Thomas Takes Bronze in Sydney
16 Sep 2012
State champion David Thomas today won the bronze medal at the Australian Half Marathon Championships in Sydney.
Thomas, the current Tasmanian 10km, cross country and Half Marathon champion, ran a scorching time of 1hour 5minutes 58seconds, the fastest time by a Tasmanian in a long time.
“I’m really happy with that run. I nearly gave up running after the Launceston Ten, but Athletics Tasmania helped me to get into this event and so I kept training hard,” Thomas said.
Thomas finished only 14seconds behind London Olympian Ben St Lawrence, who placed second in the Australian championships. While Athletics NSW Development Officer Scott Westcott was the Australian champion.
All runners Australian’s were beaten to the line however by Japan’s Takahiro Gunji, who clocked 1:04:17 to win the race which had 8,829 starters.
The half marathon was just one of five events held at the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival. The day included a wheelchair marathon, which remarkably featured Kurt Fearnley, who only 7 days earlier placed third in the Paralympic marathon in London.
The next challenge for Thomas will be his debut marathon in Melbourne, where he will once again represent Tasmania in the Australian championships.
“My training has been going really well and it the marathon in Melbourne has been the goal since June.
“After today’s race I’m planning to run a fast time in Melbourne as I think I can now,” the 30 year old said.
Former North Launceston athlete and multiple national junior medalist Karinna Fyfe picked up bronze in the women's race, albeit in the Victorian colours. The 23 year old ran 1hours 17minutes 1second for her first open national medal.