Doncaster Newsletter
XCR Round 8 – Ballarat – Saturday 23rd August
Lake Wendouree, Ballarat was the location for Round 8, and a great opportunity for road racing enthusiasts, particularly of the endurance kind! 16 DAC athletes made the trip, including 2 Junior athletes (6km), and 14 Open and Masters athletes (15km). Those at the event enjoyed great conditions; cool but not cold, dry with sunny breaks, and light winds. Like Round 7 at Lakeside, we were spoilt by a Ballarat’s winter reprieve, and this allowed for fast running.
Grace Wilson (U18) and Lewis McLennan (U14) were our only Junior athletes at the event. Both have been stalwarts for DAC all season and have produced some excellent results! For Grace, 26.20 for 6km is a fantastic run! Great job Grace!! Lewis has been enjoying a friendly rivalry with younger brother Hamish, but among the McLennan kids in round 8, was on his lonesome. Lewis did the family and DAC proud!. Eleven Open and Masters Men formed a formidable team against local favourites, Ballarat Harriers. David Ridley (10th) and Alastair Christy (13th) stood out near the front of a very competitive men’s field. All of our other regulars were there: Matt Christy, Brendan Cullen, Erick Niyiragira, Nathan Down, Brock Goodings in Open, and Campbell McLennan, Darryl Kilmartin, Jason Merrett, and Jim Finch in Masters. All ran well over the 15km, though a mere ‘walk in the park’ for local hero, Steve Moneghetti, when he was in his prime. The monument to ‘Monnas’ on the lake; no one had the luxury of just ‘taking it in’, or messing with the male swans during their nesting season!
Our Women were down on numbers this round. However, Lydia Rinaudo was a standout, powering through 15km in a little over 56 minutes! Lydia has had an excellent season, coming back after injury and should now have confidence in her ability as a quality distance athlete. In this event she was placed 8th, despite recently turning 40! (Still officially in ‘Open’). Had she been included with the 40+ women, she would have won this age group by over 2 minutes! Leah Finch and Sue Kilmartin were also in the mix, both stepping up to the 15km distance and having a great run! Sue and Darryl Kilmartin strode together through the 15km challenge: the ‘A Team’ back in action once again! Leah Finch gave outstanding effort; pacing through the 15km, scoring valuable points for DAC, and earning herself the admiration of DAC and the other Finch family members alike!
Congratulations to all athletes who took on the Lake Wendouree challenge in Ballarat! Thank you also to club officials and volunteers/parents who assisted in getting our athletes out there and running so well!
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Women’s Open and Masters (15km) |
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Lydia Rinaudo 56:08 |
(Open) |
8th |
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Sue Kilmartin 1:19:43 |
(W50+) |
14th |
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Leah Finch 1:22:01 |
(Open) |
96th |
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Women’s U18 – 6km |
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Grace Wilson 26:20 |
5th |
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Men’s Open and Masters (15km) |
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David Ridley 46:48 |
(Open) |
10th |
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Alastair Christy 46:56 |
(Open) |
13th |
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Erick Niyiragira 49:04 |
(Open) |
32nd |
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Matthew Christy 54:28 |
(Open) |
110th |
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Brendan Cullen 1:00:53 |
(Open) |
184th |
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Campbell McLennan 1:02:30 |
(M45+) |
18/30 |
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Nathan Down 1:04:51 |
(Open) |
196th |
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Brock Goodings 1:08:00 |
(Open) |
232nd |
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Jason Merrett 1:11:28 |
(M45+) |
26/30 |
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Darryl Kilmartin 1:19:42 |
(M55+) |
20/22 |
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James Finch 1:22:08 |
(M60+) |
17/23 |
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Men’s U14 – 6km |
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Lewis McLennan 27.34 |
7th |
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XCR Round 9 – Sunday 4th September
Round 9 is where all of your hard work over this winter comes to the fore; the Burnley ½ Marathon! There’s a 5km option for all Open/Masters athletes, and juniors also race over 5km. Please note that you must pre-enter (via the AV member’s portal) by midday on Wednesday 31st August. After entering with AV, those Masters athletes who are also members of VMA, please contact Peter Thorne who coordinates the VMA winter program (0427 880 143). You may be eligible for Victorian Masters ½ Marathon Championship medals, in 5 –year age brackets, starting from 30-34 years!
Bill Chambers Memorial Handicap – 23rd September
After a two-year hiatus, the 45th annual Bill Chambers Memorial Cross-Country Handicap is back! This longstanding event holds a special place in our club history, and is a fun competition, open to all members and their families, regardless of age or fitness level.
When: Friday 23rd of September (Grand Final Eve Public Holiday)
Where: Ruffey Lake Park (Enter via The Boulevarde off George St on the western side of the park, meet at the undercover BBQ area)
Time: Please start arriving from 8:30am for a 9am start. No pre-entry required, just turn up with your best 3km/5km/10km time and our handicapper will work out your start time!
Distance: There will be a 3km fun run for members wanting to have a bit of fun or to turn the legs over followed by the 6km handicap race which is two 3km laps of the course that Men and Women of all ages contest together.
Look forward to seeing you there!
Official Opening of the New Track
The official opening of the new track is confirmed for Thursday September 29. This will involve the Doncaster Mile, 200m, 150m for Masters, and some other events. See our Facebook event for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1224686278327342/?ti=ls
Stay tuned for event entries opening soon.
Stay Fit, Stay safe