2023-05-07 XCR Round 2

Doncaster Newsletter 

XCR Round 2 – Sunday May 7th 

Sunday saw 21 athletes take the annual pilgrimage into Lakeside for the 10km road race!  The event was earlier in the season calendar this year; athletes stepping up to 10km – ready or not! 8.20am saw the Junior athletes (all Women under 18, and Men under 16) literally sprint off in their 3km event, Weetbix onboard!  9am was the mass start to the 10km for all other age groups.  The weather forecast was atrocious, and it lived up to predictions; a ‘feels like temperature’ of around 5 degrees, stiff southerly and persistent rain.  The hail held off until about 10.20am, when all athletes were safely past the finish line!  DAC numbers were down in some age groups. The back grandstand at Lakeside was awash, except for dryness in the back few rows where athletes from all clubs huddled together.  The pungent smell of deep heat filled the air, but nobody seemed to mind, as we needed all the help we could get!   

Junior athletes commenced the day’s action with their 3km event.  Women’s Under 14 trio; Chloe Baldock, Talise Botha and Sarah Dixon gave the season ladder a nudge – together scoring the full 11 points to win the round for DAC.  Chloe was placed first and has started the season in fantastic form!  On the way into Lakeside on the Eastern Freeway, some might have seen a rainbow?  Could it have been Chloe’s gold medal?!   The men’s U14 and U16 featured the McLennan boys, Hamish and Lewis, each about 4 inches taller compared with winter 2022, which made the running much easier!  Half their luck!  Harry Maddocks and Zanda Botha both had excellent runs and handled the challenging conditions well.  Great job lads!  

The 10km start was chaotic, with almost 1000 athletes lined up for the 9am gun!  The road surface was extremely wet, and the rain continued; conquering 10km as quickly as possible was the task at hand.  Joel Tobin-White was the quickest DAC athlete (29:40) and placed 7th overall; a magnificent effort!    Erick Niyiragira wasn’t far behind in 34th place.  Such was the competition among the men’s field – a couple of break-away packs pushed each other to the limit!   Men’s Div. 2 was tough – DAC finishing 8th among the 14 teams.  Men’s U18 and U20 and Women’s U20 athletes stepped up to 10km.  Josh Ascar, Connor Daniels and Jemma Young answered the call!   All ran admirably; Josh 10th among the U18 field and Jemma 7th in the U20 field.  Jemma was the quickest DAC female athlete over the 10km course (43:45). 

Masters athletes also took on 10km; Kath Gawthorn flying the DAC flag for the women, and 4 ever-reliable blokes (Brendan Cullen, Campbell McLennan, Jason Merrett, and James Finch) did us proud in the men’s event.  All gave their all in the challenging conditions.  After their efforts, hot showers and dry clothes were particularly relished!   

Congratulations to all athletes who made the trip to Lakeside and braved the elements.  Thank-you to our club helpers, Laura McLennan (capturing the action on camera), and to Justin Botha, and Matt Christy.  Thank you also to the parents and partners who came to support athletes on a very cold Sunday morning!   

Results from Round 2. 

Female 40+

       

10km:

Kathryn Gawthorn

 

53:15;

(W45)

         

Female Under 20 (Total field = 13)

       

10km:

Jemma Young

 

43:45;

7th

         

Female Under 14 (Field = 18)

       

3km:

Chloe Baldock

 

10:30;

1st

 

Talise Botha

 

13:59;

15th

 

Sarah Dixon

 

15:35;

17th

         

Male Open (Total field = 604)

       

10km:

Joel Tobin-White

 

29:40;

7th

 

Erick Niyiragira

 

31:06;

34th

 

John Portwood

 

31:53;

65th

 

Nick Finch

 

33:36;

130th

 

Lionel Wirth

 

38:20;

354th

 

Brock Goodings

 

48:49;

562nd

         

Male 40+

       

10km:

Brendan Cullen

 

39:36;

(M40)

 

Campbell McLennan

 

42:22;

(M50)

 

Jason Merrett

 

45:29;

(M50)

 

James Finch

 

53:45;

(M60)

         

Male Under 20 (Total field = 27)

       

10km:

Connor Daniels

 

38:51;

22nd

         

Male Under 18 (total field = 34)

       

10km:

Josh Ascar

 

34:53;

10th

         

Male Under 16 (total field = 40)

       

3km:

Harry Maddocks

 

09:58;

14th

 

Hamish McLennan

 

11:25;

37th

         

Male Under 14 (Total field = 21)

       

3km:

Zander Botha

 

11:22;

14th

 

Lewis McLennan

 

12:40;

21st

         

2023 Winter Calendar  

Attached to this newsletter – please find a winter calendar to encompass all club events, and major non-club running events for the season April-October.  Feel free to print this out and stick on your fridge. 

XCR Round 3 – Saturday May 27th  

Next round we head into the countryside to St Anne’s winery near Bendigo.  Note that this St Anne’s is NOT the same venue as that for round 8 (near Myrniong).  With roadworks, allow plenty of time for your journey, and please contact the Winter Coordinator, Matt Christy, (winter.corodinator@doncasterac.org.au) if you need assistance with transport.  Entries close at midday on Wednesday 24th May (AV portal), and this must be done even if you have purchased a season XCR entry.   Last year, our trip to this winery was rewarded with some of the local hospitality (food, music), and the course took you in and out of the vines!  Wine was available for purchase direct from the cellar (a belated Mother’s Day gift for all those Mums??!!).  It promises to be cross country at its best – the first individual XC race of season 2023, taking athletes on a journey from 2-8km.  Hope to see you there! 

DAC AGM and Presentation Night this Friday 12th May!! 

The Doncaster Athletic Club are looking forward to joining with you to celebrate our 2023 Presentation night and Annual General Meeting. It will be held at the Cricket pavilion on the corner of Victoria and George Street, adjacent to the Tom Kelly Athletic Track. 

Please join us on Friday 12th of May at 7:00 pm. Our Presentation night allows us the opportunity to celebrate the wonderful achievements of our athletes. 

Nominations for Committee positions are still being sought; please contact club Secretary, Darryl Kilmartin (secretary@doncasteracorg.au) for further information. 

Dinner and soft drink will be provided, with other drinks at bar prices.