The 2007 Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge
Ussher's Take the Honours
23.11.2007
The day began on the blustery summit of Mt Wellington and after a knee-jarring downhill trek the athletes transitioned onto their bikes at the iconic Cascade Brewery. While the brew masters lined the streets, competitors looked longingly toward the brew house wishing they could sit back and enjoy a drink on the 26 degree day. Ahead of them lay another 11km ride, a 6km kayak and an abseil off the Wrest Point casino tower before a run through Hobart town centre to the finish line.
The trek down the mountain claimed a few people as they slipped on the stairs coming off Sawmill Track. Tiffany Cherry had her second crash for the week, coming of her bike with an ankle injury that ended her day. After receiving six stitches to her eye on Wednesday from a bike crash, Cherry was looking battle scarred but not beaten. “Mark ran by me on the way to the abseil and stopped to see if I was OK, I told him I was fine and to keep going. I looked worse than I was.�
Today’s competition was won by Tassal pair Jarad Kohlar and Rob Preston. They looked comfortable as they ran across the finish line ahead of the Ussher’s, who they’d been chasing all week. “I’ve had an absolute ball this week. It’s a terrific event,� said Kohlar barely without breath.
Kiwi super-athletes Richard and Elina Ussher were the overall winners of the 2theXtreme Cup and team Telstra won the Van Dieman Cup. Elina Ussher bounced back from a nasty shin cut sustained on the coastal trek yesterday. Asked how she keeps up with super-human husband Richard, Elina smiles, “He looks after me out there. We work as a team.�
SleepMonsters
