca Sexton Volunteer Required

Feb 15 - Chris Laing , Diane Mcewin, Doug Ritchie, Neil McCarthy, Volunteer Required

Feb 22 - Marilyn Myers , Nikki Caminer,Karen Parker, Ellis Janks. Volunteer Required

March 1 - Colin Bradford, Stephen Lenn, Ted Magen,Rebecca Sexton Volunteer Required

March 8 - Mark Houlihan, Diane Mcewin, Doug Ritchie, Neil McCarthy, Volunteer Required

If you are not, but wish to be on the roster, please email rozanne@bigpond.net.au

Newsletters 08 & 09

SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER

Past newsletters:

OCTOBER 2008

JULY 2008

APRIL 2008

DECEMBER 2007

December 2007 Newsletter

Achilles Heel Newsletter - December 2007

The Achilles Heel - Newsletter of the Achilles Running Club -Sydney
PO Box 240, Randwick,2031:
Achilles_syd@hotmail.com
www.achilles-sydney.org.au

December 2007 Edition
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this Edition:

*End of year Celebration

*Ted Magen - our long serving Treasurer

*International visitors

*AGM

*Michael Levy finishes the NYC Marathon

*Membership renewal

*Personality Profile of one of our members

*Six Foot Track Race

*A New beginning For 2008

*Sunday Roster

End Of Year Picnic:

On Sunday 16 December Achilles will gather after our running/walking exercise for our wonderful End of Year Picnic.

Who: you and your family and friends - everyone is welcome!

Where: The Domain - over the road from the Art Gallery of NSW steps

When: 9-30 am - after training (after you are well exercised and are hungry!)

What to bring: A plate and/or something to drink - we'll put it all together for a big Achilles feast

What to do: Relax, socialise and eat! (and for anyone with influence - make sure that the weather is good)

The annual Andrew Bristow Memorial Awards will be presented for the first time - one for a disabled member and one for a guide. As you probably know, each recipient of this award will have their name engraved on a floating trophy as well as receiving their own trophy to keep.

It will be great to have as many people there as possible - a super way to end the Achilles year.

Ted Magen

One of the most active and longest serving members of Achilles, our Treasurer Ted Magen was recently taken ill. He will out of action at Achilles for the next while. We all wish him a speedy recovery from surgery and look forward to his active return to Achilles.

Visitors from New York

On Sunday 4 November Artie Elefant (visually impaired) and his wife Susan came to Achilles and joined us on our regular run around the beautiful Botanical Gardens and Harbour. It was special as Artie and Susan are very active members of the Achilles New York Chapter and had many stories and information about Achilles in the USA and the rest of the world. Many of us were able to share a very pleasant breakfast together and enjoy the tremendous positive attitude of both Artie and Susan. T-shirts were exchanged, although no one wanted to swap their running singlet for Charlie McConnell’s sweaty one. Its wonderful to share the Achilles International spirit.

Annual General Meeting

The Club AGM was held on 11 October 2007. The committee elected are:

President - Ellis Janks

Vice President & Events coordinator - Charlie McConnell

Treasurer- Ted Magen

Minutes Secretaries - Karen Parker & Mariana von Lucken

Website coordinator - Sarah Vickers

Committee members - Marjorie Roberts, Doug Ritchie & Nick Gleeson

President’s Report – 2006/2007

This last year has been a very positive one, thanks to the excellent input of many people. There have also been a number of significant events and activities, so that this has been a very memorable year. I will briefly mention the highlights.

1. 10th Anniversary The Club’s 10th anniversary celebration took place on 29 October at the Coogee RSL, and was a great success. About 80 members, supporters and ex-members attended the event, which included a brunch, a slide show of images of 10 years of Achilles, and speeches from a wide range of Achilles members and supporters. I am mentioning this event first in this Report because it ably illustrated the achievements, spirit and continuing growth of our club.

2. Membership During the past year, consistent numbers of people have attended each Sunday training, and participated in organised runs and walks and social get-togethers. A number of new members have joined this year, which has been very pleasing.

3. Finances The financial status of the club is very sound. Funds have been received via membership fees, bank interest, the sale of clothing, and donations. Of note is a very generous $10 000-00 bequest to the club by the estate of the late Andrew Bristow.

4. Events Members participated in various events during the year, including the following: the Mothers Day Fun Run/Walk, NYC Marathon, Kokoda Trail, Sutherland to Surf, City to Surf, Sydney Running Festival (Bridge and Fun Runs), Trailwalker, and the Sydney Tower Run Up. Social events included the end of year picnic and social breakfasts after Sunday training. A number of members got together to train during the week and outside of club training times. Some of our members participated in events (swimming, golf, dragon boat racing, cycling) outside of Achilles, both in Australia and overseas, and have performed extremely well.

5. Sailing event A sailing day with “Sailors with disAbilities”, which had previously been cancelled due to adverse weather finally took place in February and was very much enjoyed by 8 disabled and 2 volunteer members.

6. Training This year, we have been running a training program for volunteers. Doug Ritchie, the presenter, is to be thanked for his expert contribution. Volunteers have made use of the program and have responded very enthusiastically.

7. Uniforms New club t-shirts were ready for distribution at the 10th anniversary celebration. Once again, thanks go to Guide Dogs, which sponsored the costs and have their logo displayed on the t-shirts. At present, a sponsor for the production of singlets is being sought.

8. Awards Two new annual club awards are to be made. These are the Andrew Bristow Memorial Awards, to be presented to a disabled member and a volunteer. Criteria for the award include the member’s contribution to Achilles, participation in the club in general, and the achievement of personal goals.

9. Website The Club website is being revamped by Greg and Sarah.

10. Thanks The website was previously kindly hosted by Richard Wassell. Thanks to Richard for his great support, and for Greg and Sarah for their continuing help. Thanks also to Mark Davis, who has most generously continued to provide the venue for meetings at New Horizons Learning Centre. And of course thanks to all Achilles members for their excellent contributions and their enthusiasm. A special note of thanks to the committee for the excellent work they have put into the running of Achilles, and the time and effort they have generously given. It has been a pleasure working with you.

Achilles in the future I hope that the website will play a bigger part in promoting the club and disseminating information to the members. On this note, I am hoping that in the coming year we can market ourselves more effectively to the wider community, thereby attracting new members and seeing an increase in participation in club events and affairs by current members.

I wish Achilles every success, and positive growth in the next 12 months.

Ellis Janks - President

Michael Levy

Congratulations to Michael Levy on not only finishing the New York City Marathon, but also for his very successful fundraising effort for the Heart Foundation. He well exceeded the amount pledged. Michael had a very pleasant run, taking in the sights and atmosphere of this, one of the world's great marathons.

Membership Renewal:

A gentle reminder for those who need to pay their membership as it is due. The good news is that the Achilles membership remains at $20 and $10 if not working. Please see either Ellis, Charlie or Nick to pay this fee.

Achilles Member Personality Profile: Marjorie Roberts

Marjorie Roberts has been a member of Achilles since the club began. Although, Marjorie has always taken on life at 100kms per hour. A successful business woman who knew exactly what she wanted in life and despite various barriers has achieved so many goals. Marjorie was faced with the enormous challenge of blindness at an age where most people would be preparing for a relaxing retirement. Initially it came as a shock but with the encouragement of a mobility instructor from the Guide Dog Association she started to believe in herself and stayed on her large block of land at Warriewood. Her closest neighbour is a 5 minute walk from her home, although, Marjorie says that “her closest friends are the wildlife that lives on her bush land.”

Marjorie has tandem cycled in many countries including England, France and Russia. She has played golf at an elite level in Japan, Scotland, Canada, Ireland, America and has loved the various cultures of each society. Marjorie has represented Achilles in many events over the years and is a regular participant in the Mothers Day Classic in May. Volunteer Sarah Vickers has partnered Marjorie for the past four years in this event and is quite a sight chasing Marjorie and her guide dog Moira through the crowd. Marjorie’s greatest two friends are Moria and her retired guide Dog Ishbel a 17 year old Labrador. Marjorie Roberts is a woman of enormous determination and makes sure that every step in her life is forward.

Six Foot Track Race

This is a call for you long distance off-road runners - come and join the growing group (3 so far) of Achilles members who are keen to run the 45 km from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves. The race is in March so, time to make the commitment and to get training.

A New Beginning for 2008

Achilles will be in recess until Sunday 3 February. We very much look forward to seeing you all in the new year and wish you a safe happy break from Achilles.

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and have a great holiday.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday Roster:

Dec 9 - Karen Parker, Ellis Janks, Colin Bradford, Stephen Lenn, Volunteer Required

Dec 16 – END OF YEAR PICNIC

Mark Houlihan, Meg Buchanan, Sarah Vickers , Volunteer Required

Merry XMAS & Happy CHANUKAH

Feb 3 - Marilyn Myers, Nikki Caminer, Karen Parker, Ellis Janks Volunteer Required

Feb 10 - Karen Parker, Ellis Janks, Colin Bradford, Stephen Lenn, Volunteer Required

June 2009 Newsletter

The Achilles Heel - Newsletter of the Achilles Running Club - Sydney

PO Box 240, Randwick,2031:
info@achilles-sydney.org.au
www.achilles-sydney.org.au

June 2009 Edition

----------------------------------------------

In this Edition:

· New Horizons presentation

· Membership fees

· Parking permits

· City 2 Surf

· Sydney Tower Stair Climbing Race

· T-shirts, singlets and sloppy-joes

· Achilles website

· Michael Lovric competes in the 24 hour World Champs

· Website upgrade

· Lynne & Greg’s new baby

· Injury corner

· Walk for Shirley

· Bush walk

· Volunteer Guide Training

· Volunteer Roster

By now we all have our winter woollies out of the cupboard and are feeling the effects of a chilly winter. This, however, has not stopped our members from turning out in good numbers for Sunday training - great to see! More often than not, there are 10 or more disabled members there and with only 3 or 4 members rostered on each Sunday, we really do rely on “casuals” coming to training. On quite a few occasions, those with disabilities have outnumbered the guides and we have had to double up for guiding.

New Horizons plaque presentation

On 31 May after training, Carol Cook from New Horizons Computer School was presented with a plaque of appreciation from Achilles. Shane “Woody” Woodbridge and Charlie McConnell made the presentation and thanked Carol for the support that New Horizons have given Achilles for the last 10 years. They have not only made their premises available to us for all of our committee meetings and AGMs, but also provide tea and coffee and an array of delicious biscuits. Carol thanked Achilles and said that the plaque would be proudly displayed at New Horizons.

Membership Fees Now Due

It is that time of the year again. The renewal date for annual membership is 1 July each year. Annual fees are $20. It is really important that you all renew your membership. Apart from the fact that Achilles uses membership fees for its running costs, we are also trying to secure corporate sponsorship. This is far easier to achieve with a larger membership base. Please forward your membership fees to our PO Box (240, Randwick 2031), or give them to any committee member at training and Ted will forward a receipt to you. If your contact details have changed in the last year, please make sure that we have your current details.

Parking Permits

We have been issued with a new batch of parking permits for use at the Art Gallery parking area on Sunday mornings. These are yellow and have been laminated. We have a supply of the permits so that all guides who drive in can keep one in their car – probably need to be kept in the boot as they are A4 sized. Please don’t lose your permit – there are a limited number. These permits MUST BE DISPLAYED ON THE DASHBOARD otherwise we could be issued with a parking violation ticket (as has been the case in the past) that will NOT be cancelled. If by any chance you do not have a permit, at the least put a club brochure on the dashboard. This will suffice if the usual rangers are on duty, but sometimes there are new rangers who are not familiar with Achilles. You can get a permit from Ellis at Sunday training.

City 2 Surf – 9 August

It is about 2 months until City 2 Surf. Unfortunately we will not have our entry fees sponsored this year, as was the case for the last few years. Anyone who is keen to run or walk in this fantastic community fun event, please let us know. (Charlie 9636 3727 or janks2@optusnet.com.au).

Sydney Tower Stair Climbing Race

The 2009 Triple M Sydney Tower Run-Up will be held on Friday 21 August 2009.

This is a strenuous event needing specific stair training but is a fabulous event which will leave you feeling tired but elevated (sorry - couldn't resist it!)! Anyone interested in participating should contact Nick nicholas.gleeson@visionaustralia.org or 9773 5631 (h).

T-shirts, singlets and sloppy-joes

T-shirts with the yellow sleeves ($10) and club singlets ($20) are available for sale. There are still some old club t-shirts (all white) available ($5) for those who are keen on having a collectors’ item. There are also some sloppy-joes available ($30). Unfortunately there are limited numbers of small sizes in all the shirt ranges. Please let me know (janks2@optusnet.com.au) if you want any of these items. There will be some shirts available for sale at Sunday training.

Achilles Website - www.achilles-sydney.org.au

It won’t be long before the updated Achilles website is up and running. Martin Ruane has been hard at work putting it together. The new site will have vastly more capacity than the present one, so that we can post more information regarding events, display photos and have offer access to updates and newsflashes.

Michael Lovric at the 24 hours World Champs

Congratulations to Michael Lovric, our own Achilles ultramarathon champion! This is a brief account written by Michael.

Recently it was my great honor to have been selected for the 'Emus' - the Australian Representative Ultra-marathon team. My first event as an Emu was the World 24 Hour Championships which were held in Bergamo Italy May 2-3.

Over 200 runners from more than 30 countries were in attendance and the depth of talent was truly impressive. In stifling hot conditions I chose to run a clever race rather than a fast one averaging 8.6km/h. My final outcome was 206.464 km and I ranked 48th.

When attending races I often think of my running colleagues from the Achilles Club. You are a great inspiration to me during these events. I hope you all continue to enjoy your love of running and I look forward to catching up on another Sunday session.

Michael Lovric

Since the World Championships, Michael has been far from resting. Three weeks ago he ran in the Gold Coast 100 km race, which doubled as the National 100 km Champs, and came a very creditable 6^th. When everyone would expect Michael to be putting his feet up, he decided to run the 96 km Poor Man’s Comrades last week from Gosford to Sydney, coming in 3^rd out of 17, even through he was running for fun rather than racing. Soon Michael will be running in the national 24 hour championships in Brisbane. Best of luck to him for this race.

Lynne & Greg have a new Charlie

Congratulations to Lynne Barry and Greg on the birth of their beautiful son, Charlie Noah . Lynne is a very long time member and ex secretary of Achilles who recently returned from a stint of living in Singapore so some of the newer members will not have met her. But not for long! Rumour has it that Charlie wants to start training on Sundays very soon…

Cathy and Mario have a new baby boy, their 7^th

Congratulations to Cathy (nee Katen) and Mario Romeo on the birth of their baby boy, Marcello Xantino in March. This is child number 7 (Cathy’s 4^th) in the household! If you know Cathy, you’ll know how she achieves the impossible with incredible ease. We look forward to seeing her and her big family at Achilles one of these fine days.

Injury corner:

-Charlie is back to near normal (this may be a contradiction in terms!)

Great to have Charlie McConnell back to his near normal self after getting his new hip a few months ago. He may not be jogging, but striding out for 8 km, swimming laps, working out at the gym and going on the bush walk have been no problem. Well recovered Charlie – you continue to be an inspiration to everyone!

-Michael to get his knee fixed

After many thousands of kms of running and walking and hours of standing, Michael Bassil’s knee has finally protested! He will soon be having minor surgery to repair a torn cartilage. Michael, wishing you a speedy recovery and we look forward to having you back at Sunday training and knowing that you are once again doing your early morning runs around your “custom built” track in Vaucluse.

-Nick’s broken arm

Not wanting to be left out of the action, Nick Gleeson broke his arm after falling down stairs. Luckily his head broke the fall and the broken bone in his arm was undisplaced. No surgery was needed but he had to wear a plaster cast for six weeks. He is now cast free and back to his fighting fit self!

Walk 4 Shirley House

Earlier in the year, a large contingent from Achilles participated in the “Walk 4 Shirley House”, a fund raising walking event held by the Association of Blind Citizens of NSW. Unlike last year, when the heavens opened up during the walk, this year’s event was held in splendid weather and everyone enjoyed not only the walk, but the sausage sizzle afterwards. We look forward to next year’s event.

Achilles Bush Walk

In April, 22 keen bush walkers met at Thornleigh station on a partly cloudy Sunday morning. The group were made up of mainly Achilles members with others who had heard about the bushwalk through newsletters from Vision Australia and on the Cool Running website. After a brief road walk from the station, 10 visually impaired and 12 guides took to the bush track with “gusto”! The weather was very kind (it had rained heavily the day and night before) and the track was excellent – well defined, lots of ferns, trees and plants and a running stream next to which we had lunch. Everyone enjoyed a lunchtime story expertly read by Avril. 6 kms and 4 hours later, 22 happy bush walkers headed home – tired, but smiling and satisfied.

This was the second bush walk to be held, and judging by the response from those who participated, it certainly won’t be the last.

Sessions will take about 20 minutes and will be done before or after Sunday training. Participation is completely voluntary and don't worry, there are no tests or evaluations after the session.

We really do recommend that every guide makes use of this training.

----------------------------------------------------------------

ACHILLES CLUB ROSTER

June 21 - Mark Houlihan, Diane Mcewin, Doug Ritchie, Martin Ruane, Volunteer Required

June 28 - Chris Laing, Nikki Caminer , Karen Parker, Ellis Janks. Angie Macken, Volunteer Required

July 5 - Marilyn Gould, Stephen Lenn, Ted Magen, Rebecca Sexton Volunteer Required

July 12 - Colin Bradford, Diane Mcewin, Doug Ritchie, Martin Ruane, Volunteer Required

July 19 – Mark Houlihan , Nikki Caminer , Karen Parker, Ellis Janks. Angie Macken Volunteer Required

July 26 -Chris Laing, Stephen Lenn, Ted Magen, Rebecca Sexton Volunteer Required

August 2 - Marilyn Gould , Diane Mcewin, Doug Ritchie, Martin Ruane, Volunteer Required

August 9 - Colin Bradford, Nikki Caminer , Karen Parker, Ellis Janks. Angie Macken Volunteer Required

August 16 – Mark Houlihan , Stephen Lenn, Ted Magen, Rebecca Sexton Volunteer Required

August 23 - Chris Laing, Diane Mcewin, Doug Ritchie, Martin Ruane, Volunteer Required

August 30 - Marilyn Gould, Nikki Caminer , Karen Parker, Ellis Janks. Angie Macken Volunteer Required

If you are not on the roster, but wish to be included, please email rozanne@bigpond.net.au

Newsletters

The Achilles Heel

Newsletter of the Achilles Running Club - Sydney

PO Box 240, Randwick, 2031:
info@achilles-sydney.org.au
www.achilles-sydney.org.au

September (spring) 2010 Edition

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this Edition:

- AGM

- Club caps

- No Training 19 September

- Parking Permits

- City2Surf

- Sloppy Joes and T-shirts

- Ramadan

- Events

Annual General Meeting

You will have received notification of the AGM by email a while ago. For the first time, we are holding the AGM after Sunday training rather than in the evening, in an attempt to make it convenient for all members to attend. Everyone is welcome.

As is the case each year, all positions for the committee are available for nomination. We encourage you to nominate if you are a member and can commit to attending committee meetings and contributing to the running of the Achilles.

Date : Sunday 12 September 2010

Venue : The Domain – across the road from the steps of the Art Gallery of NSW (our start and finish place for training)

Time : As soon as everyone is back from training – around 9.30 am

What to bring : - something to sit on – blanket, folding chair – or you can pull up a patch of grass.

If you want more information or have questions prior to the AGM, please contact Ellis (9664 4824 (H) or janks2@optusnet.com.au), or Charlie on 0401 232 052.

There will be opportunity for everyone to speak. This is your chance to make comments or give feedback to everyone at Achilles. So, let’s see you all there!

If the weather is very unkind, we may make a venue or/and date change. This decision will be made on the day.

Caps

As those who have been to training will know, the new Club caps are available for sale @ $10 each. The caps are lightweight, made of special material and designed to have air flow through them while running. They are being sold below cost price to ensure that everyone can have one. They are available at Sunday training, or you can contact Martin or Ellis on info@achilles-sydney.org.au to get yours.

No training Sunday 19 September

Training is NOT on for Sunday 19 September due to the Blackmores Running Festival and consequent road closures.

Parking Permits

We now have white parking permits for Sunday morning training. If anyone who regularly brings their car to training does not have one, please contact Ellis. Thanks to Steve and Jibraan for copying and laminating extra permits for us.

City2Surf

This year was a great for all of the Achilles participants. We had a 100% success rate and everyone really enjoyed the day. Particularly, well done to those who ran or walked their first City2Surf. We will have some detailed reports in our next full newsletter.

Ramadan

We hope all members who are observing Ramadan are going well. We are looking forward to your return to Sunday training after this fasting period.

Achilles Sloppy Joes and t-shirts

These are available for sale at bargain prices. Ask at Sunday training.

Blackmores Running Festival

Best of luck to Michael Levy who is running the marathon, Ben, Markus and Ellis, who will be running the half marathon, and Kathy Fela, who is running the 9km Bridge Run.

Walk for Shirley

Well done to Woody and Joe and Helen and John who took part in the Walk for Shirley on 22 August.

Everest Base Camp trekkers

Best of luck to Charlie McConnell, Rozanne Green, Nick Gleeson and Brian O’Dea who are embarking on a wonderful expedition. They leave on 19 September for Nepal to trek to Everest Base Camp. We are looking forward to hearing (and reading) wonderful stories about this exciting adventure.

Achilles website

If you want up to date information about Achilles, you’ll find it on the website, at www.achilles-sydney.org.au

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Volunteer Roster

Sept 4 - SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K - North Head

Sept 5 - Marilyn Gould, Ian Cohen, Doug Ritchie, Karen Parker Volunteer Required

Sept 12 - Mark Houlihan, Stephen Lenn, Martin Ruane, Nikki Caminer Volunteer Required

Sept 19 – NO TRAINING - BLACKMORES RUNNING FESTIVAL

Newsletter RHS

SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER

Past newsletters:

SEPTEMBER 2010

DOUG'S COMRADES REPORT 2010

OCTOBER 2009

OCTOBER 2008

JULY 2008

APRIL 2008

DECEMBER 2007

City to Surf Tower Run

City to Surf team 2009

City to Surf Team Photo 2

Rael, Phil and Doug after the Tower Run.

Orange Photos

Group shot of the team at Orange.

The beautiful grounds at the Orange Running Festival

Ben and Brian cross the finish line

Ben and Brian with their medals.

Shayne and Sue crossing the line

John and Helen cross the finish line of the 10km walk - great effort!

The nervous wait before the start!

Race Pictures 2009

Race Pictures from 2009

Ben Phillips and Martin Ruane - Sri Chinmoy Centennial Park 22 Nov 2009

The Run for Fun Team - 8th Nov 2009

Nick and Ellis finsh the Blackmores Half Marathon

City to Surf Group Photos 2009.

Comrades Photos 2010

Home

More than just exercise. Helping people who would like to walk and run, able-bodied and disabled, to do it together.

Club activities include:

    * Weekly training
    * Taking part in walking and running events
    * Learning how to guide
    * Enjoying social events

Latest News:

TRAINING IS ON AS NORMAL THIS WEEK SUNDAY 12th September 2010, MEET AT ART GALLERY STEPS AT 8.10am.

The AGM will take place straight after training.

The latest addition of the Achilles Heel Newsletter is now out - to read - Click here

NOTICE OF AGM - 12th September

Notice is hereby given of the Annual General Meeting for the Achilles Running Club Inc. Sydney

Date : Sunday 12th September 2010

Venue: The Domain (over the road from the steps of the Art Gallery of NSW)

Time: 9-45 am (after Sunday Training) (in case of bad weather a venue or date change may be made)

All commitee positions are available for nomination.

All financial members of the Club and interested parties are welcome to attend.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR MEMBERS WHO TOOK PART IN THE CITY TO SURF.

The latest addition of the Achilles Heel Newsletter is now out - to read - Click here

To read Doug's Comrades report - Click Here

The new roster is now available - Click here

Photos of the Orange Running Festival are now posted - Click Here

MAGNIFICENT DOUG and MARKUS ARE SUCCESSFUL

Doug Ritchie and Markus Schar (guiding François, a blind Achilles South Africa member) tamed the hills and flats of the Comrades Marathon to finish in 11 hours 35:58 mins and 11:46:32 respectively – a great effort. Congratulations to them both!

They ran most of the race very close together (although they wouldn’t have known it until afterwards). We look forward to hearing all about the race from both of them.

(posted on - 3rd June 2010)

BEN PHILLIPS LEAVES FOR WEST INDIES

Ben Phillips departed these shores with baggy green in hand (or on head) to tour the West Indies with the Australian blind cricket team. We wish Ben all the best of luck. We will keep you updated with the news from the Caribbean.

(posted on - 3rd June 2010)

BEN PHILLPS COMPLETES HIS FIRST HALF MARATHON

Congratulations to Ben Phillips who completed his first half marathon on the 16^th May. Guided by Markus with the help of Ellis and Doug, Ben finished in 2 hours 16 minutes. Well done Ben, I am sure this will be the first of many.

DOUG AND MARKUS HEAD TO SOUTH AFRICA

Two Achilles members Doug Ritchie and Markus Schar have left for South Africa to compete in the 2010 Comrades Marathon on the 30^th May. The Comrades Marathon is the World’s oldest and largest Ultra marathon, run over a distance of 89km (56 miles) between Pietermaritzburg (capital of Kwazulu – Natal Provence) and the coastal city of Durban, South Africa www.comrades.com or www.alsoranrunners.info/ . The direction of the race alternates each year between the “up run” starting from Durban and the “down run” starting from Pietermaritzburg. This year 2010 is a “down run”. The race is run over a strenuous course which encapsulates the “Big Five”, the five hills to be traversed on the run. There is a 12 hour time limit to cover the 89km’s. The “down run” is (sadly) known to be the tougher of the two direction due to the damage done to toes, feet, quads and knees as a result of the unavoidable action of having to running down hill for extended periods of time www.comrades.com/images/routeprofilemap.jpg

NICK AND BRIAN FLY THE ACHILLES FLAG

Congratulations to Nick Gleeson and Brian O’Dea who are both celebrating the completion of the Oxfam Trial walk and the Boston Marathon respectively.

Nick and his team ‘The Tigers’ finished the walk in 34 hours and 42 minutes. Despite a lost toe nail and sore feet Nick is recovering well. A great effort Nick.

Brian travelled to Boston for the marathon. He finished the race in an excellent time of 3 hours and 56 minutes with some energy spare to enjoy the post race celebrations with other members from Achilles International. Well done Brian.

MARKUS’S MOVIE FUNDRAISER – Friday 14^th MAY

In less then 50 days one of our members Markus Schar will be running one of the greatest race on the planet - the 89km Comrades Marathon in South Africa, together with his blind friend Francois.

In preparation for the race he has teamed up with Ben Phillips, who's goal is to finish the Sydney Half-marathon on Sunday, 16 May.

Markus is holding a fundraiser evening for The Fred Hollows Foundation.
Please join us and bring your friends and families to The Ritz Cinema in Randwick onFriday, 14 May from 8pm*to watch Aussie icons Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett star in Ridley Scott's 'Robin Hood'*(movie starts 9pm)

Tickets are $25 per personand include a pre-movie drink of your choice at the Ritz Bar. As usual there are some fabulous prices to be won at the raffle. For more information email Markus at info@run4vision.com

BRIAN O’DEA – BOSTON HERE HE COMES

Best of luck to Brian O’Dea, committee member and guide extraordinaire, who heads off to the USA to run the Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest and one of the most prestigious major annual marathons in the world. It was first run in 1897. Brian was extremely lucky to gain entry into this race that has well over 100 000 applicants for the 25 000 places. To be eligible to enter, you also need a qualifying marathon within a certain time.

The 2010 QUALIFYING STANDARDS for men in the different age groups are:

18-34 3hrs 10min

35-39 3hrs 15min

40-44 3hrs 20min

45-49 3hrs 30min

50-54 3hrs 35min

55-59 3hrs 45min

60-64 4hrs 00min

Have a GREAT RUN, Brian and bring back some interesting stories!

6 FOOT TRACK MARATHON

Congratulations to all our members who produced fantastic results in the 6 Foot Track Marathon last weekend. A number of these supreme athletes ran their personal best times and all produced excellent results.

Of particular note is John Domandl,a visually impaired member from Newcastle who, together with 2 of his best mates as sighted guides finished the grueling 45 km mountain run 2 mins and 46 secs ahead of the cut-off time of 7 hours. What a fantastic effort! John continuously traded positions at the back of the field with the sweep team and at one stage (Cox River) was 10 minutes behind them. It took an extreme effort to make up time over the inhospitable terrain along fire trails and bush tracks to the finish line at Jenolan Caves.

The finish times of the Achilles “team” were:

Michael Lovric 4 hours 30 mins 21 secs

Markus Schar 5:34:51

Michael Levy 5:50:11

Doug Ritchie 6:13:54

Nick Dreyton 6:48:04

Viv Kartsounis 6:48:04

John Domandl 6:57:14

About Us

The Sydney chapter of the Achilles Running Club was started in 1996. It is part of a worldwide organisation represented within about 60 countries.

Achilles aims to enable people from all walks of life, including those with physical impairments, to enjoy the health giving benefits of walking and running in a supportive, social and encouraging environment. In so doing it hopes to promote personal achievement, to enhance self-esteem and to lower barriers between people.

Where To Find Us

You will find us every Sunday morning, rain, hail or shine, on the steps of the Art Gallery of NSW opposite the Domain at 8:10am.

We train (walk or run) for an hour, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of some of Sydney's most spectacular parts - the Royal Botanic Gradens, the Opera House, Mrs. Macqauarie's Point.

For those of you who have some form of physical disability and want to enjoy the benefits of walking and running, Achilles is for you! Those of you who are not physically challenged and want to help others enjoy exercise can act as a "guide" for the disabled members in training and in races. You are NOT expected to be an expert in health or fitness or physical disabilities - training is provided. You simply need the desire to help those who are physically less fortunate than yourself.

The Achilles Running Club is an incorporated body and is registered as a charity organisation.

Committee

Ellis Janks - President

Martin Ruane - Vice President, webmaster & membership database co-ordinator

Ian Cohen - Treasurer

Ben Phillips – Events co-ordinator

Charlie McConnell – Events co-ordinator

James Howard – Minutes secretary

Nick Gleeson – Membership recruitment

Karen Parker – Minutes secretary

Brian O’Dea – Newsletter & events co-ordinator

Doug Ritchie – Training co-ordinator

Roster

Achilles Sunday Training Volunteer Roster

(updated 11/06/10)

If you are not, but wish to be on the roster, please email rozanne@bigpond.net.au

Jun 13 - Mark Houlihan, Stephen Lenn , Martin Ruane, Nikki Caminer Volunteer Required

Jun 20 -Colin Bradford, Peter Dabble, Diane Mcewin, Tori Ames Volunteer Required

Jun 27 –Brian O’Dea, Ted Magen, Markus Schar, Ellis Janks Volunteer Required

July 3 - SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K – Sydney Olympic Park

July 4 - Marilyn Gould, Ian Cohen, Doug Ritchie, Karen Parker Volunteer Required

July 11 - Mark Houlihan, Stephen Lenn , Martin Ruane, Nikki Caminer, Volunteer Required

July 18 - Colin Bradford, Peter Dabble, Diane Mcewin, Tori AmesVolunteer Required

July 25– Brian O’Dea, Ted Magen, Markus Schar, Ellis Janks Volunteer Required

Aug 1 - Marilyn Gould, Ian Cohen, Doug Ritchie, Karen Parker Volunteer Required

Aug 8 - NO TRAINING - SUN HERALD SYDNEY CITY TO SURF

Aug 15 - Mark Houlihan, Stephen Lenn , Martin Ruane, Nikki Caminer , Volunteer Required

Aug 22 - Colin Bradford, Peter Dabble, Diane Mcewin, Tori Ames Volunteer Required

Aug 29 –Brian O’Dea, Ted Magen, Markus Schar, Ellis Janks Volunteer Required

Sept 4 - SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K - North Head

Sept 5 - Marilyn Gould, Ian Cohen, Doug Ritchie, Karen Parker Volunteer Required

Sept 12 - Mark Houlihan, Stephen Lenn, Martin Ruane, Nikki Caminer Volunteer Required

Sept 19 – NO TRAINING - BLACKMORES RUNNING FESTIVAL

Sept 26– Colin Bradford, Peter Dabble, Diane Mcewin, Tori Ames Volunteer Required

Oct 2 - SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K - – Sydney Olympic Park

Oct 3 – Brian O’Dea, Ted Magen, Markus Schar, Ellis Janks Volunteer Required

Oct 10 – Marilyn Gould, Ian Cohen, Doug Ritchie, Karen Parker Volunteer Required

Oct 17 - Mark Houlihan, Stephen Lenn, Martin Ruane, Nikki Caminer Volunteer Required

Oct 24 - Colin Bradford, Peter Dabble, Diane Mcewin, Tori Ames Volunteer Required

Image Gallery

Orange Running Festival 2010

Race Pictures 2009

City to Surf and Tower Run 2009

Bushwalk May 2009

Hastie Group Presentation 2008

2006-Photos

Contact Us

If you would like to find out more about becoming an Achilles Member or Volunteer, contact info@achilles-sydney.org.au

You can also contact the Achilles Running Club Sydney via the post.

Postal Address:
Achilles Running Club Sydney Inc.,
PO Box 240,
Randwick 2031

Volunteer Roster
If your name is not on the roster and you would like to be on roster please email: rozanne@bigpond.net.au or phone 93653329

April 2010 Newsletter

Contents:

President’s Message

Orange – Running like clockwork

Ben’s Baggy Green

Not-so-Blue Mountains Race

Peter’s Red-Letter Day

Update – Matt makes another splash.

Update – Lindy in Canberra.

2010 Volunteer Roster

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE.

I believe that since the last edition of The Achilles Heel, walking and running conditions have been perfect. Some believe it has become cooler. None-the-less large numbers of enthusiastic members turn out every Sunday, come rain (14 members came), Easter long weekends (15) or good weather (30+). As I have mentioned before, we need the volunteer guides, so please keep coming. There have some Sunday training days when the disabled members have outnumbered the guides.

The committee are still working on getting Achilles caps. We are trying to source yellow (our singlet colour) micromesh material caps at a reasonable price for the quantity we need which is proving very difficult. If we wanted white or some other common colour, we would already have had caps. Watch this space!

Dick Traum, the founder of the Achilles, named his newly formed running and walking group “The Achilles Track Club”. When we started the Sydney chapter of Achilles, we decided to adopt the name “Achilles Running Club”, as “track” had different connotations in Australia to the USA and we wanted the name of the club to describe what we did. The Achilles Track Club has recently had a name change. It is now Achilles International (www.achillesinternational.org). Chapters around the world have been asked to officially register with Achilles International. Our committee has decided that it is preferable to keep our name as the Achilles Running Club, as this still identifies who we are, what we do and our name and logo has become a well recognised. I will keep you updated with news on our communications with our Achilles parent organization.

Happy walking and running and looking forward to seeing you on the road!

Ellis Janks

ORANGE – RUNNING LIKE CLOCKWORK

It is believed that Sir Thomas Mitchell named Orange after the Prince William of Orange, whom Mitchell had known when they were both aide-de-camps to the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War.

On Saturday 6^th March, 14 members of the Achilles Running Club set out for Orange in what was the club’s first involvement in the Orange Running Festival. Martin and a few family members travelled ahead as an advance party.

The idea had grown from a suggestion that Achilles should be taken farther afield. As well as giving other centres the opportunity of learning about Achilles, this would add extra social and event opportunities for members.

From the time that Ellis contacted the organisers of the Running Festival, the Achilles Club was made to feel very welcome. Our impending arrival was featured in the Central Western Daily. Charlie McConnell was the subject of a well-worded interview, which can be read here.

Charlie was also the main organiser of the trip, including the accommodation. This was no simple task and Charlie’s efforts were greatly appreciated. Owing to a misunderstanding at the hotel, we arrived to find that insufficient rooms had been reserved. Ellis, Charlie and the hotel manager devised a plan that saw everybody housed. It did mean that some people did get to know each other a little better than had been anticipated. This all added to camaraderie of the trip.

Another stalwart of the venture was Kerry, who nursed the bus to and from Orange with skill and good humour. She also patiently ignored the shouted advice from the “committee” that was driving Charlie’s GPS device.

The meal on the eve of the Festival was a convivial affair, with one or two people taking a creative approach to the “carbo-loading” aspects of racing.

The Festival was a great success, and Achilles had participants in the 4.5K and 10K events. The organisation was impeccable and the organisers, volunteers and participants were cheerful and efficient. This attitude was maintained even when a deluge hit the post-race activities. The downpour could not douse the prevailing mood and did not interrupt the drawing of gifts from a seemingly bottomless barrel. This was particularly remarkable because a burglar had stolen the intended prizes just a few days before the Festival.

Helen and Ben each won a prize in the draw, and the Festival organizers added to our haul with a generous gift of caps and drink-bottles.

It is certain that the Orange Running Festival will become a regular feature of our calendar.

The Achilles Team after the events. [More pictures from Orange can be viewed here]

SOCIAL BREAKFAST AFTER TRAINING

For all those who feel peckish after training and who want to catch up with other Achilles members, we are having another very popular club breakfast. You can get a continental or full breakfast or just a cuppa and muffin or toast - whatever takes your fancy. So do come and eat, relax and socialise.

Date : Sunday 11 April 2010

Venue : NSW League Headquarters, 165 Phillip Street. (between King St & Martin Place)

Time : about 9-45 am

Dress: Training / walking and running gear is fine but bring a change of clothes if you are really dripping sweat after a vigorous training session.

Hope to see you there.

BEN’S BAGGY GREEN

Among the team that travelled to Orange was Ben Phillips. In recent months, Ben’s running has played a vital part in meeting another sporting goal: selection for the Australian Blind Cricket Team.

Ben has been on a determined path to make the team since falling short in 2008, when Australia played England for the Ashes. “I think it was due to my lack of fitness,” Ben told Achilles Heel. In April 2009, Ben was given another chance and attended a training cam in Adelaide. “Yet again, my fitness let me down,” Ben recalls.

Shortly afterwards, Ben underwent surgery in an effort to save what was left of his failing sight. It did not work. At this point, Ben was at a low ebb. However, he was boosted by, “great mates around me; most notably, long time friend and former fellow cricketer, Nick Gleeson, who showed great understanding of my new situation. Nick signed me up with Achilles and entered me in the 2009 City to Surf.”

Ben “power walked” the whole way. Having just been released from, he was under medical orders not to try to run.

He then started running and walking with Achilles regularly. As his fitness improved, so did his cricket. Late in 2009, he was selected by New South Wales to be part of the squad preparing for the National Blind Cricket Championships, to be held in January 2010. In this build-up, Ben would “attend Achilles training on a Sunday morning and spend the rest of the day training with the NSW cricket squad. The effort I was putting in was noticed and there was an obvious improvement in my fitness.”

A chance withdrawal of another player from the NSW and Australia teams, resulted in Ben getting an unexpected call-up to the national team. After the National Championship, Ben found himself part of the team contesting 5 one-day internationals with NZ. He was 12^th man for the first two games but got his chance in the 3^rd game. His 32 runs from 15 deliveries were followed by 32 runs from 16 deliveries in the 4^th game. A successful opening partnership in the 5^th game meant that Ben did not have to bat. [Ben credits his batting approach to the example set by Achilles member Charlie McConnell, “regarded in his day as the toughest attacking batsman in the world.”]

These two knocks have led to Ben being selected for Australia for the 3-week tour to the West Indies in June.

Congratulations, Ben!

NOT-SO-BLUE MOUNTAINS RACE

The “Visit New South Wales” website describes The Six Foot Track thus:

“One of Australia’s classic walks, the Six Foot Track follows the route of the original 1884 horse track that was carved through rock and bush to take tourists from Katoomba to the Jenolan Caves.

Rising high to cross mountain ranges and falling into deep troughs on the other side, the track takes walkers through a range of habitats - rainforest, eucalypt forests, open grazing country. There are spectacular natural features, including caves, sheer sandstone cliffs, waterfalls and incredible panoramas of richly-forested valleys.

The walk, which usually takes three days to complete, can be done as a do-it-yourself adventure or as a guided trip with one of several tour operators.”

Once a year, the Six Foot Track becomes the venue for one of Australia’s toughest long-distance races. [An interesting short history of the race can be found here.]

The challenging course has made the race increasingly popular. When online registration opened for the 2010 race, all places were taken within a few hours. Several Achilles Running Club members were lucky enough to grab spots (having also met the gruelling qualification standards). They all performed well:

Michael Lovric 4 (hours): 30 (mins): 21 (secs)
Markus Schar 5:34:51
Michael Levy 5:50:11
Doug Ritchie 6:13:54
Nick Dreyton 6:48:04
Viv Kartsounis 6:48:04
John Domandl 6:57:14

Of particular note is John’s run. There is a 7-hour cut-off for the race. This is policed by a team of “Sweeps”, who follow the racers and monitor their well-being. They also have to disqualify runners who are behind schedule at certain points on the course. Here is what Stephen Jackson* (the Head Sweep in this year’s race) wrote in a Cool Running web forum dedicated to the Six Foot Track race:

“However, from our perspective, the race of the day was that by John Domandl. He is blind. We caught him and his 2 guides in Nellies and thought, "No chance." John was guided through the technical sections quite slowly, but motored on the fire trails. By Cox's he was well behind the 7hr pacers, but, conveniently, the Sweeps were held up with another broken runner. So, he got through Coxs over cu-toff, but betwixt Pacer and Sweep. Lo and behold! He caught the pacers just before Pluv, and played leap frog with the pacers until a few km to go. He then took off and got a few minutes in the bank. A superb effort on a rough track by a blind runner - and his amazing guides. It was a privilege to play a small part in the run of the day.”

John told Achilles:

“The guides were Thomas Phillips (Tom) and Jeffery Fisher (Fish), old mates from Triathlon and Fun Run/Marathon days.

“Our plan was to all finish and work as a team, just like we have done in training over the last 3 months, Tom and Fish took it in turns working to get me through the tough bits. They were fantastic. My achievement was also their achievement and glory. I had no chance whatsoever without them. You don't see many people doing things like they did for me on Saturday.”

John and his guides cross the finish line.

*[Stephen “Action” Jackson is a “well-known racing identity” of the best kind. He has competed in many of the world’s great endurance races, including the 250-Km, six-day Marathon des Sables, across the deserts of Morocco. Stephen is also active in club volunteering/management and is a sought-after international course-measurer.]

PETER’S RED-LETTER DAY.

Although the Achilles year started officially on 31^st January, the first “event” of 2010 was the celebration on January 16^th of Peter Bielieter’s 40^th birthday.

Achilles volunteer, Mark Houlihan and his wife Cass organized a picnic brunch for Peter at Clarke’s Point Reserve, Woolwich.

About 30 family members and friends gathered at this delightful spot at the confluence of the Parramatta and Lane Cove Rivers. The weather was ideal, with scattered clouds shielding guests from the sun.

The guests included about half-a-dozen members of the Achilles Running Club.

Peter tackles the under-represented candles

UPDATE - BRIAN HEADS TO BOSTON

Brian O’Dea, newsletter co-editor, committee member and guide extraordinaire is on his way to the Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest and one of the most prestigious major annual marathons in the world ( www.bostonmarathon.org ). It was first run in 1897 and due to its popularity, Boston is one of the most difficult races for which to gain entry.

Brian, enjoy the atmosphere and experience, have a great run and bring back some interesting stories for the next Achilles Heel.

UPDATE – MATT MAKES ANOTHER SPLASH

In the January Achilles Heel, we reported that Achilles member and Paralympian, Matt Levy, had returned from the Short Course World Championships with six gold medals. We also mentioned that Matt would be taking a short break before taking part in the National Trials in March in an attempt to make the Australian team for the IPC World Championships in August.

On March 21^st, the Swimmers’ Association announced that Matt would be part of a 26-member team that would represent Australia at the 2010 Australian IPC World Championships. The IPC World Championships will be contested across 16 different distances and events, swum in 14 classes. The event will be held in the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swimming Stadium, Eindhoven, Netherlands from August 15-21, 2010.

We wish Matt every success and look forward to reporting on his exploits in The Netherlands.

UPDATE – LINDY IN CANBERRA.

In the January newsletter, we also reported that Paralympian Lindy Hou had moved to Canberra. Lindy’s guide-dog, Harper, has his own newsletter and reports that Lindy is training for the Canberra Half-Marathon in May and is considering a return to triathlons. If all goes according to plan, the Hawaiian Ironman of 2011 will be her major target.

UPDATE - NICK TO TACKLE MELBOURNE TRAILWALKER

Nick Gleeson is off again. Another day – another adventure! He was approached by none other than the Minister of Defence, John Faulkner too join John’s team of 4 in this years Trailwalker in Melbourne. Obviously forgetting that the required 100km was a very long way to walk, Nick accepted. Under the tutorage of Trailwalker veterans Charlie McConnell and Ellis Janks, Nick got training. He is hoping that the adage that the event is 70% mental and 30% physical is true.

Best of luck, Nick. We wish you strong legs and no blisters!

2010 VOLUNTEER ROSTER

We are delighted to welcome a new wave of volunteers to Achilles. There is always room for more. We encourage all those interested to add their names to the roster. You can do so by contacting Rozanne at Rozanne@bigpond.net,au

April 11 - CANBERRA MARATHON AND ULTRA (ACT)

- Mark Houlihan, Ian Cohen, Martin Ruane,Diane Mcewin, Nikki Caminer Volunteers Required

April 18 - Colin Bradford, Peter Dable, Ellis Janks, Ted Magen Volunteers Required

April 25 – Marilyn Gould, Stephen Lenn, Markus Schar, Doug Ritchie Volunteers Required

May 1 - SYDNEY STRIDERS - Sydney Olympic Park

May 2 - Mark Houlihan, Ian Cohen, Diane Mcewin, Martin Ruane Volunteers Required

May 9 – Mother’s Day Classic - Domain

May 9 - Colin Bradford, Ian Cohen, Nikki Caminer, Brian O’Dea, Volunteers Required

May 16 -Chris Laing, Ellis Janks, Peter Dable, Markus ScharVolunteers Required

May 23 - Marilyn Gould, Stephen Lenn, Ted Magen, Doug Ritchie Volunteers Required

May 30 - Mark Houlihan, Diane Mcewin, Brian O’Dea, Martin Ruane Volunteers Required

Please feel free to write to us – we are always looking for interesting stories and members’ views for inclusion in The Achilles Heel info@achilles-sydney.org.au

If you require information on Achilles, be sure to look on the website www.achilles-sydney.com.au

default left handler

MISSION STATEMENT

"To enable people from all walks of life, including those with physical impairments, to enjoy the health giving benefits of walking and running in a supportive, social and encouraging environment."

Comrades - Doug's Report 2010

DOUG’S COMRADES REPORT

Hi there,

I want to start off by thanking you for sponsoring my running of the 2010 Comrades Marathon and supporting the chosen Beneficiaries outlined above in the attachment from Sister Mary Paule. I’m really appreciative of the level of support given by yourself and delighted to tell you that I managed to raise a total of $3,000.

This was my first attempt at running the Comrades Marathon, run on the 30th May from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, South Africa. Happily, I completed the 89km run in 11hrs 35 mins, a bit battered and bruised but with an immense feeling of elation and relief.

Race day

My alarm went off at a very unreasonable 3.30am and immediately I felt that mixed sense of dread and excitement. The day that I had been planning for at least 12 months had arrived.

After a quick breakfast it was time to put all the planning behind me, don my running belt and load up with all the energy gels, salt tablets, electrolyte drinks, pain killers, water and elastoplasts that would be required for the day ahead. Talk about feeling loaded down with extra supplies, I virtually waddled to the start line at 5am in order to get a good spot for the 5.30am start (not one to be too pushy I settled in behind 16,000 other nervous runners).

Pre race rituals saw the singing of the South African national followed by a traditional Zulu miner’s song “Shosholoza” by the 16,500 runners, spine tingling stuff. The starting cannon fired and with the temperature hitting a heady 4 degrees it was on for young and old! The journey to Durban had begun. After stopping off at the side of the road to take an early toilet break I looked back towards the start line and had to laugh to myself as I was officially in last place, with a police escort to boot. Fame at last! It surely couldn’t get any worse that this.

My race tactics were simple, just keep moving towards Durban, remain focussed and try and enjoy the experience. I had heard many times from experienced Comrades runners that the race only really begins at the 60km mark, a sobering thought considering that the longest run I had managed in my 6 months training for Comrades had been a “paltry” 50km. It was too late to worry about that. I had promised myself that I would complete the distance no matter what as there was a lot riding on my completion of the distance within the allotted 12 hours (sponsors, benefactors, family and friends and of course personal pride).

As the sun rose and the temperature increased fellow runners gradually stripped off the many layers of clothing they had donned in the wee hours of the morning and threw them to the many spectators (mainly children) at the side of the road for whom a warm jumper or a beanie meant warmth during the upcoming cold South African winter months. This was a sign for me to do likewise, stripping down to my highly visible Australian running singlet which pre race I thought might be a good idea as it may raise the occasional cheer of encouragement from a spectator or two and in turn aiding motivation. Bad move. Little did I know it would raise a huge amount of attention and support, with the dreaded “Ozzie, Ozzie……yup, you know how it goes, chant being directed at me every 20 or so paces. The novelty of this soon wore off especially as I felt I had to acknowledge all who took the trouble to chant it and shout back in response a sickly and very unenthusiastic “Oi, Oi, Oi.

The km’s kicked by and Inchanga hill came and went with this notorious climb being taken slowly as the sun at this time of the day was higher in the sky and surprisingly hot with little shade to be found.

5 hrs and 39 mins saw me crossing the halfway point (Drummond, 44km) and for once I took my eyes off the road and looked North to see the Valley of a Thousand Hills stretching beautifully into the distance. Surprisingly, I felt remarkably fresh at this stage but knew that that wouldn’t last for long as the second half of the run had some very punishing “downs” to negotiate and the small detail of a further 45kms to run. I was right, the good feeling didn’t last long and the run out of Drummond was easily the hardest section for me and motivation was beginning to wear thin. What am I doing here? What’s this all about? Can I get a beer at the side of the road?

The stretch down Fields Hill seemed to go for ever, made worse by a severe cambering road. Much needed motivation was to be found in nearby Pinetown (not a Pine tree to be seen) after a friend in the crowd spotted me and ran with me for about 10 mins, encouraging me all the way and giving me hope by telling me that if I kept up this pace I would definitely finish within the 12 hour cut off. Thanks for your support Braam.

The last 20km was quite possibly the hardest thing I have ever done. It was time to put the mind into overdrive, pull down the brim of my cap (so I can’t see the hills ahead) keep my eyes on the heels of the runner in front and just plough on, one foot in front of the other.

Running through the outskirts of Durban was dull to say the very least and seemed to go on forever, freeway overpasses and long stretches of road without the support of any spectators.

With 2km’s to go I saw the floodlights of the Kingsmead Stadium and the finish line. Bynowall I was focussed on was feeling the green grass of the stadium track underneath my feet and the final 500 metres before crossing the line. On entering the stadium the noise of 10,000 odd spectators was a stirring incentive to finish strongly. Crossing the line was the culmination of 6 months of early morning training runs with many moments of self doubt and dealing with injuries. A wave of relief, joy and satisfaction took over. I had finished.

The finish line!

The finish line 2 minutes later …

Celebrations continued deep into the night!

My many thanks go to Trudi for her support and patience and my many friends in the running community who supported me on my wish to complete Comrades 2010.

In the week following Comrades, Trudi and I had the pleasure of visiting Ikhwezi Lokusa School. For Trudi and I this was a special highlight of our trip to South Africa, going back to the school where I was the first overseas volunteer 30 years ago. It was wonderful to reconnect with the inspiring Sister Mary Paule after all these years. She has the same lively sense of humour and has retained all of her enthusiasm and devotion to helping the people of Mthatha and surrounds through many community based Charities.

Cheque presentation with Sister Mary Paule

Thank you all for contributing to these Charities, it will make a huge difference.

Cheers,

Doug

Children from the Ikhwezi Lokusa School

The following email from Sister Mary Paule demonstrates just how valuable fundraising efforts can be:

From: Sr. Mary Paule [marypaule.bethany@goggaconnect.co.za]
Sent: Tuesday, 13 July 2010 5:30 PM
To: Ritchie, Doug

I was so thrilled that Douglas and Trudi while in South Africa took time to visit us at Ikhwezi Lokusa where Douglas was a much loved volunteer 30 years ago. And blessedly Douglas is as kind, charming and fun-loving as before. And when he told us about the fundraising he had done in support of our work, I thought this young man has not changed. We were, of course, moved by his thoughtfulness and impressed by the way he included you, his friends and family, to in the effort to assist us. The donation came to the impressive total of three thousand Australian dollars which was exchanged for South African Rand, 18 682.50

Douglas and Trudi gave me the go ahead to decide on the beneficiaries. After thought and prayer this is what was decided:

Ikhwezi Lokusa Rehabilitation R3 000.00

Thembelihle Home R3 000.00

Bethany Home R2 000.00

Temba R2 000.00

CINDI R2 000.00

SANTA R2 000.00

School needs R2 000.00

Food for the destitute R2 682.50

Let me tell you briefly about each of the beneficiaries:

- Ikhwezi Lokusa Rehabilitation - a vocational training centre for physically and mentally challenged.

- Thembelihle Home - place of safety for abondoned or abused children from 6 to 16 years.

- Bethany Home - place of safety for abandoned or abused infants from birth to 2 years.

- Temba - hospice for 32 terminally ill adults.

- CINDI - care for AIDS orphans.

- SANTA - care of tuberculosis patients.

- School needs for children - fees, stationery, uniform, shoes ........................

- Food parcels for destitute families.

We want to send our warmest and deepest thanks to you Douglas and Trudi and to each and every person who contributed to this wondrous donation. May each of you be richly blessed.

Yours gratefully

Sister Mary Paule

Newsletter - July 2010

NEWSLETTER JULY 2010

In this edition

President’s message

Jenny, Queen of Clubs

Markus and Doug: Comrades-in-alms

Big Ben keeps good time

The United State of Achilles

Parking Permits

Achilles Caps

Membership Renewal

Rosters

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE.

I have enjoyed following the progress of various Achilles members during their preparation for and participation in events over the last few months. Here are some examples, to name but a few: the 6 Foot Track, the Mother’s Day Classic, the SMH Half Marathon, the Oxfam Trailwalker, the Canberra Running Festival, the Comrades Marathon, and the Gold Coast Marathon. I find it very motivating to witness our members participating and doing so well. I encourage everyone who participates in a special event to report back about it so that we can all share in the excitement and satisfaction of your efforts. You will read some fantastic stories later in this newsletter.

Please read all the details relating to the new Sunday parking permits, new Achilles caps and membership renewal.

I look forward to seeing you at Sunday training – the best place to be on a Sunday morning!

Happy walking and running and looking forward to seeing you on the road!

Ellis Janks

Jenny, the Queen of Clubs

Jenny Abela started playing golf in 2000. Her husband Peter was dying of cancer and she needed an occasional relief from the stress.

10 years after those sad days, Jenny is still playing golf. However, the sport has gone from being an outlet for grief to being an important and positive part of Jenny’s life.

Such a progression might be routine in a well-sighted person. When one realises that Jenny is almost totally blind, the story becomes remarkable.

Jenny was persuaded to take up golf by Vision Australia stalwart and volunteer bus-driver, Brian Turner. Shortly afterwards, Jenny found herself taking lessons from Eddie Emerson, a golfing teacher based at St Michael’s Golf Club. She recalls the faltering start with amusement. For example, when she was first handed a putter, she struck an over-the-shoulder pose that might have been used by Greg Norman to blast a ball down the fairway.

Ten years later, Jenny has a travel diary that records her many golfing trips all over Australia and as far afield as Japan. The two Japan visits were particularly exciting,as Jenny was thecaptain of the Vision Australia New South Wales Team. Jenny is still taking lessons from Eddie, whom Jenny describes as a “marvellous man.”

She also has a shelf full of trophies. One of them records her victory in the 2010 Adelaide Stapleford competition. I am not sure whether she still has her “favourite” trophy. It was a bottle of fine Scotch whisky that was awarded to her at the Jack Newton Foundation Golf Tournament after hitting the longest drive by a woman. Jenny explained that she was the only woman golfer to actually land her drive on the fairway, a prerequisite for winning the prize.

When modestly discussing her golfing successes with Achilles Heel, Jenny was ready for the obvious question: “How does a vision-impaired person play golf?” While sighted golfers have a caddie to assist with advice on club selection and the lay of the land, the blind golfer’s caddie is also a guide. The guide will perform the additional duties of positioning the ball and positioning the golfer. The guide’s advice on topography has to be a lot more detailed and the teamwork has to be at the highest level.

Nonetheless, even the best preparation can go wrong. On one occasion, Jenny gave a hefty swing with her driver at the start of a hole. Both Jenny and guide, long-time friend Kerry Allen, were surprised when the expected “thwack!’ was replaced by a quiet “click”. They were then embarrassed and amused to find that, instead of being placed on the tee, the ball was still in Jenny’s pocket. (Kerry was mentioned in a recent Achilles Heel newsletter after expertly coaxing the Vision Australia bus to and from the Orange Running Festival).

The thrill of competition and the many light-hearted social moments have convinced Jenny that golf is a sport that could and should be enjoyed by vision-impaired people. The trophies on the shelf are nice to have, but the biggest prize has been the friendships collected in the ten years that she has played.

We are delighted that she thinks the same way about her association with Achilles.

Jenny sinks a put at the Japan Open in 2009

[Note: Achilles Heel intends to publish a series of profiles of Club members. We would like your assistance in writing about or identifying people whose achievements will inspire others.]

Markus and Doug: Comrades-in-alms

Raising money for charity and worthwhile causes can be tough going. The going is indeed tough when it involves running the world-famous Comrades Marathon. The race is over a distance of 89 kilometres and links Pietermaritzburg and Durban. Each year, the direction of the race alternates and in 2010, it was the “down run” to Durban. “Down” is a misleading description. There are many hills, particularly in the second half of the race. Besides, the long downhill sections are notorious for the damage they do a runner’s quads and knees. To be recognised as a “finisher”, runners have to complete the race in less than 12 hours.

Achilles club members Doug Ritchie and Markus Schar ran the 2010 Comrades Marathon. Although they were not planning to run together, they were united in a commitment to raise funds for two charities.

Doug ran to raise funds for Ikhwezi Lokusa Rehabilitation and Development Society. Doug first established a relationship with Ikhwezi in 1979, when he started his “gap” year working as a Teacher Aid and House Parent at the school. Since then, the school has been transformed into a Rehabilitation centre for young adults with physical and mental disabilities. Ikhewezi Lokusa is in an impoverished part of South Africa previously known as Transkei.

It was Doug’s first Comrades. Despite his long months of training, he knew that he should leave nothing to chance:

My alarm went off at a very unreasonable 3.30am and immediately I felt that mixed sense of dread and excitement. The day that I had been planning for at least 12 months had arrived.

Pre race rituals saw the singing of the South African national followed by a traditional Zulu miner’s song “Shosholoza” by the 17,000 runners, spine tingling stuff. The starting cannon fired and with the temperature hitting a heady 4 degrees it was on for young and old! The journey to Durban had begun. After stopping off at the side of the road to take an early toilet break I looked back towards the start line and had to laugh to myself as I was officially in last place, with a police escort to boot. Fame at last! It surely couldn’t get any worse than this.”

Not for the first time in his life, Doug managed to shake off the pursuing police cars and doggedly set off for Durban. Here is his description of the finish:

With 2km’s to go I saw the floodlights of the Kingsmead Stadium and the finish line. Bynowall I was focussed on was feeling the green grass of the stadium track underneath my feet and the final 500 metres before crossing the line. On entering the stadium the noise of 10,000 odd spectators was a stirring incentive to finish strongly. Crossing the line was the culmination of 6 months of early morning training runs withmany moments of self doubt and dealing with injuries. A wave of relief, joy and satisfaction took over. I had finished.

The finish line!

The finish line 2 minutes later …

Celebrations continued deep into the night!

[Doug’s race report is worth reading in full. It also includes more detail on the charity that benefited from his great effort. Click Here to read.]

Doug completed his journey in 11 hours 35 minutes and 58 seconds. We heard from him the day after the race. His post-run soreness was being eased with Castle beers. And he was preparing to enjoy the FIFA World Cup while in South Africa. At least one Achilles member has reported hearing a vuvuzela that sounded alarmingly like a bagpipe.

Doug was laid-back at the post-race press conference

Doug has identified his next challenge and is already in training.

Markus began to raise funds for the Fred Hollows Foundation in the lead up to the 2008 Marathon des Sables, the 6-day, 254-kilometre race in the southern Moroccan desert. At the 2010 Comrades Marathon, Markus ran with blind South African runner, Francois Jacobs. The fact that Markus and Francois had never run together added to the challenge. Whereas Markus is a veteran of ultra-marathons, this was to be the first time that Francois had run more than 50 kilometres. However, spurred on by spectators and competitors, Francois drew upon previously unknown reserves. He and Markus ran into a packed stadium in Durban with 13 minutes to spare. Their finishing time was 11 hours 46 minutes 32 seconds.

This is a section from Markus’s race report. (You know it is a special race when the report includes the words, “we had to work hard the first few hours…”)

“It took about 10 km before the masses started to stretch out a bit and we had some space around us to run. Normally in a race like this, I would fail to notice anything but the 10 metre stretch of bitumen in front of me. This time, apart of focusing on Francois, I had time to enjoy the scenery, supporters and fellow runners for most of the race, as the speed was almost 1 1/2 min per km slower than my usual race speed.

As we started at the very end of the roughly 17’000 runners, I wanted to make sure that we made up the lost 10 min from the start and get somehow into line with my race plan, We had to work hard the first few hours to overtake 100’s of other runners. Not an easy task for a single runner and a nightmare for us two as the road got narrower once outside of Pietermaritzburg and the masses around us never loosed up wide enough to have more than 3 – 5 meters of free space ahead of us.

It took me a while to realise that weaving left and right all the time to overtake people was not a nice feeling for Francois and I decided to settle down to a slower pace as soon as I was sure that we were on track with our time. After about 2 hours of running, the sun finally made her appearance on the horizon and we started taking off all the extra t-shirts and plastic bags we had on us to cover against the freezing cold. These extra clothing were quickly taken by waiting children along the road. With the sun out, we suddenly could see more of the country side and the view over the valley and ahead of us was incredible – rolling hills after hills on both sides and a mass of people, looking more likea monstrous snake, moving slowly forward towards the Ocean and Durban.”

Please read more of Markus’s gripping account of the race on his web site. There, you will also find more information about his running and fund-raising exploits.

[Doug and Markus were eleven minutes apart in a race of eleven hours. However, each was unaware of it at the time.]

Francois (L) and Markus (R) finish the 2010 Comrades’

Big Ben keeps good time.

Regular readers might recall that blind Achilles member Ben Phillips joined Achilles in order to become fit enough to be selected for the Australian Blind Cricket Team. [He achieved this goal and has just returned back from the team’s tour of the West Indies. We hope to publish some of his exploits in a coming edition of Achilles Heel.]

From a series of short runs, Ben graduated to the Homebush 10K in October 2009. He doubled his 10K experience as part of the Achilles contingent at the Orange Running Festival in March 2010.

These achievements left Ben determined to run the Sydney Morning Half Marathon in May. He was aware that this would require quite a boost to his fitness. His Achilles teammates were happy to oblige. Centennial Park became his training ground, and Markus Schar his trainer, assisted by Ellis Janks and Martin Ruane . 16-kilometers four times a week laid the platform for a marked increase in fitness.

During this training regime, Ben remarked in an email, “The hardest bit has been getting up so damn early in the morning when it is so bitterly cold, then trying desperately to snap out of my sleepy trance when I hear that dreaded knock at the door. It has also been tough running around the same park all the time. We've been running the 4km loop of Centennial Park, and it seems to take forever to complete 1 lap. I'm sure all the rain we've had makes that bloody park grow bigger every day! Then when you've finally finished the lap, you do it again, and again, and again.”

On the day of the race, Ben was guided by Markus, with the assistance of Ellis Janks and Doug Ritchie, who helped clear a path for Ben and Markus. Martin provided additional support towards the end of the race. A happy troupe of Achilles team mates crossed the line in the remarkable time of 2 hours 11 minutes.

Ben summed up his feelings after the race:

The Half Marathon itself was a fantastic experience. It was so enjoyable to run around Sydney's most famous landmarks, and along city streets that are usually busy with traffic. The hard training, though only 3 months of it, prepared me exceptionally well for the event. I had the A Team of guides supporting me, with Markus, Ellis, and Doug running along side me every step of the way. Surprisingly, the first 10.5km lap was easy, and I was able to enjoy the whole experience thoroughly. A few kms into the second lap I started to get tired and find things a bit tougher. It wasn't until the last 2 or 3 kms that I really started to do it tough, and barely had enough in the tank to get me home over the last km. It took something extra special to push myself beyond what I thought my body could handle. It was truly overwhelming to complete the race, and in a much better time than I had expected. I have learned a lot from the race, and know the next time will be even better. If only you could just bottle the feeling of triumph when you've crossed the finish line after all that hard work, because it would be great to feel that good every day of your life. It's such an incredible feeling of joy and disbelief.

Without the help of my guides, I would never have known the pure bliss of conquering a half marathon. It's to my guides that I owe my gratitude and admiration. Markus is a training machine, anyone who wants to tackle a serious race should subjectthemselves to his intense training regime.

The Dynamic Duo, Ben (4632) and Markus (2794) and other super-heroes after the 2010 Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon. (The 3 dashing gents on the right are Doug, Martin and Ellis.)

Nick’s off to the Bush

The Oxfam TRAILWALKER originated in Hong Kong in 1981 as a military training exercise for the Queen’s Gurkha Signals Regiment. In 1986, Oxfam Hong Kong was invited to co-organise the event and then in 1997, completely took it over. Over time, Oxfam TRAILWALKER became one of the largest fundraising sports events in Hong Kong and now also has massive success annually in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Belgium.

The 2010 Melbourne Trailwalker over 700 teams of 2-4 athletes. The aim: cover 100 kilometres in The Australian bush in less than 48 hours. The course: Jells Park in Wheelers Hill and to Wesburn Park in the Yarra Valley.

Achilles veteran Nick Gleeson was a member of the Tiger 100 Team led by Senator John Faulkner*. This is Nick’s report of the event:

An amazing 34 hours

This year’s 100km Oxfam100 Melbourne walk, which took place over the weekend of 16^th – 18^th April, involved more than 700 teams – a tremendous number of people.

When I first met Senator John Faulkner (the Minister for Defence) last year, I knew from the beginning I wanted to be part of his Balmain Tigers Trailwalker Team 100 in the 2010 walk.

John was warm, showed amazing awareness of vision loss and instinctively knew what to do when guiding someone who is blind. I soon found out that the other team members, Tim Cummingsand Max Bryant, were fantastic young guys who were committed to making this challenge something very special.

We started off at 10am on Friday morning and everyone seemed bubbly. However, Friday night came and went and no sleep was had at all as we walked along fire trails and up and down some extraordinary hills.

Sleep deprivation can be quite horrific and coping with it is so important. Realising his three team mates were starting to feel the strain, at 3am on Friday night John started singing songs from the 1960s to lift our spirits. Throughout the walk, the senator was particularly humble and did not tell other participants who he was, even though many people knew his face.

Our superb Support Team, which was headed up by Alexandra, was also amazing, meeting us at each checkpoint so we could eat, drink and repair our blistered feet. Without their wonderful assistance we simply would not have made it.

I loved the feel of the Melbourne bush, its smells and the various textures of the trees I felt. I also appreciated the descriptions my team mates gave me of what they could see - this made it all come alive. Hearing bellbirds, kookaburras, cows and even the odd horse neighing took my mind off some of the pain I was experiencing after 34 hours on my feet.

I would like to thank Senator John Faulkner for giving me this opportunity to be part of his team and for always stepping forward, especially when the terrain was difficult. John, Max and Tim will always have a special place in my heart as they were simply amazing.

*Senator Faulkner has completed in 6 Oxfam Trailwalker events. His teams have raised over $170,000 for the anti-poverty work of Oxfam. In 2010, Senator Faulkner has willingly given a lot of time to training with Nick and other Achilles members. He has been a good friend of the Club and we send him our best wishes in the next stages of his parliamentary career.

The Minister of Defence is not contemplating de feet.

Nick and the team cross the line after 34 hours on the trail.

The United State of Achilles

En route to the Boston Marathon, Achilles member Brian O’Dea and his wife Mary spent a few days in New York. A highlight of the visit was a call at the headquarters of Achilles International and a congenial hour or so with founder of Achilles, Dick Traum*. The Friday afternoon call into the Achilles office coincided with the last-minute activity of organising a team of athletes volunteers who were competing in the Boston Marathon on the following Monday. Despite the frenetic goings-on, Dick took the time to hear of the progress of Achilles in Sydney and to give Brian some insights into the projects being undertaken by Achilles in the USA.

Dick also presented Achilles Australia with the book, “Go Achilles”, which celebrates the 25-year history of Achilles, from a small New York-based club to the international phenomenon that it is today. The sub-title of the book is rightly, “A 25 Year Celebration of the Power of the Human Spirit.” Dick also gave us a copy of selected press articles 1983 – 2010. [This contains a 1994 article that covers the foundation of our own Achilles Running Club and which mentions esteemed President Ellis Janks]. The books are available for members to read; simply contact Achilles with a request [info@achilles-sydney.org.au].

When Dick learned that Brian was also heading to Boston, he invited Brian and Mary to an Achilles Dinner that was to be held at the historic Union Oyster House in Boston on the eve of the Marathon. This was a heart-warming affair with about 100 athletes, volunteers and friends of Achilles. Just prior to the dinner starting, a young man and a few friends wandered into the reserved room, unaware that the space had been set aside for Achilles. When this was quietly explained to the young man, he was so impressed that he insisted on paying the bill for the evening. It appears that the “Power of the Human Spirit” has a long time to run yet.

Brian and Mary sat at a table with a group of young men that had lost limbs in the most horrific circumstances. The following day, they would be competing in the Boston Marathon as part of the Achilles Freedom Team. Their lively good humour was representative of good-hearted Achilles athletes the world over.

To obtain a good appreciation of the inspiring world-wide spread of the Achilles movement, please explore the inks on the Achilles International website.

[*At the age of 24, Dick Traum lost his leg when hit by a car at a gas station in New Jersey. 10 years later, the unfit amputee joined a gym, where he was told that the absence of a leg as not sufficient to be excused from the mandatory 10-minute run around the gym. One year later, Dick completed the New York City Marathon, becoming the first amputee to run such a distance. The birth of the Achilles Track Club was to follow.]

Brian (R) and new Achilles friends in Boston

Brian completed the Boston Marathon in 3 hours 56 minutes. He described one of the highlights of the race: The half-way mark is outside Wellesley College. Over the years, I had read a lot about the women of Wellesley, and I deliberately positioned myself on the right-hand side of the road in order to run as close to them as possible. I reckon you could hear the screaming and yelling a full kilometre from the College. There must have been a thousand at least. They were whistling, cheering, yelling and holding placards with messages such as “Kiss me because I’m French,” (or Canadian, or English, Jewish, Catholic, First Year, Senior, etc.). My favourite sign read, “Kiss Me and I promise you a personal best.”

While many runners took advantage of the offers, I felt it unkind to launch my sweaty 64-year-old frame at these lovelies, so I had to make do with the more decorous but less satisfying High-5s.

Parking Permits.

We have just been issued with new Sunday parking permits. The old (yellow) ones can be used until the end of July. New ones (white) will be used after this date. Please ask for a new permit when you come to training.

Achilles Caps.

We are soon going to have Achilles caps – to be ready in time for the City2Surf. Unfortunately, we could not get yellow caps, so we have white lightweight running caps with our Club name prominently displayed on the front and our website address on the back.

Membership renewal.

Membership renewals were due on July 1^st. Please do renew your membership and give us your details (as requested by email) for the update of our database. Do note that we do not give out the personal details of our members to any third party. Details are kept strictly within the Achilles database and used only for Achilles business. Also, we do encourage people to join Achilles as members. The bigger our membership, the more weight we carry and the more effectively we can attract attention in the media and acquire Club sponsors. Applying for grants is also easier when we have a greater membership base.

Anyone who joined the Club this year (i.e. after we resumed training in February) is financial until June 2011.

New events.

If you want to participate in an event and you need a guide or other assistance, please let us know. We are keen for our members to be on the lookout for new events.

Rosters

If you wish to be removed from or added to the current roster, please contact Rozanne at Rozanne@bigpond.net.au

The current roster is set out below:

July 25– Marilyn Gould, Ted Magen, Markus Schar, Ellis Janks Volunteer Required

Aug 1 – Brian O’Dea, Ian Cohen, Doug Ritchie, Karen Parker Volunteer Required

Aug 8 - NO TRAINING - SUN HERALD SYDNEY CITY TO SURF

Aug 15 - Mark Houlihan, Stephen Lenn , Martin Ruane, Nikki Caminer ,Volunteer Required

Aug 22 - Colin Bradford, Peter Dabble, Diane Mcewin, Tori Ames Volunteer Required

Aug 29 –Brian O’Dea, Ted Magen, Markus Schar, Ellis Janks Volunteer Required

Sept 4 - SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K - North Head

Sept 5 - Marilyn Gould, Ian Cohen, Doug Ritchie, Karen Parker Volunteer Required

Sept 12 - Mark Houlihan, Stephen Lenn, Martin Ruane, Nikki Caminer Volunteer Required

Sept 19 – NO TRAINING - BLACKMORES RUNNING FESTIVAL

Sept 26– Colin Bradford, Peter Dabble, Diane Mcewin, Tori Ames Volunteer Required

Oct 2 - SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K - – Sydney Olympic Park

Oct 3 – Brian O’Dea, Ted Magen, Markus Schar, Ellis Janks Volunteer Required

Oct 10 – Marilyn Gould, Ian Cohen, Doug Ritchie, Karen Parker Volunteer Required

Oct 17 - Mark Houlihan, Stephen Lenn, Martin Ruane, Nikki Caminer Volunteer Required

Oct 24 - Colin Bradford, Peter Dabble, Diane Mcewin, Tori Ames Volunteer Required

Newsletter - April 2010

Contents:

President’s Message

Orange – Running like clockwork

Ben’s Baggy Green

Not-so-Blue Mountains Race

Peter’s Red-Letter Day

Update – Matt makes another splash.

Update – Lindy in Canberra.

2010 Volunteer Roster

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE.

The committee are still working on getting Achilles caps. We are trying to source yellow (our singlet colour) micromesh material caps at a reasonable price for the quantity we need which is proving very difficult. If we wanted white or some other common colour, we would already have had caps. Watch this space!

Dick Traum, the founder of the Achilles, named his newly formed running and walking group “The Achilles Track Club”. When we started the Sydney chapter of Achilles, we decided to adopt the name “Achilles Running Club”, as “track” had different connotations in Australia to the USA and we wanted the name of the club to describe what we did. The Achilles Track Club has recently had a name change. It is now Achilles International (www.achillesinternational.org). Chapters around the world have been asked to officially register with Achilles International. Our committee has decided that it is preferable to keep our name as the Achilles Running Club, as this still identifies who we are, what we do and our name and logo has become a well recognised. I will keep you updated with news on our communications with our Achilles parent organization.

Happy walking and running and looking forward to seeing you on the road!

Ellis Janks

ORANGE – RUNNING LIKE CLOCKWORK

It is believed that Sir Thomas Mitchell named Orange after the Prince William of Orange, whom Mitchell had known when they were both aide-de-camps to the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War.

The meal on the eve of the Festival was a convivial affair, with one or two people taking a creative approach to the “carbo-loading” aspects of racing.

Helen and Ben each won a prize in the draw, and the Festival organizers added to our haul with a generous gift of caps and drink-bottles.

It is certain that the Orange Running Festival will become a regular feature of our calendar.

The Achilles Team after the events. [More pictures from Orange can be viewed here]

SOCIAL BREAKFAST AFTER TRAINING

Date : Sunday 11 April 2010

Venue : NSW League Headquarters, 165 Phillip Street. (between King St & Martin Place)

Time : about 9-45 am

Dress: Training / walking and running gear is fine but bring a change of clothes if you are really dripping sweat after a vigorous training session.

Hope to see you there.

BEN’S BAGGY GREEN

Among the team that travelled to Orange was Ben Phillips. In recent months, Ben’s running has played a vital part in meeting another sporting goal: selection for the Australian Blind Cricket Team.

Ben “power walked” the whole way. Having just been released from, he was under medical orders not to try to run.

These two knocks have led to Ben being selected for Australia for the 3-week tour to the West Indies in June.

Congratulations, Ben!

NOT-SO-BLUE MOUNTAINS RACE

The “Visit New South Wales” website describes The Six Foot Track thus:

Once a year, the Six Foot Track becomes the venue for one of Australia’s toughest long-distance races. [An interesting short history of the race can be found here.]

Michael Lovric 4 (hours): 30 (mins): 21 (secs)
Markus Schar 5:34:51
Michael Levy 5:50:11
Doug Ritchie 6:13:54
Nick Dreyton 6:48:04
Viv Kartsounis 6:48:04
John Domandl 6:57:14

John told Achilles:

“The guides were Thomas Phillips (Tom) and Jeffery Fisher (Fish), old mates from Triathlon and Fun Run/Marathon days.

John and his guides cross the finish line.

PETER’S RED-LETTER DAY.

Although the Achilles year started officially on 31^st January, the first “event” of 2010 was the celebration on January 16^th of Peter Bielieter’s 40^th birthday.

Achilles volunteer, Mark Houlihan and his wife Cass organized a picnic brunch for Peter at Clarke’s Point Reserve, Woolwich.

The guests included about half-a-dozen members of the Achilles Running Club.

Peter tackles the under-represented candles

UPDATE - BRIAN HEADS TO BOSTON

Brian O’Dea, newsletter co-editor, committee member and guide extraordinaire is on his way to the Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest and one of the most prestigious major annual marathons in the world ( www.bostonmarathon.org ). It was first run in 1897 and due to its popularity, Boston is one of the most difficult races for which to gain entry.

Brian, enjoy the atmosphere and experience, have a great run and bring back some interesting stories for the next Achilles Heel.

UPDATE – MATT MAKES ANOTHER SPLASH

We wish Matt every success and look forward to reporting on his exploits in The Netherlands.

UPDATE – LINDY IN CANBERRA.

UPDATE - NICK TO TACKLE MELBOURNE TRAILWALKER

Nick Gleeson is off again. Another day – another adventure! He was approached by none other than the Minister of Defence, John Faulkner too join John’s team of 4 in this years Trailwalker in Melbourne. Obviously forgetting that the required 100km was a very long way to walk, Nick accepted. Under the tutorage of Trailwalker veterans Charlie McConnell and Ellis Janks, Nick got training. He is hoping that the adage that the event is 70% mental and 30% physical is true.

Best of luck, Nick. We wish you strong legs and no blisters!

2010 VOLUNTEER ROSTER

April 11 - CANBERRA MARATHON AND ULTRA (ACT)

- Mark Houlihan, Ian Cohen, Martin Ruane,Diane Mcewin, Nikki Caminer Volunteers Required

April 18 - Colin Bradford, Peter Dable, Ellis Janks, Ted Magen Volunteers Required

April 25 – Marilyn Gould, Stephen Lenn, Markus Schar, Doug Ritchie Volunteers Required

May 1 - SYDNEY STRIDERS - Sydney Olympic Park

May 2 - Mark Houlihan, Ian Cohen, Diane Mcewin, Martin Ruane Volunteers Required

May 9 – Mother’s Day Classic - Domain

May 9 - Colin Bradford, Ian Cohen, Nikki Caminer, Brian O’Dea, Volunteers Required

May 16 -Chris Laing, Ellis Janks, Peter Dable, Markus ScharVolunteers Required

May 23 - Marilyn Gould, Stephen Lenn, Ted Magen, Doug Ritchie Volunteers Required

May 30 - Mark Houlihan, Diane Mcewin, Brian O’Dea, Martin Ruane Volunteers Required

Please feel free to write to us – we are always looking for interesting stories and members’ views for inclusion in The Achilles Heel info@achilles-sydney.org.au

If you require information on Achilles, be sure to look on the website www.achilles-sydney.com.au

September 2010 Newsletter

The Achilles Heel

Newsletter of the Achilles Running Club - Sydney

PO Box 240, Randwick, 2031:
info@achilles-sydney.org.au
www.achilles-sydney.org.au

September (spring) 2010 Edition

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this Edition:

- AGM

- Club caps

- No Training 19 September

- Parking Permits

- City2Surf

- Sloppy Joes and T-shirts

- Ramadan

- Events

Annual General Meeting

Date : Sunday 12 September 2010

Venue : The Domain – across the road from the steps of the Art Gallery of NSW (our start and finish place for training)

Time : As soon as everyone is back from training – around 9.30 am

What to bring : - something to sit on – blanket, folding chair – or you can pull up a patch of grass.

If you want more information or have questions prior to the AGM, please contact Ellis (9664 4824 (H) or janks2@optusnet.com.au), or Charlie on 0401 232 052.

There will be opportunity for everyone to speak. This is your chance to make comments or give feedback to everyone at Achilles. So, let’s see you all there!

If the weather is very unkind, we may make a venue or/and date change. This decision will be made on the day.

Caps

No training Sunday 19 September

Training is NOT on for Sunday 19 September due to the Blackmores Running Festival and consequent road closures.

Parking Permits

City2Surf

Ramadan

We hope all members who are observing Ramadan are going well. We are looking forward to your return to Sunday training after this fasting period.

Achilles Sloppy Joes and t-shirts

These are available for sale at bargain prices. Ask at Sunday training.

Blackmores Running Festival

Best of luck to Michael Levy who is running the marathon, Ben, Markus and Ellis, who will be running the half marathon, and Kathy Fela, who is running the 9km Bridge Run.

Walk for Shirley

Well done to Woody and Joe and Helen and John who took part in the Walk for Shirley on 22 August.

Everest Base Camp trekkers

Achilles website

If you want up to date information about Achilles, you’ll find it on the website, at www.achilles-sydney.org.au

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Volunteer Roster

Sept 4 - SYDNEY STRIDERS 10K - North Head

Sept 5 - Marilyn Gould, Ian Cohen, Doug Ritchie, Karen Parker Volunteer Required

Sept 12 - Mark Houlihan, Stephen Lenn, Martin Ruane, Nikki Caminer Volunteer Required

Sept 19 – NO TRAINING - BLACKMORES RUNNING FESTIVAL

Supporters

This page acknowledges the organisations that and individuals who help to keep Achilles going. Click on logo to browse their websites.

AUSTRALIAN FASHION GROUP

GUIDE DOGS NSW/ACT

HASTIE GROUP

VISION AUSTRALIA

THE PROSPECT SHOP