JPMorgan CC - 4th in 17:05

So the big event rolled around once again.  But for once I had no excuses.  Managed to put together a great training block from mid-September after recovering from man-flu and, with a good 5km TT and hit out at Lane Cove, was feeling confident and in good form.  But then the day rolls around, I get incredibly nervous and doubts start creeping into your head.  So just concentrated on the plan.  I knew there'd be a big group of us - Alex Rogers, Quentin, Barts, CT, Crossy, Muz, Clarkey, Tucks and Brett Halls all fighting it out while the superstars (Dent, Hunt and Thurston) raced off ahead.  I guessed we'd still all be together at 4km, so the plan was to take it relatively easy up the first hill so as not to blow too early, then just to nail myself from Fox Studios Gates onwards to see what anyone had left.  Nice and simple.

Arrived with about 30mins to go, did a bit of a warm-up with Hoey and Jeet, just in time to get in the annual HuRT Squad photo:

Got nervous on the start line.  Then we're off.  Quick start but deliberately take it relatively easy up the hill as per the plan.  But round the Paddo Gates corner just behind Alex with Q, CT and Barts all around.  We seem to form a little group already.  I catch Alex's heels and apologise on the way up to Woollahra Gates, and notice people are working a bit on that little uphill section so am encouraged.  This is the group (Alex, me, CT, Barts and Quentin) rounding the Woollahra Gates corner:

Then holey moley!  To borrow from David Coleman, Alex just opens his legs and shows his class!  He flies down the hill, with CT following him.  I literally just can't keep up.  But as we gather back on Grand Drive, CT falls back into the group leaving Alex about 10m ahead of us.  As we hit 3km, I start to think that this race is really quite short, we're over half way through and unless we make an effort to catch Alex he's just going to drift ahead and it's going to be too late.  So I make a real effort to bridge the gap - secretly also thinking that if I catch Alex we will work together and it will give me a chance to break from Barts, CT and Q.  I catch Alex at about 3.5km and he looks quite surprised.  Then something happens that decides the race for me.  Anna FitzGerald is standing on the side of the road.  Now I'm a big fan of Anna, so I wait for a friendly "Go on lads!" or a "Well done Alex, well done Tom!", but instead I hear; "Go on Alex, don't let him get away".  Anna!  What happened?  I'm angry now!  We go through 4km and I can see Fox Studios Gates ahead and the slight incline that goes with it.  Here it is:

So the plan was always to nail myself from here, and that's what I do.  Is Alex dropping?  I can't tell.  Maybe he is?  He's bound to be quicker in a sprint, so I have to keep on piling on the pressure.  Through the 5km marker.  Christ, when will this gap in the fence ever appear?  I can't hear him now.  Through the gap in the fence.  Careful not to slip on the gravel.  Hit the grass then start sprinting for the line.  Can't let anyone come past now.  Cross the line and do 6 above the head fist pumps.  Barts and I had discussed this beforehand.  Whoever won between us was going to do some sort of celebration.  I was thinking pistols before hand, but in the heat of the moment it was skyward fist pumps. 

Then turn around to watch everyone come in.  Quentin pips Barts on the line for 6th place.  You'd normally back Barts in a sprint finish, but I've learned to my cost not to leave it too late against Q.  CT faded in the final 2km for 9th.  First woman (Lucy Starrat) comes in then guess who pops up for 2nd?  LJ's secret training has paid off.  Only just back from injury and she almost runs a PB for second place.  Fantastic stuff.  If anyone loves this event more than me it's LJ.  There's PB's galore (and the inevitable questioning of distance) but having done this race so many times and knowing where they always place the start and finish lines I don't think there was any significant change.  Maybe the finish line was a bit further up but it wouldn't make more than 5s difference.  I think people ran fast because it was unseasonably cool. 

Great to see Erika smash it in 20:23 for 4th place girl and getting a win over Greta into the bargain.  Standout performances from Jeet (19:16) and Charlie D (21:26) and a good comeback run for J-Fen in 18:47.  Also shouldn't forget Wildman's 16:35.  That's as quick as he ran when he won it, yet his comeback this time has been much shorter.  Great to see him battling it out with the likes of Marty Dent and Jeff Hunt.

Then we at some burgers and drank lots of beer and talked crap.  Here's some photos of us doing that:

It's getting rowdy.

 Barts, Wildman, Kanser, Durante and Jeff Hunt.

This fella dreaming of winning Coast to Kosci.

Big Bill Batt.