The Brisbane Water Bush Bash (BWBB) has certainly become one of the classic runs on the calendar. If you like Six Foot Track or the Brindabella Classic, then this is a run and a half for you. Aside from the challenge of a tough 47 kilometre course, the complete circumnavigation of the BW region isn't such a bad way to spend a Saturday morning after all. A reasonable entry fee, high standards of race organisation and friendly no nonsense runner support are all features of this excellent event.
Good race conditions, great scenery and a wide variety of terrain were bonuses for the sizeable pack of Striders who dominated the field in this year's race. For less agile, stumblebums like myself, the BWBB was never going to be easy or fast. As the race title implies, the amount of rough bush track makes it a struggle for some of us just to stay in the vertical. Notwithstanding this, the day has some particular good and not quite so good personal memories.
Good ones :
Not such good ones :
Congratulations to Greg Love and his team of helpers for a wonderful event. I'm sure lots of Striders will be back next year. Results:
| 1st | Michael Burton | 3.42.47 |
| 2nd | Kelvin Marshall | 3.52.56 |
| 3rd | Phil Hugill | 3.53.30 |
| 7th | Jonathan Worswick | 4.13.47 |
| 8th | Mike Ward | 4.19.22 |
| 9th | Murray Town | 4.19.22 |
| 11th | Geoff Taylor | 4.29.53 |
| 15th | Kevin Tiller | 4.48.28 |
| 17th | Wendy Downes (1st Female) | 4.55.59 |
| 18th | Roger Rigby | 4.57.14 |
| 19th | Jim Screen | 5.00.35 |
| 25th | Wayne McCarthy | 5.12.41 |
| 26th | Peter Hammerschmidt | 5.14.14 |
| 30th | Graham Butler | 5.31.49 |
[Supplementary notes supplied by Kevin Tiller: Sometime-Strider Mike Burton won in 3:42:47. Wendy was first female. Geoff Taylor approached the finish line from the wrong direction. Jonathan Worswick completed the Forster Ironman just 6 days previously. Striders numbers were increased by Comrades hopefuls out for a training fix. There were 54 finishers.]
3.30am comes early for those of us who only know it as a time long ago when we used to arrive home. To not be able to sleep because you know you have to get up at 3.30am adds insult to injury. But a 6.am start at the Gosford Sailing Club also comes early so stop moaning and get on with it.
The organisers are friendly and helpful, Striders green and white is prevalent, its cold and looks like it could rain. Someone asks if Wendy Downes has retired because she hasn't come up to defend her title. Mike Ward is telling me "porkies". " Its easier than the Six Foot Track" he says. "Much easier ........... in fact its so easy you will finish in 5 hours." (In fact, I was finished in about three and a half hours and that was with two hours still to go). He goes on. "There is a few hills and a bit of a hard one near Erina but otherwise its OK." Mike's memory must have been down at Brindabella because I now know of at least 6 monstrous hills in the area where he said there was one. Of course, he overlooked to make any mention of the other huge hills in the 47 kms between Gosford and Gosford.
The race started pretty well on time and as usual we were soon running up hill. The Kariong Hill ; cars and runners competing for a share of the space. A quick drink at the top and we plunge off to the south along a fire trail into the Brisbane Water National Park. Dawn is coming up on our left.( No...the sun ...: not Dawn Tiller, she had a sore knee and took the day off ). Great views but we run across the edge of the escarpment up and down every gully invented .( The locals have been restless here with earthen messages which seem to say "On, On ") Down a nasty little track and soon into Woy Woy. Good level running along the water's edge; what a nice place. I'm running with Jackie Hill eventual winner of the female person section and a 72 year old bloke called Jack. Jackie clears off into the distance but the 72 year old sticks with me. More drinks ,something to eat and then off over the Rip Bridge to find some more hills in the Bouddi National Park. Through some very nice bush, good under foot, pleasant company. Trudy who is to be the second female home has caught up with us but soon tires of our company and bounds away. Jack and I try to keep pace but there is no way. The minds are willing but the bodies weak.
At Kincumber, Sue Hill catches up looking fresh and relaxed. My companion doesn't want to be passed by another lady so off we go into the Kincumber Mountain Reserve.( That's MOUNTAIN RESERVE, Mike). Along the top, more views and down to a challenging crossing of the Terrigal Drive. Sue Hill catches up again but this time she doesn't slow down or show any kindness. Up the vertical climb (That's VERTICAL CLIMB, Mike) to Erina Trig this time with Sue disappearing into the distance.
The morning has warmed up, we are nearly home, the views are great but the track is rough and finds all of the uphill grades. We pass a seated statue looking wistfully at where its right hand used to be and finally we stop going up and start the descent towards Gosford. Past another statue (intact) and at last we really head down to the finish.
Jack is tired, I am tired but all is well with the world. No blisters or visible injuries. Eventually we cross the finish line; we have completed the circumnavigation of Brisbane Water. For a change I see Striders standing around all showered and clean. Usually when I finish the Striders have long gone. This time Mike Burton has won and Steve Urwin has come third.(Kevin Dean, Terrigal Trotters came second). They have to wait around for the presentations which are held in the convivial atmosphere of the Gosford Sailing Club.
Greg Love and his volunteers from the Gosford Hash House Harriers and the Terrigal Trotters have put on a first class event. Plenty of drinks, only one section to get lost in ( will be fixed in '96) and nice medals and certificates for finishing. A very pleasant way to spend Saturday morning.
The runners, including about 16 Striders, gathered at 6 am to hear last minute instructions. These consisted of (1) watch for cars, and (2). follow the orange ribbons which show the way in the bush. Very sensible advice. Fortunately everyone followed the first instruction and avoided car/runner collisions, but about half the field including yours truly also managed to avoid the well placed and very bright orange ribbons.
Still, my view is that anyone can stay on course, it's more interesting and challenging to forge new paths. As I staggered from the bush at one point I seemed to perplex one local pedestrian by asking where I was, only to be informed the finish was about 200 metres around the corner !
We were led away by a motor bike rider who promptly disappeared into the distance. He did wait for us about 5km along the road, having either realised runners are not that quick or gone a different route to us. The fire trail is undulating and quite challenging, to be clear when I say undulating, picture short sharp uphills and savage downhills. You have to either be brave, careful or stupid at some points as the trail is covered in loose rocks, tree roots and closed cattle gates.
One thing that confused me as I enjoyed running along the flat fire trail section was the number of burnt out cars. Every few k's there'd be another 2 or 3. Is this a local pastime or a sort of Holden graveyard? Anyway as you can see my mind was beginning to wander, probably because we were about 2 hours into the run and Sydney's Indian summer had delivered another hot day.
At this point my mental and physical state was basically stuffed so I'm not sure of the exact order of events but here goes. Kelvin from the Striders passed me, I fell down and then got lost. I can rationalise the first two as outside my control, Kelvin was running very well, the rock I tripped on jumped out and tripped me up, but running straight past the orange ribbons and past the final turn off into the bush had got me confused. At that stage I was praying for the finish so why I would keep going and do 2k extra is beyond me.
The finish is basically downhill through the bush and a few hundred metres along the road, Michael Burton won in approximately 3 hours 43 minutes with Kelvin second in 3 hours 52, and I managed to finish from the opposite direction a few seconds later.
The run though low key is very friendly and well organised, though perhaps for the runners whose geography and navigation is a bit poor (like me) a bloody big sign pointing the way on the last bush section would be appreciated.