The History of the Sydney Striders Running Club. Below is the speech given by Charles Coville at the 42.2 party in 2022.
It started in 1967 when I joined the running club of Johannesburg’s largest University, the University of the Witwatersrand, to run cross country. In 1968, at 19 years of age, I began my running journey when I ran my first long distance event, a 56km ultra road race between Pretoria and Johannesburg. I had not even run a 42k standard marathon. This event was followed by another 21 marathons and ultramarathons (7 of which were the 89k Comrades Marathon) over the next 9 years in South Africa providing me with race experience I could impart in Australia in later years.
Within three years the small student club of less than 100 members had become the number one long distance running club not only in South Africa, but arguably in the world when in 1971 three of our members finished 1st, 2nd and 4th in the then world’s leading ultramarathon, the famous 56k London to Brighton. Our club went on to produce the first two student winners of the Comrades Marathon Dave Levick in 1973 and the greatest Comrades winner of all time, Bruce Fordyce, with 9 victories between 1981 and 1990.
As president in the 70’s I was involved in the club’s successful journey at the time of the explosion of road running and high quality race organisation in South Africa, years ahead of that in Australia. This too provided me with transferable organisational skills when I arrived in Sydney in 1978. We were even ahead of the running revolution associated with American Jim Fixx’s Complete Book of Running in 1977.
I also organised a runner’s black arm band protest seeking official recognition of not only blacks, but also women competing in the Comrades Marathon where they were officially excluded. This confrontation with authorities unexpectedly stood me in good stead for later, locking horns with the NSW AAA as I started to get Striders on the running map.
After my university graduation and a European campervan tour, Maureen and I lived in London for 9 months. Being disillusioned with Apartheid and following the Soweto riots, we applied from London to emigrate to Canada, NZ, USA or Australia. Our country selection was to be based on the most efficient immigration department.
We would accept the country that was first to accept our application. Surprisingly Australian bureaucracy came out on top. There could have been a new runners life for me with say Rotarua Runners, Toronto Trotters or even Seattle Shufflers. That’s how close it came to their being no Sydney Striders.
In 1980 Maureen and I arrived Australia for the first time having backpacked across the USA and Asia. I had a job offer but knew no one in Australia. We phoned an indirect work contact from Sydney airport who suggested we stay with him and his family in Lindfield until we found our own accommodation. Had he lived in Sutherland, today there may have been a running club Sutherland Striders.
It was time to contribute my running passion and experienced race and club organisational skills to the Sydney road running environment. I knew what a successful club and road running scene looked like. But what I found, to my dismay, was that there were no specialised marathon running clubs and the standard of most road race organisation was very poor. I decided to form a specialist marathon club to have members to train with and to eventually showcase to Sydney how to organise a quality road race, by runners for runners, and lead by example. Sounds casual. It was. But certainly not egotistical.
The 1980 AAA NSW State Marathon in particular was a very poor event. Hardly a drink station or distance sign. At the finish the AAA hierarchy was entertaining the Greek mayor of the town of Marathon in a marquee, serving chilled drinks and canapes by waiters dressed in black & white, while there were no drinks or food, not even water at the finish for those tired dehydrated runners completing the marathon. I was incensed.
With fire in my belly, dormant since the black armband protest 5 years earlier, I took the NSW AAA head on and complained to them about all the shortcomings of their race, yet offering practical effective solutions. All this was to no avail as they no doubt wondered who this unknown and whingeing South African upstart was.
On 30 June 1980, ten interested runners had picked up my personal flyers on the formation of a new running club handed out by me at races at the Lindfield NOSH and Manly. We met in our lounge at our unit in Artarmon and the rest is history – the Sydney Striders journey had commenced. Alan Cole, here this evening, was one of the 10. He went on to develop the Turramurra Trotters into a recognised force catering for nurturing runners in the City to Surf. But other runners who did not attend the first meeting soon joined later in 1980.Tonight in attendance we have 3 of the 4 of these subsequent 1980 members who are still current members.
Sue Hill, Brian Colwell, Ivan Freys. Geoff Cox sent his apologies from Canberra.Sue became our female representative on the committee to go forth and recruit females. In 1980 we were the pace setters on sporting gender equality! Pity it took so long for other sports to follow our example. Brian produced the early maps, was the second STaR manager and secretary. Over the months our administrative infrastructure evolved and runners joined through word of mouth. Sydney Striders journey was well under way but what was missing was a show piece road race.
The Sydney Striders Half Marathon in Lane Cove River Park came to fruition in 1982 when 341 runners participated in a new road race experience. A year later we won the national award for the best organised Australian distance road race from the Australian Road Runners Association. Over the next 13 years we attracted the best half marathoners from the east coast, including Olympians and Commonwealth Games athletes. Our numbers peaked at 1,522 runners in 1985. We had finally set a high benchmark to show race directors how a quality value for money race should be organised.
Michael Beisty, runner and journalist, is also here tonight. He recently wrote a great article on the history of our Half Marathons and in particular the 1984 race in which he competed. Please check out the online publication “Runners Tribe”.
After 3 years it was time to pass the baton on to a new President and allow them to continue the Striders journey.
14 presidents succeeded me bringing new strategies, ideas and professionalism as they joined the Striders journey always keeping us one step ahead of the running “pack”.
Our greatest success stories include:
Competing in NSW AAA cross country and track events
Quality and legendary guest speakers at our annual awards dinner included Bryce Courtenay, Robert de Castella, Steve Monaghetti, Pat Carroll, Sonia O’Sullivan, Bruce Fordyce and of course the late Kerryn McCann, winner of our open Half Marathon in 1990.
No volunteers, no Striders. Volunteers have contributed incredible passion and selfless dedication to keeping the vision alive. So many to thank, but thank you, thank you, thank you.
My vision was to create a professionally organised running club catering for all levels of runners, fast and slow, from all walks of life, across all genders, setting the highest standards of administration and offerings as well as race organisation excellence.
This infrastructure would allow members to embark on their PB (Personal Best) journey from short distances to the ultramarathons to achieve something they had not achieved before; be it a new distance or an improved time. Members have diversified into in track, cross country, adventure racing, trail running, rogaining, orienteering and triathlons.
The club needed to be a trend setter, always looking to the future by having their finger on the pulse in the running environment by identifying new trends and opportunities to consistently be one step ahead of the “pack” and leading once again by example. This was important for the growth of the club and catering for all runners and their different interests and abilities. You personally will have had a journey of making new like-minded lifetime friends and even partners e.g. Tony Fattorini, 6ft Track winner in 2007 & 2013, met Amanda Underwood at Striders, now married. I am sure that the family members of Striders too have enjoyed the journey of their loved ones as much as their runner have.
I will like to end off on a very personal note. Most importantly this journey for all of us would never have happened without the support, patience and input of Maureen, my wife of 49 years. Maureen and I sat down at the small kitchen table in 1980 in our Broughton Road, Artarmon unit and came up with green and white, a bold font on the front and back of the singlet, the STaR anacronym, a sleek cheetah and the names Blister, Stitch and Sydney Striders.
Maureen could have discouraged my Striders obsession. Yet she showed the ultimate support. For the first few years, Maureen typed hand written Blister articles and sewed the club running shorts and singlets, even while pregnant. A number of you from the 80’s would have run in Maureen’s hand-made gear.
The green and white would allow us to be uniquely identified as one of a kind when competing and to solicit “Go Striders” from competitors and spectators alike.
“Go Striders” for another her 40 years.
Photo of Charles Coville on the far right
Chairman / Blister Editor
Secretary
StaR Co-Ordinator
Eastern Suburbs Co-Ordinator
Entertainment Co-Ordinator
Female Representative
