Business And Pleasure Keep Keen Competitor On His Toes

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday March 27, 2000

HEATHER QUINLAN

RUNNING around after guests at a five-star hotel all day doesn't deter concierge Jaime Lachs from running when he gets home.

Far from it, in fact. He lists ``fitness, fun and meeting people" as the three main reasons for his involvement in the sport and two of those elements are major factors in his choice of job.

``If you didn't like meeting and talking to people, you couldn't do it [be a concierge]," Lachs said. ``I really enjoy my work. You meet so many different types of people and learn so much about other cultures and countries."

Working at the Sheraton on the Park, Sydney, in busy Elizabeth Street, Lachs has plenty of chances to exercise his brain and vocal cords, advising thousands of guests on topics as varied as hire-car bookings, tourist destinations, restaurants and the local wildlife.

``Some of our overseas guests have never heard anything about Sydney before and think that kangaroos run around Hyde Park," he said.

``Quite a few people want to make a daytrip to Ayers Rock, so you have to explain that while Australia has a small population, it is actually a very large place.

``I guess you could call the concierge's desk the hotel information centre and guests assume we know everything sometimes we don't, so we have to find out. A lot of queries will be to do with finding a suitable restaurant or sorting out an item on the bill, but we also get asked questions like, `What kind of bird is that?' It's a real test on the brain.

``The bonus of this job for me, because I love athletics, is having the chance to meet and look after some of the well-known athletes who stay at the hotel, like Michael Johnson, Maurice Greene and some of the top Kenyan runners."

With a constant schedule of shift and weekend work, Lachs has to be disciplined about his running, with his club, Athletics East, and for his present project training for The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon, to be held on Sunday, May 21. The Sheraton on the Park is the official hotel for the race.

Lachs, 26, who lives in Lilyfield, mainly concentrates on mid- to long-distance track events with his club. But after running in a number of The Sun-Herald City to Surfs over 14km, he decided to have a go at The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon last year.

Surprisingly, Lachs found the 21.1km half-marathon distance and the gently undulating course through the Sydney central business district ``quite easy" and recorded the respectable time of 82min. Even more admirably, he turned up to work on the afternoon of the race and completed his shift ``a bit slow and a bit red-faced, but not too badly".

This year, he's aiming for 77min and he just hopes he's rostered off that weekend.

The ninth The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon will get under way at 7.30am at Lower Fort Street in The Rocks.

Participants will follow a picturesque two-lap course through the city streets, passing icons such as State Parliament House, Hyde Park Barracks, the NSW Art Gallery and St Mary's Cathedral, before finishing in Hickson Road near the old wharves.

All who complete the race will receive a commemorative The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon medallion and a personalised certificate of achievement.

The race features 24 individual age categories divided between men and women, plus a host of team categories to give competitors an added interest. Only two people are required to form a family team, while three are needed for teams of males, females, mixed, corporate, veterans and representatives of the banking, finance and insurance industries.

As in previous years, the field will be limited to 4,000, so to ensure you don't miss out on a place, call The Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon office toll free on 1800555514 or (02)92823606 to have an entry form posted out.