12.06.2009

National mountain running champions crowned

Cool, still weather provided idyllic running conditions for competitors in Sunday's Australian Mountain Running Championships at Ferntree Gully.

Local Knox runner Jordan Nelson set the scene for the day when he and Traralgon's Stephen McShane took command in the first race of the day, the junior men's 8.2km contested over two laps of a 4.1km circuit with a gruelling 1km steep ascent of the Lyrebird Track to start.

Nelson ran the impressive time of 35.46 with McShane runner up in 36.14 and Junior World Orienteering Championships representative Oscar Phillips (TAS) third in 36.43.

The junior girls 4.1km race saw a close contest between Briony Shaw of Richmond Harriers, first in 22.10, and Kimberley Duthie of Frankston, second in 22.33.

The open women's 8.2km event was dominated by former world orienteering champion Hanny Allston of Box Hill, who crossed the line in 37.02. Defending champion Jessamy Hosking (ACT) was as strong as Allston on the uphill sections but could not match her downhill speed and finished second in 38.38. Knox runner Kate Siebold-Crosbie placed third in 39.03, with ACT runner Angela Bateup, third at the world long distance mountain running championships in 2008 fourth in 39.16.

The open men's 12.3km race saw a big win to ACT runner Mark Bourne in 50.30. Bourne was the highest-placed Australian senior male at the 2007 world mountain running championships and in 2008 performed well across a number of World Mountain Running Association Grand Prix events in Europe with a highest placing of ninth.

Twenty-year-old Matthew Johnson of Doncaster had an outstanding championship debut, finishing exactly one minute behind Bourne in 51.30, with four-time Australian representative Stephen Brown (NSW) third in 52.13.

The championships also saw a number of outstanding performances by veteran runners. Colleen Middleton of the Border Track and Field Club took out the W45 8.2km event in 42.00, Kathy Southgate of North Canberra Gungahlin the W50 in 45.54 and Lavinia Petrie of Ringwood the W65 championship in 25.01.

Canberra's David Hosking, a prolific winner of long mountain runs in the ACT was fourth outright as well as fastest M40 in 57.23 over 12.3km, and the M45 title went to Australian 24-hour representative Simon Phillips, who clocked 64.12. Frank McShane from Traralgon Harriers won the M50 12.3km in 67.23 from clubmate Ian Twite, Bruce Rattenbury of Knox the M55 8.2km in 50.52 and Gabriel Cardmona of South Melbourne the M65 8.2km in 51.04.

The oldest competitor on the day was 73-year-old Tony Krantzcke, an outstanding long distance trail runner in his younger days. Krantzcke won the M70 8.2km event in 75.16.

AthsvicTV coverage of the championships is available here.

Full results from the event are available here.