WEEKEND PREVIEW | Launceston Running Festival

Christmas has come early for fans of Australian athletics, with the Launceston Running Festival set to host Australia’s finest distance runners this Sunday. 

In a year deprived of domestic opportunity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the events in Launceston loom as one of the first national competitions since early 2020.  For this reason, it’s no surprise that Sunday’s races are essentially a roll call of the nation’s elite. 

Athletes have flocked to both the C5 Pro-Solutions 10km and the Think Big Half Marathon, eager to stretch their legs over the renowned flat and fast courses in what is a prelude to the ruthless competition that lies ahead in an Olympic year. 

You can catch all the action on the Launceston Running Festival Facebook page from 6:20am. 

C5 Pro-Solutions 10km (8:45am) 

Men: 

The C5 Pro-Solutions 10km is loaded with immense talent and depth, shaping up as the most competitive event of the morning. It’s hard to go past fan-favourite and course record holder Jack Rayner  who will be looking to lower his mark on the course from the 28:31 he recorded in 2018. 

Rayner has been unseen in 2020 after failing to make the start line of the London marathon due to a niggle but is now back and firing, determined to retain his title as ‘King of the Roads’.

He will have to shake Liam Adams among others if he is to do so, with the ever-reliable marathon man dropping back to the 10km where his best stands at 28:11 from 2012. 

Further challengers come in the form of New South Welshman Keiren Tall (28:47), Tasmanian local Dejen Gebreselassie (28:54) and reigning Burnie Ten champion Jordan Williamsz (29:06).  Rayner has tipped Williamsz to be one of the big improvers on the day, suggesting that his Melbourne Track Club training partner is in sublime form and may have flown under the radar in 2020. 

Jaryd Clifford will be sporting ‘Blinky’ on his bib in the event - with the dual Para World Champion eyeing off the 10km T13 world record of 29:38 set by El Amin Chentouf in 2013. 

Women: 

Two-time Olympian Genevieve Gregson will be looking to make it four wins on the trot over 10km when she toes the line in Launceston, with the Australian record holder in the 3000m steeplechase looking to add to her resume ahead of Tokyo 2021. 

Gregson will be challenged by teammate Sinead Diver, who returns after an 8th place finish in this year’s London Marathon. Diver is a World Championships representative over the distance and her best of 31:25 indicates that she will be there come the business end of proceedings. 

Izzi Batt-Doyle has been regarded as a rising star of Australian athletics, recently taking out both the South Australian 10,000m and 5,000m championships when clocking 32:13 and 15:26 respectively - both blistering times. 

Experienced campaigner Eloise Wellings will complete her comeback when she makes her official return to racing in Launceston, with the Australian star looking to wind back the clock in the slick field. 

But they’ll all be chasing Sonia O’Sullivan’s personal best of 30:47, with the athletics icon set to take part in the event. 

Think Big Half Marathon (6:30am)

Men: 

Australian record holder in the half marathon Brett Robinson headlines the men’s field and will be looking to finish the year in a similar fashion to how he started it - with a dominant half marathon. 

Robinson’s time of 59:57 in Marugame saw him become the first Australian man to dip under the one-hour-barrier in the event, and after a strong marathon preparation mid-year he is the man to beat here. 

But Robinson may not have it all on his own terms throughout the affair, with Melbourne Track Club teammate Joel Tobin-White proving to be more than capable over the half marathon journey in recent times, boasting a personal best of 62:03. 

The pair are likely to be kept company by South Australia’s Riley Cocks, along with the recently crowned New South Wales 10,000m champion Edward Goddard. Goddard’s time of 28:45 on that day suggests it is only a matter of time before his half marathon best of 64:07 is cleaned up. 

The experienced duo of Thomas Da Canto and Dave Ridley round out the sub-65-minute athletes in the field, and can never be discounted. 

19-year-old Archie Reid from Victoria has an official best of 1:07:24, but a 1:05:17 time trial over the distance in August of this year suggests he may also be among the action on Sunday. 

Women: 

Hometown hero Milly Clark will be giving the crowd in Launceston something to cheer about when she lines up in the half marathon. 

Clark possesses a personal best of 1:10:48 over the trip, which is certainly competitive here if she can find her best form. 

The Launceston local will be joined by fellow Australian Jessica Stenson (nee Trengrove), as they look to take down Canada’s Andrea Seccafien. 

Seccafien trains under the tutelage of Nic Bideau at the Melbourne Track Club and by all reports has put in a strong preparation in 2020 despite the lack of racing opportunity. 

Her personal best of 1:09:38 in the event is the fastest in the field by over one-minute, and she will be tough to beat come Sunday. 

By Lachlan Moorhouse
Posted: 11/12/2020