(Updated Monday 30th November 2009)
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The legendary Steve Moneghetti said after the running of the annual 15km Great Australian Run it was a great day for Australian distance running.
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It was a very good outcome for all the athletes who have just completed an altitude training stint at Falls Creek.
Austrian Guenther Weidlinger shook off his training partner at Falls Creek Collis Birmingham to take out the annual event in an upset win.
It was the Weidlinger's most outstanding result in his athletic career. The Austrian, who is a regular fixture at Falls Creek in our summer, headed the hot favorite Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru (and Birmingham) about 5km from the finish and never looked liked being overtaken.
Up and coming Nikki Chapple ran a personal best time in the woman's 15km event after establishing an unassailable lead over the former Olympic champion Portugal's Fernanda Ribeiro, Chapple didn't expect to win and like the Austrian athlete dominated her event and recorded her best ever result.
Benita Willis who had come off altitude training at Falls Creek to enter the annual 15km event had to settle for second after looking like she would miss a first three place.
In the straight leading to the finish line Willis powered past Helen Clitheroe, an English Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, to establish an Australian quinella.
Collis Birmingham, who was third last year behind the legendary Haile Gebrselassie, went one better this year with his second place.
All the elite athletes will now regroup in readiness for the annual Zatopek athletics meet in Melbourne and further altitude training session at Falls Creek.
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Picture of Collis, Guenther and Benita training at Falls Creek by Chris Hocking.
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(Updated Thursday 19th November 2009)
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Tim O'Shaughnessy Athletic Australia's National Distance Development Manager said:"Some of our distance runners such as Eloise Wellings, the number two all time 5km athlete, Melissa Rowlingson, a silver medallist in the steeplechase at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, Craig Mottram, Benita Johnson, Collis Birmingham and some overseas athletes have either been, or still are, training at Falls Creek.
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"There will be about 20 of our junior athletes, including Ryan Gregson who ran a credible race at the world titles in Berlin, at Falls Creek between December 27 and January 3, 2010. Ryan is such a good role model for our up and coming junior athletes but we do lose him to the senior ranks at the end of the year.
"As our national cross-country trials will be held in Melbourne on January 17, 2010 a number of athletes will come down from altitude training at Falls Creek a couple of days before they participate in what is a very important selection opportunity.
"The national trials for next year's Commonwealth Games will be held in mid-April (four weeks later than our usual trials) so I would expect athletes will be up at Falls Creek longer than other summers.
"We tend to send larger teams of distance runners to Commonwealth Games so the athletes see it as a better opportunity to make the Australian team."
O'Shaughnessy, the legendary supposedly retired, Steve 'Mona' Moneghetti, another living legend Chris Wairdlaw (who now trains Craig Mottram) and Nic Bideau, a key player in the Falls Creek-based National Altitude Training Centre (NATC) all believe Falls Creek is an ideal environment for blocks of altitude training.
For more than 35 years athletes have traditionally trained in the cooler climes of the high country in the height of our hot summer.
They all agree with ‘Mona’ the group effect has been one of the keys to the success of the Fall Creek-based camps.
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(Updated Monday 9th November 2009)
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Some of Australia's elite runners including Collis Birmingham, Benita Willis (Johnson) and Ryan Gregson have returned to the alpine resort for altitude training with the Falls Creek-based National Altitude Training Centre (NATC).
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The first contingent of rowers from Brisbane Grammar School will begin training on Rocky Valley Lake in early December. Rowing coaches appreciate the opportunity to set courses almost 4km in length which is something they cannot achieve at sea level, particularly on rivers which have a high volume of multiple uses.
Athletic coaches also speak volumes about the benefits of altitude training at Falls Creek. Running legend Steve 'Mona' Moneghetti says it is the 'group effect'.
Mona believes this is the key to the success of the Falls Creek-based camps, On Boxing Day an influx of junior athletes, which includes some of our best up and coming runners, will join the more experienced runners who participate in regular training runs.
Collis, Willis and Gregson will be seen on numerous occasions around Falls Creek as they participate in regular sessions until 8 December.
The athletes appreciate the soft, tree-lined tracks, the crisp, clean air and the quite laid-back atmosphere Falls Creek, which it is renowned for.
And coaches relish the few distractions (for their charges) and the cross-training opportunities.
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Australia's elite runners including Collis Birmingham, Benita Willis (Johnson) and Ryan Gregson will be joined by Austrian runner Gunther Weidlinger and Bobby Curtis from America for a stint of altitude training with the Falls Creek-based National Altitude Training Center (NATC).
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Collis Birmingham won the five-kilometer Noosa Bolt road racing title (held last week) defending his road race title. Birmingham has now won this event twice and he's had his best-ever year including a start in 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at the world championships in Berlin last August.
America's Bobby Curtis also had a 'good day at the office' finishing third. Curtis, Collis, Willis and Gregson will be seen on numerous occasions around Falls Creek as they participate in regular sessions between 6 November and 8 December.
Previous NATC training camps have had some very good outcomes for the athletes. Collis Birmingham ran personal bests over 1500m and 5000m. His win in the 5000m to take the Australian title was most impressive.
Ryan Gregson now holds Australian 1500m and 3k records junior records and Martin Dent (who Collis beat in last week's Noosa Bolt road race) was the best athlete at the World Cross Country trials.
On Boxing Day the annual influx of junior athletes will join the more experienced runners to take part in what running legend Steve 'Mona' Moneghetti says is the 'group effect'. Mona believes this is the key to the success of the Falls Creek-based camps.
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