Youngsters shine
Ten-year-old Olivia Hunter became the youngest winner in the 55-year history of Stawell Amateur Athletic Club, when she matched Sienna Santuccione, 12, in a five-kilometre Stephen Baird Handicap at Stawell.
Olivia had a mere four-second margin on Sienna at the top of the steep and punishing hill that ends the race.
Sienna has joined the May 50-kilometre challenge, raising money for multiple sclerosis, MS, research by running 50 kilometres during May and Olivia has been by her side in support.
More than a minute away in third place was recent winner Marnie Portelli with debutant Tom Rodgers a few seconds behind.
But really this race and this season is all about girl power, fast changing the dynamics of recreational running.
Seven races are down and six have been won by females. Males have occupied seven places on the podium from a possible 21 and on Sunday, 14 of the 22 starters were female.
The trend has been burgeoning for some years now. When previous youngest winner, then 11-year-old Will Moloney, blitzed the ‘oldies’ in 2019, females finished second and third and won as many races as the males that year.
Talented as he is, Moloney, like most boys of his age, found the lure of football too great and is running’s loss, but Olivia is not yet lost to netball.
“She played netball before the run,” said mum Naomi Hunter, who finished fifth on Saturday.
“It was a bit of a last-minute decision for her to take on the seniors, but she’s had a taste of the five-kilometre, running with Sienna earlier in the season and that presented more of a challenge for her than the sub-juniors race.
“She’d probably like to run longer races but there’s plenty of time for that, especially with the three-kilometre regional cross country races coming up at the end of this month, which will be better for her.”
A more even spread of girls and boys contested the one-kilometre sub-junior event with Eva Harrison surprising Flynn and Willow Davies to win easily.
The club joins Stawell and Ararat Cross Country Club at Great Western this Saturday for the eight-kilometre Best’s Wines Cross Country Classic.
Losers inspire winner
Carina Clarke can thank the participation of friends in the ninth season of television series The Biggest Loser for her maiden win in a cross-country race at Ararat on Sunday.
In 2014, Ararat was identified as ‘Victoria’s fattest town’ and local qualifiers were obliged to compete in rigorous boot camps to lose weight and build confidence with a view to changing their lives.
“I was swept up in it a bit by the people I knew and was encouraged to improve my fitness,” Clarke said after her success in the 6.5-kilometre Reynolds Family Handicap at Rhymney.
“In those days, I thought 100 metres was a long distance and would only run to catch a train or a bus, but then I surprised myself when challenged to run for 12 minutes without stops and found that it’s something almost anyone can do.”
It was, in fact, a bit harder for Clarke because the Ararat schoolteacher suffers from a rheumatic condition that required three knee surgeries in the years following her 2016 debut with Stawell and Ararat Cross Country Club.
Even now when competing she adopts a runand-walk regimen to help relieve pressure on her troublesome knee.
Clarke had just on 0.44-seconds to spare from tenacious chaser Paula Pettingill, with young speedster and backmarker Gabriel Tonks closing fast into third place.