Credits

Open pool
Photo by Pixabay
Pool next to palm trees
Photo by Joe Ciciarelli on Unsplash
Blue tint pool photo
Photo by Max Rahubovskiy
Pool pad
Photo by Juan Patlan on Unsplash
Pool side
Photo by Autumn Studio on Unsplash
Technician 1
Photo by ELEVATE
Technician 2
Photo by Kindel Media
Technician 3
Photo by Jopwell
Woman floating on body of water
Photo by Haley Phelps on Unsplash
Big swimming pool in spacious house
Photo by Daniel Ghio on Unsplash
Big swimming pool in spacious house
Photo by Max Rahubovskiy
Under water photography of boy showing thumb
Photo by Jeff Dunham on Unsplash

Contact us

/

Contact Details Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance. We’re here to help! Address 1234 Main Street, Anytown, California, USA Email info@poolswift.com Phone (555) 123-4567 Follow us Ready to get started? [Insert your contact form here]

Read more

Contact us

Contact Details

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance. We’re here to help!

Address

1234 Main Street, Anytown, California, USA

Follow us

Ready to get started?

Woman floating on body of water

[Insert your contact form here]

Contact map

Join Tasmanian Road Runners

/

Everyone is at a different stage of their running journey.We’re here to help!  Whether it’s getting you to your first fun run, introducing you to one of the many great running groups in Tasmania, helping you run your next marathon, or improving your race PB ...

Read more

Join Tasmanian Road Runners

Whether it’s getting you to your first fun run, introducing you to one of the many great running groups in Tasmania, helping you run your next marathon, or improving your race PB – we’re all about the group support.

Member Benefits

We’re always striving to provide as many benefits for our members as possible, including:

  • Event discounts to races around Tasmania and mainland Australia
  • Merchandise discounts and members-only shopping nights
  • Monthly newsletters about upcoming items of interest around our island state
  • Regular social runs and events
  • Recommendations for accredited coaches and physios who can develop personalised programs
  • Practical seminars for runners of all abilities

2025 Membership

Membership includes a member pack and gift, as well as access to members-only discounts to events, products and services.

Membership is for the full calendar year or part thereof (1 Jan to 31 Dec) of each year.
Regardless of when you join, your membership expires on 31 December of that year.

2025 membership rates:
  • Single membership is $30
  • Family membership is $85 and covers two adults and up to three children (under 18)

Membership purchase links below:

Terms of Service

/

Terms of Service Overview This website is operated by Tasmania Road Runners Inc. Throughout the site, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Tasmania Road Runners Inc. Tasmania Road Runners Inc. offers this website, including all information, tools and services available from this site ...

Read more

Terms of Service

Terms of Service

Overview

This website is operated by Tasmania Road Runners Inc. Throughout the site, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Tasmania Road Runners Inc. Tasmania Road Runners Inc. offers this website, including all information, tools and services available from this site to you, the user, conditioned upon your acceptance of all terms, conditions, policies and notices stated here.

By visiting our site and/ or purchasing something from us, you engage in our “Service” and agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions (“Terms of Service”, “Terms”), including those additional terms and conditions and policies referenced herein and/or available by hyperlink. These Terms of Service apply to all users of the site, including without limitation users who are browsers, vendors, customers, merchants, and/ or contributors of content.

Please read these Terms of Service carefully before accessing or using our website. By accessing or using any part of the site, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this agreement, then you may not access the website or use any services. If these Terms of Service are considered an offer, acceptance is expressly limited to these Terms of Service.

Any new features or tools which are added to the current store shall also be subject to the Terms of Service. You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time on this page. We reserve the right to update, change or replace any part of these Terms of Service by posting updates and/or changes to our website. It is your responsibility to check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to the website following the posting of any changes constitutes acceptance of those changes.

Our store is hosted on tasmanianroadrunners.org.au. We use an online Woo-commerce platform that allows us to sell our products and services to you.

SECTION 1 – ONLINE STORE TERMS

By agreeing to these Terms of Service, you represent that you are at least the age of majority in your state or province of residence, or that you are the age of majority in your state or province of residence and you have given us your consent to allow any of your minor dependents to use this site.

You may not use our products for any illegal or unauthorized purpose nor may you, in the use of the Service, violate any laws in your jurisdiction (including but not limited to copyright laws).

You must not transmit any viruses or any code of a destructive nature.

A breach or violation of any of the Terms will result in an immediate termination of your Services.

SECTION 2 – GENERAL CONDITIONS

We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason at any time.

You understand that your content (not including credit card information), may be transferred unencrypted and involve (a) transmissions over various networks; and (b) changes to conform and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices. Credit card information is always encrypted during transfer over networks.

You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any portion of the Service, use of the Service, or access to the Service or any contact on the website through which the service is provided, without express written permission by us.

The headings used in this agreement are included for convenience only and will not limit or otherwise affect these Terms.

SECTION 3 – ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS AND TIMELINESS OF INFORMATION

We are not responsible if information made available on this site is not accurate, complete or current. The material on this site is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon or used as the sole basis for making decisions without consulting primary, more accurate, more complete or more timely sources of information. Any reliance on the material on this site is at your own risk.

This site may contain certain historical information. Historical information, necessarily, is not current and is provided for your reference only. We reserve the right to modify the contents of this site at any time, but we have no obligation to update any information on our site. You agree that it is your responsibility to monitor changes to our site.

SECTION 4 – MODIFICATIONS TO THE SERVICE AND PRICES

Prices for our products are subject to change without notice.

We reserve the right at any time to modify or discontinue the Service (or any part or content thereof) without notice at any time.

We shall not be liable to you or to any third-party for any modification, price change, suspension or discontinuance of the Service.

SECTION 5 – PRODUCTS OR SERVICES

Certain products or services may be available exclusively online through the website (tasmanianroadrunners.org.au). These products or services may have limited quantities and are subject to return or exchange only according to our Return Policy.

We have made every effort to display as accurately as possible the colours and images of our products that appear at the store. We cannot guarantee that your computer monitor’s display of any colour will be accurate.

We reserve the right, but are not obligated, to limit the sales of our products or Services to any person, geographic region or jurisdiction. We may exercise this right on a case-by-case basis. We reserve the right to limit the quantities of any products or services that we offer. All descriptions of products or product pricing are subject to change at any time without notice, at the sole discretion of us. We reserve the right to discontinue any product at any time. Any offer for any product or service made on this site is void where prohibited.

We do not warrant that the quality of any products, services, information, or other material purchased or obtained by you will meet your expectations, or that any errors in the Service will be corrected.

SECTION 6 – ACCURACY OF BILLING AND ACCOUNT INFORMATION

We reserve the right to refuse any order you place with us. We may, in our sole discretion, limit or cancel quantities purchased per person, per household or per order. These restrictions may include orders placed by or under the same customer account, the same credit card, and/or orders that use the same billing and/or shipping address. In the event that we make a change to or cancel an order, we may attempt to notify you by contacting the e-mail and/or billing address/phone number provided at the time the order was made. We reserve the right to limit or prohibit orders that, in our sole judgment, appear to be placed by dealers, resellers or distributors.

You agree to provide current, complete and accurate purchase and account information for all purchases made at our store. You agree to promptly update your account and other information, including your email address and credit card numbers and expiration dates, so that we can complete your transactions and contact you as needed.

For more detail, please review our Returns Policy (below).

SECTION 7 – OPTIONAL TOOLS

We may provide you with access to third-party tools over which we neither monitor nor have any control nor input.

You acknowledge and agree that we provide access to such tools “as is” and “as available” without any warranties, representations or conditions of any kind and without any endorsement. We shall have no liability whatsoever arising from or relating to your use of optional third-party tools.

Any use by you of optional tools offered through the site is entirely at your own risk and discretion and you should ensure that you are familiar with and approve of the terms on which tools are provided by the relevant third-party provider(s).

We may also, in the future, offer new services and/or features through the website (including, the release of new tools and resources). Such new features and/or services shall also be subject to these Terms of Service.

SECTION 8 – THIRD-PARTY LINKS

Certain content, products and services available via our Service may include materials from third-parties.

Third-party links on this site may direct you to third-party websites that are not affiliated with us. We are not responsible for examining or evaluating the content or accuracy and we do not warrant and will not have any liability or responsibility for any third-party materials or websites, or for any other materials, products, or services of third-parties.

We are not liable for any harm or damages related to the purchase or use of goods, services, resources, content, or any other transactions made in connection with any third-party websites. Please review carefully the third-party’s policies and practices and make sure you understand them before you engage in any transaction. Complaints, claims, concerns, or questions regarding third-party products should be directed to the third-party.

SECTION 9 – USER COMMENTS, FEEDBACK AND OTHER SUBMISSIONS

If, at our request, you send certain specific submissions (for example contest entries) or without a request from us you send creative ideas, suggestions, proposals, plans, or other materials, whether online, by email, by postal mail, or otherwise (collectively, ‘comments’), you agree that we may, at any time, without restriction, edit, copy, publish, distribute, translate and otherwise use in any medium any comments that you forward to us. We are and shall be under no obligation (1) to maintain any comments in confidence; (2) to pay compensation for any comments; or (3) to respond to any comments.

We may, but have no obligation to, monitor, edit or remove content that we determine in our sole discretion are unlawful, offensive, threatening, libellous, defamatory, pornographic, obscene or otherwise objectionable or violates any party’s intellectual property or these Terms of Service.

You agree that your comments will not violate any right of any third-party, including copyright, trademark, privacy, personality or other personal or proprietary right. You further agree that your comments will not contain libellous or otherwise unlawful, abusive or obscene material, or contain any computer virus or other malware that could in any way affect the operation of the Service or any related website. You may not use a false e-mail address, pretend to be someone other than yourself, or otherwise mislead us or third-parties as to the origin of any comments. You are solely responsible for any comments you make and their accuracy. We take no responsibility and assume no liability for any comments posted by you or any third-party.

SECTION 10 – PERSONAL INFORMATION

Your submission of personal information through the store is governed by our Privacy Policy (below).

SECTION 11 – ERRORS, INACCURACIES AND OMISSIONS

Occasionally there may be information on our site or in the Service that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies or omissions that may relate to product descriptions, pricing, promotions, offers, product shipping charges, transit times and availability. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions, and to change or update information or cancel orders if any information in the Service or on any related website is inaccurate at any time without prior notice (including after you have submitted your order).

We undertake no obligation to update, amend or clarify information in the Service or on any related website, including without limitation, pricing information, except as required by law. No specified update or refresh date applied in the Service or on any related website, should be taken to indicate that all information in the Service or on any related website has been modified or updated.

SECTION 12 – PROHIBITED USES

In addition to other prohibitions as set forth in the Terms of Service, you are prohibited from using the site or its content: (a) for any unlawful purpose; (b) to solicit others to perform or participate in any unlawful acts; (c) to violate any international, federal, provincial or state regulations, rules, laws, or local ordinances; (d) to infringe upon or violate our intellectual property rights or the intellectual property rights of others; (e) to harass, abuse, insult, harm, defame, slander, disparage, intimidate, or discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, race, age, national origin, or disability; (f) to submit false or misleading information; (g) to upload or transmit viruses or any other type of malicious code that will or may be used in any way that will affect the functionality or operation of the Service or of any related website, other websites, or the Internet; (h) to collect or track the personal information of others; (i) to spam, phish, pharm, pretext, spider, crawl, or scrape; (j) for any obscene or immoral purpose; or (k) to interfere with or circumvent the security features of the Service or any related website, other websites, or the Internet. We reserve the right to terminate your use of the Service or any related website for violating any of the prohibited uses.

SECTION 13 – DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

We do not guarantee, represent or warrant that your use of our service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free.

We do not warrant that the results that may be obtained from the use of the service will be accurate or reliable.

You agree that from time to time we may remove the service for indefinite periods of time or cancel the service at any time, without notice to you.

You expressly agree that your use of, or inability to use, the service is at your sole risk. The service and all products and services delivered to you through the service are (except as expressly stated by us) provided ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ for your use, without any representation, warranties or conditions of any kind, either express or implied, including all implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, merchantable quality, fitness for a particular purpose, durability, title, and non-infringement.

In no case shall Tasmania Road Runners Inc., our directors, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, contractors, interns, suppliers, service providers or licensors be liable for any injury, loss, claim, or any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, special, or consequential damages of any kind, including, without limitation lost profits, lost revenue, lost savings, loss of data, replacement costs, or any similar damages, whether based in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability or otherwise, arising from your use of any of the service or any products procured using the service, or for any other claim related in any way to your use of the service or any product, including, but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any content, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of the service or any content (or product) posted, transmitted, or otherwise made available via the service, even if advised of their possibility. Because some states or jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or the limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, in such states or jurisdictions, our liability shall be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

SECTION 14 – INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Tasmania Road Runners Inc. and our parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, officers, directors, agents, contractors, licensors, service providers, subcontractors, suppliers, interns and employees, harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, made by any third-party due to or arising out of your breach of these Terms of Service or the documents they incorporate by reference, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third-party.

SECTION 15 – SEVERABILITY

In the event that any provision of these Terms of Service is determined to be unlawful, void or unenforceable, such provision shall nonetheless be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and the unenforceable portion shall be deemed to be severed from these Terms of Service, such determination shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any other remaining provisions.

SECTION 16 – TERMINATION

The obligations and liabilities of the parties incurred prior to the termination date shall survive the termination of this agreement for all purposes.

These Terms of Service are effective unless and until terminated by either you or us. You may terminate these Terms of Service at any time by notifying us that you no longer wish to use our Services, or when you cease using our site.

If in our sole judgment you fail, or we suspect that you have failed, to comply with any term or provision of these Terms of Service, we also may terminate this agreement at any time without notice and you will remain liable for all amounts due up to and including the date of termination; and/or accordingly may deny you access to our Services (or any part thereof).

SECTION 17 – ENTIRE AGREEMENT

The failure of us to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Service shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

These Terms of Service and any policies or operating rules posted by us on this site or in respect to The Service constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between you and us and govern your use of the Service, superseding any prior or contemporaneous agreements, communications and proposals, whether oral or written, between you and us (including, but not limited to, any prior versions of the Terms of Service).

Any ambiguities in the interpretation of these Terms of Service shall not be construed against the drafting party.

SECTION 18 – GOVERNING LAW

These Terms of Service and any separate agreements whereby we provide you Services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Tasmania, Australia.

SECTION 19 – CHANGES TO TERMS OF SERVICE

You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time at this page.

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to update, change or replace any part of these Terms of Service by posting updates and changes to our website. It is your responsibility to check our website periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to our website or the Service following the posting of any changes to these Terms of Service constitutes acceptance of those changes.

SECTION 20 – CONTACT INFORMATION

Questions about the Terms of Service should be sent to us at tasmanianroadrunners@gmail.com

RETURNS POLICY

Returns for credit will only be accepted within 7 days from date of goods received. Credit for goods returned after this period is at Tasmanian Road Runners’ discretion and if accepted, may incur a restocking fee. In addition, returned goods will only be accepted for credit if the goods are in a resalable condition as well as in original packing and with all product documentation included. Goods must be returned at the Customers expense and prior to return a “Return Authorisation” number must be obtained from Customer Service and this number should be clearly marked on the package.

All goods specifically manufactured or ordered for the Customer will not be returnable except due to defect unless otherwise agreed to in writing.

PRIVACY POLICY

We use personal information as supplied by you to process and deliver your order.

We will never knowingly send you unsolicited commercial electronic messages.

Password Reset

[ultimatemember_password]

Logout

User

[ultimatemember form_id=2991]

A tale of two runners

With 5,800 registered to take part in Sunday’s Gold Coast Marathon, you don’t have to look too far to find an inspiring story.

Christine Baillie (left) with running buddies Helen Gay (centre) and Jillian Freeman.
Christine Baillie (left) with running buddies Helen Gay (centre) and Jillian Freeman.

The effort it takes just to get to the start line is an achievement in itself but when the gun goes off, the countless hours spent working towards the ultimate goal are put on display and the real challenge begins.

Of all the would-be marathoners lining up on Sunday morning, you’d struggle to find a more contrasting story than that of TRR members Brian Lyons and Christine Baillie with Christine, a 55 year old grandmother, aiming to complete her first marathon and Brian Lyons, one of Tasmania’s top-end running talents looking to break the 2:30:00 barrier that has eluded Tasmanian runners since Dave Thomas ran 2:21:41 in Melbourne in 2012.

Christine entered her first fun run in 2011 – Hobart’s Bridge Run which she ran after finishing a night shift at 6am and necking 2 red bulls.

She came last.

For the next 3 years Christine entered as many fun runs as she could running purely for enjoyment and recalls that it involved ‘more walking than running’.

In 2014 she completed the 5k event at the Glenorchy Fun Run; it was the first event she was ever able to run the entire way. 

Brian Lyons modelling the TRR gear.
Brian Lyons modelling the TRR gear.

Less than a year later, she’s lining up for her first marathon. 

He returns to the course 3 years after attempting his first marathon which resulted in him not completing the race. Sunday will be as much about redemption as getting a new personal best.

When asked how he was feeling about Sunday’s race he quipped, ‘I was ready 2 weeks ago’.

To say that what Brian has achieved is purely a result of talent is to significantly understate the mental and physical exertion he has devoted in order to get the most out of himself.

He’s a runner who knows what he can do and on Sunday, we’ll get to see exactly what that is.

Lou Gadsby

/

If you had asked me 5 years if I was interested in competing in a fun run, I would have laughed.  Today, at 42, running provides me with a healthy, happy lifestyle and has connected me with a wonderful new network of likeminded inspirational people ...

Read more

Lou Gadsby

If you had asked me 5 years if I was interested in competing in a fun run, I would have laughed.  Today, at 42, running provides me with a healthy, happy lifestyle and has connected me with a wonderful new network of likeminded inspirational people of all running abilities.  We each have our story.  What I like is that nobody is running against each other but against themselves.

I was never an athlete at school.  Enjoyed outdoor pursuits but generally lead quite a sedentary life.  By adulthood my previously diagnosed mild hip dysplasia of my right hip was taking its toll.  At 29 I felt I still had such a big life ahead of me that I decided to undergo a major pelvic reconstruction in Melbourne which would delay or remove the need for a total hip replacement.  With the wonderful support of my family I rose again and managed to walk limp free and regain my independence once again.  The reconstruction also allowed me to happily and successfully raise an active little boy with the assistance of several trips back to the orthopaedic ward for revision surgeries and the like.

By 2009 it was evident that the earlier reconstruction was not going to cut it so I made the call, aged 36, to undergo the total hip replacement of my right hip.  Off I went to Melbourne, and I haven’t looked back…..

I was happy with my new found freedom from pain free movement that I started to use an elliptical trainer at home to help me lose some weight I suppose.  In 2011, with encouragement from a close friend, I decided to walk in the 5km Cadbury Marathon event.  Together with my mother in law and our little ipods, someone else’s running shoes, the wrong bra and a long sleeved top I was keen to see what all the fuss was about.  When the horn sounded the start I felt like a kid and took off like the other runners around me.  I couldn’t believe how fit I had become on my indoor trainer and 100m from the finish I saw that huge finish banner and all those people yelling encouragement as I came across the line, for little ol’ me.  I was hooked.  (I would love to bottle the atmosphere at the end of a fun run – competitors are so hyper and possess the best smiles – so proud not only of their own but of other’s achievements.)

Lou Gadsby_compressedSeeing the results and with encouragement from my friends and family, I continued to get faster and faster with each fun run and it was particularly exciting to turn over a new year and compete in the same runs again to compare my improvement.   I think my fastest 5 km was the Kingston Beach Fun Run downhill @ 26.13 and 10 km was the Glenorchy Fun Run @ 55.29.  I have also been lucky enough to be invited to assist on the admin side of organising the City to Casino Fun Run each year.  Its wonderful to be part of a dynamic group of running folk and see the hard work behind the scenes attached to putting a fun run together.

My family are proud of me.  I have inspired some of my close friends to get moving.  My son still marvels how I can walk to the top of Mt Wellington from the Casino and go back for more!

Through running I have met a new group of genuine encouraging friends.  I was so nervous starting at the run group at The Running Edge on Wednesday evenings with supposed ‘elite’ runners but it is here where I have met a wonderful bunch of people to run and socialise with.  Its so much more fun to run in the company of others!

I have suffered some muscle issues and have worked my way through some pain and time away from running – seeking appropriate physiotherapy – working through the problems and learning how to stretch and strengthen properly.  I know my limits and have to be sensible because it goes against advice to run on a hip replacement, however, running brings great joy to my daily life, its altered my metabolism, has removed 10 kg worth of weight off my joints and helped build a mental strength that has helped me to conquer some big events in my personal life recently.??????????????????????

My goal this year is to increase my distance slowly and run a half marathon later in the year.  I will undertake this journey with the right advice and training regime to give it my best shot.  Becoming a member of the TRR network will help me connect with new people in my area and provide me with invaluable advice from people with experience.

2015 here I come!

Pete “Crackers” Keenan

/

Cliffy Keenan’s  38 years of highs and lows in athletics…. [confessions of a shuffler] From the outset I would like to point out that I do not feel over comfortable about telling my story and am only prepared to do it because my good mate ...

Read more

Pete “Crackers” Keenan

Cliffy Keenan’s  38 years of highs and lows in athletics…. [confessions of a shuffler]

From the outset I would like to point out that I do not feel over comfortable about telling my story and am only prepared to do it because my good mate Jem has asked me to write something about my involvement in the sport and she does help out in a big way with the Budget so I owe her. I also would like to apologize for the( I )letter but in this context it is hard to avoid.

I would also like to acknowledge my wife Lexie and my family for allowing me to be involved in the sport for so long and in the process they have made huge sacrifices along the way.

I first started running back in January 1977, I had in  late 1976 spent a long period of time in hospital with a serious illness and knew that I had to return to hospital  in the future for further major surgery so I decided to get fit to prepare myself for the operation.

The first few months were spent running Bellerive Beach and Lauderdale beach, either alone or on the odd occasion with my wife. I found that I was starting to enjoy the sport and started to talk with other people about it, one such person was Murray Bird who invited me to join him and his friends at lunch time. It was here that I was to meet my great friends Billy Essex, Greg Hawthorne, Mike Harding and Russell Foley. Effectively each run was a race, these guys only knew one way to train and that was flat out, I found myself regularly taking short cuts and they still managed to catch me and beat me back to town.

My first race was a handicap race at Elwick and went around where the DEC is now and my first win in a race was the same year in the Froggy Wise Handicap at Self’s Point where I outsprinted the late Graeme Fennell, who in the following season on both the track and road started to call me the bloody little squatter because I used to sit on him and  let him do all of the work and outsprint him.

You may wonder why I am in athletic circles known as Cliff, for those old enough to remember there was an ultra-marathon from Sydney to Melbourne and it was one year won by Cliff Young, my good friend Billy Essex noticed how similar our styles were and started calling me Cliffy, for some reason the name stuck and I have been known as Cliffy for over thirty years, in bike riding circles it is Crackers, the reason is pretty obvious if you follow AFL.

Running with such good friends over the years has created many wonderful and colourful memories, Billy and I used to find us getting into trouble from time to time, one such occasion was in Sandy Bay when we ran up McCauley Rd to Churchill Ave, as we reached the junction of Churchill Ave Billy spotted some mushrooms, he picked them, this upset the elderly gentleman who lived opposite, he banged on the window and as you would I gave him the bird, as a consequence he took after us in his car even attempting to drive along the footpath yelling at us to stop and if we did not threatening to call the police, Billy could not understand what I had done to upset him but needless to say he did not get to eat his mushrooms as he threw away the evidence.

On another occasion again involving Billy, I was involved in a bad fall at the 3.2km on the lower domain road, it happened as soon as the gun went off, Billy blamed me because he felt that I ran across in front of him and caused the fall, from memory about seven runners fell over, it must have stirred him up because he got up and ran sub 10 mins for the 2 miles. I still deny his accusation that it was my fault but knowing my history of getting into trouble he is probably right.

Billy was also involved when our lunch time group attempted to run over the Tasman Bridge when it was being reconstructed, from memory there was not much linking the east to the west and we were very quickly ordered off the bridge when spotted by the construction workers.

I was coached by the late and great Max Cherry who took pity on my lack of ability and managed to get me to eventually run 2.44.28 for the Cadbury Marathon in 1984, I would probably managed to run quicker if I had listened to him and not done extra training than what he had set me to do, I found myself obsessed with running 100 mile weeks and from memory ran for three years without having a day off.

I have now been on the Board of Management of Athletics South for I think over thirty years serving in the role of Winter Competition Director and am also a life member of Athletics’ South and a Merit Award Winner of AT. I also ran the Olympic Touch relay in 2000 and the Commonwealth Games Queens Message relay when the games were in Brisbane.

I have now seen the winter competition grow from just over forty runners competing each week to over 200 in the past season, it is effectively a fun run each week, members of the TRR should think about having a run, sure there is the competitive element but there is also a large number of fun runners of all shapes, ages and abilities. Everybody encourages one another and at the conclusion of the run hot drinks are available for everyone to enjoy and spot prizes to be won.

IMG_8483I suppose the two main events that I have been involved in are the Huon Valley Classic and the Budget Fun Run. Unfortunately the Huon Valley Classic because of the costs involved was only conducted for seven years, however the Budget thanks to a wonderful sponsor who have been sponsoring the run for twenty three years continues to attract good numbers and in recent times thanks to John Anderson and Jem and a new committee has taken off in a big way attracting over 1,000 entries in the past two years and as a result raising record amounts for the Paediatric Ward of the RHH. I will forever be in debt to John and Jem for becoming involved who had contacted me after a couple of  my stuff ups and offered to assist me with the run ( before that my main help in the setting up of the run was my wonderful wife)

I cannot see myself ever giving athletics away and now with the birth of the TRR am more enthusiastic than ever to stay involved, in the past twelve months I have started after a ten year absence shuffling again, and am loving having a shuffle with the fun runners; the friendships I and my family have made over many years are priceless. I still ride my bike and on the odd occasions sail my beloved Bandit, but for one big reason I am always drawn back to athletics, that is the friends I have made, I would be lost without them.

Good luck to Jem and Jay with your concept of the TRR, it has taken off in a big way, congratulations on your vision, I am very much looking forward to watching it grow and how it impacts in such a positive way on the running community of Tasmania, I wish it had been around when I started running  but come to think of it nothing was around then, no mobile phones or computers and everything that goes with them, back then if you did not have a home phone you went to the phone box on the corner, how I long for those innocent times of the past!