Inward Bound 2008, postponed or gone forever?

Inward Bound, ANU's premier intercollege event is on the brink of extinction. An event I await with bated breath every year. I spend months training in advance, exploring the outer reaches of Canberra with nought but my running shoes and water. On the years when ex-ressies are scarce I would participate in the local orienteering to touch up my navigation skills.

Al Gough co-nav of the Div 4 team, takes a bearing on a Mock Dropoff

2008 was no exception. For weeks I trained our 39 strong team of crazy nuts willing to put thier lives at risk for college pride. A week before the event just after I announce the strongest team Fenner has seen since 2004 ANU rears its ugly head and stamps its foot all over our fun. 'Its to dangerous,' they say. 'Someone could get hurt.'

DIv 4 and Div 7 attempt to locate their drop off position and prepation for their run back to Fenner

Pfft, people get hurt every week playing League and no one complains. Only one runner has gone to hospital from Inward Bound in the last four years (extreme dehydration led to kidney failure).

Luckily a new date has been set for September. But once again the sport committee will have to jumb through fiery hoops of death to get the event running and save a tradition as old as ANU itself.

Div4 and Div 7 debrief after their mock dropoff. Fenner's Div one team prepares for their 20km training now all teams have returned safe and sound at 11:30pm

All is not lost. I have managed to locate some events of similar terrain and distance to keep me busy in the interim. The North Face 100 is held in the Blue Mountains, the Trailwalker will find a spot in my calendaer as usual, and I also managed to find the Gold Coast 100 - the Australian Nationals.

With IB postponed I finally get to relax my self imposed no drinking policy. A brew and a few mates is all the solace I need. Careful though, training for the North Face starts next week.

A much shorter event - Road Relay - that consists of 1500m and 3000m legs has also been moved forward to term 2. Can our IB team turn ultra distance running to sprint? Only time will tell...