The Western Metro Region Cross Country Carnival was held on Saturday. At a new venue this year, the courses were set amongst the campgrounds of Bacchus Marsh Grammar School, Staughton Vale campus. The Carnival was the qualifying event for the State Cross Country Championships to be held on August 12.
Athletes from the following Centres were represented at the Carnival – Altona, Bacchus Marsh Brimbank, Corio, Geelong, Gisborne, Melton City, South Melbourne Districts, Surf Coast, Werribee and Williamstown. 18 athletes represented the Bacchus Marsh Centre.
The open course was great for spectators, being able to view majority of the race from any vantage point. All races commenced close by the camp facilities before proceeding out along orchard gardens then heading back, with athletes weaving their way up and down the orchard aisles.
The Open Age athletes were the first scheduled event for the Carnival with all Under 13-17 boys competing in the same 3km race, which consisted of two 1.5km loops. Our Centre Captain, Sam White led by example and encouraged our Under 13 boys Lachlan Simons and Patrick Lovett around the course. Sam was awarded the Gold medal for the Under 16 age group whilst Lachlan placed 8th and Patrick 9th.
The Under 9 athletes, competing in the first Region Cross Country Carnival, were a little nervous in the call room but once on the start line were focused on the event ahead. New athlete Lyla Clark ran a sensational race, sitting with the leading pack early in the race before the field began to string out as they headed down past the orchard. As the runners returned from the 500m loop of the course, Lyla was sitting comfortably in second place, a position she was able to maintain until the finish line. Well done, Lyla. Emilia Ibrahim ran a consistent race to place 7th while Evelyn Grant dug deep in the closing stages for the team finishing 13th. All the girls were rewarded for their great running, winning a Bronze team medal. In the boys race Auden Sundqvist was the first Bacchus Marsh athlete home, crossing the finish line in 4th place with Harry Johansen running a consistent race finishing in 12th place.
The Under 10 girls were next to compete and Anni Clark was our sole representative in the girls event. A fast start to the race saw Anni sit back in the leading pack before clawing her way to the front to run neck and neck with her opponent from Williamstown. As the girls weaved their way between the orchards, Anni opened up a gap on the downhill prior to turning for the uphill finish. A sprint finish saw Anni claim line honors and was awarded the Region Under 10 Gold medal. In the boy’s event, Bacchus Marsh was represented by 5 boys, Joshua Askew, Angus Norman, Mitchell Tung, Liam Way and Miller Clark. All the boys ran extremely well and should be very proud of their performances. Josh finished 10th, Angus 18th, Mitchell 19th, Liam 20th and Miller in 24th place. Well done boys.
In the Under 11 girls 2km event, Iyla Robinson ran a smart race, using the downhill stretches through the orchards to her advantage and managed to open up the gap on the field in the second half of the race. Iyla was awarded for her exceptional running and was declared the Under 11 Region Champion. Logan Simons and Zeke Horne lined up in the Boys Under 11 2km event. Both boys ran consistent races with Logan placing 11th and Zeke 12th.
In the final race for the day Zara Slater competed in the Under 12 2km event. This was Zara’s first Cross Country race representing the Centre and should be commended on a very determined performance. Zara finished in 10th place overall.
Thank you to all parents who carried out the required marshalling duties and a big thank you to all those who helped in the Canteen; from early in the morning and until the end of the competition.
Well done to Andy Johansen who turtled all the races; encouraging the athletes along the way.
And a big thank you to Amanda Lovett, who in her first meet as Special Competition Manager, ensured all our athletes were marshalled ready for their events.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to another successful Regional event. Well done!
All athletes have now qualified for the State Championships to be held on Saturday 12th August at Lake Dewar, Myrniong.