Over the years the Nail Can Hill Run has produced many great traditions, including local running group, Vogel's Vixens.
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Last week we featured Albury's Ellie Pashley who went from competing in local fun runs to performing as an elite runner internationally.
In her early running days, she also trained with Vogel's Vixens.
Led by master coach Clive Vogel, the Vixen's are an all-inclusive, all abilities group of running enthusiasts.
No matter the weather, the Vixen's meet at the crack of dawn three times a week for anything from a track session at Alexandra Park to a four hour trek over the trails of Nail Can.
Most of the group train for major runs here and overseas, in places such as New York, China's Great Wall, or Vanuatu.
The Vixen's originate back to the late 1990's, when Albury hockey players Cerina Meredith and Kerry O'Connell approached Vogel for running coaching to improve their fitness.
Over time, running gradually took over from hockey and the word got out among the running community.
These days, the Vixen's weekly email bulletin has about 70 recipients.
Although originally starting out as a women's running group, it didn't take long for males to start tagging along.
At one point it was suggested that the men could adopt the team name "Vogs Dogs," but it never caught on.
The Vixen's always have a strong contingent at the Nail Can and other major races around the country, including the iconic Six Foot Track Ultra Marathon in the Blue Mountains, Melbourne and Sydney Marathons, Two Bays Classic on the Mornington Peninsular and the Surf Coast 100km Run in Victoria.
Vixen's stalwart Colleen Middleton has produced some amazing results under the guidance of Vogel.
In 2009, she competed in Austria with the Australian team for the World Long Distance Running Championships.
The team finished second to Russia, with Colleen winning her W45 age group category over 42.2km with 2345m of vertical ascent.
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In her third attempt in 2010 she won the prestigious Six Foot Track Ultra Marathon.
Vogel was no slouch as a runner in his early days, finishing runner-up in the first two Nail Cans in 1977-78.
He has completed 22 with a personal best of just over the two hour 30 mark, as well as competing at a high level in the metropolitan club scene.
While their achievements are well celebrated, the true essence of the Vixen's is their camaraderie and support of each other, regardless of ability, at every training run or event.
If you are on the Nail Can and hear a distant cry of "Miranda," the Vixen's are not far away looking for a member who may have momentarily strayed off course.
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