Heather Turland

Last updated

Heather Turland
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1998 Kuala Lumpur Marathon

Heather Turland (born 27 April 1960) is an Australian former long-distance runner who competed in road running events. Her greatest achievement was a gold medal in the marathon at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Her personal best for that distance is 2:34:10 hours.

Contents

She was a recreational runner until 1993, by which point she had had four children and was over thirty. She ran at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1994 and 1996, reaching eighth place at the latter race. She made her marathon debut in 1996 in Frankfurt, coming third in a lifetime best. She went on to represent Australia over that distance at the World Championships in Athletics, coming 20th in 1997 but failing to finish in 1999. Through her 1998 Commonwealth Games victory, she became the oldest Australian to compete in the event's athletics programme.

Career

Early life

Born and raised in Southern Highlands, New South Wales, she came from a large family of 6 children and lived on a dairy farm. She did not run competitively in her youth and left education to begin a hairdressing apprenticeship. She married Garry Turland and the pair had their first child in June 1982. [1] The two settled into a family life in Bowral on Mount Gibraltar, going on to have four children in the space of six years, with their last being born in Feb 1988. [2]

Turland always love to keep fit running or swimming It remained simply a hobby into her early thirties. The 1993 City2Surf made Turland reassess this situation, as with no training regime she ended fifth in the high level women's race. Her husband encouraged her to take the sport seriously and contacted the Australian Institute of Sport for some basic training advice. [2]

First international races

Turland established herself among Australia's elite runners in 1994. First she won the Sydney Half Marathon, beating Commonwealth Games medallist Tani Ruckle and gaining sponsorship from Puma as a result. [2] She then went on to take the national title over the half marathon distance. This brought her international selection for the first time and she managed to finish 49th out of 88 runners at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships (second among Australians, behind Susan Mahony). [3] She returned to the City to Surf race in August and topped the podium. [4] She competed in races in Asia, Europe and North America the following year and by the time she entered the 1996 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships she was a much improved runner. [2] There, she finished in a time of 72:46 minutes for ninth place (later upgraded to eighth due to Cristina Burca's doping ban). [5] She also won both the Australian half marathon title and City to Surf for a second time in 1996. [4] [6]

The 1996 Frankfurt Marathon was the venue for her debut over the classic marathon distance. [2] The 36-year-old was nervous about her ability to cover the distance, but her husband insisted she had the strength for a good performance. Her time of 2:34:10 hours was enough for third place in the elite level marathon and was an Olympic qualifying time. [2] At the start of the next year she won the Sydney Half Marathon and was selected to run the marathon for Australia at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics. A foot injury hampered her preparations but she returned to fitness in time for the event in Athens. In her second ever outing for the distance she placed 20th at the World Championship marathon. [7] At the end of the year she represented Australia at the Chiba Ekiden and also set a personal best in the 10,000 metres track distance with 33:28.40 minutes for fourth at the Zatopek 10,000. [8]

Commonwealth title

The start of 1998 did not bode well for Turland. While on her way to compete at the 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships she was hit by a motorcycle in Rome and injured. Despite her leg being in plaster for a month, she managed to return to action a few months later. The peak of her career came at the 1998 Commonwealth Games held in September in Kuala Lumpur. She was the oldest ever picked for the Australian athletics team at the event. [9] Turland competed in the marathon and took victory with a run of 2:41:24 hours – winning her first international medal at the age of 38. She led an Australian 1–2 finish, as Lisa Dick was runner-up some 20 seconds behind. [10] This made her the second Australian to win the title, after Lisa Martin who won the first two titles over the distance. Turland was given "The Don" at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards for her performance – the highest honour given by the organisation. [11] The Nagano Marathon was her first marathon of 1999 and she ran the second fastest time of her career (2:36:26 hours) to finish fifth at the race and earned selection for the 1999 World Championships in Athletics. That July she equalled her half marathon personal best at the Townsville Running Festival. [8] At the World Championships she could not match her previous performances and was among the first to drop out of the marathon race, soon after crossing the halfway mark. [12]

The last major win of her career came at the 2002 Sydney Marathon, where she topped the podium at the age of 42 to take the Australian national title over the distance. [13] After retirement, she continued to run recreationally and entered the 2009 City to Surf in the mother/son category with Cade (her youngest). [14]

Personal bests

International competition record

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
1994 World Half Marathon Championships Oslo, Norway49thHalf marathon1:14:17
1996 World Half Marathon Championships Palma de Mallorca, Spain8thHalf marathon1:12:46
1997 World Championships Athens, Greece20th Marathon 2:42:12
1998 Commonwealth Games Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia1st Marathon 2:41.24
1999 World Championships Seville, Spain— Marathon DNF

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lidia Șimon</span> Romanian former distance runner

Lidia Slăvuțeanu-Șimon is a Romanian long-distance runner. She competed in the Olympic marathon five times (1996–2012), winning a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics. She is also a former marathon world champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayoko Fukushi</span> Japanese long-distance runner

Kayoko Fukushi is a Japanese long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5000, 10,000 metres and marathon. Fukushi represented Japan at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics. She holds a marathon best of 2:22:17 hours.

Asha Gigi Roba is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. Her personal best of 2:26:05 hours was set in 2004 at the Paris Marathon, where she came second. She represented Ethiopia in the event at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the World Championships in Athletics. She has won the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and the Florence Marathon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irina Mikitenko</span> German long-distance runner

Irina Mikitenko, néeVolynskaya, is a retired German long-distance runner who competed in marathons. She won the Berlin Marathon in 2008 and is a two-time winner of the London Marathon. She has competed at the Summer Olympics on four occasions.

Izumi Maki was a Japanese long-distance runner who competed in the marathon. She represented her native country twice at the Summer Olympics: in 1992 and 1996. She competed for the Wacoal corporate team during her career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Jane Weightman</span> Australian long-distance runner

Lisa Jane Weightman is an Australian long distance runner and four time Olympian who specializes in the marathon event. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics she came 26th in the Women's marathon with a time of 2:34.19, 7 minutes behind the eventual winner, Peres Jepchirchir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Shelley (runner)</span> Australian long-distance runner

Michael Shelley is an Australian long-distance runner who competes in track events and road races. He has won gold medals in the marathon event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow, Scotland, as well as the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Australia. He has also represented Australia at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. On the road, he has won at the Gold Coast Half Marathon and the City2Surf race in Sydney.

Iulia Olteanu is a Romanian former long-distance runner who competed in cross country, track and road running events.

Elena Fidatov, sometimes known as Elena Fidatof, is a former Romanian middle- and long-distance runner who competed in track, road, and cross country running competitions. In a period spanning 1984 to 2002, she competed at IAAF World Cross Country Championships on thirteen occasions, making her one of the most frequent participants at the event. She is a two-time Olympian for Romania, having represented her country at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.

Anne Rochelle Steely Ramirez, née Anne Rochelle Steely, is a former long-distance runner who competed internationally for the United States. She specialized in the 3,000 meters on the track and later competed in road running events.

Dulce María Rodríguez de la Cruz is a Mexican long-distance runner who competes in track and road running events, including the marathon. A three-time Olympian for Mexico, she has also run for Mexico at the World Championships in Athletics on three occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Partridge (athlete)</span> British long-distance runner

Susan Partridge is a British long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. Her personal best for the distance is 2:30:46 hours. She has represented Britain in the marathon at the European Athletics Championships and the World Championships in Athletics, as well as competing for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.


Carl Edward Thackery is a retired British long-distance runner, who competed in the 1980s and 1990s.His daughter Calli Thackery is also an international standard runner.

Simon Maina Munyi is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who competed in track and road running events. In his first year of international competition, he was the gold medallist in the 10,000 metres at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philomena Cheyech</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Flomena Cheyech Daniel is a Kenyan athlete who competes in long distance and marathon races. She set her personal best of 2:22:44 winning the 2014 Paris Marathon and was a gold medalist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She represented Kenya at the 1999 IAAF Junior World Cross Country Championships in Dublin, Ireland and at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. She was based in Japan between 2007 and 2010, running for the Uniqlo corporate team, and was a two-time winner of the Japanese Corporate Half Marathon. She has also won marathons in Vienna and Toronto.

Joalsiae "Josiane" Llado-Kremmer is a French former long-distance runner who competed in distances ranging from 3000 metres to the marathon.

Simon Chemoiywo is a Kenyan former long-distance runner. He competed in track, cross country and road running. At the IAAF World Cross Country Championships he twice represented Kenya: in 1994 he was the runner-up and team champion, then helped retain the team title for Kenya at the 1995 race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genet Yalew</span> Ethiopian long-distance runner

Genet Yalew Kassahun is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner who competes in track, cross country and road running events. Her half marathon best of 66:26 minutes is the Ethiopian record and ranks her in the top ten all-time for the sport.

Jane Moraa Omoro is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competed in cross country, track and road running events, up to the marathon. She was active from 1993 to 2007, with most of her success coming in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stacey Chepkemboi Ndiwa</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Stacey Chepkemboi Ndiwa is a Kenyan female long-distance runner who competes across cross country, track and road running disciplines. She was a gold medallist at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in the 1500 metres and was a team silver medallist at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2015, where she was fifth individually. She was also a bronze medallist in the 1500 m at the 2011 African Junior Athletics Championships.

References

  1. ↑ Heather Turland . Ovations. Retrieved on 16 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kunkler, Amanda (5 July 1997). Heather Turland – A Balanced Life. Illawarra Mercury . Retrieved on 16 July 2014.
  3. ↑ Heather TURLAND (NSW). Australian Athletics. Retrieved on 16 July 2014.
  4. 1 2 City to Surf 14 km. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 16 July 2014.
  5. ↑ AIMS NEWSLETTER – A MONTHLY REVIEW FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL MARATHONS AND ROAD RACES, No.165, November 1999, Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, November 1999, retrieved 5 September 2013
  6. ↑ National Road Champions for Australia. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 16 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Heather Turland – 1st Aussie in Marathon. Sydney Morning Herald (9 August 1997). Retrieved on 16 July 2014.
  8. 1 2 Heather Turland. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 16 July 2014.
  9. ↑ Moqhali is the marathon man . BBC Sport (20 September 1998). Retrieved on 18 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Harper, Tony (20 September 1998). Jarrett breaks through for hurdles win [usurped] . Canoe Slam. Retrieved on 16 July 2014.
  11. ↑ The Don Award. Australia Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 18 July 2014.
  12. ↑ Official Results – MARATHON – Women – Final. IAAF. Retrieved on 18 July 2014.
  13. ↑ National Marathon Champions for Australia. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 18 July 2014.
  14. ↑ Huxley, John (8 August 2009). Lure proves overpowering for marathon mum Turland. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved on 18 July 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.