The race at Bendigo and a phone call from Davey's forever home.

We had two women's teams and three men's teams competing in the Harcourt to Bendigo relay. I ran the third leg in Division 5 (plodders), a relatively flat 7.5 kilometre section from the end of the water race to Sedgwick.

The water race segment goes through a restricted area, normally open only to the local water authority. It is hilly and rocky. I climbed one of the hills to see if I could see the runners approaching. From high up I could see them snaking through the valley like ants. I scampered down again to wait for them to come through.

Soon the first runner came into sight down a rocky path through a kind of gorge. It was S., our leading female runner, ahead by over two minutes from the next runner (the women started first). S.'s effort turned out to be a course record for that leg. Soon, my runner came through, we slapped hands and I was away. We had to beat the Coburg team which was just ahead of us on the ladder. Their runner edged past me half way through our leg, got out to about fifty metres. Close to the next changeover he was just twenty metres ahead and then shock! he took a wrong turn. I sprinted past him to the changeover, slapped D's hand and urged him on.

Once again, we were passed by the Coburg runner and then, horrors - at the second last checkpoint, our runner wasn't ready. He was still dragging off his tracksuit and lost a few precious seconds. In the confusion, D. fell badly, grazing himself in several places.

But we had M. as last runner, and he has a kick like no other. He 'sat' on the Coburg guy for most of the way and then turned on the gas and sped away for a win by 100 metres at the finish which was a lap of the Bendigo Athletics track.

Our division seven team also had an easy win, while our top team lay in fourth place until the athletics track when our runner out-sprinted the Geelong runner to pick up bronze. The women's team silvered in division 1 after leading for most of the 48 kilometres.

Then it was time to eat.

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When we arrived home we had a phone call from Davey the foster greyhound's new home - he has settled in well and is getting along famously with their other dogs. That's great news. I'm looking forward to the next foster.