Australian Mountain Running Championships
Mt Tennent
Namadgi National Park ACT
Sunday 15 May 2016
Weather: Sunny 15 degrees, wind chill temperature 10 degrees.
Helpers: John Harding, Steve Appleby, Bill and Diane Arthur, Tim and Mhairi Craig, Paul and Finn Mahoney, John and Judi Anderson, Amanda Ruffin, Leonie Doyle, David Osmond, Steve Brennan.
Courses
6 kms: uphill on fire trail to the summit (total ascent 690 m)
8 kms: 2 kms out and back then 6 kms to the summit (total ascent 795 m)
11 kms: 5 kms out and back then 6 kms to the summit (total ascent 1000 m)
Photos:
https://hardingjohn.smugmug.com/Sports/Mountain-running/15-May-2016-Aust-Mtn-Running/
Race report:
Former world stair racing champion Mark Bourne and former Olympic marathoner Martin Dent are also both former Australian mountain running champions. Dent has not been doing much hill training of late but has excelled in long hilly trail races in recent years. The 11 km Australian Men’s Championship course on Mt Tennent in the ACT has 1000m of climb, achieved through an initial 2.5 km run steep uphill run, returning downhill to the start, then a 6 km uphill to the finish at the fire tower on the summit.
Bourne led from the start and by the 5km turnaround point was 150m ahead of Martin Dent. At the finish the margin was much the same, with Bourne winning in 54.21, a minute outside Nick Wightman’s course record, and Dent second in 54.48 and 2014 Australian rep Alan Craigie 3rd in 57.51. All three were from the Weston Creek Athletics Club. Ben Lucas of Doncaster Atletics Club in Victoria also bettered the 1 hour mark in 4th 59.51, just ahead of 2015 Australian champion Michael Chapman on 1.00.00.
Former Australian rep Elizabeth Humphries of the ACT has been injury plagued in recent years but put it altogether to achieve a surprise victory in the Women’s 8 km Championship in 49.13. Former 4-time Australian mountain running champion Kate Seibold of Victoria has been in great form recently in cross country and on the track and road and looked like she was on the way to another victory when she held a slender lead at the 2km point over Humphries and ACT cross country star Alexandra Grant. However, she could not maintain the same pace in the 6 km ascent and Humphries surged to a strong win in 49.13, with Grant second in 50.34. Orange runner Meg Reeves paced herself brilliantly to move through the field and grab third in 52.36. Fourth to sixth were filled by 3 former Australian mountain running reps in Louise Sharp, Kate Seibold and Emma Kraft, while Grace Crane who has won many Australian orienteering championships and performed well at the World Orienteering Championships was 7th.
There was a Queensland double in the Junior Championship races by two runners who performed very well in their debuts at the World Junior Mountain Running Championships last year. Tim Vincent, 17, won the Junior Men’s 8 km in 42.33 and Joanna Hills, 18, the Junior Women’s 6 km. Kembla Joggers’ Eligh Morris, 16, was 2nd in 45.48 and Tom Bartlett from the ACT 3rd in 51.54 in the Junior Men, while Chelsea Saw from Victoria was 2nd in the Junior Woman in 42.06 and Australian orienteering rep Tara Melhuish was 3rd in 45.12.
The Mt Tennent Pale Ale Non-Championship 6 km Ascent was won by Michael Sullivan of NSW in 48.44 with Nick Melhuish and Hugh Moore the male place getters in 48.56 and 55.48 respectively. The top 3 woman were Zoe Melhuish in 48.55, Indeah Morris in 54.53 and Ana Herceg in 1.01.23.
| Event | Placing | First Name | Last Name | Age | Gender | State | Athletics club | |
| Senior men’s Championship | ||||||||
| 11km Championship | 1 | Mark | Bourne | 32 | Male | ACT | Weston Creek | 54.21 |
| 11km Championship | 2 | Martin | Dent | 37 | Male | ACT | Weston Creek | 54.48 |
| 11km Championship | 3 | Alan | Craigie | 32 | Male | ACT | Weston Creek | 57.51 |
| 11km Championship | 4 | Benjamin | Lucas | 29 | Male | VIC | Doncaster Athletics Club 2444 | 59.51 |
| 11km Championship | 5 | Michael | Chapman | 29 | Male | ACT | 1.00.00 | |
| 11km Championship | 6 | Charles | Brooks | 23 | Male | NSW | 2439 | 1.01.55 |
| 11km Championship | 7 | Andrew | Wallace | 29 | Male | ACT | 1.04.35 | |
| 11km Championship | 8 | Steve | Brennan | 49 | Male | VIC | Williamstown Aths | 1.06.54 |
| 11km Championship | 9 | Mckenzie | O’Brien | 21 | Male | NSW | 1.07.47 | |
| 11km Championship | 10 | Digby | Race | 50 | Male | VIC | Wodonga Athletic Club | 1.08.22 |
| 11km Championship | 11 | Martin | Pogson | 55 | Male | ACT | 1.12.00 | |
| 11km Championship | 12 | Darren | Blackhurst | 49 | Male | ACT | 1.15.00 | |
| 11km Championship | 13 | Nathan | Guinness | 44 | Male | ACT | 1.22.59 | |
| 11km Championship | 14 | Luke | Anderson | 34 | Male | NSW | 1.31.05 | |
| 11km Championship | 15 | Tim | Cochrane | 35 | Male | ACT | DNF | |
| 11km Championship | 16 | Alistair | Mcclusky | 46 | Male | ACT | DNS | |
| Teams: 1 ACT, 2 VIC, 3 NSW. |
||||||||
| Senior women’s Championship | ||||||||
| 8km Championship | 1 | Elizabeth | Humphries | 30 | Female | ACT | Weston Creek | 49.13 |
| 8km Championship | 2 | Alexandra | Grant | 20 | Female | ACT | Athletics ACT122 | 50.34 |
| 8km Championship | 3 | Meg | Reeves | 32 | Female | NSW | Orange Runners Club | 52.36 |
| 8km Championship | 4 | Louise | Sharp | 33 | Female | ACT | ACT Veterans Athletics Club | 53.02 |
| 8km Championship | 5 | Kate | Seibold | 41 | Female | VIC | Knox Athletics | 53.30 |
| 8km Championship | 6 | Emma | Kraft | 33 | Female | NT | Alice Springs Running & Walking Club | 55.12 |
| 8km Championship | 7 | Grace | Crane | 32 | Female | ACT | 56.26 | |
| 8km Championship | 8 | Pam | Muston | 56 | Female | NSW | Aura | 1.03.54 |
| 8km Championship | 9 | Heather | Vrachliotis | 33 | Female | NSW | Sydney Pacific Athletics Club 5858 | 1.04.43 |
| Teans: 1 ACT, 2 NSW. | ||||||||
| Junior men’s Championship | ||||||||
| 8km Championship | 1 | Tim | Vincent | 17 | Male | QLD | Ashgrove Rangers | 42.33 |
| 8km Championship | 2 | Eligh | Morris | 16 | Male | NSW | Kembla joggers | 45.48 |
| 8km Championship | 3 | Tom | Bartlett | 17 | Male | ACT | 51.54 | |
| 8km Championship | 4 | Alex | Race-Stelling | 15 | Male | VIC | Wodonga Athletic Club | 54.21 |
| Junior women’s Championship | ||||||||
| 6km Championship | 1 | Joanna | Hills | 18 | Female | QLD | Gold Coast Victory Club # 405 | 40.28 |
| 6km Championship | 2 | Chelsea | Saw | 17 | Female | VIC | South Melbourne 203451 | 42.06 |
| 6km Championship | 3 | Tara | Melhuish | 16 | Female | ACT | 45.12 | |
| 6km Championship | 4 | Morgan | Costelloe | 18 | Female | VIC | doncaster athletics club 1748 | 58.37 |
| Mt Tennent Pale Ale 6 km Mountain Challenge | ||||||||
| 6km non-Championship | 1 | Michael | Sullivan | 58 | Male | NSW | 48.44 | |
| 6km non-Championship | 2 | Nick | Melhuish | 56 | Male | ACT | 48.56 | |
| 6km non-Championship | 3 | Hugh | Moore | 67 | Male | ACT | 55.48 | |
| 6km non-Championship | 4 | Greg | Little | 48 | Male | ACT | 56.13 | |
| 6km non-Championship | 5 | Paul | Mahoney | 47 | Male | ACT | 58.08 | |
| 6km non-Championship | 6 | Geoff | Barker | 71 | Male | ACT | ACT Vets – 4875 | 1.05.01 |
| 6km non-Championship | 7 | Jason | Roberts | 41 | Male | ACT | 1.06.15 | |
| 6km non-Championship | 1 | Zoe | Melhuish | 13 | Female | ACT | 48.55 | |
| 6km non-Championship | 2 | Indeah | Morris | 13 | Female | NSW | Kembla joggers | 54.53 |
| 6km non-Championship | 3 | Ana | Herceg | 53 | Female | ACT | 1.01.23 | |
| 6km non-Championship | 4 | Louise | Mackin | 39 | Female | ACT | 1.10.21 | |