A hot trot to the top

A SIZZLING spring day set the scene for a sweltering 23rd edition of the Point to Pinnacle run in Hobart. That didn’t deter more than 3000 starters from setting off on one of the world’s toughest half-marathons.

THE world’s toughest halfmarathon, the Point to Pinnacle, upped the ante, with runners and walkers battling early morning heat on their trek to the summit yesterday.

Spectators lined the roadway, some with signs, to cheer on the 3530 competitors as they made their way along the gruelling 21.5km course.

Launceston’s Dylan Evans posted his fourth consecutive victory, the first it has been achieved in the race’s history.

Despite fighting a virus last week and feeling the heat, Evans said the atmosphere created by spectators helped him keep pushing “to the top of the hill.”

“It doesn’t matter if I win or lose or how I go, it’s the local race and there’s something special about running to the top of the mountain,” he said.

The first woman across the line was 18-year-old Meriem Daoui, who was runner up in last year’s race and this year won the City to Casino fun run.

Daoui said it was great the weather had held up, as Hobart headed for a top of 27C.

The warm weather was a stark contrast with last year’s race, when participants were forced to return to Wrest Point after reaching Bracken Lane due to an Antarctic blast.

However, the heat proved too much for some, with a number of participants experiencing heat stroke.

The 23rd Point to Pinnacle attracted 3530 competitors, including 410 interstate and 13 overseas runners, coming from Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Ireland, Denmark, Hong Kong and Germany.