From High Country To Melbourne, Via Hell
The Age
Monday December 5, 1994
``Got a spare motor?" four-time world marathon canoe champion John Jacoby asked the passengers of an idling speedboat as he paddled across Lake Eildon in a kayak on Saturday.
As it turned out, he did all right on his own. After more than 15hours of running, paddling and cycling, Jacoby yesterday won the individual men's section of the two-day endurance test over 240 kilometres from Mount Buller to Southgate on the Yarra.
Jacoby, a bank manager from Torquay, described it as a tough weekend.
``I didn't expect it to be so long," he said. ``It might have been too hard for many."
It was for the 12 competitors who withdrew, but 76 managed to complete the race, the last coming into shore at 8.43pm last night.
The race kicked off at 5.45am Saturday with a run down Mount Buller.
Jacoby and New Zealander Jim Cotter finished the 32 kilometres neck and neck, but Jacoby shot ahead during the 30-kilometre paddle across Lake Eildon. By the end of the 55-kilometre cycle into Marysville, he had increased his lead to 20minutes.
New Zealander Ian Edmond added a new twist yesterday morning when he won the 20-kilometre run from Marysville to the Black Spur.
But Jacoby managed to snatch back the day's lead in the 62-kilometre cycle to Westerfolds Park, via Healesville and Yarra Glen, and Edmond finished second overall with a time of 15 hours 57 minutes.
Cotter was nauseated and vomiting during yesterday's 45-kilometre paddle down the Yarra to Southbank. He temporarily grounded his boat at Dights Fall but managed to complete the course in 16 hours 38 minutes to secure third place.
Jacoby said he was surprised to finish so far in front. While he increased his lead in the kayaking sections of the course on both days of the event, he felt those were the most difficult.
``It was hard using both paddles, especially after the hard run on the first day," Jacoby said. ``The running takes everything out of you."
Edmond said he had saved himself for the second day.
``I don't run down hills well, so I took it cautiously," he said. ``I didn't mind that the other guys got in front ... My goal was always to finish in one piece."
Cotter received medical assistance after the race. Stretched out on the bank of the Yarra, he blamed his condition on something he had eaten.
``The running was great and so was the cycle," he said. ``But the rest ..."
New Zealander Sarah Graham won the individual female category in 18 hours 10 minutes. Her time was sixth best on the day.
Victorian Kerryn Rim finished second in the women's event, and 11th overall, with a time of 19 hours 57 minutes.
In the three-person team event, Andrea McQuitty, David Ross and Sean Rooney made up an overnight deficit of 57 seconds to win their section in 15 hours 39 minutes.
© 1994 The Age
