Outgames: The Empire Sprints Back
The force was strong with one Outgames participant this morning – despite a very unique impediment weighing her down, Anna Chinn, a 28-year-old from Dunedin, persevered to win a silver medal in the 18-29 age group.
Chinn said she was recently inspired by the scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Luke Skywalker was made to train with Yoda clinging on to his back.
Her friend, Dunedin artist Katrina Thomson, was only too happy to cater to her fantasies, and a stuffed version of Yoda arrived on her doorstep the day that she left for Wellington.
Chinn ran the entire course with the stuffed Yoda strapped to her back and claimed that he was “actually quite light”.
Organiser Nigel Jeffcoat said that 111 runners from six different countries showed up to compete today – 34 for the five kilometre and 77 for the ten kilometre course – and paid tribute to the team of volunteers working behind the scenes.
“[The event] went very well, but that makes sense when you have a lot of helpers,” he said.
The local gay running club, Wellington FrontRunners, will hold a casual run on Wednesday evening. Meet at Freyberg Pools at 6 p.m. to participate. The run will include a tour up Mt Victoria.
| Anna Loren at express
