Victory runners and walkers appreciated the cooler conditions and a pleasant north easterly breeze for the second preliminary activity on Saturday afternoon 9th. March at Willandra.
Forty three competitors completed a variety of distances with a good mix of ages from four years to over seventy. However when it comes to hills as depicted in the above photo, the long and the short of it is…… the only way is UP !
Due to the farm experiencing two droughts in the last 12 months, the course is extremely dry and despite constant watering from the dam, the grass is not showing a lot of growth.
With the creek bed completely dry for the second time in the past six months this is the first time in history this has occurred. Certainly climate change is making an impression.
However it is pleasing to note the majority of competitors who ran or walked last week displayed some impressive improvements this week.
In the 1k young Ashley Spicer improved by 6 seconds being pushed by her friend Holly Matthews who was first across the finish line by just 2 seconds.
Two young stars in the 2k with very impressive improvements were Ayden Spicer, just over 1 minute & Victoria Hill, just under 1 minute. David Holland & son Jai also impressed with good improvements, Jai once again taking first place in 2k.
2k walkers Hati & Kanun Onsel also managed to improve their time by over a minute. Well done.
The only contender in the 3k was Brooklyn Henry who used the distance as a cool down after a hard training session. We congratulate Brooklyn on winning his age group at the recent State All Schools Triathlon Championships and will be attending the Australian championships in April.
Eighteen year old Kieren Harrison also competed in the Triathlon and looked quite impressive in his comeback to cross country, running the 8k for the first time in many months and finishing with ease in under forty minutes. Younger brother Cameron had intended to run the 3k in training for his fast approaching school XC carnival. However, due to a niggling knee injury sustained at school, made the wise decision to run the 2k instead.
Cristine Suffolk and Paul Jennings managed a good improvement on their 4k times, while first time contenders for the 4k, Natasha Spicer, Ros & Leela Matthews looked very impressive.
We were thrilled to welcome Eva & Erich Moeller – Duhme back home after an enjoyable holiday in Western Australia. Eva in her usual style, always displaying great determination, ran the 6k, while Erich also impressed us with his run in the 8k. This couple are a joy to know, and with their attitude ‘age is no barrier’ are fine examples to our younger generation.
It was also pleasing to welcome Laura Prince and her two youngters, Layla & Riley and Vanessa Braddick and daughters Sophie and Katie. Thanks to Bill Seary and Julie Harrison who assisted on the course.
Anyone interested in joining please make your way to Willandra before 3pm any Saturday afternoon for a trial run or walk. Individuals and families very welcome.
Once again will leave you with Quote of the Month: ‘Never begin to give up, and never give up beginning’. Frauke Bolten – Boshammer Author: A Diamond in the Dust (2018)
1k Distance
| Name | Time |
| Holly Matthews | 5.53 |
| Ashley Spicer | 5.55 |
| Lulu Wilson | 8.16 |
| Riley Prince | 9.30 |
| Layla Prince | 9.34 |
| Laura Prince | 9.36 |
| Charlie Henry | 13.39 |
| Pam Henry | 13.43 |
2k Distance
| Name | Time |
| Jai Holland | 7.48 |
| Baylee Holland | 8.31 |
| Joel Hallor | 10.02 |
| Evelyn Hill | 10.04 |
| Ayden Spicer | 10.20 |
| Cameron Harrison | 10.20 |
| Victoria Hill | 10.54 |
| Cohen Matthews | 11.28 |
| Lucas Hallor | 11.48 |
| Bailey Newham | 12.11 |
| David Holland | 12.20 |
| Emily Burinaga | 12.27 |
| Tanyel Onsel | 12.27 |
| Selin Onsel | 12.35 |
| Lexie Burinaga | 13.59 |
| Eliz Onsel | 14.05 |
| James Wilson | 14.19 |
| Samantha Holland | 15.24 |
| Zali Wilson | 19.19 |
| Sophie Braddick | 22.43 |
| Katie Braddick | 22.48 |
| Vanessa Braddick | 22.49 |
2k Walk
| Name | Time |
| Carla Hill | 19.36 |
| Hati Onsel | 19.59 |
| Kanun Onsel | 19.59 |
3k Distance
| Name | Time |
| Brooklyn Henry | 11.29 |
4k Distance
| Name | Time |
| Cristine Suffolk | 19.52 |
| Paul Jennings | 24.16 |
| Leela Matthews | 27.42 |
| Natasha Spicer | 27.45 |
| Ros. Matthews | 27.46 |
6k Distance
| Name | Time |
| Eva Moeller – Duhme | 48.03 |
7k Distance
| Name | Time |
| Josh Henry | 40.38 |
8k Distance
| Name | Time |
| Kieren Harrison | 39.27 |
| Erich Moeller – Duhme | 50.28 |