There is a historic steam train railway north of the Sunny coast called the 'Valley Rattler' which takes people on a fantastic old fashioned ride through the Mary Valley that it situated outside Gympie. Every year over the Queen's Birthday long weekend, there is a race between die-hard runners and the old steam train from Dagun back to Gympie. People come from all over the region and even from interstate to take part in this event. It's an 18 kilometre run through the picturesque Mary Valley with plenty of different terrain to keep the runners on their toes. People of all ages and fitness levels take part with individuals and teams competing over the course. Some people take the run very seriously yet others just enjoy the day out and the fresh air.
We were all there to cheer on Steve's chief flight instructor Fergus who had been training hard before the day, quite often with Steve as a training buddy although that had trailed off in recent weeks for Steve. Fergus has taken part in the race over the last few years but has realised the need for training after participating last year with only a few short runs in the lead up only to discover a world of pain when he had finished the race. Thankfully this year he was better prepared and hoping to better his time from last year.We had to be at the Old Gympie railway station by 7.30am, at the latest, so Fergus could register and pick up his number and electronic ankle strap. The strap was to electronically register participants when they cross the finish line so the race organisers could keep track of everyone. I wondered if they also used it to identify collapsed competitors along the way because there must be some people who underestimate the distance and their abilities. Mapleton, I realised, was well represented when the families of two of Erin's classmates were also running and cheering on the day. Dad's and brothers of Eva and Sarah were there to get involved too and it was great to see them there.
The competitiors hopped on the 'Rattler' in Gympie and were transported to Dagun where the race would start. The spectators were driven in buses to Dagun where we would get on the train and race the runners back to Gympie. The atmosphere was fantastic as everyone prepared to either run or cheer. Breakfast was available when we arrived at Dagun so I immediately ordered 4 sausage sanbies for us. There was also coffee and raisin toast for those more refined tastes. We did have brekkie before we left home but that seemed like hours ago. In fact speaking of time, the whole event was over by lunchtime and it seemed like 4 o'clock in the afternoon so early starts certainly give you more of the day but tiredness sets in a lot earlier. 
Before long, the runners were lined up ready to go. There were lanky young guys doing short sprinting bursts down the road in preparation while others stood around and talked. I could tell which competitors were 'playing for sheep stations' as I say and which ones were out there to have fun. Of course, as soon as the runners took off, we had to get on the train and take off too. I was at the starting line on the road taking photos so had to sprint to get back to the station before the train left. The inside of the train was in original condition although the floorboards were covered with vinyl. The windows were similar to the train windows on Adelaide trains when I was a kid (I think I'm showing my age). I had to get Steve to help release the levers to slide the windows upwards. I was a bit concerned about the possible guillotine effect on heads and fingers if the windows should drop suddenly so we made sure the latches were secure. There we all were leaning out of the windows with fresh air blowing in our faces interspersed with steam and soot from the train. The countryside was beautiful and the runners were waving to us as we yelled and cheered for them. We were particularly raucous when we spotted Fergus and his friend (a fellow pilot and competitor) who both stood there with arms waving in the air.
The train stopped briefly on 4 occasions along the way where changeover stations were located for the relay runners. Drinks stations were also dotted along the route for the competitors. We passed along the rear of people's houses on properties and many were outside waving to us as we went through. We were all trying to keep track of who was in front as the Rattler has won 7 times and the runners have won 6 times so it was anybody's race. After an hour, the Rattler pulled into the station as one lone runner was coming down the road close behind. In fact, he missed out on beating the train by 1 minute.....how close is that! We all piled off the train and took up a position on the roadside and waited for Fergus to come along. Everyone clapped as runners trotted past in varying stages of pain and fatigue. Eventually Fergus' pilot friend came along and we cheered loudly, then one of Erin's friends' dads came along so I cheered again. Then just over 2 hours after he began, Fergus came down the road and beat his time from last year so he was hopefully happy although it's hard to tell what a runner is feeling after 2+ hours of personal pain. I suppose the main telling factor is how they 'pulled up' the next day and both Fergus and his mate were quite good and not too sore considering their ordeal.
Steve felt a pang of regret for not having given it a go but I sort of talked him out of it. I didn't think he had been training enough to take the challenge on but then I suppose I never gave him the opportunity to find out. I just didn't want my husband, who had just become a qualified helicopter pilot, to drop dead before our adventure had really started.
After all the excitement, we dropped into the town of Cooroy on the way home and had a pub meal for lunch. It was delicious and the kids enjoyed the kids room so we didn't see much of them while we were there. All round, it was a great day and we got to ride the 'Valley Rattler' before we leave the Sunshine Coast.
No comments:
Post a Comment