Balmoral Burn 2019 raises $2m plus for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation

Ever wondered what it actually feels like to run 420 metres straight up a hill that gets steeper as you go? Well now I know.

The Balmoral Burn raised $2m for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation.

I had wondered in the past how hard the Balmoral Burn could actually be. It’s only 420 metres after all, so surely it would just be a short burst of huffing and puffing and then back to my lazy Sunday.

RAY MARTIN TAKES ON THE BALMORAL BURN

WHY PHIL KEARNS STARTED THE BALMORAL BURN

So, after the good folks at the Humpty Dumpty Foundation extended an invite to this year’s event, I thought it sounded like a small effort to help a great cause.

But while I was right about the great cause, I was way off the mark with the “small” effort assumption.

First, you have to get down the hill to start the race (unless you are lucky enough to live on Balmoral Beach).

The view from the top of the Balmoral Burn for relieved finishers. Picture: Supplied

The road is closed off, so I had to walk from Military Road at the top of the hill down the path to the side of the actual race. Runners go in waves every five or so minutes and my age group was due to take off an hour after the first run of the day. This meant that as I walked down the hill, I got to watch several waves of the runners ascending.

I felt my first pang of concern upon seeing the pained expressions on the faces of some young competitors who looked very much fitter than me.

Some had started walking about halfway up, some battled on looking as though they were running on the spot and a rare few were maintaining a good pace as they climbed. One thing they all had in common: they were struggling.

Once I reached the bottom, I collected my race bib. Looking up from the bottom, the hill seemed to stretch upwards out of sight. I began to panic a little.

When our gun finally went off, I started off at a medium pace being careful not to go too hard too early and risk total capitulation.

I reached the 105m marker quickly enough but the legs were already feeling heavy. By the 210 mark the quad and calf burn was already deep and I was seriously short on puff. Some around me had started to walk and others were dropping off the pace quickly.

At this point the steepness of the course seemed to increase sharply, making every step harder as my chest began to burn.

The local kids got into the spirit on the day.

The 315 mark took much longer to arrive and I realised that I now resembled one of those who appeared to be running on a treadmill. But the finish line was looming closer and I battled on.

My chest began to hurt so much I could no longer notice the burn in my legs and when I finally crossed the line and was ushered to the side by a volunteer, I realised I had no feeling in my quads anymore and could hardly stand. I had to support myself on the barriers at the side of the track to stop my legs from wobbling out from under me, all the while I heaved dramatically as I sucked the air in.

All the fun at the Balmoral Burn 2019.

Patron Ray Martin took on the challenge.

There was no way I was walking back down the hill for breakfast, as it would mean getting back up again somehow. So I sat for a few minutes and began to walk home, coughing and spluttering as I continued to try to recover from the damage I felt sure had occurred to my lungs.

So that was what it felt like.

When I finally got my heart rate back down to normal (many hours later), I was very glad to be a part of the day.

This bloke is feeling ‘the burn’.

A category winner dives over the line.

This year’s event raised more than $2 million for children’s hospitals and health services across Australia. It meant that 69 pieces of medical equipment could be donated to 23 hospitals, with more expected to be donated by the end of this week.

A great result for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation and the many Aussie children that it helps every year. Humpty’s founder and executive chairman Paul Francis OAM was very pleased with the day.

“On behalf of the kids in hospitals, their families and the medical professionals that use this equipment, I say thank you,” Mr Francis said. “Your generosity means so much and I hope to see you back on the hill in 2020, to celebrate 20 years.”

Locals, community and business organisations interested in supporting the Humpty Dumpty Foundation and their local hospital, either by donating a piece of medical equipment or by making a donation, can visit www.humpty.com.au or contact the Humpty Dumpty Foundation on 02 9419 2410.