First win for Baker

Luke Baker has scored his first win with Stawell Amateur Athletic Club, scoring honours in a 6.5-kilometre Gary and Rhonda Rice Concongella Vineyard Championship.

Baker, reflecting on his win, said he had been running for more than two years after a friend had challenged him to get involved in the sport.

“I was nervous in my first run with the club, but the encouragement and support of its members made me want to keep competing,” he said.

“The handicap nature of events is really motivating for slower runners and it’s great to see my times improving.

“My family finds it a great activity and some mature runners in the club are particularly good role models for our two boys and the other kids who participate.”

Baker’s time was 34.50, 58 seconds ahead of Bob Freeland, 42.18, and 1.15 ahead of Simon Edge, 31.25.

Baker said he tended to go out hard in the beginning, sometimes too hard, but in this race it paid off.

He has continually improved this year. Two earlier races saw him in 15th and 14th place, but then he placed fourth and secured two second placings.

Championship points went to Bal Sukhpreet in a time of 27.00, 20 seconds in front of Col Barnett.

In a sub-junior one-kilometre event, Blayze Kenny was the winner on handicap in a time of 6.27.

Second was Kayla Membrey in 4.46 and third Chloe Hunter, 6.05.

The next race will be an eight-kilometre handicap on Saturday.