XCR ’18 – Round 10 – The Tan Relays

Link: TV’s Hunter Results

Glenhuntly Junior Men

The iconic status of a race around the Tan got our junior men keen to finish off the XC season with a good performance. We had three teams in the U14, U16 and U20 age groups and all team members performed very well. In the U14s Noah Portelli, Mark Rainey and Jake Cotchin all posted solid times. It was great to have Jake in the team having his first run for the club.

The U16s were represented by Josh Francou, Max Nichols and Finn Paynter. The team posted a good time and Max and Josh were able to crack the 14 minute mark which was a great achievement. It was good to see Max, after a long break through injury, getting back to the form he was in at the start of the season.

The U20s were a bit stiff to miss out on a medal finishing in fourth place. Jason Clayton, Josh Whittle and Liam Halloran put in a strong performance over all three legs. Jason and Liam were well under the 13 minute mark and next year the aim will be to go sub 12.

The winter XC racing has several of our junior men in good condition as we now head into the summer season and an opportunity to start racing on our new track at Duncan McKinnon.

Glenhuntly Open & Masters Men

After a visit to Princes Park in 2017, the Tan Relays returned to the spiritual home of running last Saturday. A gloomy weather forecast did not deter members from turning out in big numbers and participants were greeted with favourable running conditions. We had 10 teams representing the club in Open and Masters Men.

In Premier Division, it was great to welcome back Ben Kelly for his first race of the season. After a breakout 2017, he did not disappoint with a blistering first leg (11.17), just missing the club record. David Ceddia capped off an outstanding debut season with a very solid 11.56. The team continued its really strong finish to the season, finishing 5th.

In Division 2, Tom McFarlane got the team off to a great start (12.07). Denyan Claxton put in a gutsy run to stop the clock at 12.23. Denyan has missed several races due to injury but it was great to have him back in the team for the final round. Thanks to the dependable Peter Macknamara for stepping in to the team at late notice. The team fought hard to secure 6th place.

In Division 3, Joel Samsu put in another terrific performance (13.38) in his first year with the club. Not bad for an ultra runner! After racking up plenty of frequent flyer points throughout the season, it was great to have Mike Comport bring the team home. The team finished 12th on the day.

Our Division 4 and 5 teams (invite) were made up from our strong Monash running squad. It was great to welcome them all and hope they enjoyed a taste of cross country racing.

A star-studded 40+ team had to make some tough decisions at the selection table. After missing the last few races, it was great to welcome back Julian Kuppler. Julian ran the fastest leg (12.51) in the Masters and it was just enough to get them the win! Mickael Soussan (14.17) warmed up for the track season with a very solid run. The second 40+ team finished 5th.

Continuing the comebacks, it was wonderful to have Paul Strangio back in the 50+ team. Paul (13.58) helped his team record their best result of the season, coming home in 3rd place.

Our 60+ division fielded an incredible 3 teams. Chris Wardlaw set the pace with a blistering 17.19. It was wonderful to see Peter Battrick and Joe Campisi out there running after long illnesses. A very successful morning yielded placings of 3rd, 4th and 6th.

It was terrific to see so many of you hang around for the delicious morning tea and presentations. Well done to all the award winners.

Go Hunters

Our Open Women’s Team came third in Division 1