Rival Spikes Macfarlane Dream

The Sunday Age

Sunday August 26, 2007

By Jessica Halloran, Osaka

AUSTRALIAN distance runner Donna MacFarlane described the pain of being spiked just after the start of the 3000-metre steeplechase at the world championships as being worse than childbirth.

And she wasn't the only one who suffered during the race. Japan's Minori Hayakari was carted off on a stretcher after a spectacular fall and Sweden's Christin Johansson also was left sprawling in agony after tripping over a hurdle.

With blood gushing from her foot, MacFarlane braved the pain and kept on running around the Nagai Stadium track. The Tasmanian, who resumed running two years ago to have a break from the kids and the housework, was an outside medal chance, but her dreams were slowly being crushed.

Only 50 metres into the steeplechase, a competitor had stomped her spikes onto MacFarlane's right foot. It punctured the skin and caused MacFarlane to lose her shoe. She hesitated for a moment. Felt disbelief. Looked back but couldn't spy her red shoe and kept running.

She made it over the first hurdle, but then the hot stadium track started to burn her foot. She concentrated on running on the track's white line to ease the heat, but then the pain became too much. "I thought I could handle this pain," she said. "I've been through childbirth, but no."

After one-and-a-half laps, it was all over for the mother of two. She gave up her world championship steeplechase race. "I've never pulled out of a race in my life," she said with tears in her eyes. "So, it's not a good time for it to happen."

MacFarlane, a bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games, put in a protest but doesn't expect it to be successful. The 30-year-old wept at times as she spoke about her experience.

"I'm so upset," MacFarlane said. "I took three of someone's spikes to the side of my foot. I don't think I could have done any differently. They (the shoelaces) were tight. They were double-knotted, they were tucked in, it just came clean off. It wasn't like it was loose. I had a split decision to make. Do I get up and try and find my shoe and then put it on? I knew I wouldn't make the final if I did that. So I thought I'd try and stick it out with one shoe on."

MacFarlane favours taking off on her right foot, and with her left foot already taped, the water jumps were a precarious situation.

"I managed one and then I tried to battle through the pain and ignore the pain in my foot as I could feel the skin turning away. I had a look down, saw the blood pouring out and it was just too sore."

Fellow steeplechase competitor Victoria Mitchell, sporting a bright pink hairdo, also didn't qualify for the final.