The Paine Family Memorial ten kilometre handicap at Burnie is conducted over a tough, hilly circuit but is popular with runners.
So despite a biting, cold wind, a good field lined up for the 2019 edition and it proved to be a close and exciting contest. Race favourite, Penguin’s Judy Ray, had to dig deep in the sprint to the line to record a narrow victory over fast-closing backmarker, Keegan Powell by just two seconds.
Ray had been close to winning this race in the past with a couple of placings and was delighted to finally break through. It was her fourth win with the club since commencing in 2007 and her first since a foot operation two years ago to correct an injury which had been restricting her. Her other wins were all on similar hilly courses which suit her running style.
Frontmarker, David Murton, led for much of the final part of the event and held on for third ahead of Simon Gates and the greatly improved Vicki Knapman.
Promising efforts were produced by Ewen Troughton, Josh Febey and Michael Bates, all finishing within the “top ten”.
Brad Taylor was fastest man. He ran 36:24 and finished ninth, while Lyn Saint-John was the fastest woman with a time of 40:55, the fifth fastest in the whole field.
The nominated time “Feature Race” winner was Lucy van Rooyen from Mackenzie and Dominic Troughton.