Bendigo and Box Hill reign at Calder Park as Road Relays find a new home

The Athletics Victoria Road Relays moved to fresh ground this year, with Calder Park Raceway hosting the championship in place of its traditional home at Sandown Raceway. The change of venue did nothing to dull the racing, with the premier divisions delivering tight, fast and at times dramatic relay contests across the motorsport circuit.

The premier format pitted teams over 7.4km legs — six legs for the men and five for the women — and in both championships the lead changed hands more than once before the result was settled.

Men: Bendigo edge a 36-second thriller

The men’s premier division came down to just 36 seconds separating the top teams, a margin that belies the quality on display. The winning aggregate over 44.4km of racing equated to roughly a 2:04 marathon, an illustration of the depth assembled at the front of the field.

Bendigo Region were the team to beat, and they set the tone immediately. Australian marathon record holder Andy Buchanan opened with the fastest split of the entire day, a 20:46, before Nathan Stoate backed it up with 20:52 on the second leg — the third-fastest split of the day. Those two performances inside the day’s top ten gave Bendigo an early platform.

The race was far from over, though. Lachie Moorhouse pulled Sandringham level with a 21:40 third leg, leaving the teams equal after three legs. From there Bendigo’s depth told. Logan Tickell (21:39) and Avery McDermid (22:29) stretched the advantage, which meant experienced campaigner Brady Threlfall could anchor with a controlled 22:18, enough to hold off a charging 21:49 from Hamish Donohue and bring Bendigo home.

In a notable performance on the day, racewalking international Rhydian Cowley showed his running form is in fine shape, clocking 21:12 — just 28 seconds off the fastest split of the day, at 2:51/km pace.

Ten fastest men’s splits

Rank	Athlete	Team	Split
1	Andy Buchanan	Bendigo Region	20:46
2	Tom Bowers	APS	20:52
2	Nathan Stoate	Bendigo Region	20:52
4	Liam Cashin	Western Athletics	20:53
5	Luca Di Conza	St Kevin’s	21:00
6	Oliver Lewry	Geelong Region	21:04
7	Benjamin Beischer	APS	21:07
8	James Heneghan	Sandringham	21:11
9	Rhydian Cowley	Glenhuntly	21:12
9	Zayd Al Sayd	Western Athletics	21:12

Women: Box Hill prevail in a lead-swapping finish

The women’s premier division was every bit as compelling, with Box Hill ultimately taking a 46-second win over Western Athletics after a contest that swung repeatedly.

Melbourne University’s Zoe Woods ran strongly on the opening leg before being reeled in by Olympic steeplechaser Amy Cashin (Western Athletics) who ran 24:27. Woods passed the transponder alongside Box Hill’s Caitlin McQuilkin-Bell (24:32). Box Hill then seized control through Ally Brooks, whose 24:03 was the fastest split of the day and opened a 47-second lead.

That margin was trimmed to 22 seconds over the following leg, and Western Athletics hit the front on the penultimate leg through a 25:32 from Leanne Ellis, who handed over with a 44-second buffer. But Box Hill had the closer to answer: former national steeplechase medallist Stella Radford reeled the lead back in to secure victory.

Para athlete Annabelle Colman was the eighth fastest split of the day with a 25:02 run.

Ten fastest women’s splits

Rank	Athlete	Club	Split
1	Ally Brooks	Box Hill	24:03
2	Amy Cashin	Western Athletics	24:27
3	Zoe Woods	Melbourne Uni	24:32
3	Caitlin McQuilkin-Bell	Box Hill	24:32
5	Kate Mason	Mornington Peninsula	24:40
6	Stella Radford	Box Hill	24:44
7	Ebony Dodemaide	Western Athletics	24:55
8	Annabelle Colman	Old Xaverians	25:02
9	Olivia Twining	Yarra Ranges	25:19
10	Leanne Ellis	Western Athletics	25:32

Juniors on the rise

Two soon-to-be World Junior representatives announced themselves as the fastest juniors of the day. Jonathan Neethling clocked 21:19 over the 7.4km leg, while Imogen Baker ran 11:56 over 3.7km as they prepare for August’s World U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon.