“YOU should have seen us 40 years ago, we looked a bit better.”
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Two competitors from the first Nail Can Hill Run, Rob Simmons, 67, and Clive Vogel, 66, shared a laugh after completing the 2016 event on Sunday.
They joined more than 1500 runners and walkers in tackling the annual challenge that starts in Lavington, ends in West Albury and, as the name implies, goes up and down.
Mr Vogel finished second in the inaugural Nail Can, created at a time when there were few such events around, and became an agebuster at 50.
“It's just a great race, great community race,” he said.
“It's nice and challenging, got plenty of hills in it, which I love.”
Mr Simmons reckoned Sunday’s race was his 37th in Nail Can’s 40-year history.
“It wasn't my best,” he admitted. “But I chalked up another one.”
Nail Can Hill Run committee chairman James Brown said the threatening weather forecast might have deterred some participants but in the end the sun shone down.
Close to 200 children took part in the first School Can, a shorter version of the main event, with St Patrick’s Parish School Albury claiming both the winning team and the school with the most runners, 40 in all.
Earlier rain led to a last minute change to the School Can start line, which then became congested as the youngsters took off.
“Yesterday afternoon it was all fine, it was just the rain we had overnight and just the water that sat on that oval,” Mr Brown said.
“It was very, very wet underfoot.”
Some Nail Can competitors used four legs, not two, and in the case of Pip, the dachshund staffy cross, finished with ease.
Her owner Meg Paterson, 14, said it was the first Nail Can Hill Run for both of them.
“She's a very energetic dog, so I just decided to take her,” Meg said.
“She was fine.”
Nearly 300 people finished the Half Can while more than 900 did the 11.3 kilometre course.
Sixty-six riders earlier completed the mountain bike event and 20 ironmen and women did both the bike ride and the full run.