Shared win and course record at SC100
It was a perfect finish to a perfect day, with two trail running champions crossing the finish line together to take the Surf Coast Century 100km win and a new course record set for the women’s event.
Brendan Davies, from the Blue Mountains in NSW, and David Eadie from Melbourne showed the true spirit of ultra running by sharing the win. Davies led the race all day but was caught by Eadie with just 3km to the finish. They took the 100km win together in celebration of a great day on the trails, in a time of 8 hours, 56 minutes.
“I went out really hard and felt good until about the 75km mark and then I mentally switched off a bit and Dave caught up to me. He definitely finished stronger but ultra running is more than just about winning, it’s a real journey and I’m pleased to share that moment at the finish line with David,” said Davies.
David Eadie said he had to work really hard to catch Davies.
“It was a great result and I’m very happy to finish dual first with this legend [Brendan Davies],” said Eadie.
Finishing not far behind the winners, after a close battle for third place, was Paul Munro in 9 hours, who just pipped Stephen Rennick on the line.
It was an exciting race in the Women’s event as well with Kellie Emmerson managing to hold strong to take the win and set a new course record, finishing in 9 hours, 32 minutes. She was just 3 minutes ahead of Amy Lamprecht from Tasmania, with Jodie Oborne from Queensland rounding out the top three women.
“It was amazing to see the sun come up as we ran along the beach this morning and it was a tight race with Amy; I just had to put my head down and keep going. It was really great,” said Emmerson.
The relay was dominated by the ‘Love the Run’ teams from Melbourne who took out the Men’s and Women’s teams of four. The Mixed team of four was won by The Peptides, also from Melbourne.
“We had a really good battle against the team who came second with the lead changing a couple of times but managed to come home strong and take the win for Love the Run,” said Agustin Scafidi, from Team Love the Run.
Close to 750 runners competed in the Surf Coast Century, across the 100km solo, 50km solo and the 100km relay team events.
The race started at dawn on the Anglesea Main Beach with the first across the finish line being the 50km winner Sam Edney from Warnambool in just over 4 hours, who didn’t even realise he was in the lead until he finished.
“The sand was pretty tough which kept me on my toes but I loved the course. It didn’t feel like a 4 hour run, it went so fast and it was beautiful scenery,” said Edney.
In the Women’s 50km event, 18 year old Lucy Bartholomew – princess of the trails – had a comfortable win in 4 hours and 32 minutes.
“It was really fun and it’s nice to now have the afternoon to support the 100km runners, many of who have supported me over the years,” said Bartholomew.
“It’s such an amazing atmosphere and running along the beach was so awesome I had to stop and take a few photos along the way,” she said.
The smiles of joy and relief at the finish line continued with runners crossing the line all afternoon and well into the night.
Katerina Gazo from Queensland participated in the event for the first time.
“It was fantastic. I feel so good for finishing and it was a really nice, interesting course, I loved it. It was really supportive with lots of spectators cheering along the way,” said Gazo.
Another Queenslander, Wayne Edwards, has come down to the Surf Coast with a group of 12 runners from Noosa.
“The weather is great, it’s beautiful scenery and the event organisation is fantastic. I’m in a world of pain but I’m really pleased have run and finished,” he said.
Andrew McDougall from Melbourne also enjoyed the experience.
“I’ve had the time of my life today. From the sunrise while running along the beach, to having my supportive family here at the finish line and the volunteers at the aid stations around the course, everything has been fantastic,” he said.
Many runners finished in the dark with just a head torch to light their way through the coastal trails. After the many hours on their feet they were treated with fairy lights to guide them through the finish arch where a waiting crowd of loving family and friends cheered them home.
OVERALL RESULTS
Male 100km solo
- Brendan Davies and David Eadie 8:56:28
- –
- Paul Munro 9:00:51
Female 100km solo
- Kellie Emmerson 9:29:32
- Amy Lamprecht 9:32:56
- Jodie Oborne 10:20:58
Male 50km solo
- Sam Edney 4:02:51
- John Claridge 4:16:16
- Gavin Brown 4:24:38
Female 50km solo
- Lucy Bartholomew 4:32:04
- Corallea Edwards 5:09:19
- Caroline Bertrand 5:10:23
Top male team of 2:
Steelpatch (James Kohler and Michael Steele) 8:26:44
Top female team of 2:
Run Scotty Sisters Run (Diane Ellis and Carolyn Scott) 9:44:57
Top mixed team of 2:
Milleben (Ben Nicholls and Camille Nicholls) 9:33:13
Top male team of 4:
Love the Run Boys (Agustin Scafidi, Sam Hume, Tim Bryant and Aidan Rich) 7:19:59
Top female team of 4:
Love the Run Girls (Amy Lyon, Eimear O’Brien, Sarah Martin and Danielle Bryan) 8:33:57
Top mixed team of 4:
The Peptides (Cameron Jeremiah, Jake Ward, Andrew Mock and Marie Sinclair 7:44:46
This is the third year of the Surf Coast Century. In the 2015, the event will also host the Australian National 100km Trail Titles, which is a coup for the event and the surf coast region.
For the full event results and further background on the event visit www.SurfCoastCentury.com.au