Australian 10000m record holders Lauren Ryan and Jack Rayner will start as favourites for the feature events at the Zatopek:10 meet at Lakeside Stadium on Saturday.
But with quality fields they are unlikely to have it all their own way.
Both Ryan (30:35.66) and Rayner (27:09.57) set national records earlier this year. That mark was good enough to qualify Ryan, 26, for the Paris Olympics where she finished a creditable 13th. However, for Rayner, 28, the performance didn’t better the qualifying standard of 27:00.00 and he didn’t line up in the green-and-gold.
Ryan returns as defending champion after a classy victory in 2023 where she toyed with the field. However, she’ll face an in form Leanne Pompeani and national 5000m record holder, Rose Davies, who is also an Olympic finalist over the shorter distance.
Both are previous winners of the race, Pompeani once in 2022 (December) and Davies twice, in 2021 (January) and 2022 (January).
Pompeani has been dominant on the domestic roads recently, and on a winning streak. This includes a 10km win in late October at the Burnie:10 in 31:40 on a certified course, and a 15:40 win over 5km on the hair-pin turning course of the Noosa Bolt. Although Pompeani doesn’t boast the same shorter distance pedigree or turn of pace on the track as Davies (4:06.33 1500m PB) or Ryan (4:08.15 1500m PB) she has strength that will keep the pace honest through the race.
Davies hasn’t raced since her 12th placed finish at the Paris Olympics and has the most ferocious kick in the field, meaning if she is in contention in the closing stages that she will be incredibly dangerous.
In the men’s race form is mixed and less certain. On paper former Rayner’s opposition should come from former Australian marathon record holder Brett Robinson, twice a victor in the race in 2014 and 2021 (January), Robinson’s personal best of 27:51.51 was set two-and-a-half years ago, the most recent occasion he has raced the distance on the track.
However, a contingent of emerging talent could be poised for a breakthrough: Isaac Heyne, Sam Clifford and Haftu Strintzos have all impressed over various stages, but none with the consistency to guarantee what their finishing order might be.
Heyne has a strong kick and used it to great effect in front of a home crowd at the City to Bay 12km race in September, where he edged out Rayner for victory.
Clifford had a breakthrough performance in winning the Burnie:10 in 28:17, while Strintzos ran 28:09 around the flat, fast Albert Park course of the RunPrix race in September.
While the meet is centred on the 25 lap races there’s also season opening performances over the more dynamic 3000m, a welcome addition to the meet last year which sees some of Australia’s best middle distance talent shaking out the cobwebs.
In the women’s 3000m new national short track 5000m record holder Amy Bunnage will be hard to beat, following a fourth place at the NCAA cross country and her 15:00.75 run over 5000m last week in Boston. Her personal best of 8:51.90 could well be in danger if the pace is honest, which it well might need to be with the likes of sub-4 minute 1500m runners Linden Hall and Abbey Caldwell. Sub-2 minute 800m runner Carley Thomas, who ran 9:05 in this race last year for fourth, could also be in the mix if the pace dawdles.
The men’s race last year was a thrilling affair that signalled the emergence of Jesse Hunt, who won in a tick over 8 minutes before going on later in the season to finish second at the Australian Championships over 1500m. Alas, he was just short of the Olympic qualifying standard in the run in to Paris and wasn’t ultimately in contention for selection. Similarly, Cameron Myers wasn’t selected for Paris, but lines up still young enough to race the de Castella junior race over the same distance. Now a world junior silver medallist over 1500m, Myers is always dangerous in any race he lines up in. Also in the field is Jude Thomas, twice a national champion over the seven-and-a-half laps, Olympic steeplechaser Ben Buckingham and Zac Facioni.
Other races on the program include the Victorian 60m title, featuring Olympians Celeste Mucci and Ella Connolly in the women’s race, and Jacob Despard and Tayleb Willis in the men’s; 800m; junior 3000m races, including the feature de Castella and Ondieki races that have become a rite of passage for aspiring distance runners; 4x400m Victorian titles and shot put and pole vault challenge events.
The meet starts at 2:00pm with Australian All School 3000m races, with the main program running from 6pm through to the 9:30pm, followed by a DJ set by The Jungle Giants. Tickets can be purchased from Athletics Victoria.
Take a look back
Our photo archives from the Zatopek:10 date back to 2007… here’s a couple of highlights.
2007
Eventual winner Lara Tamsett leads the field in the early stages of the Ondieki junior 3000m race at the 2007 Zatopek Classic >> View Gallery
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Jess Trengove (now Stenson) leads from eventual winner, Nikki Chapple, in the 2013 Zatopek:10 >> View Gallery
2014
2016
2019
2021
2022
