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Victorian Road Runners
Celebrating 40 Years Running 1982 -2022
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President’s Tan Talk – November 2022
Forty years ago, in November 1982, Victorian Road Runners club was created. Our first ever Tan Time Trial and our first ever fun run, at Jells Park, were conducted.
From its very beginnings, VRR was about providing the opportunity for “ordinary people”, not elite runners or aspiring Olympians, to get together and enjoy the joys of running, in a friendly, relaxed, but supportive and inclusive environment, where no-one was too slow, too young or too old to feel welcome and feel that they belonged.
That ‘formula’ has never changed, because no-one wanted it to, and over those forty years very large numbers of people have enjoyed running together, and enjoyed each other’s company, to form friendships and friendly rivalries, that in their own modest ways became important to those thousands of people over time. We have valued and acknowledged participation, not ‘winning’.
In 1982 mobile phones had not been invented, and neither had the internet. The significance of this is that for many years the VRR calendar, produced (on paper) by VRR members Graeme Horskins and John Groves, was the only fun run calendar in Melbourne, featuring all known fun runs, with VRR runs highlighted in bold print, great promotion of our runs, a big advantage.
Over those forty years our modest club has done some big things. When the Melbourne Marathon was moved from October we created and conducted, with others, The People’s Marathon. In typical VRR fashion we waited patiently at the finish line, after everyone else had gone, for a very slow female runner to finish her first ever marathon. In her words, she had never achieved anything in her life. A little banner was made and her marathon finish was celebrated warmly, which she described as a life-changing experience.
When young Police Constable Angela Taylor was killed in the Russell Street bombing we created the Angela Taylor Memorial Run / Walk to acknowledge Angela’s sacrifice, and we have been conducting that important event, now as part of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation, for more than thirty years.
We have celebrated the milestones of many ‘ordinary runners’, whether becoming a Tan Twelve Timer by doing every Tan for the year, or completing 50, 100, or even 400+ Tan Time Trials. People have planned their lives, their weddings, their honeymoons, even surgery, around not missing a Tan Time Trial.
What we know with certainty, because countless people have told us, is that running with VRR has brought them joy, in a range of important ways. What could be more important?
Times have inevitably changed over forty years. The creation of Park Run has given runners a more local and more frequent running option, which is a great thing. More recently, the pandemic has broken many people’s running habits, made some people nervous about being with others, and prevented us from providing a cuppa and sometimes brekky, which was part of the friendly, supportive, inclusive VRR experience.
Taking the long view, having recently re-read and reflected on VRR’s history over the forty years, it is the members of VRR that have made the club what it is. To quote Daryl Kerrigan in The Castle, it’s “the vibe”. Every member, old or young, fast or slow, has contributed to the wellbeing of those around them, and that’s no small thing.
Well done everyone,
Michael
VRR President |
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VRR Running Reflections
(As part of VRR’s 40th birthday celebrations in 2022, we are encouraging members (both new & old) to share what running means to them.) |
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| This month, VRR member, Grant Padula reflects on his VRR experiences. |
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VRR 40th Birthday article – My VRR story by Grant Padula
It was circa 2002 when I first came across Victorian Road Runners, around 20 years ago! Some of the maintenance guys from Crown in Melbourne where I was working at the time were regular attendees at VRR events and time trials and suggested I come along. So I did. And then I ran into another ex work colleague in Rowan Cole at Road Runners who I worked with in another life at KPMG and he reminded me I was his first supervisor there! So that was the beginning of my VRR journey and it was good to know a couple of people at least at the monthly TTs!
As of last Saturday, 5 November, 2022 I had run 171 Time Trials. This equates to around 14 years of time trials. |
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| So, you can see that is not a full 20 years of TTs! What happened to the other 6 years? Well, I guess life got in the way initially and maybe I wasn’t that dedicated at first. It also took me a while before I actually became a member of VRR as I wasn’t too sure I’d want to keep coming but I soon got the VRR bug and joined up and became a committed TT attendee. So, with all that it probably accounts for a couple of years of TTs I missed over those years. In addition, work took me over to Macau in China for 3 years (2013-2015) so as you can see, I can pretty much account for the full 20 years, in one way or another. I don’t think this number includes the summer twilight tan time trials that used to go anti-clockwise from the Shrine side on the 3rd Thursday night of the month, run by Kevin Browne. I ran at least a couple of years of these while they were held over summer, and they were great fun.
Over the years I have run with a number of road runners who I have strived to at least stay near in the 8km TT. Names that come to mind include Michael Miriklis, Peter Field, Laurent Rossignol, Tarquin Oehr, Patrick Herft, Rick DeMarte, Barry Foster, Steven Barker, Kevin and Stephanie Armstrong, and more lately Tim Hunt, Lucy Oehr, Stuart Jacobson, Chris Grafen, Rowan Cole, Dean Andrews, who are all fine committed VRR runners. My times for the 8km have slowed with various injuries along the way and with age. I have noticed some of these runners have stopped running the 8km TT I think with injury and the like. But we all still have a go in one way or another. VRR is good like that, you can push yourself to go as fast or as slow as you want and see how others are faring compared to you.
I have met many good people through VRR and one that comes to mind is Kevin Browne (and his daughter Sally too). Kevin would always be up for a chat around my 8km TT runs, speed, level of fitness, technique and even marathon tactics. Leading up to a marathon, he would always remind me, “remember, the first 5 kms is the most important 5 kms of the whole marathon…”. I miss him at our monthly TTs these days and hope he is doing well. He was the one who used to run the Twilight Tans in the summer months which were always fun and nice to be able to go for a run after work around the Tan.
Since joining VRR I have been a more consistent and dedicated runner and a bit wiser on how I push and/or rest my body. When I joined VRR I had done 1 Melbourne Marathon (1984) having not really trained much for it after a footy season of fitness and did the usual beginner’s mistake of going out too fast at 3-hour pace but crashed at the halfway mark to struggle home in 3:20 which on reflection I was quite happy with. 19 years later, in 2003, I did my second MM but this time I trained properly for it by following a 16-week program of hills, speed and long distance. This helped me get my fastest marathon time beating my 1st marathon by 5 minutes running in 3:15. I am now up to 14 MMs and became a Spartan in 2017. This year I ran my 14th MM in 4:00:08 and although just missing the 4-hour mark, I qualified for Boston in my age group which was good to know.
I look forward to doing my 15th MM next year and getting my next Spartan singlet which is blue in colour. Spartans is a bit like VRR in striving to get that elusive 12 TT T-shirt! It really is a great motivator to get the next singlet or T-shirt! The Spartans group also meet monthly (4th Sunday of the month) around the tan for a lap or two then coffee so it is quite similar to VRR, very friendly and supportive and lots of running experiences being shared. |
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L – R Syd Bone, Greig McEwan, Rowan Cole & Graham Edwards.
This year’s November TTT marks 40 years of Tan Time Trials and Greig, Rowan & Graham participated in that first TTT and Syd started with the 2nd!
What an AMAZING achievement for you all. |
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| And the November Anniversary TTT is about to start. |
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Some time ago VRR member Stephen Barker heard that VRR member James Yatomi-Clarke had run 70 marathons before 70 years of age, so Stephen was inspired to achieve 80 before 80 years of age.
In the photo, you can see that all the marathons are recorded around the picture.
AND Stephen isn’t quite 80 years old yet! |
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| VRR Visitor, Luke Price, on the way to being the first-place getter in the 4km TTT. |
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| We also welcomed another VRR visitor, Josie Parrelli, who participated in October and came back this month. |
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L-R Lynn & Jenny Kisler.
There’s nothing like a bit of competition between sisters!
For a few years, Jenny was always just beaten by her son, Evan, (he was in a stroller!) but those days have well and truly disappeared and so has Evan – he’s moving up the results list rapidly.
It won’t be too long before he picks up first place in the 4km. |
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November 2022
TTT Results |
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The December TTT will have the usual 7.30am start at the ‘Pillars of Wisdom’ and is on Saturday 3rd December.
Refer to the website (vrr.org.au) for more details |
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| MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
Following a two-year hiatus for membership subscriptions, unfortunately we have to remind you that fees are due on 1/1/23.
VRR need to charge a nominal membership fee as it does not receive any sponsorship and has to cover such costs as public liability insurance (~$1,000), 12 TTT tee-shirts, milestone tee-shirts, plaques for milestones and trophies presented at the Annual Dinner.
The membership fee has been REDUCED and is now $20 for individuals, $10 for Juniors, $40 for families (2 adults plus all children) and country members (greater than 100k from the GPO) are half of these fees.
Contact the Treasurer at vrrtreasurer@gmail.com for bank account details or if paying in person at the tan please provide membership number when doing so.
Thanks.
Doug Stokes – VRR treasurer |
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Birthdays
VRR extends birthday greetings to the following members who will celebrate birthdays in November
Michael H, Peter J, Helen M, Bryan K, Peter B, Liz W, Ian F, Meryl McC, Debra R,
Katrina C, Helen C, Doug W, Felicity D, |
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| If we missed your birthday we are very sorry. Please let us know so that we can acknowledge you in the next Stride Out. |
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VRR LIFE MEMBERS
Stephen Barker, Kevin Browne, Sally Browne, Tony Doran, Graham Edwards, Jenny Field, Peter Field, Vern Gerlach (dec), Peter Gunn (dec.), Don Hampshire, Eileen Helmers (dec), Frank Helmers (dec), Betty Horskins, Graeme Horskins, Mike Kennedy, Lynn Kisler, Greig McEwan, Ross Martin (dec), Vin Martin, John Morris, Helen Myall, Peter Nicoll, Bill Noonan, Brian O’Dea, Rod Opie, Graham Prossor, Melissa Sirianni, Doug Stokes, Brian Toomey (dec.), Stuart White, Robert Wilson, Judy Wines, Tom Worrell (dec) and Val Worrell. |
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Can you ask your running friends if they are receiving their email copy of Stride Out.
If they aren’t, can you get them to send me an email (gprossor@bigpond.net.au) asking to be put on the distribution list. |
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RUN CALENDAR AUSTRALIA
Run Calendar Australia now list VRR runs plus lots of other runs.
Visit their website at runcalendar.com.au
or tweet them – @runcalendarau |
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