It was a night for milers at the Victorian 5000m Championships at Box Hill, with Sarah Billings and Lachlan Herd claiming line honours.
Billings, who has a 4:09 1500m personal best from last summer, was making her debut over 5000m on the track. The 24-year-old ran patiently in a lead back that gradually decreased in size and only took the lead down the final straight, passing 2019 world championship representative Melissa Duncan, who had made a strong run for home with 300m remaining.
Billings clocked 16:33.82 to Duncan’s 16:34.70, while Rachel McGuinness claimed bronze in 16:40.48, having led the field for much of the final stages of the race. 
The men’s race was a tactical affair in the early stages with a large field in contention. At the pointy end of the race it was 3:44 1500m runner, Lachlan Herd, who came to the fore, proving too strong for visiting Queenslander Liam Boudin to win in 14:11.21. Boudin clocked 14:11.85 while Dale Carroll (14:12.27) and Craig Appleby (14:12.89) claimed the minor medals in the Victorian titles.
The junior men’s race was taken out by Charlie Rogers, who wound up the race from a pace that was initially just under 16 minutes for the distance, to win by 13 seconds in 15:04.47. Jhye Hadfield (15:17.68) and Aidan Velten (15:19.81) filled the podium.
The junior women’s race saw 14-year-old Piper Gay record a strong front-running victory in a time of 17:17.26, with Fieke Van Der Kamp (17:33.41) and Imogen Baker (18:07.41) taking silver and bronze in a race held in conjunction with the women’s B race.
Photo Gallery
149 photos from the Victorian 5000m Championships are available in our photo gallery.
Free high res download when you subscribe to our mailing list. 
Need new spikes?
Australia’s largest range. Fast & free delivery nation-wide.
Latest articles:
- Gout Gout 19.67 legal to win Australian title; Murphy sub-20 for second
Gout Gout has recorded a performance for the ages, riding a 1.7 m/s tailwind in perfect conditions at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre to a 19.67 second run over 200m. The performance is a new World Under 20 Record. Running from lane seven, with the fast starting Christopher Ius on his outside, Gout was challenged… Read more: Gout Gout 19.67 legal to win Australian title; Murphy sub-20 for second - Kennedy claims national 100m title in 9.96
Lachlan Kennedy has claimed his first national title in emphatic style, equaling his personal best in the best series of male 100m running ever seen at the Australian Championships. Kennedy backed up the 9.96 he clocked in yesterday’s heats in the cooler Saturday conditions, running the same time in the final with the aid of… Read more: Kennedy claims national 100m title in 9.96 - Two Races, Two Realities: The Brutal Nature of Championship 1500m Racing
Championship 1500m races are interesting things, as Cameron Myers and Jess Hull demonstrated in different ways on the second day of the 2026 Australian Championships in Sydney. If you’re the best, do you run from the front, or kick home with superior speed and strength? Cameron Myers chose the option of running everyone off their… Read more: Two Races, Two Realities: The Brutal Nature of Championship 1500m Racing - Scerri poised for Heptathlon breakthrough as Hincksman sets world record
Mia Scerri’s ascent from promising talent to genuine national contender gathered momentum on day one of the heptathlon at the Australian Championships in Sydney, as the Victorian produced a career-defining opening to sit atop the standings. The 21-year-old, who was fourth at the 2024 World Juniors and 9th at last years World University Games, delivered… Read more: Scerri poised for Heptathlon breakthrough as Hincksman sets world record - Jess Hull Eyes Unprecedented Triple Crown in Sydney
Australia’s top middle distance runner is challenging herself to achieve something never achieved before: winning the 800m, 1500m and 5000m at a single national championships. Hull, the Australian record holder over 800m (1:57.15) and 1500m (3:50.83), and former record holder over 5000m (14:43.80, now fifth on the Australian all-time list behind Rose Davies’s 14:31.45), will… Read more: Jess Hull Eyes Unprecedented Triple Crown in Sydney
