By ALANA MITCHELSON
THE MCG Stadium Stomp will be Anthea Chester’s first of many endurance events this year, after she and a group of work colleagues made a pact to improve their fitness.
The Pakenham resident, together with her co-worker Mary Browne and her sister-in-law Linda Browne, will take on Australia’s longest consecutive stair climb of 7300 steps up and down the MCG’s grandstands this Sunday.
“It was a group decision to get fit and lose weight. We’ve already lost more than 53kg between the three of us in the last four months,” Ms Chester said.
“I’ve run the Great Train Race and small triathlons in the past, but nothing since having kids and nothing this intense.”
She and Ms Browne have been training two to three times a week for the past four months, running the 110 flight of steps at the former quarry site in Cardinia Lakes.
Gradually increasing their training intensity over time, the pair ran a record 33 times up and down the steps about a month ago.
“We worked out that was the equivalent of running the Stadium Stomp, so we know we can do it,” Ms Chester said.
“Mary was so sore afterwards (that) she said she could barely put her foot on the brake pedal to drive home. There’s always a bit of muscle stiffness after training, but I think it wasn’t as bad as we expected.
“For us it’s about two overweight, unfit mums achieving something pretty full on. We just thought there’s no reason why we shouldn’t do it.”
The 44-year-old plans to do the Muddy Hell event the following weekend, Run Melbourne alongside her daughter and Operation Black Hawk later in the year, among other fitness challenges.
Participants climb up, down and around the bays of the MCG stadium on a course set to music that usually takes anywhere between 40 to 120 minutes to complete, depending on fitness levels.
The full course includes a lap of level one and level four before running a full lap of the oval to finish, while the ‘half-course’ option of 1942 stairs involve a lap of level one and a lap of the oval.
Event organiser Ben King described Stadium Stomp as not a race but a test of stamina and concentration that is open to all fitness levels.
Pakenham residents Melissa Martin and Morgan Rackman have also stepped up to the challenge for this year’s Stadium Stomp.
