Frankston to Portsea 55km Run 55km/34 miles
6th April 1997
| 1. | Max Gibbs | 4:20:05 |
| 2. | Kevin Cassidy | 4:32:12 |
| 3. | Graham Bonnett | 4:48:15 |
| 4. | John Harper | 5:12:55 |
| 5. | Ron Coleman | 5:49:58 |
Peter Nelson DNF
THE REAL STORY by Kevin Cassidy
Perhaps it would be best if I started by explaining the traditions of this low key but long standing race.
- Runners gather at Davey St. Frankston, and pay $2 for the privilege of making their own way down to the Portsea gates.
- For your $2 you get a block of chocolate and a small certificate for finishing.
- The winner receives a cheap bottle of wine.
On race morning it was obvious that it was going to be a tough day as we six runners faced a howling head wind from go to whoa. I was fortunate to have Peter Armistead looking after me and he was a tower of strength, particularly towards the end when my body was starting to die.
I do, however, have to report that Ross Shilston’s first effort as Race Director will go down in history. As Peter quite bluntly said “It was pathetic”.
Ross’s only concern at the start was in collecting the money then quickly saying “GO” before he disappeared to the comforts of his home for breakfast whilst we poor runners fought the ferocious head wind and the stop and start drizzle. The race was more than half over when he finally appeared but he still would not venture out from his warm and comfortable car. Meanwhile we poor runners are running two steps forward and one step back as we fight the wind until finally reaching Portsea where Ross has actually climbed out of his car into the atmosphere of the real world at the relatively well sheltered Portsea gates to take our times. Ross then had the audacity to file a race report that described the wind as a “Gentle breeze”.
The blocks of chocolate that we received had to be seen to be believed. Fair dinkum, I’ve seen them at my local 7-Eleven for 20 cents, it was a rort that would have made Senator Mal Colston proud, in fact the rumour has it that Ross has put in a $2,000 travel claim to the Peninsula Road Runners Club.
Max Gibbs put up a mighty effort to win in such tough conditions but he never got to see his bottle of wine, “He can buy himself one at the Koonya pub on the way home” was Ross’s reply to my query, and as for certificates, well Ross has followed the lead of our former health minister “Marie Tehan” and claimed that some one must have put them in the wrong pigeon hole as they seem to have vanished. To repeat Peter Armistead’s comment “It was a pathetic effort.”
Peter tells me that Ross has even deserted him on the traditional 4 o’clock Friday morning runs, this tradition goes right back to the time when Jesus Christ played at full back for Jerusalem in the Roman Empire Football League.
We may just have to have a whip-round to buy Ross a mirror so that he can take a good hard look at himself.