Army captain finishes first female, second overall in 231km run

Army ultra-marathon runner Captain Meghann Coffey has smashed a personal best by finishing second overall and first female in a 231km monster run.

CAPTION: Captain Meghann Coffey crosses the finish line after 231km on the Larapinta Trail. Image supplied by Lieutenant Colonel John Fisher.

West Macs Monster is a gruelling running event on the Larapinta Trail in central Australia.

The iconic Larapinta Trail, in the West McDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs is a bucket-list hiking destination for thousands of people from around the world each year – and a massive challenge for serious runners.

Ultra runners have the opportunity to test themselves on 231km of spectacular single track in a full-length end-to-end, supported, non-stop extreme ultra race event organised by the Alice Springs Running and Walking Club (ASRWC).

Captain Coffey, running under the banner of the ADF Running and Athletic Association (ADFRAA), was one of only eight runners to complete the course this year – a bit more than seven hours behind first place and about the same ahead of third.

Starting at 9am on Friday 19 May, Captain Coffey crossed the finish line shortly after 8am on Sunday 21 May – in exactly 47 hours, 11 minutes and 38.313 seconds.

A bit more than 12 hours into the race, at he first checkpoint, Captain Coffey was the lead female with just two males ahead of her.

By the second checkpoint, she had reeled in one of the male competitors and maintained that second placing for the remainder of the race.

Of the 12 males and four females to start the full-length race, just six males and two females completed the entire distance.

The second-placed female was more than 12 hours behind Captain Coffey.

The last person to cross the line did so after more than 60 hours and 11 minutes – shortly after 9pm on last night.

Regan Parks ADFRAA-RAAF and Mary Booth ADFRAA-RAN completed a 25km segment of the run, finishing in 3:52:07 and 5:53:49 respectively.

 

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