2023 BINNAK BOWL

THE COURSE

A tight, hilly 1km loop where runners come back through the Start/ Finish area each lap. The loop is a mix of grass and bitumen. The course this year was very similar to other years with the greatest challenge coming for the soggy state of the lower end of the run where runners negotiate a stretch of grass before returning to the bitumen. Conditions this year were cold & wet.

The Start/ Finish line this year was relocated from the usual position at the top of the ‘hill’ to a position in the Playground where there was a large Shelter that provided the group with shelter from the rain. The change was well accepted & could become a permanent feature.

This year there were 40 runners across the Junior 3km event (14) and the Open 5km event (26) making it the largest field in recent years.

IMPROVERS

There was a lot of great racing at Binnak Park and many stories to tell. The three that lined up to start at 13:35, Dylan Littlejon, Blake Barnes and Jarryd Cripps took off with a mission to stay close to each other. In the end it was Dylan (17:51), Jarryd (18:04) and Blake (18:05) in that order. Next Saturday the contest will move to St Anne’s, Bendigo.

Despite the inclement conditions, there were still a number of starters who improved on their times from 2022. The list of improvers with their times from 2022 includes:

3km: Dillon Vidanapathirana (13:43), Felix Morgan (11:52), Heidi Kuppler (11:22), Rhodri Whelan (12:30), Poppy Scot-Dalgleish (12:22), & Georgia L’Estrange (14:24).

5km: Greg Luck (27:13), Dylan Littlejohn (18:09) & Andrew L’Estrange (24:10).

THANKS …

No Handicap race is possible without a Handicapper & the DVAC Handicapper, Greg Luck, arrived at the Park armed with a complete set of Handicaps for all athletes in the field. Thanks go to Greg. Thankfully not all 40 runners crossed the finish line together. The 14 Junior 3km runners crossed in 2min38sec while the 26 runners in the 5km Handicap race were all over the line within 4min5sec.

With a total of 40 participants and many close finishing groups coming through at Binnak Park, the challenge was to get each runner off at their correct handicap time, keep a record of each runner’s laps as well as their finishing time without error. To achieve this a willing band of volunteers came forward that included Paul Schofield, Chris Whelan, Tracey Johns, Peter Morgan & Lyn Davis. Many thanks to the team.

Thanks also go to Maryann Murray for organising the trophies for this year’s Binnak Bowl as well as to Lyn Davis & Max Balchin for the course set up. The course pack up was carried out by a willing group of volunteers on their ‘cool down’ lap.

THE WINNERS

OPEN 5km HANDICAP

Rosie Morgan is the winner of the 2023 Open 5km Handicap Binnak Bowl. Rosie completed the 5km course in 24:55 to head off Greg Luck (24:11) by 44 seconds with Karen Quinn (28:48) finishing in third place a further 32 seconds behind.

After the top three placegetters went through, there were clusters of runners crossing in quick succession. Ten runners crossed within a minute after Brett Maloney (21:50) while the remaining twelve runners took a minute and a half to cross after Caden Murray (16:15).

A Presentation of awards was given to the top three placegetters in the Shelter after the race. As well, the Fastest Female, Shania Murray (20:50) and the Fastest Male, Caden Murray (16:15) were presented with awards.

2023 DVAC BINNAK BOWL

Binnak Park, Bundoora,

Saturday 20 May 2023

5km HANDICAP RESULTS: