 After what was a most pleasant flight from Sydney to Port Vila, stepping off the plane was an absolute delight. I had left Sydney on a coolish winter’s day and the warm breeze was a welcome delight. There was quite a heavy cloud cover but this didn’t detract from that fact that the temperature was absolutely perfect.
As I lined up to go through security (if you can call one man behind a desk security) I were treated to a group of local men traditionally dressed in the bights sarong style clothes started playing a traditional welcome song. Whilst I didn’t manage to find out the name of the tune, this particular song became imbedded in my head for the rest of the week (much to the delight of the rest of the group I am sure)
As I made our way out to the transfer buses I was immediately greeted by a number of people offering transfers and taxis. Unlike other places I have traveled the Vanuatu people really did seem like they genuinely wanted to help and weren’t out to earn a quick buck, even if this was their real intention.
After locating my transfer and setting of for the hotel a voice came over the speaker “Welcome to Vanuatu” said the bus driver. He proceeded to tell al the passengers a few little things about Vanuatu, including the fact that there was no road or speed limits. This point was reinforced and clearly demonstrated by the passing drivers.
 I arrived at Le Lagon resort where I was greeted with a delicious fruit juice cocktail and again a group of men in traditional dress singing the same welcoming song. I think that they were there just in case I had managed to get it out of my head. The hotel staff were extremely friendly and inviting and the check in was simple and stress free. After checking in I was guided to our room by a knowledgeable chap who gave us the heads up on the local area.
The Southport Runners Group arrived the day after I did. As I greeted them in lobby I immediately tried to match faces to the names on my registration forms. I had met a few of them face to face previously at the Canberra Marathon Expo but for the most part I had only spoken to them on the phone. It was great to be able to say “Hi” in person and the whole group was friendly and seemed excited about the adventure they had come so far for.
 On Thursday I accompanied the group the Ifira Biling School. Bill Wollin and his group had generously decided to organize to donate a large amount of equipment to one of the local schools. Off we went, with the group carting quite a few large, heavy bags of books, shoes, hats and school supplies on to planes, buses and boats across all the way to Ifira Island. We were greeted by the school principal and as Bill proceeded to tell her what they had brought she looked as though she had won the lottery.
The group unpacked all their goodies on to the tables in the class room and then invited the students in to see what they had brought. It amazed me how un-caotic these children were about receiving the gifts. Unlike Christmas day at home where every child jumps in to grab something before they miss out, the Vanuatu children lined up neatly and were each given one of the special gifts that Bill and the rest of the Southport Runners Group had brought. They were all so thankful and hung on to their gifts like treasure, irrespective of what the actual gift was. I did not see one child fight, push or shove no matter how excited she or he was. It was truly a wonderful moment and a fantastic act of generosity from all the Southport Runners Group and their local community.
We were invited out side where we took some photos and played with the children. We were given a tour of the island on the way back to the boats, and although some areas showed the country’s poorer side the back drops of these tiny villages were like something off a post card.
 The big day finally arrived. I met the group at the front of the Hotel at 4am where we met Barry, who was to be our driver for the event. After piling into the team bus behind Barry, off we went. We arrived at the race start and the air was buzzing. We dropped Al, the first runner in the relay, off and piled back in to the bus to head out on the road to support him. After realizing it was going to bit a bit squashy in the team bus after the official jumped in I jumped out and headed for the race start where I just managed to catch the take off.
The gun sounded - Kick Off. Every one paused for a second then took off in to the darkness. I made my way back to the Le Lagon resort where we had organised a second bus for the spectators. We took off on to the course to catch up with the runners.
Each transition point was decorated with streamers and balloons and lots of the locals were out cheering. After stopping for the group to distribute a few more gifts to the village children we caught Allan Cossey at the end of the 6th leg of the race. A quick cheer and we sped up to the transition point to watch the handing over of the lanyard to Daryl Bancroft.
We sped ahead of the race to check out some of the local teams up ahead. I was amazed to see them running along the ruff ground in only socks. Some even had bare feet. We turned around and caught up with Kelly Nolan on the 8th leg just in time to catch her last few hundred meters and her hand the lanyard over to Graeme for the second last leg.
 The runner's bus sped off ahead to the last transition point where the group leader Bill Wollin got ready to rap the race up. The lanyard was exchanged and then he was off. By this time the day was stating to loose light and the course was not very well signposted.
After wondering slightly of coarse we managed to find one of the locals (our very own Local Hero) to guide Bill back on track and all the way to the finish line.
It was somewhat of an unexpected finish however it made for a good tale. The Local hero was given a Southport Running shirt by the team as a much deserved thank you. After a few photos we retreated back to Le Lagon for some well deserved rest.
What a week. I learnt so much about the Vanuatu people and the beautiful, unspoiled paradise in which they live. Can’t wait to do it all again next year!!!
Why not get a group of friends together and have a go at the Vanuatu Round Island Relay yourself next year. Contact Hailee for more information
hailee@travellingfit.com
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