Hertz conquers her fears
Six years ago Julie Hertz thought she’d ‘have a go’ at cross country running never dreaming she would eventually win a race over a distance that had terrified her.
But win she did in bitterly cold conditions at Ararat on Sunday, a milestone victory, in personal-best time and her first over a distance longer than five kilometres.
Hertz won the 20th and final running of the 10-kilometre Garry and Pauline Jenkins Handicap.
Reluctant, at first, to run in any race beyond five kilometres, it was three years before she had enough ‘mileage’ in her legs to win over that distance on the easiest course Stawell and Ararat Cross Country Club then had to offer.
She started with a handicap – a serious strength-sapping vitamin B deficiency for which she needs regular injections and it was 18 months before she managed to win her second race over her pet distance.
Hertz didn’t have the stamina to run eight or 10 kilometres and in 2016 she went ‘backwards’, failing to finish in the club’s top 10 in any one of her eight races.
This year, she embarked on a rigorous pre-season, running regular 10-kilometre sessions with a Black Range neighbour and working on her speed over shorter distances.
Easily the club’s most improved runner and already a winner over five kilometres this season, Hertz has been rewarded with personal bests over three distances.
Runner-up Keith Lofthouse, who conceded just on six minutes start to Hertz, ran his fastest 10 kilometres in several seasons but had to settle for his third consecutive second in the race he had last won in 2009 and ’10.
Sue Blizzard also returned to the podium for the first time in a year. The club is at Ararat’s Dunneworthy Common on Sunday for an eight-kilometre Peter Gibson Handicap. Fun runners are welcome.
Rupanyup
The day before, Lofthouse, 68, surprised even himself when he won an eight-kilometre handicap at Rupanyup for the third year in a row and a fourth time overall with Stawell Amateur Athletic Club.
From eight starts in the race, Lofthouse has only once finished further back than third.
“I knew there were others that were ready to win and I thought the handicapper had my measure after I could only finish seventh at the Concongella Vineyards a week before,” he said.
“I realise now that the two courses are entirely different. At Concongella we have a couple of hills and uneven ground, especially through the vine- yard, but here it is flat and fast and I’m able to find a rhythm that I can’t find anywhere else.”
Confidence and experience on the course proved to be a factor early in the race when he was headed first by Vicki Tyler, then Rhonda Rice, with Sharon Howden on his tail and closing fast.
“Vicki gave me 20 seconds start but had passed me on the first lap of the footy ground. I felt pretty good, but with the girls already ahead or breathing down my neck I thought the best I could do would be to run an honest fourth.”
In a one-kilometre sub juniors race Jordan Nitschke gave his younger brother Jay a sizeable start but was too long in the stride and too strong.
The club returns to Stawell on Saturday for a five-kilometre handicap. Fun runners are welcome to meet at North Park clubrooms from 9.30pm.