Author Archives: tonywilson

tonywilson 11:37 pm on September 20, 2018  

XCR ’18 – Round 10 – The Tan Relays

41833376_2053679691343884_7442648423787921408_n.jpgLink: 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

41833376_2053679691343884_7442648423787921408_nGo Hunters!

 

tonywilson 10:44 am on September 9, 2018  

XCR’18 Round 9 – Half Marathon

Link:  TV’s Hunter Results

Glenhuntly Open & Masters Men

After cancellation of the Ekiden Relays at Anglesea, runners were primed and ready to go for the last and longest of the individual races on the 2018 XCR calendar. Race conditions at Burnley for the past 3 years had been perfect and this year was no exception. Blue skies, cool temperatures and little or no wind made for fast times and an ideal start to Father’s Day.

The Open men were missing a few notable runners but Rhydian Cowley once again lead the way, finishing in 7th place overall and with a time of 67:26. Jamie Cook was the second Hunter home in another impressive time of 71:53 (30th overall) while David Ceddia swapped his paddle for running shoes and rounded out the top 3 in 72:34 (43rd overall). Sam Toll made his half marathon debut, completing a very strong “training run” (75:25) with Geoff Scott only a few minutes behind. Great to see Declan Murphy and Dale Woodbridge back running in club colours. Both posted impressive times off very limited preparation. A solid team performance by the Open men, finishing in 5th place.

In the 40+ category, Andrew McEvoy ran out of legs but still surprised himself with a PB. Julian Kuppler made up good ground, finishing close behind in 78:00. Jamie Rossjohn and Peter Macknamara ran strongly and were third and fourth home respectively. Mike Bryant in fifth. Special shout out to Angelo Portelli for coming straight off the powdery slopes of Treble Cone and onto the mean streets of Burnley. The 40+ team finished in 3rd place.

Peter Rushen continued his great form in the 50+ category, finishing in a time of 81:49. Mick Ryan finished in under 100 minutes (easily) but was the only other 50+ runner so unfortunately, team points didn’t count.

The day’s real news story came in the 60+ category. Club legends Chris Wardlaw, Chris Murphy and Eric Sigmont (70+) took care of business and finished in 1st place. Great way to kick off Father’s Day. Big thanks once again to Chris Murphy for taking the trailer back to DMac.

And now, onto the final (relay) round of the season at the Tan on Saturday September 15. Hope to see you all there for some fast racing and the end of season presentations.

Go Hunters!

tonywilson 10:55 am on August 10, 2018  

XCR’18 Round 7 – Ballarat 15 km

Link: TV’s Hunter Results

Glenhuntly Open & Masters Men

Round 7 of the AV XCR 2018 racing calendar was held at the picturesque Lake Wendouree in Ballarat. As always, conditions were cold and windy but the flat 15km road circuit still managed to produce fast times. Overall numbers for the Club were down on previous years but those who braved the conditions were rewarded with some good results.

The Open men were led once again by the multi talented Rhydian Cowley who settled in behind a lead group which included Olympian Collis Birmingham and competition leader, Harry Summers, to run a blistering time of 48:08. David Ceddia continued his great form finishing as the second Hunter home with Sam Toll and Jamie Cook close behind. It’s great to see Sam and Jamie back racing near the front of the pack after a bad run with injuries. Chris Winter is returning to form, finishing just ahead of Mark Thompson and a fast finishing Geoff Scott closing in behind them. While probably not the overall result we wanted, it was a solid performance given the relatively low numbers.

The Masters men also struggled to make up numbers for this event. Andrew McEvoy ran slightly quicker than last year in the 40+ group but blames the “serenity” for not being able to stay with Open runner, Geoff Scott as he cruised past at the halfway mark. It was great to see Peter Macknamara back and running well after a recent calf injury. Such a tough competitor. Alec Highnam rounded out the 40+ runners.

Pete Rushen led the way for our 50+ runners with and impressive time of 58:31. Mick Ryan also ran well as he continues his Gold Coast Marathon recovery.

Joe and Chris Murphy carried the torch in the the 60+ category, both finishing inside the top 15 for their age group. Big thanks also to Chris for taking the trailer back to DMac.

Glenhuntly Junior Men

The Ballarat weather forecast and distance to travel dampened the enthusiasm for XC racing for our junior men.  We had two junior men who competed with Sam Lindsay in the U14s and Josh Francou in the U16s. Both team members had good races with Sam placing 5th and Josh 7th in their respective age groups.  Well done to Sam and Josh, the racing at this time of year will stand you in good stead when the summer season rolls around.

I should also highlight that we were very close to having a third competitor in Mark Rainey.  Mark played soccer in the morning with his usual team and was keen to back up with the road race in the afternoon.  Unfortunately logistics worked against him and Mark arrived at the start line a minute after the U14 start time and missed the race.  Great commitment Mark.

 

Glenhuntly Open Women

A typical day in Ballarat produced cold and more predominantly windy conditions. However, that did not stop the 10 women who tackled the 15km course and came away with awesome results! Amelia Aslanides and Anna Kentwell flew through the course gaining very impressive top 10 positions, running speedy times of  56:56 and 57:11 respectively!

Dana Dekkers grabbed another PB in 58:27 and Rebecca Beagley dominated on her familiar training ground, running a fantastic time of 58:46! Special mention to Hannah Cox who not only joined the club that week but also ran a PB in the Run Melbourne Half Marathon the Sunday before. Hannah smashed out the course in 65:00 and rounded off the Division 1 team in her first ever race with the club! There was a close finish between Anung Samsu (66:24) and Gill Highnam (66:28) who are both running absolutely incredible this season and only seem to be on the improve!

Kim Nanscawen ran a massive PB of 3min 34sec to finish with an amazing time of 71:32! It was great to see Kellie Macknamara back in action, running a time of 74:27 with an impressive amount of smiling out in those tough conditions! Lisa Deramond had a superb run of 88:32, continuing her great form this season.  

The Premier Women placed equal 1st and were just shifted to 2nd based on count back and Division 2 placed 5th, which is a fantastic effort by all! Go Hunters!

tonywilson 11:39 pm on July 27, 2018  

XCR’18 Round 6 – Albert Park 10 km

hunter10
Link:   TV’s Hunter Results

Glenhuntly Open & Masters Men

Before the XCR season starts, many AV athletes choose Albert Park 10km as the race to target. On a cool and blustery morning last Sunday, the Glenhuntly men did not disappoint. We had 23 starters across Open and Masters Men.

Our Division 1 team equaled its best result for the season, finishing 6th. Rhydian Cowley led from the front, recording a blistering 30.34 to place 14th. Jack Bullock broke his PB to achieve arguably his best result of the year. David Ceddia made a great return from injury, exceeding his own expectations in stopping the clock at 33.36.

Division 2 finished 10th. Pat Beguely smashed his 2017 result, recording a very quick 37.07. Peter Rushen was just behind him, continuing his stellar season.

Division 3 finished 11th. The ever dependable Simon Bowly and Joel Samsu almost ran a dead heat, both recording 38.03.

Division 4 finished 9th. Beau Lang ran a brave race as he continues to manage an injury. Mick Ryan ran really well off the back of Gold Coast Marathon only three weeks before.

After 6 rounds, our 40+ team continues to show the way, sitting equal 2nd place on the ladder. They are closely followed by 60+ who are 3rd. Division 1 and 4 are 6th, Division 2 is equal 8th and Division 3 11th. Division 5 are 12th and 50+ are 15th.

We now head to Lake Wendouree for the 15km. Many clubs struggle to get numbers to this race so it’s a great opportunity to consolidate our ladder positions.

Go Hunters!

 

Glenhuntly Open Women

Albert Park was a morning for fast running.  Anna Kentwell was the first Hunter home with an incredible PB time of 36:14! Amelia Aslanides produced a great run of 37:03 recovering after the Gold Coast Marathon and Vanessa Wilson flew through the course in a speedy time of 37:18! Not far behind, Cass Mesta produced another fantastic run with 37:23 and Dana Dekkers scored another PB for the season with 37:26. Rebecca Beagley ran another consistently great race with a time of 38:48 and Erika Florez claimed a 10km PB running a super 38:59! Cass Little once again impressed and inspired everyone running an amazing 39:46 and Erica Patterson smashed out the course in 41:39! Anung Samsu showed she’s got what it takes not only on the trails but on the road too with an impressive PB of 43:43 and Linda McCaffrey comfortably went sub 50min with a great time of 49:31! Genevieve O’Brien flew the flag for the Junior Women and had a stellar run over 3km, running 11:41! Overall for the teams Div 1 placed 2nd, Div 2 placed 3rd and Div 3 placed 2nd, which is an amazing effort!

Go Hunters!

Glenhuntly Junior Men

On an early, sunny and very nippy morning four of our junior men tackled the 3kms at Albert Park on Sunday morning.  There was good racing from all of our team members. Sam Lindsay and Mark Rainey competed in the U14s and Sam placed third whilst Mark in his second run for the club is building his fitness nicely.  Logan Janetzki and Max Nichols ran in the U16s with Logan just outside the top 10 and it was good to see Max back racing after an extended break through injury.

tonywilson 1:34 pm on July 20, 2018  

Hunter Newsletter July ’18

LINK:  Hunter Newsletter –

In this issue : Newsletter – July 18
WD Challenge.
Upcoming XCR18.
Kevin Mannix’s Kid
Coaching.
Herb Bascombe: Club’s first international.
AV Awards to THREE club members for 50 years service.
XCR18 Round 4 reports
Club News
XCR18 Round 5 Reports.
Gold Coast Marathon; the amazing Eric
Sigmont.