After an interruption to the Athletics Victoria XCR series due to COVID restrictions, foggy conditions greeted runners at the delayed Cruden Farm leg of the series.
Races were conducted over 4km, 6km, 8km and 12km with junior age groups generally racing over longer than their customary championship distances.
Such was also the case in the open events, with both men and women covering 12km, ahead of the 10km events next weekend at Bundoora.
Andrew Buchanan continued the winning form he showed at the previous XCR series race at Warragul, showing the field a clean pair of heels at 3-minute-a-kilometre pace. The Bendigo athlete stopped the clock at 36 minutes, 8 seconds.
In the minor places were Tom Thorpe (36:28) and Liam Cashin (36:53). Bendigo Region were the dominant team, with five runners placing in the top 20.
The women’s race saw Karinna Fyfe also back up her Lardner Park victory, crossing the line in 42:51 from Melbourne University’s Rebekah Greene (43:10) after a close tussle throughout.
Amy Robinson from Collingwood Harriers was third in 44 minutes, 32 seconds.
The U20 races were conducted over 8km (women) and 6km (men). In the women’s race Ebony Dodemaide was the winner in 32:06 from Georgia Laven (32:16) and Taryn Furletti (33:38). Tom Bowers (19:16) was the victor in the men’s race, ahead of Caden Murray (19:29) and Matthew Buckell (19:30).
Logan Janetski and Niamh Tabit took out the U18 races, covering the 8km and 6km courses in 25:48 and 23:12 respectively.
Free high res photo downloads with your free subscription
Check out the full collection of over 350 photos here
Latest posts:
- Is Australian athletics at an all-time high? Results from our reader pollThere’s a lot to love about Australian athletics right now and community sentiment is high. We surveyed our readers last month, with 621 responses providing insight in the current state of Australian athletics. Favourite Athletes Perhaps not surprisingly, Jessica Hull and Gout Gout are the athletics community’s favourite athletes. But… Read more: Is Australian athletics at an all-time high? Results from our reader poll
- Waring and Downie winners at Hanging RockThe start of Athletics Victoria’s winter season was no picnic, with a challenging course testing runners. Andre Waring and Katherine Downie handled the conditions best with comfortable victories to kick start their winters. A deceptive cross country course held over 3km and 5km laps encompassed flat, smooth sections around the… Read more: Waring and Downie winners at Hanging Rock
- “I Want to Be Competitive” – Andy Buchanan Eyes World ChampionshipsAndy Buchanan isn’t just heading to Tokyo to race: he’s going there to compete. The Australian marathon record holder will lead a six-strong team of marathoners at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, determined to prove he belongs not just in the field, but in the fight. “I don’t just want… Read more: “I Want to Be Competitive” – Andy Buchanan Eyes World Championships
- Rizzo wins Stawell GiftA record crowd lined the famed Central Park straight on Easter Monday as the Stawell Gift delivered everything it’s known for – drama, legacy, and elite athleticism on Australia’s most historic grass track. Photos by Luke Hemer courtesy of Stawell Gift In the Women’s Gift, Olympic semi-finalist Bree Rizzo stunned… Read more: Rizzo wins Stawell Gift
- Gout draws Stawell Gift favourite Evans in semi-finalAustralian 200m record holder Gout Gout has it all ahead of him to make the the final of the Stawell Gift after drawing short-priced favourite John Evans in his semi-final. Photos by Luke Hemer courtesy of Stawell Gift Evans was the fastest qualifier from Saturday’s heats clocking 12.14 seconds off… Read more: Gout draws Stawell Gift favourite Evans in semi-final