Cross Country Relays

Twenty-four teams of three braved difficult conditions on Saturday morning to run out the Cross Country Relays at Victoria Park. 

Many would have been excused for staying in bed, rather than running a 3X3km or 3X6km Relay on heavy underground conditions around the 1.5km Victoria Park course.

The course took athletes into the tree-lined western side of the course, through the olive groves, across a creek and over the bridge back to the finish line near the Covid-testing facility. 

See the full list of results here

Flinders A take line honours in the 3x6km Relay

The Men’s long relay was always going to be a battle between the Flinders A and Adelaide Harriers A teams.

Flinders' Jacob Cocks took control on the opening leg, running a consistent threshold effort as he continues his preparation for the Gold Coast Marathon.

J. Cocks ran 19:37 to end the first leg with a 90-second lead over Harriers A athlete Rhys Jones (21:05), while Saints runner Zac Connell ran 21:15 to round out the first leg in third place. 

Flinders A all but wrapped up the race when Riley Cocks (19:17) extended the lead over 2022 10km Road State Champion, Harriers A's Adrian Potter (19:30) by 13 seconds.

That left Bailey Dyer (20:50) to give Flinders the win, despite a superb final leg from Harriers A's Thomas Dowd (19:32) who reduced the margin to 23 seconds.

It was great to see the race rivals cool-down together showing the level of respect and camaraderie the winter running community has for each other.

The Flinders' Asha Lawson (25:12), Zoe Toland (25:06) and Annika Faber (28:00) ran as the sole Open Women's 3X6km Relay team.

Flinders was able to edge Adelaide Harriers in the three over-age groups, with Men's O35 Ben Princi (23:11), Women's O35 Ciara Foster (26:50) and Men's O50 Colin Ambrose (23:17) posted the fastest times.

Adrian Potter

Western and Flinders dominate the shorter Relay

In the shorter 3X3km Relay, several of the younger athletes used the race to prepare for the Schools Cross Country at Oakbank on Thursday.

Western Athletics Club runner and National U15 800m Bronze Medallist James Bowling got his Men's U18 team off to a good start, running 11:12, with teammates Lachlan Rudd (11:30) and Lincoln Hosking (12:09) extending their lead for a comfortable win, ahead of the Western Open Men's team of Zac Washington (12:38), Blake Jones (13:25) and Hayden Petherick (12:11).

James Bowling

The Women’s first leg had a great battle between Flinders Hannah Tourneur (11:46) and Harriers' Elodie de Wit (11:47) with Tourneur holding on to a one second lead at the first change.

Tasmin Stuart (13:30) and Madison Brown (13:10) were able to keep the lead for Flinders.

Young Beth Griffin of the Port Adelaide Athletics Club had the fastest last leg of all Women, running 12:50.

Port Adelaide won the Women’s U14 race, Adelaide Harriers won the Women’s U18 and Southern claimed won the Men’s U16.

Damian Robinson (10:46) ran the fastest leg overall to help his Western Mixed O35 team a great start.

In the Men’s Winter Premiership race, Flinders maintained its lead in the Open competition, gained the lead in the O35 & O50s, and maintained its advantage in the U18 & U20s.

The Southern Sharks have taken the lead in the U14 & U16s Premiership.

Flinders also leads the Open Women’s Premiership, extended its lead in the O35 & O50 and U14 & U16.

Adelaide Harriers extended its lead in the U18 & U20 Women’s Premiership.

The next Round of the Winter Premiership is the short-course Cross Country at Flinders University on Saturday, June 18, from 8:45am.

Registrations are now open

Fastest Times at the Cross Country Relays:

Women (6.2k): 1. Zoe Toland (FLN) 25.06; 2. Asha Lawson (FLN) 25.12; 3. Ciara Foster (AH) 26.20, 4. Meagan Palmer (FLN) 27.30; 5. Elizabeth Staureski (AH) 27.43.

Men (6.2k): 1. Riley Cocks (AH) 19.17; 2. Adrian Potter (AH) 19.30; 3. Thomas Dowd (AH) 19.32; 4. Jacob Cocks (FLN) 19.37; 5. Bailey Dyer (FLN) 20.50.

Women (3.1k): 1. Hannah Tourneur (FLN) 11.46; 2. Elodie de Wit (AH) 11.47; 3. Beth Griffin (PA) 12.48; 4. Madison Brown (FLN) 13.10; 5. Tasmin Stuart (FLN) 13.30.

Men (3.1k): 1. Damian Robinson (WA) 10.46, 2. James Bowling (WA) 11.12; 3. Lachie Rudd (WA) 11.30; 4. Lincoln Hosking (WA) 12.09; 5. Hayden Petherick (WA) 12.11.

2022 Oceania Athletics Championships

The 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships get underway tomorrow with Lillee Wakefield, Nellie Langford, Olivia Sandery, Keira Post, Akeesha Snowden, Jonathan Harris, Jessica McManus, Sam Paech, Tryphena Hewett and Taylor Larsson in action on Day 1.

Hills athletes head to Nashville

Hills Districts Athletics Club runners Caitlin Adams, Max Stevens and Isaac Heyne ran at the Music City Track Carnival in Nashville, Tennessee over the weekend. 

Adams also ran a near-PB in the Women's 5000m, managing 15:30.87 to finish second behind Ethiopia's Biruktayit Degefa (15:15.48). 

On the third leg of his US tour Heyne ran 3:44.11 in the Men's 1500m to finish fifth overall, while Stevens also ran fifth in the 3000m Steeplechase in a near-PB time of 8:31.77.