5km Handicap

Jocelyn Keage swamps field to win club event

With the changes to the Athletics Victoria program this year, the annual Club 5000 metre Handicap race was rescheduled twice to accommodate changes in the AV program, and was finally run on Saturday June 24 at the Bennettswood course adjacent to Gardiner’s Creek. At 12.50 p.m., at Hagenauer’s Reserve, it appeared that we would have just four competitors, but on arrival at the course we found three young ladies ready to join in. Happily, a number of other vehicles arrived soon after, and our starting list swelled perceptibly. Ultimately, 26 starters and around 10 supporters joined us, many thinking that the race was scheduled to commence at 1.30 p.m. (1.00 p.m. was the intended starting time). We were fortunate that it didn’t rain, as it was overcast and windy. This year’s times were not as quick as expected, possibly due to the weather.Last year Marcus Tierney recorded the fastest-ever time (14 m. 34 s.) taking the lead near the finish, but being overhauled by Tom Waters in a tremendous finishing burst. Neither Marcus nor Tom were competing this year. Both would have winced should they have been running when they were provided with their allocated marks this year, but both decided to pass up the opportunity to test out their reserves. However, there were the usual number of complaints from others about the ungenerous attitude (read fair assessment) provided by the handicapper in allocating predicted times.

The race started with “Go” but the first runners, Richard Sloane and Jos De Bruin actually departed on 2 m. 40 with all other runners setting off in the next seven minutes. Eliza Eddy and Michael Bourne were prominent after one lap had been run but it was evident that Jocelyn Keage, Phil Pelgrim and Graeme Olden were all travelling well as they completed their first circuit. Andrew White, to whom the handicapper had had to reassign a new mark at short notice, on hearing that he had run 4 m. 18 for a 1500 m. and 9 m. 52 for a 3000 m., was also looking very strong as he passed through. Richard Sloane and Jos de Bruin were also in the first five on their first lap.

Eventually Jocelyn Keage emerged in the distance, clearly in the lead, and ran strongly to the line in an outstanding time of 17 m. 40 s. for 5000 m. on our measured and lightly undulating course. Jocelyn looks to have a really promising future, and she ran extremely impressively on the day. Eighteen seconds later Michael Bourne, twice a winner of the race, finished in second place, in a very authoritative run for a youngster of 14. Andrew White finished a further 19 seconds behind in third place, also in a very encouraging performance, recording a fast 17 m. 17 s. time.

Following the first three placegetters was a veritable procession of the next sixteen runners, separated by very slim margins in a number of cases. Nineteen of the 26 runners finished within two minutes of each other (with three starters just using the run as a training run). One amazing effort was produced by Annabel Hoskins, who staged a titanic sprint battle with Graeme Olden, the fastest finisher (15 m. 21). She sprinted flat out for the last 100 metres of the race side by side with Graeme and was only eclipsed by 5 centimetres. She will surely have an enormous future in distance running if she can replicate that finishing form in Winter races. We were pleased to see Chris Bunney competing again, after an enforced lay-off.

Results of the race tend to suggest that we will have a great deal of depth and success at the Sandown Road Relays in four weeks time and we are looking forward to both the Bundoora Cross Country Championship races and the road relay meeting with great anticipation. Runners are reminded that they need to advise the Winter selectors of their availability for Sandown, prior to team selection.

2000 Race Results

History of the Race