About 80 adults and 50 children took on the King of the Mountain challenge on Sunday and with a new start line and new course 1km longer, new records were set.
Recent rains had made it a challenging and slippery slope in parts, but several runners said the new, longer path, altered due to erosion concerns by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, provided a more gradual and welcome ascent.
Noosa MP Sandy Bolton joined race organisers to sound the start horn in Hospital Street and provide commentary during the 5.2km run up and down 439m Mt Cooroora in front of a crowd of spectators who had come to cheer on the race and enjoy the festival activities.
Mark Bourne, 38, of Canberra, claimed victory in a record time of 31.24, beating last year’s King of the Mountain Jorge Navarro, 33, by more than a minute with his time of 33.09.
It was Mark’s third King of the Mountain win in four starts. In his last attempt in 2018 he came in second.
“I love this event. It’s got a great community feel,” he said.
“The new track gives you a bit of respite on the incline. It’s not as constant a slope. But you’ve got to be on your toes. It’s a bit slippery after the rain.
This year’s win for Mark follows another victory in June when he won the Australian Mountain Running Championships.
A mountain running enthusiast Mark said the uphill leg of the race required fitness but the downhill segment required the use of different muscles and more preparation.
Lee Cleary, 19, from Kandanga was the first woman to cross the finish line, with a time of 40.39, and claim Queen of the Mountain. It was her third start in the race. Last year Lee finished in third place.
She agreed the uphill race forced you to push your limits but the downhill run was a different type of challenge.
“It’s takes a different type of person to have the confidence to fly down. It’s the most intimidating part for people,” she said.
People of all ages ran for all sorts of reasons, many alongside family members.
Sarah Mycroft said running was her “zen time to chill out”. A former marathon runner, once ranked tenth in Australia, Sarah became the first woman to run around Australia in 2010. The mother of five now runs for mental health and this year took on the mountain alongside her daughter Bonnie Mycroft, 16.
At 66 years Lyn Lewis was the most senior woman. It’s been 20 years since she ran the King of the Mountain, which she won three times as Lyn Gordon, but she keeps herself fit in her home town of Rockhampton by running up and down Mt Archer. This year her daughter Arlene Brownlow who had come for a visit from her home in Dubai insisted her mother join her in the race. Lyn said there were no hills in Dubai so Arlene had to practice running up and down steps.
Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien took on the mountain for the first time, doing it in support of PTSD Dogs. He finished it in a time of 1.03.47 and fulfilled his aim to set a record for a Wide Bay MP. His son Will also ran, also achieving his aim to leave his dad in his dust, after Llew told Will he wasn’t man enough to enter the race against him. Will finished in 41.41.
This year about 50 children lined up for the Zinc 96 Prince and Princess race which set off 30 seconds after the adult runners departed, with a 2.8km run to the base of the mountain and a loop back to the finish line.
The King of the Mountain, considered Australia’s premier mountain foot race, had its origins in 1958 when Bruce Samuels, a local footballer and railway porter, ran to the top of Mt Cooroora as a hangover cure. He had a competitor a year later and the mountain race legend had begun.
In addition to the race this year there were several events and activities held in Pomona over the weekend including a Venture Cycles Bike Ride through the Noosa Trails, sand sculpting with world champion sand sculpture Dennis Massoud, a vintage car display and a Destash for cash.
The King of the Mountain event has also been immortalised in a film, Still Running, which was screened at Pomona’s Majestic Theatre.
For more information, checkout the website kingofthemountain.com.au
