Box Hill AC was not as well represented this year as in past years in this, the premier road event of the winter road running calendar. Numbers were down again from previous years and Athletics Victoria must continue to examine the decline in Athletics participation, as well as the increasing age of participants.
Box Hill had 8 registered participants well down on the 14 starters who ran in 2002. Simon Field (St Kevin’s), Shane Nankervis (Ballarat YCW), Steve Moneghetti (Ballarat YCW), Sean Forrest (Nunawading), Paul Fenn (Invitation) and David Ruschena (GH) were amongst the leading group after they had completed their first circuit of the three and a bit lap course at Sandown racecourse. Sandown is a 3.1 kilometre course, so the runners commenced the race 700 metres from the finish well before the home straight. Sandown is better known for the Road Relay Championships and vile weather with screaming gales and driving rain. The gods smiled on competitors this year with the most outstanding and favourable conditions ever experienced in thirty years at this venue. There was barely a breath of wind and fine temperate air conditions, which encouraged good performances from athletes of all standards.
Recent recruit, Hamish McElwee, who has demonstrated great improvement since commencing, and John Meagher were the standout Box Hill competitors in the early part of the race, separated by three seconds after one lap, in around 25th place, with Graeme Olden further back in the mid-forties about 30 seconds behind John. Hamish and John have both been very consistent and competitive in winter races, and both looked in excellent form early on.
Kynan Dawes, running by invitation, started off very strongly, although he paid a high price for this energetic beginning in the concluding stages of the race. After the first lap, Sam Hassett was 30 seconds adrift of Kynan and looked capable of moving up through the field. Chris O’Connor was tucked in just behind Sam Hassett, and was clearly picking up many athletes and passing them as he completed his first lap. Adam Pepper was the next to run through six seconds in advance of Tony Bird, with Dave Boyd completing our runners.
Glen Huntly was clearly in a winning position in the teams’ race, with a very large number of athletes in the 20s and 30s supporting their higher placing runners. Box Hill appeared to be in about 6th or 7th position in Section 1.
After the completion of the second lap, Steve Moneghetti had moved to the lead slowly exerting increasing pressure on the other leading runners, with Field marginally adrift as they completed their second lap. These runners went through in 19 m. 59 separated by a second. Just over a minute later, Hamish McElwee strode confidently past the finish line completing his second lap in 17th position (21: 04), eying off athletes in front of him. John Meagher was 30 seconds down on Hamish, but putting up an excellent race performance, in around 26th position. Graeme Olden was in the middle of quite a large group of runners 46 seconds behind John, in 44th position, moving freely. Kynan Dawes was slowing perceptibly, one minute nineteen seconds behind Graeme. Chris O’Connor (23: 55) had passed Sam Hassett, was only six seconds to the rear of Kynan and looked very likely to pass him within a short distance. Sam (24:27) heard that he was in the Section 1 team, which strengthened his resolve, and enabled him to run a much better third lap. Tony Bird had eclipsed Adam Pepper and held a 24 second advantage over him at the end of the second lap. Dave Boyd was having his own battles further back with other overage athletes.
Steve Moneghetti completed an excellent victory in 29 m. 03, to win yet another Victorian title, seven seconds clear of Simon Field, with David Ruschena, third, nine seconds behind. Steve Moneghetti is a freakish talent, with outstanding personal qualities, as he demonstrated when he gave assistance to the shorthanded officials assisting athletes to keep moving through the finishing chute immediately after he had completed the race.
Box Hill runners soon showed up in the finishing chute with Hamish McElwee first of our senior men to cross the line in 19th place having surrendered two places in the final lap. John Meagher placed 28th, also passed by two runners in the concluding stages. Graeme Olden picked up five places in the last part of the race to place 39th. Chris O’Connor, 96th, continued his forward momentum, drawing away from Sam Hassett, 108th, by a small margin in the last lap. These athletes both ran away in the last lap from Kynan Dawes, who looked very pleased, to finish (128th). Tony Bird placed 136th, 30 places ahead of Adam Pepper. David Boyd, 308th completed the Box Hill contingent.
Official team placings have not yet been posted, but it appears that Box Hill was in 7th place, behind Glen Huntly, Doncaster and Ballarat YCW which took the first three team placings.
Adrian Vincent and Lachlan Aspinall were prominent in the Under 20 10 kilometre road race finishing 5th and 9th respectively. Michael Bourne ran a solid U/18 race after competing in a school cross country race in the morning.
|
1 |
Steve Moneghetti |
BYCW |
29: 03 |
|
2 |
Simon Field |
St K |
29: 10 |
|
3 |
David Ruschena |
G H |
29: 19 |
|
4 |
Shane Nankervis |
BYCW |
29: 25 |
|
5 |
Paul Fenn |
Inv |
29: 25 |
|
6 |
Shawn Forrest |
ANW |
29: 28 |
|
7 |
Trent Wallace |
PRR |
29: 50 |
|
8 |
Michael Chettle |
G H |
29: 51 |
|
9 |
Richard Jeremiah |
Geel |
30: 05 |
|
10 |
Clinton Perrett |
Sand |
30: 09 |
|
Position |
Name |
Time |
|
19 |
Hamish McElwee |
30 m. 51 |
|
28 |
John Meagher |
31 m. 32 |
|
27 |
Graeme Olden |
32 m. 18 |
|
96 |
Chris O’Connor |
34 m. 46 |
|
108 |
Sam Hassett |
35 m. 17 |
|
128 |
Kynan Dawes (Inv) |
35 m. 51 |
|
136 |
Anthony Bird |
36 m. 07 |
|
166 |
Adam Pepper |
36 m. 56 |
|
308 |
Dave Boyd |
44 m. 55 |
14. Michael Bourne 40:36.0
5. Adrian Vincent 33:49.0
9. Lachlan Aspinall 34:30.0
In excellent conditions, there were some good performances in the women’s 10km road race at Sandown. Despite a number of absences, there was still a big group of Box Hill women running close together and placing well in this event.
The first Box Hill woman across the line was Jocelyn Keage who placed 21st overall in a strong women’s field and won a gold medal in the under 20 competition with a time of 39:28. Jessica De Bruin ran with Jocelyn much of the way before slowing slightly on the third lap. George Connell, who started more conservatively, came through strongly at the finish to catch Jessica on the line. Jess and George finished 26th and 27th in times of 40:01 and 40:02 respectively. After running the docklands half-marathon the previous weekend, Melinda Missen, also started conservatively, but she made up many places in the second half of the race to finish in 29th position with a time of 40:14, just ahead of Alice Baquie who ran 40:24 to take out the silver medal in the under 18 division.Megan Sloane ran 40:50 to make up our division 1 team and to take a bronze medal in the 45+ competition. Right Behind Megan were Fiona Turner (40:53) and Emily Smith (41:10). Audra Papworth found the going tough in the latter stages of the race, but held on well to record a time of 42:27 to complete our division 3 team and Beth Bird continued to put in the over-distance work running a very respectable 43:42. Alice Martin having her first AV race for the winter ran well to record a time of 45:20 and finish 5th in the under 18s.
| Open | Under 20 | Under 18 | ||||||
| 26. | George Connell | 40:01 | 1. | Jocelyn Keage | 39:28 | 2. | Alice Baquie | 40:24 |
| 27. | Jess De Bruin | 40:02 | 5. | Alice Martin | 45:20 | |||
| 29. | Melinda Missen | 40:15 | ||||||
| 35. | Megan Sloane | 40:50 | ||||||
| 36. | Fiona Turner | 40:53 | ||||||
| 42. | Emily Smith | 41:10 | ||||||
| 50. | Audra Papworth | 42:27 | ||||||
| 54. | Beth Bird | 43:42 | ||||||
TEAM RESULTS:
Division 1:
Division 3:
UNDER 16 3KM
With the boys and girls running together, the pace was quick from the start with a large pack leading up the straight and around the first bend. Unfortunately Sarah Cant was tripped and unable to finish the race. Hayley Tomlinson stuck with the boys most of the way and was able to record a fine victory in the women’s under 16 3km event, in the excellent time of 9:46. Sarah Walker also put in a good effort in her first race for the winter to place well overall.