2011 Sydney Running Festival with the Walk On Sydney Wonders

Written by Walk On Sydney Wonder - Simon Hodsden

Beep beep beep,….. Beep beep beep, and it's 3:50 AM on a beautiful Sunday morning and what else would we be doing except getting up and getting ready to participate in the Sydney Running Festival along with about 35,000 other people!

And so the preparation began with the help of my wonderful carer Hazel who agreed to come at four o'clock in the morning to help get me ready, while Sharon and boys organised themselves.
 The logistics of getting me up, ready and at the start line just by Luna Park in Sydney for 7:30 AM somehow seemed very daunting however, with plans made and watches synchronised we were in the car and leaving the driveway only two minutes behind schedule at 5:22 AM. The plan now was to drive to Sutherland Station and get a train to Central Station where we would change and get another one to Milsons Point and meet up with the rest of the team for the start of the fun run.

As we were leaving home we were greeted with a fantastic and beautiful sunrise indicating that the weather would be very kind to us. The journey to the station was particularly uneventful and as we arrived we did notice many other people parking their cars and dressed to participate in the run, it was quite fun trying to guess which distance they may be competing in. Would it be the marathon, half marathon, 9 km or the 4 km fun run, some people were easier to guess than others I think, although when the colour of the bib indicating their run was visible some even greatly surprised me.

Arriving at Sutherland Station we were very fortunate to get a parking space right by the station and the ramp leading to the platform. There was a train waiting for us and the platform attendant was very happy to "throw me quickly onto the train" although not literally. We had actually caught a train earlier than anticipated and were now ahead of schedule. We had just arrived at Sydenham Station when Sharon's phone alarm went off, this was indicating the time we would normally have got up on a Sunday morning, and here we are almost in the centre of Sydney! This was particularly poignant as it was another step back towards "normal" family life as it was before my accident. And it proves that with a bit of effort and an early start we can do it.

CityRail thankfully did not have any surprises for us and we arrived at Milsons Point about 15 minutes early and were in fact the first of our team there. It was incredible the amount of people milling around. There were some very serious runners getting ready for the marathon and a lot of families many with strollers (push chairs, for my English readers) and the overriding sensation that you felt was one of a really happy occasion where everybody was out to enjoy themselves.

The team was now assembling and team shirts were delivered and being worn this meant somebody had to carry all the gear that was now not required. Hmmmmm I wonder who will end up being loaded down (no clues but see if you can guess, a photographic answer will be provided later). The team consisted of us Hodsden's, Chuckie another guy in a chair his wife Mel, our physios Alana, Claudia, Camila and the organising secretary Bec. We were also joined by a research student from the University of Sydney with her family who had just flown in from Malaysia the day before.

The Walk On Sydney Wonders Team - All revved up and 4K to go!

At 7:55 AM we were under starters orders. And We're Off.

The number bibs that we are wearing are really quite clever as they contain a timing thingy that activates something as we go over the start and will stop something at the finish. I didn't want to get too technical (mostly because I don't understand how it works).

The start was a relatively slow affair as everybody had to run through the start line to activate their time thingy, however after that people started to walk, jog and run and for me my 4 km chinathon was about to begin. It is quite surprising but it is actually quite a climb from Luna Park up and onto the Bridge. The beauty about this running Festival is the fact that they close the Bridge to all traffic to allow the event to cross it, something that happens very rarely and it is fantastic opportunity to cross this icon on foot (so to speak).

David showing a good turn of speed with Sharon and I closing up

quickly at the beginning of the climb onto the Bridge.

As we progressed further onto the Bridge the views of Sydney just become awesome. Although there were a lot of people taking part in the run there were sections where the crowds were very thin and during these quiet periods I really took the opportunity to Hoon about and put my chin down and get some speed going. This was great fun as long as I avoid the cracks, small potholes and other variations in the road surface that can make chin driving of a wheelchair a very painful experience.

Have you managed to guess who will be carrying all of the excess baggage?

No? ....all will be revealed in the photograph below.

Yes it was me and I think the balloons are there to counteract the extra weight of the bags! This picture is quite incredible as it almost looks like we are the only people on the Bridge. Although it was very tempting to really speed as fast as possible across the Bridge it was also really great just to savour the atmosphere of the day and the occasion.

Sharon discusses race tactics with Claudia and Camila.

As we approached the end of the Bridge were greeted with a band playing and this added to the carnival atmosphere. It was about this point where my neck began to ache although my chin was still feeling great. The route of the run then took us across the Cahill Expressway and you can get fantastic views of Circular Quay, The Opera House and the Bridge, something that is very difficult to appreciate normally when you are in a car. As we exited the Cahill Expressway there was about 1 km left to go and most of these would now be downhill along Macquarie Street and down to the Opera House where the finish line was.

Going downhill would now be the opportunity for us all too actually get some speed up and the photographs above prove that it was a run. We crossed the finish line with the timing of 48 minutes 40 seconds, I suppose this sets the standard for next year. We must have done pretty well because we all got medals.

After finishing the run and with everybody feeling pretty good all the participants had to exit through the Botanical Gardens where there was a "recovery village". This was packed with runners getting drinks, food and sponsors tents etc and was a real reminder of the organisation that goes into an event such as this.

Getting out of the recovery village and down to the station at Circular Quay took nearly as long as the fun run itself due to the number of people trying to exit at once.

It was a fantastic day and I feel a really great achievement and as the writing on Chuckie's wife's T-shirt said on the back "it does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop" -- Confucius.

I am looking forward to my next Chinathon.

Simon


Matthew 19:26 -- With God all things are possible

When disaster strikes

This blog was written by Stella Young for Ramp Up

'When disaster strikes'



The devastating floods in Queensland this week are undoubtedly going to have lasting effects for an enormous number of people. People have lost personal property, their homes and, in some cases, their lives. The efforts needed to help people rebuild will be tremendous.

At times like these I can't help but think of my own preparedness, or lack thereof, in times of crisis. My ability to head for the hills in a flood or other natural disaster would be severely compromised by my disability. I thought about this a lot in the aftermath of the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires in Victoria. For many people with disabilities, accessible taxis are their only mode of transport. Most wheelchair users know that accessible cabs can't even be relied upon to get us to work on time, let alone to safety in a life-threatening situation.

Disability organisations such as Queenslanders with Disabilities Network (QDN) have certainly been concerned about the safety of people with disabilities in the floods. In a statement issued yesterday, Manager Fran Vicary urged emergency services to ensure that people with disabilities were rescued and their needs taken care of. Ms Vicary said, "Many people with a disability live alone in the community and rely on support workers to visit them and assist with activities of daily living. Many of these people are vulnerable and cannot use communication technology or self-evacuate."

QND are working with Disability and Community care Service to conduct a phone-around to all people with disabilities for whom the two organisations have contact details. Ms Vicary also identified the likelihood that when the flood subsides and the water recedes, people may be faced with damaged equipment and technology that is uninsured and extremely difficult to replace.

My first instinct in any situation that poses a threat to me is always to protect my wheelchair first. Don't get me wrong, I understand that we're talking about life-threatening situations here and I do value my life. Quite a bit actually. However, being without my wheelchair severely compromises my quality of life. For me, and for many other wheelchair users, having no chair means more than just an inability to get to work or to get out and see mates. It means an inability to get out of bed and around our own houses. The thought of irreparable damage to my chair terrifies me in a way that no creepy crawly or scary snake has ever managed to.

The potential loss for people with disabilities in a flood is significant. A wheelchair user could lose their mobility. Someone who uses an electronic communication device could lose their means of communication with other people. Someone who uses a ventilator that runs on electricity could lose their ability to breathe.



I mentioned this to a friend of mine earlier in the week. He uses a ventilator for breathing assistance while sleeping. He said that when Y2K predicted the end of power supply as we know it, he was advised to admit himself to hospital where they have backup generators. I was gobsmacked, but I thought back to my own concerns when the year 1999 became 2000, and my biggest worry was indeed my chair. Without power, I wouldn't be able to charge the battery. It seems like a very simple problem, but it's one that would have an enormous impact on my life.



I'm hopeful that all people, regardless of ability, were provided with the assistance they needed to evacuate to safety. Certainly, the Queensland government has not forgotten the need for the state's Deaf community to be informed. A number of Premier Anna Bligh's press conferences have been Auslan interpreted in the interests of, in Premier Bligh's own words, "making sure that everyone gets the best information as quickly and as efficiently as possible".



A significant number of people on Twitter commented on this inclusion of sign language. Hopefully in the future this will be the rule rather than the exception and people might not find it so noteworthy, but for now, this kind of discussion can only be a good thing. Just for starters, it sets a precedent for other governments when communicating emergency information.



A quick search of the internet tells me that there has been quite a bit of work done in the area of emergency management and people with disabilities. Interestingly, in May last year Emergency Management Queensland teamed up with the Australia Red Cross to produce a booklet and worksheets designed for people with disabilities. The booklet aims to educate and inform people about the proper course of action in the event of a natural emergency. There are a number of resources such as this and it seems that there is information and assistance available to people with disabilities.



Perhaps what I should be more concerned about is that, until now, it has never occurred to me to look.

 

Stella Young is the editor of Ramp Up.

http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2011/01/14/3113130.htm



Evacuating to avoid disaster zones can be difficult for people with disabilities.


Credit: Jodie van de Wetering (Flickr)