Being pregnant in 2018 and having a newborn in 2019 prevented Bathurst’s Dominique Windsor from competing in the last two editions of the Mount Panorama Punish, but on Sunday morning her debut run was worth the long wait.
Windsor was the quickest female around Mount Panorama in wet and damp conditions and was the quickest female to the top too, something that she wasn’t expecting
“It was super hard going up but I thought I’d go up as hard as I can and once I’m up the top, it’s mainly down hill,” she said.
“I was just watching Kellie Gibson. I thought she was going to be ahead of me, so I thought she was going to be my rabbit that I would have to chase.
“But when I got to the top, they said I was the first female. So I then I decided to go as hard as I could. I couldn’t even tell who was behind me.”
Windsor finished in a time of 27 minutes and 50 seconds almost a minute ahead of her closest competitor.
Coming home in the other female podium positions was Josie Brown (28:44) in second place and Gibson (29:00) in third place.
Sienna Whalan (29:57) finished the punish in fourth, while Shannon Marshall (30:04) was the fifth quickest female.
Overall, Windsor finished in 26th, in a field of almost 470 runners.
Ahead of Sunday’s run, Windsor wasn’t actually looking forward to the race, considering the wet conditions.
“I was dreading doing it and I said to my husband Dean, ‘Why did you make us do it? It’s raining’,” she said.
“But it’s such a great event and it’s the first one I’ve done.
“I was entered in one two years ago but I was pregnant with our second child. Last year, I had a fourth month old, so this is the first year I haven’t had a newborn or I was pregnant.
“It was great to do a community event, especially in the current time.”
Western Advocate – 25 October 2020 https://www.westernadvocate.com.au/story/6983205/dominique-windsor-fastest-female-in-mount-panorama-punish/?cs=116