WEAVING around cows in brutal conditions was all in a day’s challenge for Rosewood State High School teacher Clay Dawson.
Clay recently achieved an incredible ninth-place finish in a world-class field in India.
It was Clay’s first time contesting the 100km Asia and Oceania Championships and he had “zero expectations”.
But such was his dedication to accomplishing a new feat, Clay persisted in the increasing Bangalore humidity to finish the race in just under eight hours.
Being a humble sportsman, Clay doesn’t rate himself a role model for his students.
The art and design teacher prefers to encourage running for fun, even if his latest 100km feat is something special.
“When you put it in perspective for the kids, it’s the equivalent of running from the Rosewood school gates to Movie World on the Gold Coast,” he said.
“Occasionally you can have these conversations with kids, particularly at those schools west of Ipswich.
“You can talk to the kids about capabilities and possibilities . . . and that’s kind of nice.”
Clay likes to keep his chats casual rather than putting pressure on students.
“It’s a good sort of yardstick to go look, you can travel the world, you can run and succeed and find success in your chosen sport, irrespective of where you come from or how much money is in your parents’ bank account,’’ he said.
“It’s how much work you are willing to put in and how much you enjoy it.”
Clay had also contested the world 100km titles in Germany 12 months earlier, tearing his right hip muscle halfway through the race.
But as he had done in multiple previous endurance events, Clay highlighted his commitment.
“I battled on and finished but definitely underperformed,” he said.
“The muscle tear was pretty dramatic.
“It was the weirdest sensation. It was like being stabbed.”
He also had to deal with the mental setback at the world championships before receiving rehabilitation.
“It took a little while to get over,” he said.
However, Clay continues to inspire those around him.
In India, he was the only Aussie to complete the 100km race, having qualified to represent his country after finishing second at the Australian championships in Sydney.
The teacher said the temperature jumped eight degrees in 20 minutes, enhancing the already testing humidity.
“The conditions just get really unbearable,” he said, adjusting his mindset.
“The expectation was always just to go and have fun and enjoy wearing the green and gold again.”
He said once it became difficult running around the 5km loops, he focused more on the sights.
That included dealing with unexpected obstacles along the large agricultural section of the 100km trip.
“There was a point during the race where about 30 cows wandered onto the course and I literally had to weave through . . . literally brushing my body up against them,” he said.
“They can’t move the cows on for religious reasons and I got the opportunity to do that which was kind of cool.
“It all adds to the tapestry of the race.”
Turning 42 in November, the former Lowood State School student has been teaching at Rosewood State High for nearly 20 years.
His next major goal is tackling a 24-hour ultra running event, possibly in Canberra in April.
“That would be my first ever so I’ll have a good shing at it,” Clay said.
“I know I’ve got a future in the 100k teams, the 24-hour teams and it just opens up the possibilities for international competition.”
