On a weekend that can only be described as “classic cross country weather”, a substantial squad of OXAC masters and para athletes headed to Launceston, TAS, for the National Cross Country Championships. Following on the successful event at Bathurst for World Cross last year, Athletics Australia decided to host a combined event for open, junior and masters athletes at Symmons Plains Raceway just outside Launceston. With high winds and heavy rain hitting the area prior to and during the event, it was fortunate that there were no road closures or floods in the immediate area (in contrast to much of the state).
On Saturday the rain paused for a while as the male and female masters lined up to tackle 4km across two loops of the hilly, muddy course. A photo from the junior race (credit Lizel Moore) captures the conditions fairly well. It does not, however, show the 80km/h winds that blew in the athletes’ faces on the second half of every lap.
With all the age-groups running together it was sometimes challenging to know where one was in the medal competition, but when the dust mud settled we had three OXAC runners on the podium. Di Guiney took the silver in F50, while Pablo Campillos matched that performance in M50, and Bruce Davie was in a 3-way sprint for the M60 medals, taking the bronze while being only 5 seconds from gold. Christy Bonstelle followed in 5th for F50, Silvia Warren was 8th F50, and Josita Hicks was 4th F60.
In the para competition, Georgia Powning took gold in the Senior Para and Laurie Tod won the U17 Para race. Bronze medals went to Lexi Guiney and Lochlan Warren in U20 Para.
After another 20mm of rain fell overnight the teams returned on Sunday for the 4x2km relay events. The mud was deeper, more slippery and more likely to remove a shoe, while the wind had not abated. Bruce led off for the mixed 50+ team, handing off to Christy, and by the mid-way point the team was in bronze medal position. Pablo took over before handing to Di, who crested the last hill in second place and held on to deliver silver for the team.
In running trivia, the winners of the 50+ relay included Daniel and Anna Smee, parents of open women’s silver medalist Ruby Smee. The Sports Gene in action.