Western Athletics’s men’s team prevailed with a strong final three legs of the 6x6km relay to claim a convincing victory at the Athletics Victoria XCR Jells Park Relays.
With three of the top 10 fastest performers of the day it was quality and depth that led to victory by 76 seconds from the Bendigo Bats, with Knox in third.
However, it wasn’t until the end of the fourth leg that Western As were in the lead.
Glenhuntly’s Edward Marks took line honours in the opening leg, with his 17 minutes, 22 second run the fastest of the day by 23 seconds ahead of Liam Cashin, who ran the first leg for Western As.
At the end of the second leg it was Bendigo who had shot to the lead ahead of Glenhuntly, with Knox third, Ballarat fourth and Western As back in fifth, with all teams within the span of a minute.
Bendigo hit the lead on the third leg, with Western As climbing into third place.
Ben Chamberlain (18:09, 8th fastest of the day) and Zayd Al Said (18:07, 6th fastest of the day) ran the fourth and fifth legs for Western As, providing a large lead ahead of Bendigo. A strong 17:58 from Australian marathon record holder Andy Buchanan closed the gap sightly at the end, but with Western Athletics’s Cody Shanahan recording a credible 18:23 for the final leg there was never a chance of the places changing.
The women’s race was a different affair with Box Hill leading throughout and taking a 34 second victory from Sandringham, with Western Athletics third, a minute-and-a-half further behind.
Australian marathon representative Sarah Klein (Frankston) shared the fastest split of the day with Athletics Essendon’s Bianca Puglisi, with 21:09 runs.
Top 10 Splits – Men
| 1 | 17:22 | Edward Marks | Glenhuntly |
| 2 | 17:45 | Liam Cashin | Western Athletics |
| 3 | 17:58 | Andy Buchanan | Bendigo Bats |
| 4 | 18:02 | Matt Buckell | Bendigo Bats |
| 5 | 18:06 | Liam Adams | Athletics Essendon |
| 6 | 18:07 | Zayd Al Sayd | Western Athletics |
| 7 | 18:08 | Tom Bowers | APS United |
| 8 | 18:09 | Ben Chamberlain | Western Athletics |
| 9 | 18:14 | Yohanes Dagnaw | South Melbourne |
| 10 | 18:17 | Luca Di Conza | St Kevins |
Top 10 Splits – Women
| 1 | 21:09 | Sarah Klein | Frankston |
| 1 | 21:09 | Bianca Puglisi | Athletics Essendon |
| 3 | 21:33 | Charlotte Wilson | Athletics Essendon |
| 4 | 21:44 | Saskia Lloyd | Sandringham |
| 5 | 21:46 | Donve Viljoen | Box Hill |
| 6 | 21:58 | Melissa Duncan | Box Hill |
| 7 | 22:08 | Leanne Ellis | Western Athletics |
| 8 | 22:09 | Olivia Twining | Yarra Ranges |
| 9 | 22:13 | Alice Oakley Kerr | Sandringham |
| 9 | 22:13 | Alexandra Schulz | Williamstown |
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