Karinna Fyfe from Glenhuntly Athletics Club prevailed in a close three way tussle in the open women’s 8km race on a tough course at Lardner Park, Warragul in the second round of Athletics Victoria’s XCR series. 
After former World Championship and Commonwealth Games marathon representative Sarah Klein made the early running in the race on the first of two four-kilometre laps, the long downhill stretch towards the finishing line on the second lap made for an entertaining contest. 
Steeplechaser Stella Radford had a slight lead with 500m remaining but was fatigued, while Fyfe and Klein were closing quickly. Fyfe maintained her momentum onto the flat to pass Radford and run away for a four second victory in 28 minutes, 34 seconds. Klein also passed Radford, taking silver by a three second margin. 
The men’s race was a more open and shut case, with Andy Buchanan from Bendigo Region traversing the course with ease to win by over half-a-minute in a time of 23:57.
The undulating course, most of which had a thick grass covering underneath, has a sadistic furthest most point. After clearing a fence on a downhill stretch, four shallow stream crossings within the space of 100 metres followed by a steep hill and a gradual climb back up to the highest point of the course greet runners. During the second lap of the open men’s race, approximately one in twenty runners fell.
[wcepe_products ids=’399,1411′ columns=’2′] 
Buchanan was light on his feet and not heeded. Behind him, Cody Shanahan from Western Athletics had the better of Tom Thorpe from St Stephen’s Harriers, taking silver 24:34 to 23:49. 
In the junior 4km races impressive performances were recorded by Athletics Essendon pair Archie Noakes, who took out the U18 men’s race in 12:10; and Bianca Puglisi, who won the U20 women’s race by almost a minute in 14:33.
Our full collection of 389 photos is available here.
You can download high resolution images if you subscribe to our mailing list. Subscribe here.
[wcepe_products ids=’399,1411′ columns=’2′]
Latest posts:
- Chasing Fear | An UNSCENE Short Film on Olympic Gold Medalist Nina Kennedy
This film from the team at UNSCENE tells Nina’s story post the injury that took her out of the World Champs. Nina gives us an insight on the mundanity of rehabilitation post-injury, and the discipline it takes to return in a better place. Nina also talks about her relationship with… Read more: Chasing Fear | An UNSCENE Short Film on Olympic Gold Medalist Nina Kennedy - Robinson joins Ron Clarke in the record books with Oslo 5000m run
Ky Robinson has become the first Australian male since the great Ron Clarke to simultaneously hold the national records over both 5000m and 10,000m, after slicing almost five seconds off Craig Mottram’s long-standing 5000m mark at the Oslo Diamond League — the Bislett Games — overnight. Robinson finished eighth in… Read more: Robinson joins Ron Clarke in the record books with Oslo 5000m run - The 63-spot squeeze: Inside Australian Athletics’ Toughest Selection Calls
With the qualifying period over and 11 athletes already locked in through automatic nomination, and with all three relay teams qualified, Australian Athletics selectors now turn to the hard part: filling out a Commonwealth Games team capped at 63 able-bodied athletes. The automatic phase rewarded the clearest-cut cases: athletes who… Read more: The 63-spot squeeze: Inside Australian Athletics’ Toughest Selection Calls - Australian Top Lists
Check out the top 8 performances by Australian athletes in the lead up to Commonwealth Games selection. With Top Lists back in vogue in the selection policy for Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games and for Oceania Championships selection (compared to prior years for World Athletics events where World Rankings ruled), here’s the… Read more: Australian Top Lists - Strintzos, Batt-Doyle clock fastest half marathons on home soil
The Launceston Running Festival continued its tradition of providing a platform for fast times for some of Australia’s top distance runners, with Haftu Strintzos and Izzi Batt-Doyle recording the fastest half marathons run by Australian on home soil. Strintzos’s 60:41 winning time – an Australian Allcomers Record – was just… Read more: Strintzos, Batt-Doyle clock fastest half marathons on home soil
