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Weekend Race Report

Saturday 19 Sept saw 800 runners race across the 100km solo, 50km solo and the 100km relay events at Surf Coast Century ultra trail run in Anglesea. And on Sunday 32,000 decended upon Sydney for the 42km, 21km, 9km and 3,5km family fun run at the Blackmore’s Sydney Running Festival.

SATURDAY 19 SEPTEMBER: SURF COAST CENTURY

The Surf Coast Century ultra trail run started at sunrise on the Anglesea Main Beach with runners enjoying a course consisting of bush and 4WD trails, flowing single track, sandy beaches, coastal headlands and cliff top trails with endless views across the Great Ocean Road.

First over the finish line in the 100km event was team Love the Run, taking line honours for the third year in a row and setting a new course record of  7:15:41.

Paul Munro from Melbourne paced himself brilliantly for the first 75km to creep to the lead in the final leg and finish strongly, winning the 100km in 8:17:08. He broke the previous individual course record by over 8 minutes, which had been set by Rowan Walker in 2012.

New Caledonian runner Cocherau Oswald took the field by surprise and won the 50km event in just 3:33:03. In second was Tim Oborne from Queensland and then Fergus Koochew.

Kellie Emmerson, last year’s female winner and current women’s course record holder, stole the show. She was untouchable as she powered through the 100km, absolutely blowing the rest of the field away. She set a new women’s course record in a smashing time of 9:18:15, finishing 11 minutes faster than last year and nearly an hour ahead of her nearest rival.

In the women’s 50km event nobody stood a chance against former World Orienteering Champion Hanny Allston from Tasmania who had a clear win in 3:43:56.

Many runners finished in the dark with just a head torch to light their way through the coastal trails. After the many hours on their feet they were treated with fairy lights to guide them back down Anglesea Beach and through the finish to the crowd of loving family and friends.

For the full event results visit: SurfCoastCentury.com.au

SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER: BLACKMORE’S SYDNEY RUNNING FESTIVAL

Participants ran and walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to finish lines at the Sydney Opera House and Conservatorium of Music in the 15th Blackmores Sydney Running Festival.

In just his second ever marathon, 30-year-old Hisanori Kitajima from Japan won the Marathon event in 2:12: 44, leading home countryman Hiroki Yamagashi in 2:12.48.

The women’s marathon event was won by Kenya’s Mirriam Wangari (pictured above), who was competing in her first Blackmores Sydney Marathon, in a time of 2:34.38.

Wheelchair racing great Kurt Fearnley won his eleventh Blackmores Sydney Running Festival title, making it an incredible 39 career wins in his 60th marathon start.

Japan’s Kinya Hashira and Kikuyo Tsuzaki crossed the line first in the men’s and women’s Half-marathon. Hashira becomes the third Japanese runner to win the men’s event in four years, finishing in 1:05:50 and  Tsuzaki winning the women’s race in 1:14:23.

Maroubra’s Harry Summer won gold in the men’s 9km race in 26:59 and Coogee’s Victoria Mitchell who the womens 9km in 30:45, her second straight win.

Bexley’s (NSW) Ali Najem won the 3.5km Medibank Family Fun Run in a time of 10:29, and Imogen Stewart (Gymea) won the womens in 11:55.

For the full event results visit: sydneyrunningfestival.com.au

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