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As January matures beyond the festive season, the fairy lights of Christmas have once again been switched off and rolled up for another year.
Omicron pending, almost everyone except for schoolteachers are back to work and have finished mapping out the year in front of them.
This also means that the nation’s new year’s resolutions are starting to fall apart like a South Sydney high-rise.
However, as usual, the last hold out for ambitious January health kicks can be found on the concrete steps of Townsville’s Castle Hill running trail.
As of 11am today, FNQ’s most instagrammable landmark registered up to 860 active-wear coated fitness gurus since sunrise.
Overlooking the city of Townsville, the pink granite rock of Castle Hill is recognised as the only way to get fit in North Queensland, with both a 3km, 6km and the brutal 9km variation of the rugged bush track.
With an array of Teslas and P-Plated Ford Rangers in the car park, the yuppies were out in force this morning, as they puffed past and around each other with zero eye.
As is often the case in January, the lack of smiles and general running etiquette from the New Years Resolution runners has disrupted the serenity of those that run the track every day.
“It wouldn’t hurt to say G’day” said local Castle Hill veteran, Alice Kirwan (65).
“I’m a 365er when it comes to the rock. So January is always very frustrating when the tourists come out”
As Alice points out, you can generally tell a temporary runner from the rest – simply by looking at their brand new kit.
“If it looks like they are blistering in their news ASICS, they’ll probably only be here for another week or two”
“They start filtering off around the 20th, and by winter we have the whole place to ourselves”
“It’s a shame really. I’ve seen tens of thousands of dollars of brand new activewear up there this morning”
“I think I even saw a few camel packs”
