The deprivations of forced abstinence from competitive “actual” racing has had varying effects on runners. Some have gone into their shells and focussed on other pursuits; or hit their couches; or racked up dizzying miles on solo runs – while some have trained with single-minded purpose and discipline to be poised and ready – like a tautly coiled spring – to offer their transcendent best when the time would inevitably come … to race again. And when that time came – today – some were absolutely ready…

It’s a rare occurrence that a woman wins a Half-Marathon outright, amidst a strong male field. Rebecca Brown, listed first alphabetically among the online entrants, was issued with race bib Number 1 by the timing software … automated algorithm, or auspicious prescience? Among the earliest starters, some might have assumed Rebecca would be reeled in by some later-starting, fleet-of-foot strutters, yet each lap saw her only increasing her margin at front of field. Her dazzling rendition of 1:21:20 is an all-time female course record for this event in its 13-year history. Equally incredible and inspiring was the performance on the other side of the gender divide and farther edge of the age spectrum – David Iverach’s paradigm-bending new Male Over 70s record of 1:47:06!

Tiffany Knight followed Rebecca into 2nd placing in the Female Under 50 with a fine 1:32:17, followed by Sarah Maton’s 1:34:09; while Kim Pluess took out the Female 50-59 in 1:59:10.

Meanwhile, John McCormack won the men’s Half-Marathon with a breezy, consistent 1:23:23; with Nathan Tucker’s 1:26:39 earning him 2nd placing, ahead of David Lynch in 1:31:01. In the Male 50-59, it was Andrew Harris setting the bar with 1:32:23, only just outpacing Jeremy Smith’s 1:32:46, with Tom Reeve filling out the podium with 1:34:08.

With “pulse starts”, runners depart at random intervals, producing the uncertainty of not knowing exactly how one is faring against runners who might have started way ahead, or be bearing down on us from far behind. The only way to run in these circumstances is against oneself, giving it everything in the hope that will be enough to outpace one’s rivals. The final results show some incredibly close finishes, which invite speculation as to how these contests might have panned out if they had yielded real sprint finishes from a standard mass-start…

The 14km was a late addition to the palette of distances on offer, due to the City to Surf Virtual Race being held the same day, providing the perfect opportunity to effectively race two events simultaneously. The chance was embraced by a small, yet eager gathering.

Gerber Koster led the field in the 14km men’s contest with 50:47, ahead of Matt Dawson’s 51:22 and 51:55 from Chris Truscott – all 3 runners were spread across the field and would have had no idea of how their rivals were faring, or perhaps even who their rivals were!  Silvio de Vecchio took out the Male 50-59 with 1:07:28, from Stephen Bourke’s 1:09:36; while Tetsundo Kato was triumphant in the Male 60-69 with a fine run of 1:04:55, from Ron Schwebel’s 1:06:10.

Laura Roderick was fastest-finishing female in the 14km, a lone star under the hour with 58:42, from Sarah Whitely’s 1:03:50, just eclipsing Sophia Anicic with 1:03:56. Catherine Bolshesolsky was too good in the Female 60-69, finishing in style with 1:09:55, from Leonie Montgomery’s offering of 1:10:46 and 1:11:45 from Roisin Boyle. Anne Elizabeth Boyd claimed the inaugural Female 70 and Over 14km record with her outstanding contribution of 1:40:35.

In the 7km circuit, Audrey Hall ran the 2nd-swiftest overall time to win the women’s race in 27:33, with the next fastest time outright also coming from a female, Eva Laverty’s fine 28:09, while Kriszta Kovacs took 3rd in 29:49. The classy Katherine Wallington won the Female 50-59 with 34:45, from Susan MacCallum’s 37:10; while in the Female 60-69 it was the ever-reliable Sylvia Nichols again prevailing with 41:24 from an exceptionally strong group including Kathryn King (43:48) and Merridy O’Donnell (45:08).

It was Lachlan Stanfield who stole the glory of the men’s 7km one-lap exhibition, with a blistering 24:17, wining by the proverbial country mile from Manuel Geier’s 27:33 and Ochirkhuu Nansaljav with 29:03. Michael Parker took out the Male 50-59 with 37:09, from Kieran Bowie’s 38:01; while the lightning-fast Craig Saphin stormed the Male 60-69 with 31:28, ahead of the swift Rob Ellis (34:28), and a tight race between Marc Jarman (36:26) and Brian Radburn (36:29).

In the shorter races, the Under 17 Boys and Girls categories are sometimes under-represented, but not today! Outright race winner, Max Russell set an outstanding new Boys Under 17 record of 13:37, while 2nd-placed outright, Natasha Ward, similarly smashed the Girls Under 17 all-time course best with her outstanding 14:32. Nicky Verco was next home, taking 2nd in the BU17s with 14:43, while Grace Henry followed Natasha in their category with a classy run of 15:15.

In the Boys Under 13, Piers Galvin took the honours through his 15:23, from Thomas Altundag’s 16:22, while in the Male 17 and Over, it was Brad Sharpe (15:56) who set the pace from Joseph Tesvic’s 17:22. Lily Cooney was best among the Girls Under 13 with 16:59, from Nancy Newton’s 17:03; while Zyra McAuliffe took out the Female 17 and Over category with 19:38, ahead of 20:55 from Rebecca Williams.

On behalf of all runners and organisers, our deep gratitude to Greg D’Arcy and Belinda Soszyn of MultiSport Australia for their superbly professional registration and electronic timing and results service, and to the inexhaustibly cheerful Penny and Stephen Redfern, Kieron Blackmore, Eddie Oba and Rita Kazzi, along with volunteers from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team of Mongolia, Canberra and Sydney.

This morning, Dolls Point blossomed with orange. The brightest contribution to the tremendous atmosphere of the day came from the fantastic dedicated mentors and runners of Can Too, who turned up in force to celebrate their cause in the best possible way, letting their feet do the talking – and hearts the smiling.

The orange blossoms formed the cheery backdrop to a feast of personal effort, gutsy running, close competition, speed, endurance and camaraderie.

When staging, or running a race, there are many things that can go right, and seemingly even more that can go wrong. Some of these circumstances and forces are under our control, others not. Many things went well at the Sri Chinmoy Dolls Point Festival of Running this morning – the weather was surprisingly calm after a crazily windy freezing night, a fantastic turnout of eager runners competed in great spirits and the course (of course) offered its unfailing sea-side vistas. Of all the things that could have gone wrong however, one of the most unthinkable precisely occurred: the buckets of frozen pancake mixture stubbornly refused to thaw in time, leaving much of the field devoid of their well-earned culinary reward! The organisers unreservedly and unequivocally apologise for this failing, and assure all runners the pancakes will be ready as you finish from this race henceforth!

Back to the racing … due to a last-minute change of course necessitated by works along the pathway south of Peter Depena Reserve, the altered course employed today is not certified accurate and hence no records set can officially be recognised. In the case of Noni Cooper, who gave one of the most impressive displays of the morning in winning the women’s 10km in an astonishing 36:05, this might not matter so much, as she already holds the course record since 2014. After Noni in the Female Under 50 came Emma Fitzgerald (39:04) and Hayley Kain (41:48). Amanda Daffas finished the winner in one of the closest contests of the day in the Female 50-59, her 45:11 claiming victory over Zoe Melling’s courageous 45:26, from Roisin Boyle’s time of 47:51. Virginia Lane took out the Female 60-69 with 1:08:47.

In the men’s 10km race, Seth Healey (35:49) was too fast in the end for Nelson Santos’ 36:02, from Grant Cerkesas with 36:42.Tim Lindop won the Male 50-59 from a competitive field in 41:57, from Aaron Francey’s 43:03 and Tom Riordan filling out the podium positions in 46:56. Randy Barkacs ran a splendid race to take out the Male 60-69 in 45:24; while Arthur Huxtable came home in 56:17 to win the Male 70 and Over.

In the shortest distance, with a wholehearted run Dashiell Barr was fast enough to not only win his Boys Under 13 category, but also the 5km race outright with 21:18, just ahead of the Male 17 and Over winner Robin Fitzgerald’s 21:25. Adam Huxtable meanwhile took out the Boys Under 17 with 25:09. Fastest among the Female 17 and Over was Anaiele Tarua in 26:45, only just edging out Kody Bryden’s 26:47. Arabella Barr claimed the 1st prize for the Girls Under 13 with 27:18; with Anastasia Sawyer best of the Girls Under 17 with 33:08.

In today’s marquee event, the Half-Marathon, Sophie Bennett turned on a scintillating show, winning by 9 minutes in a superb 1:22:15 from runner-up Tiffany Knight with 1:31:35 and Jo Rankin’s 1:37:06. Mandy Lam ran with power and grace to take home the top trophy for the Female 50-59 in a wonderful 1:44:57; while Cathy Davenport ran a splendid race to win the Female 60-69 with 1:53:02.

Hamish Wallace gave an exhilarating display of free uninhibited running to win the men’s race in a slick 1:13:09, after being accompanied for the first lap by runner-up James Martin who followed with a brave 1:14:38, from 3rd placed Patrick McNamara’s 1:17:48. Mike Turner was in a stellar league of his own in the Male 50-59, taking the category in 1:22:16; Craig Saphin was sensational in winning a great battle for the Male 60-69 title with 1:31:11 from Victor Correa’s 1:31:45; and Ray James shone to take the Male 70 and Over crown in 1:54:12.

Gratitude to all helpers – and especially to our friends Penny Redfern and Michael Bedward for coming to our rescue in a time of need!

This first Sunday in May offered perfect conditions for the annual Sri Chinmoy Royal National Park trail race series.   The Marathon runners set off early when the sun started to warm the air and brighten the skies to allow the runners to really appreciate the beauty that surrounded them out on the trails today.  Close to 70 runners toed the line to take on this distance, with the field as vast and varied as the native bush that embraced them – from first-timer marathon runners still in their teens to a number of runners who have completed over 200 marathons, to the ultra runners who were taking this marathon as a mere training run.  Each and every runner out there today deserves our heartfelt congratulations and applause.

Once the Marathoners were set off the Half-Marathon, 10k and 5km gathered to start their races around 8am with a simple out and back course, with the half-marathon runners tackling a little hill at the turnaround to test their legs before the homeward stretch: it's a trail race after all, it all can't be all flat and simple!

With conditions ideal for running, there were quite a few late entrants. All entrants were able to enjoy the beautiful forest environment while exercising and socialising at the same time. The standard across all races was very high today. The first three marathoners all ran sub 3 hours on a track with a number of undulations and some parts quite rocky.

With the BBQ's set up under one of the grand old trees on the flat it was a great place to relax after the race with some post race pancakes and fruit while waiting for friends or family to finish their race or just to relax and enjoy the perfect day.

The pancakes at the finish proved popular as usual, and for the marathoners, the finishing medal meant a lot, providing tangible evidence of how hard they worked to make the distance.

As the final marathon runners arrived we felt the first few light drops from above, farewelling all the runners just as the heavens opened and sheets of rain descended to conclude yet another spectacular race in the Royal National Park.

Special congratulations to the following for establishing new course records for their respective distances and age categories:

* Jess Baker – Marathon, Female Under 50 – 3:28:02
* Ray James – Marathon, Male 70 and Over – 5:28:57 (inaugural record)
* Raewyn Harlock – Half-Marathon, Female 50-59 – 1:41:03 (breaking her own record from last year by 2 minutes)
* Craig Saphin – Half-Marathon, Male 60-69 – 1:35:07
* Matt Sheather – 10km, Male 50-59 – 41:40

We look forward to seeing everyone back at Lady Carrington Drive next year at the same time to enjoy beautiful autumn weather while running in energizing nature.

Thanks to all the helpers who made this event possible!

Every so often, from an organiser’s point of view, an event is remarkable for its non-eventfulness. This is not to say that there were not outstanding performances from many of the runners and a wonderful atmosphere amongst all gathered for the first time in the Sri Chinmoy Sydney Series for 2019 this morning at Iron Cove on a calm, clear morning perfect for running in every respect – just that everything flowed, well … smoothly and happily.

A relatively small field assembled amidst casual banter, pinning of chest numbers and nervous stretches, prepared for the 2-lap 14km, the once-around-the-Bay 7km and the out-and-back 4km runs. Due to the ongoing works resulting in the fencing off of Callan Park and the consequent abbreviation of our regular course, the start points for both the 14km and 7km runs were relocated to make up the distance – however with the revised courses not being certified, unfortunately any course records set today cannot be recognised. We look forward to returning to the usual courses in time for the next Sri Chinmoy event here in June.

Timothy Molesworth proved too strong in the men’s 14km, taking the race in an excellent 52:05 from Sean Hampson’s 52:59. Next home was Male 50-59 winner Phil Balnave in a sprightly 53:30, ahead of 2nd M50-59 Stephen Orr with 54:52, before 3rd placed Male Under 50 Dale Clarke in 55:16. Craig Saphin took out the Male 60-69 in breaking the one-hour mark with an excellent 59:46, ahead of Victor Correa’s 1:01:04. Evergreen Peter Allen triumphed in the Male 70 and Over category with 1:33:43.

The women’s 14km race was won by a consistent Jo Franklin with 1:02:52, from Chloe Roy in 1:03:22. Raewyn Harlock was next home in winning the Female 50-59 with an outstanding 1:04:54; head of 3rd placed Female Under 50 Megan Scott’s 1:06:43. Jane Baker was 2nd in the F50-59 with 1:12:14 from Kettie Mothersead’s 1:13:15.

The men’s 7km one-lapper was taken out by an impressive Tom Bleasdale with 26:04, followed home by Greg Churchill with 26:51 and Jack Jones in 27:13. Daniel Zanolla won the Male 50-59 with 29:48 from David Heazlett’s 31:42; while Bruce Flaherty (37:53) won the closest finish of the day from Stephen Durante (37:54) to win the hotly-contested Male 60-69 category. David Iverarch meanwhile had finished a few minutes earlier in a wonderful run of 33:33, again winning the Male 70 and Over trophy.

Eileen Cantwell was the clear winner of the women’s 7km with a fine lap of 31:31. Julie Crawford was next home to take out the Female 50-59 with a wonderful showing of 33:57, ahead of the next placings in the Female Under 50 – Emily Jones’ 34:28 and Jocie Evison’s 37:00. Geraldine Durante was 2nd Female 50-59 with 38:48, from Fumiko Dean in 39:33. Sylvia Nichols continued her winning ways in the Female 60-69 to take the main prize with 40:19 from Gladys Amestoy’s brave 41:50.

Only 18 runners fronted up for the 4km outing this morning, yet a super run from Boys Under 13 Huon Groves saw him win the race outright in 15:43. Next home was Huon’s father Scott, competing in the Male 17 and Over with 16:36, ahead of 2nd placed Boys Under 13 Dashiell Barr in 16:56. Amav Badrish took out the Boys Under 17 with 24:57.

Jodie Woodford won the Female 17 and Over category with 20:25; from Arabella Barr who took out the Girls Under 13 in 21:00.

Congratulations to all who participated on this wonderful morning; and heartfelt thanks to all volunteers who helped the event flow so smoothly for all involved.

A beautiful spring morning greeted all the runners to the Sri Chinmoy Mirambeena race today.  Family, friends and fellow running enthusiasts came to test their skills at distances ranging from the 2 miler up to the 16km.  A picturesque and mostly flat  (!) course allowed everyone to relax into the race with some spectacular sprint finishes!

Taking out the 16km was Philip Balnave – and first in a new men’s 50-59 course record time of 1:01:54 – Mirambeena is the only race of the Sri Chinmoy Sydney series Philip had never done and to race it and win was a nice touch to complete the full suit.  Second overall and first in the under 50 category was Matthew Gore in a time of 1:04:02, soon behind him for second was Daniel Murphy in 1:05:36 with third place Kieran O’Connor finishing in 1:06:37.  Second after Phil in the 50-59 category was Masanori Chiba in 1:10:37 and third place going to Paul Webb in 1:12:58; Ian Sutherland took out the men’s 60-69 category in 1:23:36.

In the women’s race Akiko Akashi won outright and first in the under 50s in a time of 1:15:33, second place going to Heidi Griffiths in 1:16:06 and third place going to Amandine Tena in 1:17:14.  In the women’s 50-59 Susan White took first place in 1:26:52, and Maureen O’Neil taking out the women’s 60-69 in a time of 2:22:24.

A fast field in the 8m brought Martin Vu into the finish in 31:06, hot on his heels was Manuel Geier with 31:36 and even hotter on his heels was Michael Abiwahab in 31:46!  In the men’s 50-59 Alistair Sandilands came home in 32:42, Rob Ellis taking out the men’s 60-69 in 38:50 and the Men’s 70+ went to David Iverach in yet another course record time – a sizzling 39:29. 

Zoe Melling won the women’s race in a time of 37:41, second place going to Lena Chen in 40:08 and third place Catherine Bolshesolsky in 41:15, one second in front of our 4th place getter Amie Reischery.  In the women’s 50-59 Hollee James was first in a new course record for her age group of 39:22.

In the small but competitive 2 mile race, first place went to Davor Zailac in 13:58, first in the boys under 13 went to Ryan Reynolds in 16:08 and first in the boys under 17 to Gabriel Infante in 18:04. 

In the female race the girls under 17 first place went to Chloe Truong in 18:56, two seconds ahead of second place getter and sister Mia Truong in a time of 18:58. Samantha Truong took out the women’s over 17, one minute behind her daughters in a time of 19:58.

Congratulations to all who ran today: it was a stunning day that just yearned to have runners out there enjoying the fresh spring air, bright blue sky and calm gentle Sunday morning pace.  We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Sri Chinmoy Races have been held at the beautiful Iron Cove for more than 30 years, with many and varied courses and distances over the decades. The marquee event today was the 3-lap Half-Marathon, raced in cool and overcast conditions with only the slightest of showers towards the end to cool things down a little.

Some might say it’s easy to win a category when there is only one participant – yet Mary Sheehan not only won her category of Female 60-69, she took 5 minutes off the course record for the Half-Marathon distance at this venue which had stood for 6 years! … so even if every woman who has ever run in this category were participating today, Mary still would have won by a huge margin, a true champion.

Anna MacKenzie ran a phenomenal race to win the women’s Half-Marathon in 1:28:20 – taking 8th place outright – from Nicole Wilding in 1:37:55 and Kristen Baltzer with 1:42:33. Karen Ryan won the Female 50-59 with 1:48:41 from Kim Pluess in 1:49:48.

Chris Gordon ran a controlled race from the front to win the Half-Marathon men’s race in 1:18:00, from Andrew Johnston (1:19:41) and Tym Blackwell (1:24:12). The indomitable Phil Balnave placed 3rd outright in taking out the Male 50-59 category in 1:21:47, only missing the formidable course record by a mere 3 seconds. He was followed by Masa Chiba (1:30:09) and Mark Tisdale (1:32:02); while Victor Correa – fresh from running the Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour race in Campbelltown last weekend – won the Male 60-69 in 1:34:03 from Kieron Blackmore’s 1:41:54. Peter Allen took home 1st place in the Male 70 and Over with 2:23:27.

In today’s unusually small (some would say ‘intimate’) turn-out, the 7km race had exactly the same number of finishers as the Half-Marathon – 76. With the pathways around The Bay becoming increasingly busy with Sunday recreationalists, having a smaller field gave everyone a little more elbow room on the course.

The 7km men’s race was won convincingly by a flying Tony Green in 24:48, from 2nd placed Greg Churchill in 27:05 with another gap to 3rd in the form of Kris Fitzpatrick’s 28:23. Aaron Francey took out the Male 50-59 (and 7th outright) with a fine 28:53; the redoubtable Brian Rayburn won the Male 60-69 in 31:42; and Vic Egerton the Male 70 and Over with 43:37.

The women’s 7km race was won in fine style by Sophie Bennie in 29:16, from Natalie Malligan with 30:08 and Jen Dugard in 31:24. Josephine Linehan took out the Female 50-59 with 40:19; and the wonderful Sylvia Nichols the Female 60-69 in 35:33.

The 4km race was a good one for the Sarkies clan, with dad Richard Sarkies winning the race outright and taking the Male 17 and Over major prize with a fleet-of-foot 14:47; mum Kirsten Todd taking 2nd in the Female 17 and Over with 20:56; elder son Wilson winning the Boys Under 17 in 16:15; and Saxon taking 2nd in the Boys Under 13 with 17:18. Mitchell Dean was winner of the Boys Under 13 with an excellent run of 16:42; Isabelle Preller took out the Girls Under 13 with 23:01; and Sally Hannah won the Female 17 and Over in a fast 16:45.

How do people observe or celebrate Easter Monday? What’s this day signify?

We’ve already honoured and celebrated Easter Day – each according to our faith, understanding or tradition – so what are we supposed to be celebrating or honouring on the following day that warrants a National Public Holiday?

That’s a rhetorical question.

As runners, we don’t need a reason to celebrate – we just need the right course and an occasion, any occasion.

Certainly there were plenty to agree that Easter Monday is an ideal occasion for a run – whether competitive or casual – in the soothing surrounds of Centennial Park. Organisers found our registration capacity tested with the volume of on-the-day entries as folk flocked to the park for an 8am start.

With Daylight Savings ending the previous day meaning the sun would already be one hour higher in the sky by the time of the race start, and an unseasonably (and unreasonably) warm and humid morning forecast, the Half-Marathoners were going to be facing some tough running by their third lap as the sun mounted and blazed ever higher and stronger.

Perhaps this explains why the 7km distance was the soup-du-jour, with a field the same size as the Half-Marathon and 4km fields combined. With only one lap to cover and a much earlier finish, the 7km runners were assured of avoiding the most testing time of the day – and of getting in before the pancakes ran out! Organisers apologise unreservedly to the few Half-Marathoners who missed out on pancakes today as our stocks were completely exhausted.

All Half-Marathon finishers are to be admired and congratulated for their determination, application and courage no matter what their finish time. No-one reached the goal with a brighter smile of elation than Siyu Wang, our final finisher in an impressive 3:16:30! Several runners pulled out after one or two laps which is entirely understandable – the more who withdrew only increased our appreciation for how tough it was and our respect for the efforts of those who endured and conquered.

Rod Chisholm ran a superbly controlled Half-Marathon, leading from the get-go to win the race in a fine 1:20:28 from a fast-finishing Philip Balnave, who won his Male 50-59 category in taking 2nd outright with a pleasing 1:20:58 to mark a superb recovery from a serious setback only a year ago. Next home in the Male Under 50 was Christopher Strom in 1:23:41, with Lachlan Dansie completing the podium placings with 1:25:27.

The ever-enthusiastic Masanori Chiba came 2nd in the Male 50-59 with 1:38:50 from Dave Graham’s 1:40:01. Keith Robbins took out the Male 60-69 in 1:51:51 from Ian Jarrett in 2:04:15; while Peter Allen bravely strode to a 2:24:44 to win the Male 70 and Over category.

Tiffany Knight was in a league of her own in the women’s race, winning in a sleek 1:36:49 from Shannon Proffitt in 1:43:05 and 3rd placed Danielle Kirby’s 1:43:44. Raewyn Horlock has bounced back strongly from injury last year to win the Female 50-59 in an impressive 1:46:55 from the ever-cheerful Pamela Blaikie’s 2:07:59; while Raisa Kolesnikova took out the Female 60-69 category with 1:56:33 from Mary Sheehan in 2:02:04.

The closest competition of the day, and a very significant one – that for the largest category – turned out to be a dead heat between the women and the men. The 71 finishers in the Female Under 50 exactly matched the 71 in the Male Under 50s of the 7km race!

A very impressive run of 30:04 saw Naomi Tancred take out the Female Under 50 in the 7km race, from Natalie Malligan in 30:57 and Sophie Bennie with 31:12. Kathleen Wallington took out the Female 50-59 with a fine run of 35:58 from Elizabeth Houseman’s 38:39; and Julie Sanders the Female 60-69 in 43:44 from Gladys Amestoy’s 44:28.

Robbie Neill was a strong leader and winner of the 7km circuit, taking out the top prize in the Male Under 50 with 24:17 from a close finish between 2nd-placed Mark Higgs with 24:58 and 3rd, Ben Forrest’s 25:04. Martin Cosby claimed main prize in the Male 50-59 with 28:43 from Michael Wilding’s 30:45; while Kieron Blackmore led the charge in the Male 60-69 with a fine 31:07; and David Iverarch continued his patronage of the Male 70 and Over category with another quality outing of 36:04.

Oliver White was a clear and impressive outright winner of the 4km race in a high calibre time of 14:14 – even more impressive as he was running from the Boys Under 13s, for which category he now claims the all-time course record! The previous record had stood for 9 years. His next rivals in his category had a close tussle for the minor placings as Jack Johnson’s 16:06 was just good enough to close out Mitchell Dean’s excellent run of 16:08. Marc Mardini took out the Boys Under 17 and 2nd place outright with an strong showing of 15:04, from Aidan Karaman’s 16:38 and Ethan Touchard in 17:45; while Skander Malcolm was fastest of the Male 17 and Over with 15:24 from Brendan Loughrey’s 16:20 and Scott Groves in 17:16.

Willow Sewell won the women’s 4km race from the Girls Under 17 category in a wonderful time of 16:23, next in her category being Charlotte Tsui in 17:21 and Alice Malcolm with 19:23. Piper Simpson was the fastest of the Girls Under 13 today with a super time of 16:41, placing her 2nd Female outright. After her in the Girls Under 13 were sisters Amber and Sophia Kusano with 17:46 and 19:28 respectively. Claire Simpson was the best of the Female 17 and Over finishing in 19:57, from Katherine Squire’s 20:43 and Felicity Schlederer in 21:35.

Our gratitude to all who helped make the day such a memorable and enjoyable occasion.

The end of year is an occasion of mixed feelings: happy always, though tinged with a sense of sadness that something good is coming to a close. Of course every close is the doorway to a new opening and a fresh beginning, a realm of beckoning possibilities. The final race of the Sri Chinmoy Sydney Series for 2017 was staged at Iron Cove on Sunday 17 December, over the distances of 14 km (2 laps of The Bay Run), 7km (one lap) and an out-and-back 4km course.

A brief squall sent everyone under cover just as Registration was opening, though despite some ominous clouds complete with booming thunder, no rain fell during the races. A warm and humid morning though did make for generally slightly slower-than-usual times, making Mary Sheehan’s superb course record of 1:10:14 for the Female 60-69 category in the 14km all the more meritorious.

Christian Lotter came from The Shire to race in his first Sri Chinmoy event, and led strongly from the front of the 14km race to win in an excellent 49:22 from Gary Mullins’ 52:17 and Jesse Jayloy’s 52:23. Geoff Barnes was first Male 50-59 home in an impressive 55:38 from Masanori Chiba in 57:54; while Craig Saphin took out the Male 60-69 in 1:10:38 and Peter Allen the Male 70 and Over with 1:33:27.

The women’s 14km race saw a runaway win by over 5 minutes to the smiling Akiko Akashi in 1:03:06; from Vice Hazdovac in 1:08:21 and Catherine Ferguson in 1:09:13. Delia Kerr took out the Female 50-59 with 1:08:50, for 3rd outright in the race; while Mary Sheehan’s new course record in the Female 60-69 now stands at 1:10:14 and earned her an impressive 7th female overall!

The standout performance in the 7km race came from Bronwyn Hager, who placed 4th outright with her outstanding run of 26:22, from Imogen Briscoe’s 30:42 and Megan Hasick’s 30:56. Hollee James took out the Female 50-59 with 33:41; and Sylvia Nicholls the Female 60-69 in 36:47.

The 7km men’s race belonged to Mark Higgs, whose 25:26 was a convincing win from Sebastian Archer in 26:11 and Greg Churchill’s 27:29. Richard Sarkies again took out the Male 50-59 in 26:16 (a close 3rd outright); Brian Radburn the Male 60-69 with 31:26; and David Iverarch the Male 70 and Over with another impressive run of 33:27.

Kele Jeffrey, running in the Boys Under 13s, blew the field away to win the 4km race outright in 15:02. Next home was Boys Under 17 winner, Allen Chantharasonthi in 15:57; and Male 17 and Over winner Anson Man with 16:38. Alice Malcolm took out the Girls Under 13 with 19:26; Mia Rebello the Girls Under 17 in 22:30; and Nidhi Kumar the Female 17 and Over category with 20:42.

Our gratitude to all who have participated in, and all who have helped make the Sri Chinmoy Sydney Series for 2017 such an enjoyable experience. We eagerly look forward to the New Year 2018 and all the surprises, successes and achievement it has in store. See you then!

The mood pre-race at Iron Cove today was unusually subdued. A smaller, more pensive gathering was perhaps preoccupied with staving off a surprisingly brisk morning that would later morph into a simply superb day. With the sun’s advent, the atmosphere grew progressively more convivial, like an intimate family gathering.

For the first time in quite a while, no course records were set, not even by the formidable David Iverarch in the Male 70 and Over category (7km). This is partly due to the long history of races at this venue having produced some outstanding records, while many were using this as a non-competitive tune-up for races next weekend.

One the best finishes of the day was in the men’s Half-Marathon, which saw Filippo Sbalchiero (1:19:48) outlast Jacob Grooby (1:19:52) in a hard-fought tussle. Yohey Kawase followed closely for 3rd in 1:20:16. Geoffrey Barnes took out the Male 50-59 with 1:27:29; Bob Fickel added another cherry on top of one of Australia’s longest running careers by winning the Men 60-69 in 2:06:05; while Peter Allen ran a brave 2:21:37 to win the Male 70 and Over category.

The women’s Half-Marathon, by contrast, saw a clear and outstanding win in 1:38:37, to a surprised Rebecca Hoschke, who apparently had no idea she was ever in the lead. Rebecca’s win was the more remarkable for having pushed her little boy in a pram for the entire 21.1 km! Vice Hazdovac took out 2nd place in 1:49:27, from Susie Heath (3rd) in 1:50:34. Karen Ryan’s 1:52:16 won her the Female 50-59 title.

The one-lap 7km race is one of Sydney’s standard runs, won today by Brendan Boyd in 26:00 from the consistent Greg Churchill (26:15) and Mark Huber (26:40). Mike Mannix took out the Male 50-59 with 31:28; Brian Radburn the Male 60-69 in 31:51; and David Iverarch the Male 70 and Over with 33:38.

The women’s race saw Leonie Montgomery (32:10) strong enough to hold off a concerted challenge from a close-finishing pair of 2nd-place Sarah Latham (32:23) and 3rd-place Zoe Melling (32:36). Tracey O’Donnell is revelling in her Female 50-59 category; her 34:32 would have placed her 6th outright. Jan Swinhoe shone in the Female 60-69 with a fine 37:35.

Richard Sarkies was the star of the 4km out-and-back race, his 14:12 a over a minute clear of his son Wilson Sarkies, whose 15:29 won him the Boys Under 17; while Mitchell Dean took out the Boys Under 13 in 16:52.

Sally Hannah ran an astounding race to win by 5 minutes in 16:24; with Chloe Truong taking out the Girls Under 13 with 22:24; and Elena Berryman the Girls Under 17 in 23:51.