While most of Orange was tucked up in bed former English pair Robert Woolley and Andrea Bennett ran from Orange to Spring Hill and back again to claim victories in the Orange Running Festival marathon on Sunday morning.
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The threatening clouds didn’t dump rain on the runners but instead led to a high humidity which affected many competitors.
Woolley who moved from Hertfordshire to Australia eight years ago, and to Orange three years ago, said it was a good run.
“It was fun,” he said.
“It was a bit of a breeze.”
So much so that just 20 minutes after winning he backed up for the 10 kilometre race.
From the starters gun at 6.30am Woolley took command of the JP Hotel Brokers Marathon, finishing in two hours, 39 minutes and 23 seconds.
He beat Barry Keem [2:42.00] by nearly three minutes with Wayne Spies in third place [2:48.58].
“I ran it two years ago and I got third,” Woolley said.
“I won it the year before that.”
He said he was not overly concerned by the conditions.
“It has been worse in previous years,” he said.
After running for nearly three and a half hours Bennett was greeted at the finish by her children Amy and Eddey who rushed on to the course to give her a hug just metres before the line.
She said her time of three hours and 29 minutes was slower than her previous best of three hours and 13 minutes but said the conditions had affected her.
“It was so humid,” she said.
“I had no idea it would be like that.
“Then it got quite windy on parts of the course.”
Bennett beat Ursula Wilson [3:54.37] by more than 25 minutes.
Sarah Lloyd was third home completing the 42-kilometre distance in 3:56.57.
Bennett, a pharmaceutical company worker from Mona Vale said it was her 21st marathon.
It was a bit of a breeze.
- Marathon winner Robert Woolley
“This was the second time I’ve done this one,” she said.
She is originally from Essex in England.
“Jamie Oliver, he was born right near me,” she said.
Event co-ordinator Stewart Vidler said the marathon was added to the ORF schedule six years ago.
He said they received more than 1500 entries for all five races, the marathon, half marathon, 10 kilometre and five kilometre runs and the two kilometre junior dash.
“That is about 10 per cent up on last year,” he said.
And there were plenty of runners from outside Orange.
“It would be 50-50 for runners from Orange and other places,” he said.
The 10 kilometre was the most popular.
