GLORY FOR RORY

APOLLO Bay junior Rory Boyd has fulfilled a dream he’s had since he was in preschool – and just in the nick of time.

With his 13th birthday looming large and in his final year of eligibility, Boyd (pictured) took out the Kids’ Gallop at the Great Ocean Road Running Festival earlier this month, burning up the streets of his hometown in the 1.5km event in six minutes and 34 seconds.

His triumph marked the first time an Apollo Bay local has won the event, and capped off a steady rise of finishes for the youngster, having placed in the top 20 in 2018 and top seven in 2021.

“It’s a really well organised festival and I’ve got to shake hands with some of those top runners from previous years, they’ve really inspired me,” Rory said.

His proud mum Andrea de Kauwe said she had enjoyed watching her son run since he took part in his first event at the age of four, wearing velcro-fastening canvas shoes, a jumper and long johns under his shorts.

“He was so excited to be running along with all the other local kids, we didn’t expect him to run the whole thing, but he just kept going,” she said. “This tiny boy in a sea of legs.”