Geelong 5k and 10k races draw in big names Jess Stenson, Ellie Pashley
If the feedback is anything to go by, the Geelong 5k and 10k is set to get bigger and better after a successful first run.
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Overwhelmingly positive feedback will push race organisers to go bigger and better with the second edition of the Geelong 5k and 10k, after its inaugural staging on Saturday.
Collingwood runner Dale Carroll took out the 10,000m A race and Ben Beischer from Old Scotch won the 5000m, as a healthy crowd took in the races at Landy Field.
Race organiser Matt Gunther said the crowd was so strong “it was pretty difficult to get a seat on the grass” to watch from the hill, while Olympian Ellie Pashley and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jess Stenson were glowing about the event, which included mixed-gender races.
Stenson held Pashley off in the 5000m field, with the South Australian getting to the line eight seconds earlier.
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“I asked Ellie today and she said ‘I really liked the mixed race, I preferred that over the female only, they are always so spread out. It was by far the most fun I have had in a 5km’,” Gunther said.
“Jess also said it was her most enjoyable 5km ever.
“For me, that justified the decision to have it as a mixed race and we will look to do that more.”
While the warm conditions didn’t allow for Beischer to break the 15 minute barrier – he won comfortably with a time of 15:05.24 – it made for perfect conditions for spectators.
“If you took me back to four months ago when we decided we would do this, we are really happy with how this played out,” Gunther said.
“When the main 5km A race was on, there was an awful lot of people there it seemed and it was pretty difficult to get a seat on the grass, which was good to see the crowd there.”
Gunther said he would begin planning for food trucks and live streaming at the 2024 edition of the event.
Stars join inaugural Geelong 5k and 10k
The races are so new they don’t have an official name but stars like Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jess Stenson and Olympic marathoner Ellie Pashley will flock to Landy Field on Saturday for the inaugural Geelong 5k and 10k event.
The brainchild of a few local runners, the mixed-gender races will burn up the track from 5.45pm, following the regular Saturday afternoon athletics competitions.
Stenson, who is one of Australia’s premier runners and claimed marathon gold in Birmingham last year, and Pashley, who placed 23rd in the Tokyo Olympics marathon, will face off in a 5km race against male runners.
Fellow marathoner Julian Spence, who competed at the 2019 world championships in Doha, will also be on track, tackling a 10km race.
Event organiser Matt Gunther said the decision to mix genders would add another dimension to the races.
“They always do single-sex races pretty much on the track,” he said.
“We weighed up whether to do a female-only (race) but I am good friends with Ellie and she was happy to do it as a mixed. For them, running with some boys will be helpful.”
The event was labelled a “trial” by Gunther and has drawn in 110 entries, with runners coming from as far as Sydney to compete without any prizemoney on the line.
Having pulled together the races within three months, Gunther said there wasn’t even any thought on what to call the events.
“We put it in this year as a bit of a way to test the waters and see how it would go but the numbers of entries have been fantastic and something we will look to build upon in future years,” he said.
The first 5km race starts at 5.45pm, with the final 10km race to kick start at 8.10pm
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Originally published as Geelong 5k and 10k races draw in big names Jess Stenson, Ellie Pashley
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