Mccready rises to top of hill
Versatile farmer, sheep shearer, taekwondo black belt, amateur live show artist, set builder and parttime runner Ian Mccready scored back to back Stawell and Ararat Cross Country Club wins on Sunday.
Mccready notched his third victory in the three-kilometre King of the Hill, a run of success broken only once in the past four years by Simon Gallagher, a six-time winner who has specialised in the punishing 1700-metre haul to the summit of Ararat’s One Tree Hill.
Gallagher, a father for the first time recently, was missing from the race this year.
“This is a real shock to me. I really don’t have time to train,” Mccready said.
Mccready used his natural ability and toughness to win on a challenging hill that compels some runners to walk.
Finishing strongly, Mccready enjoyed a 1.15 minute margin over experienced hill-climber Adrian van Raaphorst, with the 653-run veteran Jack Trounson clinging on grimly for third.
Club newcomer Pablo Cortez, however, was crowned King of the Hill for being first to the top in an impressive 16.53 minutes.
Cortez had to concede almost five minutes’ start to Mccready under the handicap conditions of the race, but did remarkably well on debut to place fourth.
All starters in the race wore black armbands as a mark of respect to long-time member Dr Eric van Opstal who died suddenly during the week.
Stawell run
Stawell Athletic Club’s oldest runner, Gary Saunders, defeated one of the newest, Michelle Dunn, in the five-kilometre Stephen Baird Handicap on Saturday.
The Bonnie Dundee course on the edge of the Ironbarks is notorious for its one-kilometre climb to the finish, but it holds no fears for the 77-year-old Saunders who is accustomed to training there.
“I learnt when I was pushing a wheelbarrow full of mud uphill from a dam that you have to take in as much oxygen as you can before you push,” he said.
“I’ve always run well on hill courses because I train on them.
“On hills, I can actually make ground on younger runners, which surprises me as much as them.”
Saunders had received up to 18 minutes’ start from the elite backmarkers, but still had a 1.18 minute margin over Dunn, the leading chaser, who remains on the doorstep of her first win after three consecutive seconds.
Fast improving last start winner Rebecca Hurley finished third ahead of Kate Field and Jess Cass, with just over a minute separating all four females in the race.