Olympic Stars Hit Bushy

7 FEB2012

This weekend's Bushy parkrun turned out to be a star-studded affair with sporting icons Mark Spitz and Edwin Moses both competing. The Olympic gold medallist and 400m hurdler were joined by Nell McAndrew, who, on her Bushy debut, finished with an impressive time of 19:16.

Former swimmer Spitz, who famously won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, and Moses, winner of 122 consecutive races between 1977 and 1987, joined 762 other runners for what was the 396th Bushy parkrun.

The appearance of both Olympic stars meant Nell McAndrew, who registered under her married name, passed somewhat under the radar. Nell, who boasts a marathon time of just over 3 hours, was the second female home and 41st overall. As for the regular parkrunners, Mike Trees of Belgrave Harriers finished in first place (16:34), whilst Josie Saville was the first woman home with a PB of 18:41.

In other news on the parkrun circuit, Bexley celebrated its first run with a strong turnout of 103. In what is a slightly undulated course at Danson Park, Duncan Hussey of Dulwich Runners AC came in first (19:10) and Ruby Wand of Bexley AC was the first woman. Finally, the parkrun phenomenon is enjoying further success down under, with the St. Peter's event in Sydney celebrating it's third race on Saturday.