Victory Runners & Walkers closed a very successful season of 26 Saturday afternoons at Willandra. An incredibly special thanks to all children, parents, grandparents, individuals and couples who contributed to the season by your presence and participation.
President Paul Jennings organised a fun 2 x 1k mixed relay event, despite the pairs being a lucky draw, and some on a handicap start, the finish was quite close, thanks to an excellent effort by all who took part.
An AGM was held after distribution of the Annual Report. The outgoing committee was re -elected and many thanks and appreciation to four new committee members.
All present were awarded Certificates of Achievement for the season. Congratulations to the ’Top Three in the following categories:
1k Distance: Eddie Parnell – Andrew Tallon – Joshua Tallon. .2k Distance: Annie Dziubinski – Cailin Burbage – Bronwyn Coulston. 3k Distance: Eleanor Parnell – Simeon Tallon – Lulu Wilson. Walkers: Kayleen Lawrence – James Murray – Heidi Murray. 4k / 6k Distance: Cristine Suffolk – Paul Jennings – John Tallon. 8k/10k Distance: Irwin Burbage.
Before enjoying a very delicious afternoon tea to conclude proceedings, five very Special presentations were given to the following:
Two Special Family Award Certificates: The Burbage Family and The Tallon Family:
Two Special Encouragement Award Trophies: Simeon Tallon and Eleanor Parnell
One High Achievement Award: Annie Dziubinski. This young 10-year-old has achieved great results all year and her Bronze Medal at the Australian Schools Cross Country 2k event was a fitting conclusion and a highlight of the year for all.
Opening of Summer Competition.
Athletics NSW have just completed the first weekend of All Schools T & F Championships (Secondary School ages 16 and over) combined with inaugural Primary School Challenge (ages 10 – 13yrs). The second weekend for Secondary Schools (12 – 15yrs) will be held in the last weekend of school holidays.
In case you are not aware ANSW has introduced new age categories and competition opportunities for 8 – 12year olds at a reduced registration cost.
Please check out our website for membership categories for the incoming year 2023/24.
Victory Runners encourages athletes interested in T & F competition to join ANSW via our website which gives access to events Summer & Winter. Little A’s can be members of both organizations.
We are very proud of two Victory members who competed at All Schools T & F both achieving excellent results in their events for the opening of the season.
Congratulations to Laylah Connelly who ran a PB in the 17yrs 400mt on Saturday to be awarded the Silver medal and Sunday ran another PB in 400mts Hurdle event and awarded the Bronze medal. Congratulations to our high achiever Annie who also ran a PB on Saturday morning in the 10yrs 1500mts and awarded the Silver medal.
A really ‘top’ effort from both these talented athletes to open their Track Season.
Our good wishes go with our top masters athlete, Cristine Suffolk who is travelling to Adelaide shortly to start her Summer Track distance events at the Adelaide Masters Championships. Crissy should do well in her age category as she is very committed to training and improving.
Our final week of Saturday afternoon activity of running and walking point score was conducted on Saturday 16th September.
The weather was very windy and quite hot considering it is spring. However, despite this and a drop in numbers the members competing certainly gave 100% effort. First home in the 1k Annie Dziubinski equaled her best time for the distance while brother Tom was just 3 seconds from his record. 9yr old Henry Tait also performed very well for a PB time, improving by 11 seconds. However all our youngsters in the 1k & 2k all put in a very good effort.
This also applied to our mature members. Alice Parnell claimed a PB in her 2k walk time of 3 seconds. However improver of the week has to be Cristine Suffolk who managed to improve her 4k record by another 15 seconds! Great achievement Crissy for your final 4k at Willandra for the season.
Just reminding all members next Saturday 23rd is our final meet, starting with some fun events
followed by a very quick meeting leading into presentation of awards and closing the afternoon.
with some food.
For catering purposes we would like families who were not present on Saturday 16th to email via
Victory if they do intend coming to our final Saturday 23rd September.
Victory will supply savories and families may like to bring a plate of sweets please.
Looking forward to an enjoyable end of season celebration.
Quote for the Monthof September: NO Life is without DIFFICULTIES. NO Garden is without WEEDS.
Despite the cold westerly winds, runners and walkers alike enjoyed their activity and performed well. 6yr old Eleanor Coulston enjoyed the 1k distance in the company of her grandfather from South Australia who is visiting his family. Many thanks to Cailin Burbage who assisted in place of Eleanor handing out place tickets.
The 1k competitors displayed consistent running and happy smiles as they crossed the finish. First and second in the 2k finish was good running from youngsters Francis Peabody and Thomas Dziubinski Our youngest lad in the 2k, 6yr old Jai Burbage had his first run over 2k also performed very well.
Congratulations to Andrew Lawrence who ran a strong 4k and notched up a PB. Also a good 4k time was achieved by John Tallon running and encouraging his 13yr old son Simeon. Both crossed the finish together managing to reduce last weeks’ time by 30 seconds. Razz Wilkins was also close to her PB. So altogether it was great running all round to our 3k, 4k, 5k and 6k contestants and thank you all for your activity effort.
As the time ticked on, our attention went to Cristine Suffolk who let us know at the start, she had accepted the challenge to see if she could reduce her 6k Best on Record time set last week, Much to the delight of all watching, Crissy did managed to reduce the record by 18 seconds with a new record of 26 .57 !! Congratulations to a very excited Masters athlete for a great performance. Many thanks too, to our five walkers choosing a variety of distances, adding overall fitness.
Week 25 Saturday 16th. September will be our final week of usual activities starting at 3;00pm. Our final week on September 23rd will begin at 3.00pm also. However the format will include some fun events, awards, very quick Annual meeting and food. Hope all can join us.
Quote for the Monthof March: NO Life is without DIFFICULTIES. NO Garden is without WEEDS.
The first day of spring weather was very much appreciated by our runners and walkers for Week 23 activity. Naturally, numbers were down as many of our multi-sport members were attending final games or Presentation Afternoons etc.
However two athletes achieved new Best on Record times for their age categories. First home in the 1k Distance, Annie Dzuibinski barely touched the ground as she flew across the finish line setting an excellent time for the 10yrs category of 3.38 reducing her own record set earlier in the season of 4.10 by 32 seconds!
Due to a problem with the stopwatch the previous week, our talented masters athlete Cristine Suffolk was very keen to officially better her 50 – 54 yrs 6k. record which she set in 2020, 3 years ago! Despite being 3 years older Crissy managed to reduce the record by 21 seconds, setting a new official time of 27.15.
A well-deserved effort by these two very keen competitors who appreciate a challenge.
It is good to note as we head into the concluding weeks of activities for the year some younger members are trying a longer distance.
9yr old Henry Tait with his dad and their furry friend completed the 3k distance and established a time to improve on. Likewise 13yr old Simeon Tallon joined his father also and ran the 4k. Well done boys.
The afternoon concluded with a delicious afternoon tea. Many thanks to all who were responsible for the very tasty treats.
Our tentative date to conclude the season and hold a short Annual meeting is Saturday 23rd. September. Three more Saturdays to join us at Willandra at 3.00pm. Visitors always welcome.
Quote for the Monthof September: NO Life is without DIFFICULTIES. NO Garden is without WEEDS.
The Australian Cross Championships were held at Mount Stromlo in Canberra. We were very proud to have three local runners who train regularly at Willandra representing NSW.
The weather conditions were reasonably good considering it is winter. Our first and youngest representative to compete was Annie Dzuibinski in the 10 years girls 2k.
As the 42 youngsters from all over Australia made their way around the course Annie was in a good position with the leading runners. Her speed, talent and determination resulted in a thrilling third place, with an excellent time of 7.15, the same time as second place.!!
Apart from receiving the individual Bronze Medal, Annie also was awarded a Gold Medal with three other NSW girls for winning the Team event. To top off her weekend , the NSW girls competed in the 5 x 1k Relay run on Monday morning and per formed very well to win the relay and were awarded another Gold medal each. A weekend of running and 3 Medals, an outstanding effort.
CONGRATULATIONS Annie on a very enjoyable all round experience at your first Australian Championship, it was great also that your parents, brother and grandparents could share in your success.
Our second representative, Joel Harlor was in the 15yrs 4k event which also was combined with the 14yrs boys. These two categories made a total of 139 competitors which unfortunately resulted in some runners being knocked over just after the start as all tried to funnel into the rather narrow course.
Sadly Joel was a victim of this overcrowded start, in the process received a spike on his knee and a nasty graze. However, Joel proudly chose with little adrenaline left, to continue the event through to the finish.
This immediately reminded me of our June quote of the month. ‘Winners are not people who never fail (or fall) but people who never give up when the going is tough.
Our third representative 17yrs. Bridget Fairs was also in a combined event with the 16yrs girls making a total of 117 athletes. Bridget unfortunately has had an interrupted lead up into these Championships with winter ills etc. Like Joel she too displayed great strength and courage by completing the event with no thought of giving up when the going was tough.
Thank you, Joel and Bridget, we are proud of you. Please believe you are winners, simply for not giving up when the going was tough.
Week 22 at Willandra weatherwise was ideal. Thanks to the 27 participants who enjoyed their events.
Unfortunately the stopwatch decided not to display the times. Our apologies for this technology problem. Hopefully some managed to time themselves.
One such athlete was Cristine Suffolk who is also to be CONGRATULATED as she managed to set a new best time for her age category in the 6k distance for 50 – 54yrs. This could also be a new 6k record for NSW Masters. Well Done, Crissy.
Week 23 next Saturday 2nd September. New month, so afternoon tea will be enjoyed. Please bring a plate if you can stay after your event. Visitors welcome as we enter the last month of weekly activities at Willandra for 2023.
Quote for the Monthof August: It takes nothing to join the crowd. It takes everything to stand alone !!
Hans F Hansen.
Results
Apologies for the absence of times. Unfortunately the stopwatch suffered from a technical problem.
A combination of winter chills and winter ills has certainly affected our attendance numbers over the past two weeks.
Nevertheless, despite the gale force westerly winds, which Willandra is famous for, some members have achieved PB ‘s which is very encouraging.
For Week 20, the popular 1k was run in reverse for all in attendance. Runners and walkers wishing to complete 2k, 3k or 4k turned around at the 1k finish to complete their distance from the normal start position.
Week 21 with cold gale force westerly winds, 4k participants chose to do a 1k followed by 3k. This again was a good choice as Paul Jennings (run) and Kayleen Lawrence (walk) both managed very good PB’s!!. Our star masters runner Cristine Suffolk, having set a new record for the 4k in Week 19 was keen to have a go at the 6k Best on Record for her age category.
Running 2 x 3k’s in the windy conditions Crissy was only 26 seconds away from the record. Well done!
Young Henry Tait chose the windy day to move from the 1k distance to 2k for the first time and has set himself a good time to improve on. Well done Henry.
Next Saturday, 26th August the Australian Cross Country Championships will be held in Canberra. Victory Runners is extremely proud to have two girls competing for NSW.
Annie Dziubinski is in the 10yrs Girls 2k Distance and Bridget Fairs the U/18 4k event,
We certainly wish them all the best and trust the experience will be rewarding and enjoyable.
Week 22 will be conducted at Willandra on Saturday 26th, members and visitors very welcome ~ start time 3.00pm. Hopefully a wind free afternoon!
Quote for the Monthof August: It takes nothing to join the crowd. It takes everything to stand alone !!
Perfect weather conditions and a very dry fast track was responsible for a top Week 19 of running and walking. It was the first time the two athletes sprinting to the finish in the 1k distance had chosen the 1k. Eleanor Parnell took out line honours just ahead by 4 seconds from Tommy Dziubinski who also managed to set a new time for his age category, 8yrs 1k Record. Congratulations Thomas, who also holds the Bes on Record for 2k distance !
It was great to see another 16 young athletes contesting the 1k, especially leading into the summer competition of various sports, including Track & Field. Both the 2k and 3k were down on numbers possibly due to the winter virus that is doing the rounds.
However, competitors in the 4k distance certainly all performed well with three women actually setting new 4k times for their age categories. Congratulations to Cristine Suffolk 50 – 54yrs, Laura Prince 35 – 39ys and Razz Wilkins 60 – 64yrs. Crissy obviously pulled out all stops and flew around the distance to take off 20 seconds set in 2021. Razz also ran very well and reduced her best time by 20 seconds, set in 2022. Last but not least, Laura managed to reduce her time by a massive 40 seconds. This was a great effort and well deserved by a busy mother. Best wishes to the Prince Family as they were setting off on Monday for a caravanning holiday to North Queensland.
Despite the men not setting any new records all performed really well and very close to their PB’s set earlier in the season.
Much appreciation to our walkers who enjoy the benefits of walking and dodging where wombats have also enjoyed roaming during the night hours.
Thanks to our young helpers Eleanor Coulston and Charlie Jones who assisted handing out place tickets.
As it was the first Saturday of August our monthly afternoon tea was served and very much enjoyed by all who were able to stay. A big thank you for all who supplied the ‘goodies.’
Week 20 awaits us for Saturday 12th August. First timers , runners or walkers always very welcome. Choose your distance. Start time 3.00pm.
Quote for the Monthof August: It takes nothing to join the crowd. It takes everything to stand alone !!
Great weather conditions were again experienced for Week 18 activity.
Just to mix up the running order of distances over 1k distance, Paul Jennings requested all participants complete the 1k distance and continue through the finish to complete their chosen distance be it another 1k for 2k, – 2k for 3k, or 3k for 4k.
This variety worked very well especially for Irwin Burbage who managed 3 x 3k’s to chalk up 10k’s. A very good training run !! Cristine Suffolk ran exceptionally well to complete the 1k followed by 3k to set herself a record time for 4k !! Well done to these two members who enjoy a challenge.
Congratulation to 9yr old Eddie Parnell for managing to reduce his 1k Best on record time by 8 seconds. Well done also to Cailin Burbage, Andrew Tallon and Josephine Peabody who all managed 1k PB’s.
10 year old Frances Peabody powered home after 2 laps of the 1k to be first across the 2k finish and achieve a PB time. Good running Frances.!
A reminder for Week 19, Saturday 5th August. This will naturally be the first Saturday of the month when we plan to enjoy afternoon tea together. If you are able to stay after your activity, please bring something to share. Hot and cold drinks will be provided.
Visitors always welcome, start time for all distances, walk or run is 3pm.
Quote for the Monthof July: Always remember, you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else !!
Perfect weather conditions were again appreciated by runners & walkers as they lined up for the start of Week 17. However prior to ‘Go’ President Paul Jennings had much pleasure in introducing to members, 10yr old Annie Dziubinski for her excellent and exciting performance on Friday 21st. at the State All Schools cross country Championship event conducted at Eastern Creek.
Not only did Annie place second by a tiny margin in the 10yrs 2k event and awarded the Silver Medal , she also received a Gold medal for being one of the first four girls from CIS schools who won the Team competition.
Annie now will travel to Canberra for the Australian Cross Country Championships on the weekend of August 26th. We also offer congratulations to Bridget Fairs who is selected in the Athletics NSW 17yrs 4k event to compete in Canberra .
Despite not making it to Australian Championships, Cleo McArthur, our third member did very well in her first State event by placing 20th in the 8/9yrs girls 2k. Indeed an excellent all round effort from these three talented girls.
Having passed the half way mark of weekly activities, Paul again enjoyed another surprise by informing all participants all distances were going to be run/walked in reverse !! From all accounts the 40 participants managed to stay on the reverse track and coped very well with the uphill start and finish. Thank you all for managing this change of direction at such short notice.
Looking forward to Week 18 on Saturday 29th. Warm welcome to any new folk who may be interested in running , jogging or walking any distance you wish to choose from 1k through to 8k. The course is very safe and very enjoyable. Just turn up at Willandra Venue, 101 Browns Mtn. Road. Start Time for all distances is 3.00pm.
Quote for the Monthof July: Always remember, you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else !!
Margaret Mead.
Results
1k Distance
Name
Time
Points
Koby Huisman
4.29
20
Eddie Parnell
4.43
19
James Wilson
5.12
18
Riley Prince
5.46
17
Leo Corsaro
6.18
16
Lucas Corsaro
7.16
15
Levi Huisman
7.2
14
Jai Burbage
7.34
13
Jake Prince
10.28
12
Layla Prince
10.35
11
Hugh Prince
10.35
10
Ezra Huisman
10.42
10
Karyn Huisman
11.34
10
2k Distance
Name
Time
Points
Rebecca Clarke
9.51
20
Eleanor Parnell
10.33
19
Lulu Wilson
10.49
18
Rachael Clarke
10.52
17
Dan Tait
11.18
16
Violet Tait
11.18
16
Heather Coulston
12.26
15
Jayden Clarke
12.46
14
Annalies Corse
13.54
13
Bronwyn Coulston
14.18
12
Eden Huisman
25.47
11
Jack Huisman
25.5
10
3k Distance
Name
Time
Points
Annie Dziubinski (Recovery run)
14.25
20
Yasmin Evans
15.29
19
Karissa Corsaro
29.37
18
Jeanie Paton
29.38
18
2k Walk
Name
Time
Points
Lorraine Stevens
21.29
10
Heidi Murray
21.51
9
James Murray
21.53
9
Sofia Corsaro
24.21
8
Alice Parnell
24.21
8
4k Distance
Name
Time
Points
Irwin Burbage
15.47
20
Cristine Suffolk
19.08
19
Laura Prince
22.11
18
Razz Wilkins
23.57
17
Paul Jennings
25.31
16
Frank Stevens
33.08
15
Please Note: All distances were completed in the reverse order to the normal Saturdy afternoon activity.
