The annual Centurions Club 24 Hour walking event was held this year in conjunction with the Queensland Racewalkers Club in Brisbane. As always, the aim is to walk 100 miles within the 24 hour limit and hence gain admittance to the exclusive Centurions Club.

Brisbane turned on a hot and sunny day and the start time of noon on Saturday meant that the field had to endure nearly 6 hours of sunshine and heat before the evening brought cooler weather. The cumulative effect of this was seen even during the first hours of the race. What had promised to be a very toughly contested race deteriorated quickly into one of survival. Plans soon fell by the wayside as walkers struggled to maintain pre-race plans and pace slowed. Although the night brought ideal conditions, the damage was done and the bulk of the field retired in the early evening hours. Caleb Maybir and Freddie Baker revised goals and decided to just keep going for the full 24 hours and were both rewarded with fine performances given the conditions. Results were as follows:

Significant splits for the two finishers were as follows

Here are some details of interest on the competitors

Caleb Maybir (Centurion number 28) completed 100 miles last year in just under the 24 hour limit to become Centurion Number 28. He was keen to improve on that performance this year and was much better prepared. Those who saw last year's race will remember the state of his feet. This year although he did not achieve the 100 mile distance, it was a fine performance. His feet suffered no ill effects and his feeding was well organized. Perhaps the only reason he did not complete another 100 miler was because the desire was not so great this year. But taking the early heat into effect, it was still a creditable walk.

Freddie Baker is a veteran of 20 100 mile walks in his native England. He did his first 100 miler at age 23 and his last at age 60. Now retired, aged 65 and resident in Brisbane, he decided to try for one more 100 miler to become a Centurion on Australian soil. His preparation was limited and he was a few years out of formal training but he stayed on the track for the full 24 hours and showed great guts and determination. He realized early on that his pace was not sufficient for the 100 mile distance but he had entered the event with the firm view of completing 24 hours of walking. With this performance behind him, he is keen to try again next year and complete the elusive 100 mile distance once again.

Peter Bennett (Centurion number 24) was keen to improve on his Australian best on record of 10:51:25 for the 100 Km walking distance. He headed off at the requisite pace but slowed due to the heat and persistent back problems. He finally called it quits at the 50 Km mark which he passed in 5:23, a good walk at any time. Peter is already a Centurion, having completed his 100 miler in 1994 in the fine time of 19:42:54 so he had nothing to prove on this occasion.

Andrew Ludwig (Centurion number 25) toed the line once again but with very limited preparation. He was relatively open ended in his expectations and walked through to the 50 km mark before calling it a day. In fact, Andrew was so laid back that the missed the start and actually commenced the race a few minutes after the others! For him, it was just a hitout and a good training session. We appreciated his attendance and participation.

Frank Overton from NSW fronted for his first 100 mile attempt in many years. The last time I can remember him in such an event was in 1977 in Gosford when he completed 61.2 Km He was determined to get as far as possible this time and perhaps complete the 100 mile distance. Unfortunately the early heat took too much of a toll and although the mind was willing, the body gave out. He was forced to give up at 57.2 Km after giving it his all. He was disappointed with his performance and is sure to be back to improve.

Paul Thompson from NSW was keen to experiment with the longer distances and came up with Frank with the intention of walking as far as possible. He completed just over 50 Km. While he has done the 50 Km distance before, this was the first time he has entered such an untra-distance race and he is sure to be back to build on this first effort.

Peter Waddell completed 130 Km in the Coburg 24 Hour event earlier this year and was going to build on that event with a 100 mile performance. Unfortunately, his plans did not include the weather and he faltered in his efforts. He was forced to retire in the late evening but certainly has the credentials to complete the 100 mile distance if all falls into place for him in the near future. I believe that he has bounced back from the disappointment and is back in training for his next effort.

John Harris (Centurion number 12) became a Centurion in 1975 in his early twenties. He retired from racewalking in the mid eighties and little has been seen of him since then. It was then a pleasant surprise to see him toeing the line for this event. He had decided to try for 50 km and did that effortlessly on zero training. His easy walking action and relaxed attitude made for a good comeback performance. We hope to see more of John now that he has caught the bug once again.

Special Thanks must go to the following

• The Queensland Racewalking Club who hosted the event, provided officials and meals and coordinated all aspects of the race
• Centurion Peter Bennett who was the Brisbane convenor of the event
• Centurion Chris Clegg who came out from California to help with the event
• Centurion Tim Thompson who travelled from Adelaide to help with the event
• The various Queensland based Centurions who supported the event
• The Queensland walkers who walked in various shorter distance events during the 24 hour period. This ensured where possible that the walkers were not left on their own on the track.

Congratulations to those who competed. I look forward to seeing some of you back again next year to try to improve on your performances when we host the 1998 Centurions Walk in Melbourne.

Tim Erickson
5 Oct 1997