President Simon was the only Fortian at the Event and managed to sneak away with a 30sec  course PB. His race report is below

Well after a very long week I was looking forward to heading down to Numinbah for what is one of my favourite trail races.

On Saturday the day before I ended up spending most of the day top soiling the lawn so that wasn't an ideal  preparation so on the first hill I found I had no power going up the hill so I soon gave away any ideas about a PB attempt so I just changed my plan and ran to feel.

After getting up the first hill and then dropping down into the valley I was cruising along nicely looking forward to the creek crossings which ended up being dry, didn't even get my feet wet this time :(  managed to cruise along the back section well keeping the body in check.

Around the corner and then into the whopper of the hill, never going to run that one. Got to the top and realised that my PB time was a chance so decided to knock up the effort for the downhill and passed loads of people.

On to the final single trail and past another person who pulled over to let me past and I was hurdling rocks and large sticks and then I was through the final drain tunnels and up for a sprint finish.

Ended up with 1:17:38, 29th in my category and 30sec course PB and 1 whole minute faster than last year. Happy with that. Still got some work to do if I'm going to be able to compete with the guy who won it in 50:51 though.

​Numinbah I will be back in 2020!

What’s your favourite way to spend a weekend?
 We love to travel, so ideally we would be away somewhere.
 
If not, then a perfect weekend at home would involve parkrun first thing on Saturday morning, kids sport, catching up with friends over drinks, maybe an orienteering event or long run and then a nice late lunch/early dinner at home on Sunday with the family to wrap up the weekend.
 
What was the best running vacation you ever took and why?
 The first marathon I ever ran was in Portland,Oregon.
 We had friends living in Saskatoon in Canada.  We flew to Canada, met up with them and travelled around  for a few weeks, including a stopover in Portland for my mate and I to run the marathon.
 Was a great vacation, exploring North America for the first time, made all the better by the marathon run.  Having said that, my first marathon was hard work, especially in the last 10 kms.
 
How did you get into running?
In my early 20's, living in Sydney, friends and I ran the City to Surf a couple of times and a half marathon, all with little training.  Really enjoyed those runs at the time, but then stopped running for a long time.
 
Whilst living in Singapore in 2011, I was offered a full health/fitness assessment through work.  At the end of the assessment, the nurse/consultant told me I was reasonably fit, but that it would be good if I set myself a goal to work towards to improve my fitness further.  So I committed to training and running a half marathon.
 
I trained for the Singapore Half Marathon in November of that year and from then I was hooked.  I have been running consistently since then.

This month we get to know Fortius Running Clubs very own Merch Queen and puppy lover.

Here is what we found out when we went deep with Sophie on our 2km jog with her

​What’s your favourite way to spend a weekend?
Running, Eating, Drinking champagne, eating cheese, eating ice cream, Parkrun, hanging out with friends, wearing active wear, singing songs from the 80s, 90s, 2000s in the car with Joanna Fack
 
What type of music are you into while running, if any?
Something with a good beat, again songs from the 80s, 90s, 2000s. I also listen to podcasts and actually find running and listening to a podcast is the best way to take it in
 
What was the best running vacation you ever took and why?
Noosa Marathon – great course, great location and great friends
 
Where’s the next place on your running travel bucket list and why?
Either Chicago Marathon or Tokyo. They are both amazing, and the food would be incredible!
 
How did you get into running?
I was attending “Step Into Life” in Sydney and my trainer was a runner. He spent years trying to convince me that I should try running and that I might enjoy it. At the time I was hard pressed running 1 full lap of an oval…… and I hated it! He finally convinced me to train for the Sydney Blackmores half marathon……. I LOVED IT. I was hooked from there. I got into running more seriously when I moved to Brisbane in 2014.
 
What was the last race you’ve done?
Does a beer run count? Sydney Marathon, I ran my fastest ever marathon J
 
Would you say you’re more of an extrovert or an introvert, and how does it relate to your running?
Ahhhh extrovert.
 
What’s your favourite thing about running?
My friends J
 
What annoys you most?
Getting injured and chafing
 
What’s the running highlight you’re most proud of?
Running my first sub 4 hour marathon last year at sunshine coast and all the wonderful friends I have made through running
  
Are you more of a “run to relax” or a “run to get it done with” type of person?
A little bit of both.
 
How much time do you spend running in a week?
I run between 3-5 hours per week, average 30-50km per week.
 
What is your favourite regular course and why?
Running around the Brisbane river through New Farm, Eagle Street Pier, Southbank and Kangaroo Point, its lovely at any time of the day 
 
Were you running growing up?
Nope! I was good at eating, watching TV and patting dogs.
 
Who (running related) do you admire most in the world?
There are so many! But friends are the ones that I have the most admiration for and inspire me the most.
 
If you were to win a race price money, what would you do with it?
Spend it on shoes or entry fees for another race or on champagne!
 
If you see a puddle on the ground, do you run around it, over it or get straight into it?
I think I would run through it!
 
If you could have a super power, what would it be?
to talk under water!
 
If you got to name a new race, how would you decide what to call it?
The “Pat all the dogs” fun run
 
What would be the title of your running book?
The art of perfecting talking and running by Sophie Kennedy