ADF runners tackle Dili International Marathon

Pitted against an unfamiliar field of competitors and challenging tropical conditions, seven ADF runners delivered strong results at the 10th Dili International Marathon on August 8, including a second-place finish in the half marathon.

The squad was assembled at short notice after an ADF Running and Athletics Association (ADFRAA) call for volunteers who had recently completed a marathon or were actively training for one.

This year was the first time ADFRAA had entered a team, although members posted to the Defence Cooperation Program in Timor-Leste had participated for several years.

Starting and finishing at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace, runners followed a coastal course to a turnaround point beneath Christo Rei. Nearly 350 runners contested the half marathon, while 50 completed the full marathon.

Army SGT Kieren Perkins produced one of the standout performances of the day, finishing second overall in the half marathon and first among international competitors in 1 hour and 11 minutes.

Despite arriving in strong form after the Gold Coast Marathon, SGT Perkins was unsure what to expect from the competition.

“I know who all the fast guys are in Australia, but over there, I didn't know who anybody was, so I was quite nervous about what to expect,” he said.

“They also raced differently in Timor-Leste. The pace was really fast at the start and then people started to slow down, different to what I’m used to in Australia.”

SGT Perkins led for much of the race before a local athlete caught him late.

“We ran together from about 11km to 19km, and then he ended up beating me. It was nice that the Timorese runner won. They were pretty happy about that,” he said.

In the marathon, MAJ Cameron Shilton finished 11th overall and third among international runners in 3 hours and 16 minutes, recording his second-fastest marathon despite carrying fatigue from a trail race the previous week.

“I certainly wasn’t going for any PBs, so I took off fairly relaxed and managed to increase my pace throughout the event and pulled off a successful negative split throughout the event,” MAJ Shilton said.

“What a great opportunity to represent Defence, represent my country, [and] go and participate in an overseas running event.”

For FLTLT Leyla Bey Muftyzade, the race was as memorable for its atmosphere as its results. She finished seventh among female half-marathon runners in 1 hour and 44 minutes.

“We started in the dark and then you got to see this beautiful sunrise as you’re about halfway around the course,” FLTLT Muftyzade said.

“At the aid stations there’d be so many people holding out fruit and when you went through they’d squeal with excitement if you took something from them.

“I just thought, wow, this is such a good community event that they've got involved in. How cool is it that running has united all of these people just to give something a crack?”

PO Matthew Samson said the experience extended well beyond race day.

Before the event, the team attended an opening gala at Palácio de Lahane, met the president and prime minister of Timor-Leste, and planted sandalwood trees in support of the marathon’s environmental theme.

“I thought it was just an offer to go to Timor-Leste, do the half marathon and then fly back. But when we flew in, the program had been quite well developed by the DCP and embassy staff,” PO Samson said.

“We learnt a lot about the country in that short amount of time and learnt about Australia's involvement in the country and the positive relationship that we’ve been able to develop.”

The visit also included a historical tour of Dili highlighting locations used by Australian forces during INTERFET and Operation Astute, a beach clean-up, and a visit to the Timorese Resistance Archive and Museum.