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Mottram to lead Aussies once again
National 5000m record-holder Craig
Mottram will again lead off the Australian team at the
Chiba Ekiden relay in Chiba (JPN) in 2010 following the
announcement of team selections today.
Mottram, who took victory on the international stage in the
two-mile event (8:31) at the Great North City Games in
Newscastle-Gateshead (ENG) a week ago, will hand over the
traditional sash to teammates Cassandra Fien
(5km), Liam Adams (10km), Clare
Geraghty (5km), Steve Kelly (10km) and
Jessica Trengove (7.195km), while James
Nipperess and Tamara Carvolth will travel
with the team as reserves.
In the 2009 event Mottram led the team out strongly, covering his
5km section of the course in 13:22 to see Australia into first
place at the initial ribbon change, but by race end it was the host
nation who crossed the line in poll position with Australia seventh
in a time of 2:11.35.
The annual Ekiden event sees mixed teams of six athletes race over
varying distances to cover a full marathon run of 42.195km and will
this year be held on Tuesday, November 23.
As three-time winner of the men’s event (1991, 1992, 1995)
Australia has a strong history of success at the 22-year-old meet,
but in 2010 will be looking for its first podium finish since the
introduction of the revised format. In 2007 the race became a
co-gender event with a single title up for grabs, the green and
gold team twice placing seventh (2009, 2007) and scoring its
highest finish to date in 2008, crossing the line in fifth.
Jess Trengove, winner of the recent 12km City-Bay Fun Run in
Adelaide and Cassie Fien, who placed second in the 14km City2Surf
in Sydney in August ahead of Trengove in third, will both be
running at the IAAF world half-marathon championships in China next
month before heading to Japan for the traditional relay.
Liam Adams, who will receive the ribbon from Fien and run one of
two 10km legs along the Ekiden journey, has also had some strong
international results this year, placing 38th at the world cross
country championships in Poland in March in a time of 34:55 over
the 12km course.
Clare Geraghty is no stranger to the Japanese relay, representing
Australia in 2006 and running the third leg in a time of 18:43
(5km) and again in 2009, running the fourth leg and improving her
time to 17:00 over the same distance.
Victorian Steve Kelly and 20-year-old James Nipperess, who was a
regular feature on the 2010 Australian Athletics Tour and placed
seventh in the 1500m final at the Go for 2&5 88th Australian
Athletics Championships, has gained selection to his first
international team, announced as one of two travelling reserves for
Australia.
Chiba Ekiden Relay
Chiba, JPN
November 23, 2010
5km: Craig Mottram (Vic, 30)
5km: Cassandra Fien (Vic, 25)
10km: Liam Adams (Vic, 24)
5km: Clare Geraghty (Qld, 24)
10km: Steve Kelly (Vic, 22)
7.195km: Jessica Trengove (SA, 23)
(Athletes above listed in running order)
Travelling reserves:
James Nipperess (NSW, 20)
Tamara Carvolth (Qld, 20)
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