You can’t really criticise Deer Park runner Francesco Ciancio for opting to stroll along the beach during the final leg of an Anglesea ultra marathon on the weekend.
After all, it was in the final stages of the fifth annual 100km Surf Coast Century Ultra Marathon along the Great Ocean Road.
And Ciancio was safely ahead of the pack, hitting the finish line in just under eight and a half hours.
At the event, billed as the signature trail-running event on the Australian calendar, the 38-year-old Melton gym worker crossed the line in eight hours, 26 minutes and 44 seconds, beating more than 800 fellow competitors home.
Taking in towering coastal cliffs, lush tree ferns, lighthouses, waterfalls, scenic lookouts, famous surf beaches and remote wilderness, the course is a figure eight, with Anglesea the start, halfway point and finish of the course.
Ciancio, the new Australian Trail Running Champion, told Star Weekly he “felt good” for the first 92 kilometres of the race.
“But I didn’t think I was going to finish,” he admits. “It just was long and I’m dehydrated.
“I struggled; I walked most of the beach, the last section.”
It was a different story last year at Anglesea when Ciancio was forced to withdraw halfway through after falling on rocks during the first leg.
“Last year I hit my head, at about five or eight kilometres, and I stopped at 50 kilometres, so this is the first time I’ve finished,” he says.
Incredibly, Ciancio backed up the following day at Anglesea and came fourth in a 15km event, earning himself the famous “concrete boot” trophy.
Ciancio has run more than 10 ultra marathons in his career, and jogs up to 180km a week around Caroline Springs, Melton and his Deer Park home.
“I’ve been a serious runner for 15 years, but started ultra marathons last year,” he says.
“It’s hard work, but I’m very passionate about it; it’s just something I’ve always liked.”
