COMMONWEALTH Games runner Eloise Wellings (pictured right) is heating up preparing for New Delhi's Games in three months. The Sutherland champion has been training through the US summer in a tracksuit alongside Ugandan triple Olympian Julius Achon and other runners.
And she will later tune up the "acclimatisation'' preparations by donning a sauna suit!
"It is a funny looking suit which doesn't allow any air flow,'' she said after arriving in England to compete.
"I'll start this about eight weeks out from Delhi when I join the Australian team.''
Wellings, who is training for both the 5km and 10km Games races, got off a plane last week and ran 3rd in a 1500m race in Solihull (West Midlands).
She now trains at altitude in Switzerland for three weeks before returning for an August 14 5km Diamond League race a test for the London 2012 Olympics.
Wellings won't make next Sunday's Sutherland to Surf race, but her FitforLife studio at Sutherland is urging locals to run and take sponsorship booklets, so proceeds can benefit projects in Julius Achon's village in Uganda (call Naomi from Love Mercy Foundation on 0412817527). Samuel, one of Achon's dozen orphans from the Ugandan war, has been invited to finish his high school education at Riverdale Baptist High School near Washington DC.
Good genes
ET to RAT: "Hey Rat, you take your daughter off and we win this game.''
Rat, dual international and Gold Coast Titans five eighth Mat Rogers, just laughed and revelled in his athletic daughter Skyla Rogers, just 10, leading her team to victory. Shalea Ettingshausen, middle daughter of former Sharks team-mate Andrew Ettingshausen (ET), was in the opposing side for the recent Oztag grand final, which brought the two ex-Sharks stars back to Cronulla for the first time in ages.
Meanwhile, Ryan Willis, son of professional golfer and Sharks' former media officer Rob Willis, was voted top forward when Sharks Academy rep league sides went undefeated against the South Sydney Rabbitohs last week at Erskinville Oval.
Yellow not gold
ONE of the most heartfelt sporting images occurred early yesterday morning when yellow jersey holder Cadel Evans collapsed in agony, and in tears, after ``bombing out'' of this year's Tour de France. Evans had ridden with a fractured elbow sustained in his crash seven kilometres into Sunday's 189km eighth stage, and kept it secret from most.
Smithy's debut
CRICKET statitician Tom Iceton points out Sutherland Cricket Club junior Steve Smith's Test debut on Tuesday along with fellow debutant Tim Paine made them the first Australians to make their Test debut at Lord's since the 1st Test in 1977 when a Sutherland "great'' Lenny Pascoe, Richie Robinson and Craig Serjeant played their first Test.
Golden oldies
SUTHERLAND Oval is the place to be on Sunday, July 18, when past and present league stars take part in a Golden Oldies for ex-A Grade players.
The 3pm game between the 98-year-old Sutherland club (now Sutherland Loftus) and Engadine highlights a day of league, preceeded by a 12.45pm A-grade match between Como-Jannali and Cronulla-Caringbah, an 11.15am second grade game (same clubs) and an U17 Sutherland-Loftus v De La Salle 10am game.
All proceeds go to charity, with families and children catered for.
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