Can you do the Arthurs Seat Challenge?
Getting up bright and early at 6am and making our way across the city, my friends from high school and I were hyping ourselves up to take on the Arthurs Seat Challenge.
To start you off, the Arthurs Seat Challenge is a 6.7 km run/walk event held annually on the Mornington Peninsula. Hundreds of people participate whether it’s to test their personal athleticism or just there for a fun, social time. Regardless of why anyone’s there, the day is about supporting road safety education for the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula community through Fit to Drive’s F2D Workshop.
If you haven’t been to this challenge yet, you’re missing out on an incredibly self-fulfilling day. For my group of mates from high school, the 2019 event was our first time at a run/walk challenge, let alone the Arthurs Seat Challenge.
After our long drive, our day started like it would for any other day, with a nice cup of coffee. And we happened to get it from a spot around the corner from Rosebud Primary School, also the starting point of the run. As for the route, the challenge takes you along a few streets before starting the climb up Arthurs Seat. Little spoiler for you: the climb… is ridiculously steep.
I was lucky to be one of the stallholder assistants, so I was driven up to the top, leaving my two friends behind who were participating in the run. At the top of Arthurs Seat where the finish line is, all the other stalls were getting set up with each stall run by a different local school or business. A fold-out trailer stage was set up next to us for high school student bands to live perform some literal jams.
I was there for the Fit to Drive Foundation stall which stood to highlight where the Arthurs Seat Challenge support goes towards. From my perspective, it was empowering to see a whole community there: numerous school teams, local businesses, community members, even Australian Ninja Warrior contestants!
But if you’re planning on making the next one, here’s what the journey was like for one of my mates through her words:
What can you remember about the day?
“I remember there being a very long drive for us, coming from the other side of the city and going all the way to the Mornington Peninsula. And then just being really tired on the drive home.”
What was the 6.7 km run like?
“The start was the easy part. We were jogging consistently which was good and there were water stations placed around. I brought a backpack with me to carry our water bottles and things in there, and specifically remember swapping it back and forth between us. And like the bag would also get all sweaty and gross. That was not nice.
The start of the run was fairly flat, and because of where it is, the area was quite coastal and had lots of trees. The weather was surprisingly decent, too. We even stopped along the climb up to take photos because the scenery was just amazing. It was quite hard to keep a fast pace because of how steep it was, so we went slow which was great for enjoying the view.
We weren’t in it to be the fastest runner, but you begin to recognise the people you were overtaking, who then start overtaking you. And then it becomes a game of not seeming like a loser in your own way.
Upon seeing the finish line, we would speed up. And as for Ben, that’s where he said ‘you’re on your own now’ and sprinted on.”
How did you feel reflecting back on the whole day?
“It was challenging at the time. I spoke to Ben at some point and we were like ‘let’s do this again.’
We didn’t train for a fun run, but we did it to support our friend and to chill with mates. We had fun and it was a good feeling to finish. Definitely a good day.”
What’s your advice for others thinking about doing the run?
“The most important thing to do is to get friends around you to support and stick it at your own pace. It’s good to have good company along the way whether it’s a friend or a group of friends.”
Keep your eye out for the next Arthurs Seat Challenge on their website here: https://arthursseatchallenge.com.au/
