A record field of almost two hundred runners, descended upon Mirambeena Regional Reserve on Sunday February 19th to mark the commencement of Sri Chinmoy Sydney Series Races for 2012.

It was only the fifth time that this course has been used and based upon the steady growth in participation it seems that the lure of a luxuriously wide and uncrowded, shaded course far outweighs any aversion to the extra travel to reach the venue.The word is spreading: this is indeed a magnificent location for a race!

As per previous years, three distances were on offer – 16 km, 8 km and the rarely raced 2 miles (3.2 km) – all starting and finishing on the grassy expanse of Garrison Point at the southern end of Mirambeena Reserve.  The 8 km course followed cycle paths northward alongside Prospect Creek, through pristine woodland and over some testing hills, turning around just before the Hume Highway, with a detour on the return leg to loop around Lake Gillawarna.  The 16 km race comprised 2 laps of the 8 km course, while the 2 mile runners turned around just after passing Lake Gillawarna (before the hills!)

A beautifully clear day and the infectious enthusiasm of runners eager for another season of Sri Chinmoy races set the tone for a wonderful race. As dappled sunlight filtered through the verdant canopy, one runner seemed to sum things up quite accurately: ‘It doesn’t get much better than this!’ he said, smiling, as he clasped a cup from the aid station.

Standout performers were Ross Johnson, forging a truly impressive course record of 55:59 and winning the men's 16 km race by nearly 10 minutes (!); Isabelle Crouche setting another wonderful record to win the Women's 8 km race in 31:38; and Helen Stanger's outstanding 1:19:06 which will take some beating in the women 60-69 for the 16 km.

Full results are published, along with a photo album from the course.