A record field of 237 runners lined up for either the Sri Chinmoy Half-Marathon, 5 Mile or 2 Mile race around a scenic one-mile loop in Telopea Park this Queens Birthday Holiday, Monday 10 June.
A cool morning greeted helpers and runners alike, and the temperatures never seemed to rise throughout – some runners were seen adding layers of clothing as the run progressed, rather than the other way around!
The loop course allows for all runners in the three races – fast and slow, young and older alike – to run together, building a good sense of camaraderie from beginning to end.
Jodie Barker – one of the most consistent performers on the Canberra running scene for over a decade – won the Women's Half-Marathon this morning with another excellent run of 1:29:45; from Sophy Sirr (1:34:14), Amy Currie (1:38:05) and Kerry Smith (1:39:17).
Robyn McLelland again ran out the winner of the Women 50-59 in 2:02:12; Julie Bell took the Women 60-69 in 2:08:25; and Canberra running legend, Caroline Campbell won the Women 70 and Over category with an inspirational 2:09:57.
Craig Benson ran a consistent race, leading from the start and never being threatened, to win the Half-Marathon for the men in 1:17:19, from Colin Tricker (1:18:26) and Anthony Kennedy (1:21:16).
David Clarke took out the Men 50-59 race in 1:37:47, holding off a faster-finishing Keith Bennett in 1:38:16. Alan Gowen ran a splendid race in the Men 60-69 to win in 1:45:10, not far ahead of Peter Ralston's 1:48:43. The Over 70's Men category was taken out by stalwart Canberra runner, Lachlan Lewis in 3:10:03.
Matthew Zeitlhofer was pushed by Iain Addinell in the middle stages of the men's 5 mile race, but drew away over the final laps to win in 31:27, from Iain's 31:48, with Simeon Hearnshaw completing the podium with 32:11.
In the Men 50-59, Michael Phillips led the way with 33:35, from Stewart Jones (36:14) who only caught and passed Kim Houghton (36:17) in the dying stages of the run. Graham Burke won the Men 60-69 in 42:19.
The women's 5 mile race was led from the front and won by Kym Chisholm with 35:26, from Michelle Burns (36:25) and Kate Aitken Resink (39:18); while Kim Maloney took out the Women 50-59 in 52:25.
The 2 mile race seemed to be over in a flash. Steve Connor even caught the timekeepers by surprise, finishing first in 11:25, about 100 metres ahead of Boys Under 17s winner, Callum Burns in 11:41; then Glen Sturesteps (Male 17 & Over) in 12:19 and Under 13s Boys first place Spencer Burns in 12:33.
Ellie DeRuyter – running the Girls Under 13s category – was too fast for all the older girls and women, streaming home in 13:21, ahead of Jessica Jeffreys who was first Female 17 & Over in 13:27; while Arabella Hamilton took out the Girls Under 17s in 18:10.
Despite the record field and considerable pressure on the timekeepers who record every mile split time for each runner in all the distances – that's 128 laps in the 2 mile race; 405 laps in the 5 mile and 1,196 laps in the Half-Marathon for a total of 1,729 laps to be recorded – all the results were collated in the end, and the last of the pancake mix consumed by the final runner across the line.
Full results for all three distance races are published, along with a photo album from the morning.
