Fantastic finish as Vicki clocks up 14,080 kms

Vicki Thompson just finished a trip around Australia.

But it wasn’t by car, by plane or even in a caravan. Vicki’s trip was a virtual one that saw the 76-year-old from The Gurdies run 14,080 kilometres.

Her journey ended last month at the Churchill Island Park Run, where Vicki was cheered on by fellow runners when she crossed the finish line for the Run Down Under.

The final five-kilometre run was the end of a five-and-a-half-year journey (1966 days to be precise) which saw Vicki running every day.

“I usually run about five kilometres every day,” Vicki said.

The keen Park Run participant said she learned about the Run Down Under after she saw other Park Runners wearing the distinctive t-shirts.

She paid the $60 fee to sign up, got her Run Down Under t-shirt and got started.

With her Garmin watch she could measure her run time, speed and distance. This then connected into the Strava running app, which in turn fed her results into the Run Down Under.

From there, she could see a map that showed exactly where she was on her journey.

The round Australia trip was perfect for keeping motivated, said Vicki.

“Sometimes I might do a quick calculation and realise I just need another three kilometres to get to this town, so I head off again.”

Occasionally she even managed to meet up with her “virtual self”.

“Earlier this year, I was approaching Melbourne on the run, and I could see from the map that I was near Officer,” Vicki said.

“So I went down there and ran.”

On Australia Day, she drove to Rosedale to meet up with virtual Vicki.

“I stopped in Traralgon and did a Park Run. Then I went walking around Rosedale.

“I was sitting in the car updating my app when I got an email saying ‘congratulations, you’ve made it to Rosedale’,” she laughed.

She said she calculated the kilometres carefully, so she could finish her journey with the Churchill Island Park Run.

After running 23 kms in the Great Ocean Road Marathon, Vicki knew she had 4.93 kms left to run.

“Because I run so much on my own, I wanted to do my finish at a Park Run where I knew people.

“On Saturday, there were about eight people in their Down Under Run shirts. And the run director was also doing it, so she knew what it was all about.”

The queen of understatement, Vicki admitted it was “sort of exciting” when she crossed the finish line.

And while she shrugs of suggestions that she’s inspiring, she does hope her achievement has encouraged the other runners undertaking the challenge.

Goals

The dedicated runner has already set herself a new goal – she’s now “unlocked” the next map, which is a 15,490km run around the country.

She’s also hoping to run at every one of the 98 Park Run across Victoria and has already sampled quite a few, saying her best Park Run time was 35 minutes and 40 seconds, in Hastings, back in 2015.

So where does this passion and determination come from?

“I’ve been running since I was 36. I started because I was fat,” she said matter-of-factly.

“It’s good weight control, a good mood lifter. It helps you sleep at night.”

Her running obsession started casually enough.

Working at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital, she joined her colleagues in a keep fit group, which exercised together twice a week.

After exercising inside for half an hour, the group would then go for a run along the river.

“First off, we ran to one bridge. Then the leader said she thought some of us could run to the second bridge, so I did,” Vicki said.

That bridge turned into the next, and another, and then it was suggested they train for the 12km City to Bay fun run.

“I did that and at the end of it, they were giving out entry forms for a 42km marathon.

“I thought, you have to be kidding. Who could run that far?”

Proving herself wrong, Vicki ran her first marathon in 1981 and has since done 39 others.

She’s currently got her sights on completing the Melbourne Marathon in October.

It will be her 24th.

Vicki is part of an elite group known as the Melbourne Marathon Spartans, with runners awarded coloured singlets signifying the number of events they’ve successfully completed: green for 10, blue for 15, red for 20 and black for 25.

She’s one of the few females to have reached 20 and proudly sports her red Spartans singlet, but she’s got her eye firmly set on securing the black.

After losing a year due to Covid, Vicki said last year’s run wasn’t her fastest, so she’s hoping to improve this year.

“You have to finish in under seven hours.

While she admits she not as quick as she used to be, back at Park Run, she’s setting records, currently competing in the 75 – 79-year age bracket.

“Since I turned 75, I’ve set 24 Park Run age category records,” she said, including clocking the fast time in that age group.

“In some park runs, there hasn’t been anyone in my age group, or if they have, they’ve walked.

“I have beaten some running times, but you don’t have to be fast. I’m definitely not a sprinter; I’m a long-distance run/walker,” she said.

“People who haven’t done Park Run think it’s only for runners, but that’s not so.

“It’s for everyone. There’s a lady at Inverloch who walks with a guide dog.”

As Vicki sets off on her latest virtual trip, she said she’s keen to keep moving.

“I want to keep doing this forever … while the old body can put up with it.”