OzSquad Ran the Night
“Yeah, I hate to tell you this, but most races aren’t really like this beforehand.”
It was the first running event ever for two of the OzSquad crew and I fear they may have been spoilt. Nike had put on heaters, beanbags, clean port-a-loos (with mirrors!), a fast moving bag drop, cool brightly lit photo booths and a chill out area that wouldn’t look awry in Ibiza. I’d even put make-up on.
There was no mud, no sickly deep heat/sweaty stench, no people behind trestle tables giving out safety pins, no crappy unstylish race Tshirt to save to ‘do the decorating (or OzSquad) in’. This was the Nike She Runs – a ladies only night-time 10k. I’ve never seen more pony-tailed athletic looking girls wearing black and neon in one place. Boys, you should have volunteered – if black, neon and pony tails are your thing.
After a mass warm up (next year I want to try and get a spot on stage to make 6000 girls do spotty dogs in unison), those of us with orange wristbands (where we cheetahs or lions??) were called forward to lead the pack. We were off! Or were we? Have we started? Is this the start? Does anyone know what is going on? Are we running to the start? Where is the start? I haven’t found my satellites. B*gger it, I’ll just leg it with everyone else. To the actual start. Oh, false start.
Faye did find her satellites and clocked (and shared on Facebook) a marvellous 0.2km. Go Faye!
Then, we were off! The course looped around and around (I still have no real idea where we ran), and was interspersed with music, fancy fire, lights and clever screens that flashed up with your Facebook profile pic. Some stretches were quiet, dark and looong (more music next year please Nike) perhaps getting us ready for ‘the next big thing’ – Dark Races, but there is something quite calming about running at night with thousands of girls dressed in apricot singlets.
I enjoyed the course – especially the last 200m which I made four complete strangers sprint with me – but enjoyed the fab results from the Ladies of OzSquad more. You were all awesome, but special mention goes to – Cookie and Karin, absolute speed demons, if only your race chips would tell us how speedy (my last whinge Nike!). Faye, an absolute awesome 53 minute PB. Steph, puking on the course, hard core. Lauren and Mandy, from 1km to 10km in a little over two months – you are what the Learn to Run course is all about.
Ladies, OzSquad salutes you! Awesome results all round. Bravo Nike – You Did It, see you next year.
