Hill uses Coast for shot at world titles
THE International Association of Ultrarunners 100km World Championships could await Daryl Hill should he produce the seven-hour performance he is striving for at the Gold Coast 100 Run Festival tomorrow.
Hill will aim to use the fastest 100km running course in Australia at Runaway Bay to attempt to go under the Bqualifying time of seven hours and 20 minutes and secure his place on the Australian team for the world championships in Croatia on September 8.
“Sub-seven hours would be great but 7:05 or 7:10 are probably more realistic,” the Merrimac resident said.
Hill is using the 100km race as one of his last hit-outs before the upcoming Gold Coast Marathon, on July 1, where he will attempt to finish the 42.2km run in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The 31-year-old only began running in ultramarathon SCHEDULE TOMORROW 100km ...................... 6.30am 4 x 25km relay .......... 6.30am 80km ........................ 6.45am 50km .............................. 7am Marathon ................... 7.15am 25km ......................... 7.30am 10km .............................. 8am
events this year and won the Dusk to Dawn event at Caboolture in February, a 12hour race where he managed to run a record 143.1km.
“I’ve been running my whole life and have always felt more comfortable with longer distances,” Hill said.
“In the last eight years I have really wound it up a bit and done about nine marathons. My training has only just started to focus a bit more on the ultra-marathon stuff.”
Andy Heyden and Scott Brittain will also be among the field – with about 150 lining up across all divisions – for the 100km race and will be aiming to go under 7:30 while Kyle Weise will be chasing the 20-24 men’s category 100km record that stands at 8:03.21. Blind athlete Damien Williams will run the marathon while former pro triathlete Adam Gordon will be running the marathon while pushing son Leo, 1, in a pram.
Tomorrow will help raise money for charity Run Out of Poverty, an initiative aimed at coaching underprivileged children in the Philippines in the hope of getting them to a standard of running where they can qualify for university track and field scholarships.