After a few anxious weeks filled with runners pulling out of both teams and trying to convince others that it would be a great experience to join the group, both Redman Teams arrived in the dark at Beenleigh ready to head off on another great Road Relay adventure. Our good friend, Peter Duncan, had arrived from Sydney and was just getting rid of the flu but after a delayed flight and a late night, some of the symptoms had returned.  You would never know this by the way he runs. “Slim” our trusty bus driver had made the long flight from Perth to drive the bus for us.  We are so grateful to Slim. He does a fantastic job year after year. He is by far the best bus driver any team could ever hope to get for this weekend.

The weather in the lead up to the weekend was hot, very, very hot and so it was HOT and HUMID at 4am in Beenleigh.  The weekend ahead was looking to be a “Survival of the Smartest” not so much the Fittest.  The Red team looked fantastic in new red polos and the Blue team were eager to show off their fancy gold printed singlets (thanks to Wes).  Both teams looked to be the best dressed out on the road.

When the idea of two Redman teams was first suggested, a lot of people thought there would be one really fast team and a much slower team (which would be a nightmare to organise). Fortunately, a lot of people in our group underestimate their ability to run fast and by the time we had reached Beaudesert, both teams were neck-a-neck at the front of the race.  For this stretch, the sun had thankfully hidden behind some clouds so humidity was the enemy not the sun.

Leaving Beaudesert, the clouds left as well, but not in the same direction and when Clare Dooley hit the road, the hot blast arrived and stayed with us for the entire weekend.  Did this turn the Redman Group into whimps???? No way.  We toughened up and started sucking and munching on ice before running.  We became the Smart Crew.  This helped lower everyone’s core temperature making the first few ks not seem so bad.  Everyone seemed to get 11minutes of good running in before the effects of the heat hit.  This strategy combined with lots of Gatorade (thanks Sally for the donation), lots of water and keeping cool got everyone through a tough weekend.

The “New Kids” Andrew, Andreas, Barry and Laurence all got the first run out of the way and the smiles on their faces indicated they were glad they had come along.  This year also marked a milestone for one of the group – Clare Dooley had open heart surgery to repair holes in her heart two years ago to the day. Well done Clare. Lunch in Rathdowney was a welcome break from the hot sun and thanks to Slim for finding a cool spot in the shade.  Lunch was made all the more special when Mel produced containers of delicious slices made by Jo Hicks and Tara.  Thanks to Mel, Jo and Tara for donating the little packets of nibbles, muffins and slices that were devoured in no time.

Peter Duncan and Mark Carroll toughed it out up a few rather nasty hills (oops mountains) and got us closer to Boonah.  The heat had not left us and at 4pm it was still hovering around 40.  Brian and Dennis were starting to wonder what they had let themselves in for and our trusty Elfman was still busy delivering drinks, spray and good cheer to all the sweaty, swearing, sweltering runners on the road.

I usually do the last run into Boonah while everyone else is there preparing for the criterium and taking a well-earned break.  I always enjoy this run – 5.6k with a couple of hills, the sun setting behind the mountains to the west, the cows chomping away in the paddocks and USUALLY a nice, cooling, evening breeze at 5pm.  Instead, it was still HOT.  A nasty Hot, Horrible, Head wind had arrived and apparently was going to stick around for the weekend.  This did not look good for Saturday and Warwick.

We left Boonah after the criterium (Redman Runners from both teams were outstanding here) and headed for dinner and bed in Warwick.  Usually it is dark and cool on the drive – this year it was still light and hot.  Instead of looking for a coffee for the long drive, we had cold drinks, popcorn and what Liz D, Clare D and I didn’t eat, Michael Kinne did.  Dinner at the Warwick Golf Club was fantastic.  The Club set up a buffet just for us in our own little area and the boys put in some hard work to try and outdo each other in seeing who could put the most food on their plates.  Brian (our resident fang) was left way behind by the younger blokes.  At least everyone would go to bed with full tums.

After sorting out who would sleep with whom, (the boys were fighting over Wes) everyone headed for bed, except Mel and me. We headed off to shop at 8.55pm on Friday night.  If this was Brizzie, you could have forgiven us but Warwick? No seriously, we went water shopping. Strange looks from the staff at Woolworths when two females still dressed in running shorts and polos turn up late at night and load up a trolley with bottled water.  Just as well we did – Saturday was a shocker.

Out at the Start next morning, the sky was clear, the temperature warm (I think it was 40 at 5am) and everyone fearful of the day ahead. Redman Red and Blue got off to a great start thanks to Justin, Mocha, Barry and Matt.  We were on the way to Killarney – I had Peter Duncan, Andreas, Mark C and the lovely Jason with me.  The boys decided to teach Andreas some real Aussie lingo so they introduced Andreas to the term “Rip snorter”.  You had to be there to really appreciate the meanings they gave for this.  So for the remainder of the weekend, poor Andreas was asked “Was that run a Rip Snorter?”  On this section, two runners from each team run the legs. Redman Red outran the Blue team here and the boys and girls from both teams were very happy.

Both Redman Teams were still up the top of the ladder. The run to Warwick was hot, windy and tough but everyone out on this stretch put in fantastic efforts.  A big thanks here to our water crew. Elfman had a new water wench – The lovely Natalie (Laurence’s partner) had decided to come along and help and she was brilliant.  This section is tough, it heads due west and has a few hills and bumps but it is easier when you can see the slower teams in front as it gives you something to chase down. Not Chris Buckley – he likes to be chased.  A lot of you know Keith Chaston.  Keith is about 60, runs very fast, has been around for years and take him on at your peril. Bucks and Keith started off together. I mentioned to Michael Kinne that I thought Bucks should outrun Keith but no, Keith was hanging on like a little terrier. It wasn’t until the hill at the 4k mark that Bucks pulled away and dropped Keith quickly.  Later that day I was chatting to Keith and I mentioned the little race against Bucks. He told me that it just happened that he liked the songs Bucks had on his cd so it made him run faster but when “crap” music came on he dropped off.

Mary Ashton came to say “hello” to everyone – she wasn’t too keen when we suggested she take part in the 5k Road Race.  “Mocha” got his 15 minutes of fame when he was interviewed by the Warwick Newspaper.  Justin and a few ladies (who chose to remain anonymous) made the most of the stopover and jumped into the Condamine River (creek) to cool off. 

The trip to Toowoomba was hot and windy but Redman Red managed to overtake the slower teams who had a head start (must have been the ice-cream stop at Allora) and lead all the way until the second last changeover – we still made it in to Greenmount- Wheatsheaf in 5th place.
After a delicious meal (thanks to Millicent Smith and her crew) a swim and a team chat, everyone hit the mats for a good night’s sleep.  You know it’s hot when you can sleep in Toowoomba without a blanket and can leave the trakkies in your bag.

Sunday morning dawned hot and humid. Justin was ready to get us underway while our criterium runners joined by Pip and led by Andreas put in a brilliant performance at the University.  Even the runs down the range and along to Gatton were warmish.  Mark Carroll did an awesome job of making sure we had a couple of ks lead over Intraining.  After a hot breakfast (courtesy of Gatton Lions Club) we headed for Lowood.  At the team meeting prior to the restart, both Redman teams were full of enthusiasm and eager to hit the road.  The sun had warmed up significantly and a nasty hot wind was blowing from the north-west.  The road was so hot, Michael Kinne was able to leave a footprint in the bitumen.  We are going to see if it’s still there next year.

As a special treat for all the runners, our resident Policeman (David Bell – no relation) escorted every runner to the finish line with lights and sirens.  Mel got a huge fright when the police car slotted in behind her.  A quick break and the final trail section got underway.  How good are our runners??? Redman Red beat Redman Blue over the first stage with the Blue team just beating the Reds on the final section.  At last we had made it to Fernvale and another Road Relay was over.
We managed to get a group photo with the visiting U.S. A. Air force team stationed in Guam.  These guys and girls toughed it out with a team of 10 doing all the running and jobs themselves. A flyover of one of their C-47s was a surprise for everyone at the finish area.  Liz Jones managed to do a bit of singlet swapping with the Americans who were here on a training mission.

Thanks to everyone in both teams.  The weekend was fantastic and I would put it down as one of the best I have ever been on.  Both teams worked together to ensure the best outcome for everyone.  The spirit among the group was brilliant.  We had 44 people who all managed to get along, eat, sleep and support each other during a tough weekend.  I thought the weather would have a major impact on everyone but each and every person dug deep, looked after themselves and we ended up injury free. 

Big thanks to all our support crew.  Elfman, Slim, Dennis, Brian and Natalie.  Without your good work we would have suffered on the road without our drinks, sprays, ice and words of encouragement.

I hope to see all of you back next year.

Judy Bell
Team Manager