The route competitors will complete as they re-enact Ben Cousins' bolt from a booze bus.
Ben Cousins fans are bracing themselves for the challenge of a lifetime.
The inaugural Ben Cousins Biathlon will see competitors retrace the steps the fallen footballer took after abandoning his then girlfriend Samantha Druce in a car on Canning Highway, performing the now infamous booze-bus bolt.
Featuring a run and swim – but no bike – the event will prove a challenge for sober competitors who are not paid bucket-loads to remain in peak physical condition. It will include a re-enactment of the swim to nowhere that had Cousins reaching the middle of his attempted river crossing and then turning back after realising there was a possibility he could drown.
A Facebook group inviting people to participate so far has more than 1900 people attending, with numbers increasing by the hour.
"On 12 February 2006, Cousins fled a booze bus by abandoning his Mercedes-Benz and girlfriend Samantha Druce in the middle lane of Perth's Canning Highway and running from police with a male passenger," the event organisers wrote.
"The male passenger was later caught and breath-tested, but Cousins eluded the police.
"His intricate escape route was revealed on his recent documentary, and with careful retracing of his movements, Saturday the 12 of February 2011 will be the inaugural running of the Cousins Biathlon."
Yet again, Cousins is proving an inspiration.
The real Cousins bolt involved running through backyards, jumping fences, swimming out to the middle of the river and back, and running up to the Blue Water Grill to demand a phone call and deny his true identity.
Organiser Damon Bull said the event would be a real celebration of Cousins' abilities, held on the fifth anniversary of his runner from the police.
"I saw the humour in some of the things he did," Bull said of Cousins' many escapades.
"When you grow up in Perth you can relate to some of what he has done. Everyone just likes a good time."
The organisers are looking for people in the area to offer up their backyards to be included in the race and are tossing up whether to hold the after party at the Blue Water Grill where Cousins ended up.
The fun police will no doubt think this is a bad idea, giving young people the wrong message about doing runners from the police, drink driving and a myriad of other dodgy things the runner involved.
But it is hilarious.
The organisers have floated the idea that Cousins himself might like to be involved in the event.
C'mon Ben, are you going to show them how it's done?
Follow Daile Pepper on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DailePepper
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