Run with your Dog 2012
This morning found the Pooch team at the 4.9km Run with your Dog fun run, which aimed to raise funds for Guide Dogs Queensland. The venue was the lovely Roma Street Parklands. We were thrilled to see a fun run specifically organised to include dogs and their owners.
It wasn’t too warm when the race started at 7.30am, but by the time we finished, Guinness was starting to feel the heat a bit. There was no starting gun, which I thought was a great idea, for the dogs’ sake. The starter just yelled “Go!”. Francis and I followed a couple of faster runners out of the starting area but unbeknownst to us, some cyclists had removed the traffic cones that outlined the race course. So, we ended up following the others in the wrong direction.
The course we ran meandered through the gardens, along a footpath and then alongside a park and the railway line. It had a few inclines but nothing too hard. I wish cyclists were a little more courteous though; if they had a bell at all, they only used it when they were right on our heels. That, coupled with them moving the cones, doesn’t win them any friends.
We were told that there was a water stop at the half way mark, but it was well over 2.5km when we got there. A quick drink and we were on the run back to the finish line. We crossed at just over 36 minutes, and on checking Francis’s garmin, we’d covered an extra km. That’s why the water stop was further than we expected! We then found out that we’d gone the wrong way right at the start.
This is a really enjoyable run, the volunteers were friendly and the cause is worth supporting. Considering the number of dogs there, people were very sensible, picked up after their dogs and kept them under control.
We’ll definitely be back next year, and we wish the organisers well as they continue to build on today’s event. Thanks to the race director, Andrew, and his team.
Here we have, from left to right, Chris with Schmupsy, Le-Anne with rescue dog Alice, Mallani with Macca, Audrey with Guinness and Francis with Cinnabar.