XCR ROUND 4

Doncaster Newsletter

 Round 4 – 15/06/2024

Twenty athletes travelled to St Anne’s Winery just outside of Bendigo.  A foggy morning made way for a mostly sunny afternoon with light winds.  The course had a lot of tough hills and uneven terrain; however, it was dry and firm, making for pleasant conditions.  We were missing several of our ‘young gun’ junior athletes – apparently Dusty was playing at the MCG!    Campbell McLennan created a little pre-race drama by running out of petrol and chugging to a stop in the St Anne’s carpark.  Luckily the country folk were prepared with a spare jerry can and the servo close by – Darryl Kilmartin came to the rescue to offer him a lift.  For a price, the country hospitality was on display with wine tasting, pizza and much more.  Those in the short course event at 12.40pm were in their element, enjoying the food and wine, while those in the later long course races slugged it out.

Three distances were on offer – juniors were challenged over either 3km or 4km.  Seniors and Masters could opt for short-course (4km), or long-course (8km).  All were extremely testing!   As expected, the local clubs in Bendigo region were very strong.  However, DAC athletes also put on a great show.

Three Junior athletes held the fort for DAC this round.   Rachel White (U18) and Joel Denny (U16) were placed 4th and 5th in their age groups, respectively.  Rachel has battled injury and other commitments, and it was fantastic to see her back running well.  Hamish McLennan also put in a stellar effort, adding strength to the U16 team.  The boys’ team were placed 6th for this round.

Open and Masters Women all opted for the long course event, and Anita Finch was back in the action!  Five-month-old Tommy was content with Grandma, watching from the sidelines as Mum ran a difficult 8km in just over 36 minutes!  Congratulations Anita!  The fastest female over the 8km course was Lydia Rinaudo, 34:19 and 3rd among the ladies 40+.  Lydia has been outstanding so far this winter season, in the top placings all these first 4 rounds.  Emily Allen (W40) and Sue Kilmartin (W55) also placed in the top 10 for their age groups and have added a lot of strength to the women’s team.  The Women’s Div 3 team were 3rd for round 4, and the 40+ team 6th ; the Masters Ladies counted for both.

Twelve male athletes took on either the short or long course events.  Over the 4km course, the combination of Campbell McLennan, Jason Merrett and Darryl Kilmartin was a dominant force in Men’s 50+ – they again took full points in first place for round 4.  Individually, all did a magnificent job – Campbell 1st in 50+, Jason 3rd, and Darryl 6th.  William Sullivan (Open) and Luca Scholes-Robertson (U20) also had an excellent hit-out; Luca 8th among the U20 contingent.

The men’s long course event featured a large (n=375) and highly competitive field.  The regional clubs had some of their best athletes taking part and vying for Country XC Championship medals.  Nick Finch was the fastest among DAC males, our Winter Coordinator Matt Christy, and Ben Ashkettle weren’t far behind.  All completed a difficult 8km in just over 30 minutes.  Tim Denny (M45) led the charge among the Masters males, a very slick 32:16.  Such was the competition, he was just outside of the top 10 placegetters.  Stalwarts, Brock Goddings and Jim Finch were reliable, out there for both themselves and the team.  Shawn Ko (M45), a newcomer to DAC this season, also added strength to the Masters team.

Congratulations to All athletes, parents and supporters who came all the way to Bendigo and did DAC proud in Round 4.  Thank you also to Matt Christy and Campbell McLennan for their hard work as Team Managers, doing many ‘behind the scenes’ tasks (eg tent and floor rug) that we can sometimes take for granted.

All summary results are provided below.  Please be sure to check Resultshub for further details.  Results Hub