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Sunny, warm conditions greeted PCCCT members as they arrived at the Don Cricket Ground for the Cradle Coast Sports and Events seven kilometre handicap.

Despite the Ross running carnival also being on, a good field gathered to hear the Race Manager’s address.

The race appeared as if it would be an open one, with many chances.

Nat Luttrell led the field away from the 3:15 mark with John Purton in hot pursuit.

Well into the race, Barry Ling had taken over the lead and was going well but at the five kilometre mark he was overtaken by Burnie runner, Sven Mason, who was then not going to relinquish his lead despite being chased strongly by pre-race favourite John Badcock and a pack of backmarkers including Andrew Rolls and Aaron Robertson.

Mason eventually had a comfortable win from Rolls and Josh Febey who finished strongly.

Others to race into the top ten included Terry Watson and Amie Bramich. Terry Watson continued his good form, finishing fourth while one of last week’s winners, Sally Milbourne, surprised with her seventh.

Mason was pleased to record his third win with the Club and first since 2012. He got very fit over summer doing lots of “fast-packing”, which is bush-walking at pace. He had recorded two seconds this year so was relieved to break through.

Fastest male and female were Jason Fehlberg and Amie Bramich respectively.

Nominated time winners were Hannah Elphinstone, Lucy van Rooyen, Brian Paine and Maverick Baxter.

Race04 Don Line Position 7km D’port Sports and Events

Race04 Don Fastest 7km D’port Sports and Events

It was a day for the female runners at Devonport Bluff on Sunday with the Devonport Mazda Front Markers and Simons Design Centre Back Markers 5km events taken out by Sally Milbourne and Brooke Fehlberg respectively.

Milbourne, who started a strong favourite for her event, ran with the Club for a couple of seasons six or seven years ago but then injuries, work and having children kept her away until this year.

She had a comfortable victory with husband and wife, Sven and Karina Mason filling the placings. Sven gaining the bragging rights for this week by finishing forty seconds in front of Karina. Others to record promising performances included Ros Hendriks, Steve Allen and Barry Ling.

Fastest male was John Badcock with Kelly Baxter fastest female.

The Back Markers was an exciting event, the field being packed with some of the best distance runners on the Coast.  However, Fehlberg wasn’t daunted. Starting from the front mark, she defied all challengers to lead from start to finish and hung on for a narrow win from Amie Bramich and youngster Alex Johnstone.

Great runs were recorded by Thomas Murton and Brian Lyons, the last two runners away, both storming into the top ten.

Fastest male and female were Thomas Murton and Amie Bramich respectively.

Nominated time winners were Jennifer Fuller, Marion Badcock, Ruby Greenhill and Alicia Bramich.

Race03 Devonport Frontmarkers Line Position 5km Devonport Mazda

Race03 Devonport Frontmarkers Fastest 5km Devonport Mazda

Race03 Devonport Backmarkers Line Position 5km Simons Design Centre

Race03 Devonport Backmarkers Fastest 5km Simons Design Centre

Race two of the Professional Cross Country Club of Tasmania’s season was run at Port Sorell on Sunday, the first race for the club in this area.

Most of the loop course was run on scenic bush tracks which proved popular with competitors.

After a string of placings since he first ran with the Club in 2017, Somerset runner Kyle Groenewege was thrilled to finally break through for a victory. He had to pull out all stops, however, to hold off the fast finishing backmarker, Thomas Murton who is back in form after a long recovery from a lower leg injury.

Groenewege is unable to run every week due to working shifts on the West Coast so he feels he has to make the most of the chances he has and he certainly did that on Sunday.

He had just ten seconds to spare at the finish from Murton with one of the pre-race favourites, Simon Gates, finishing just nine seconds further back in third.

With about a kilometre to run, John Badcock who had taken over the lead from Sally Milbourne looked the winner, but he was not able to hold off the placegetters who started from back marks.

Others to record promising runs were Josh Febey, Marcus Cook and Brooke Fehlberg

Murton was the fastest male with Ellen Elphinstone the fastest female.

Earlier the nominated time winners were Kaleb Turner, Will van Rooyen, Zoe Lakeland and Jan Purton.

Race02 Port Sorell Line Position 7km Glow Cosmetics-1

Race02 Port Sorell Fastest 7km Glow Cosmetics

The PCCCT’s  year got underway on Sunday with the running of the Burnie Sports Power five kilometre handicap at Wivenhoe.

Seventy-eight runners, an excellent number, gathered to hear the starter’s orders, endorsing the slightly later start to the season.

They enjoyed the out and back course to Fernglade and also the great running weather.

The race provided an early birthday present for Ridgley runner, Vicki Knapman, who will be eighteen next week. In her third year with the club, Knapman has trained very hard over the summer months under master trainer, John McGuire.

She has been running up to eighty kilometres a week and the work has paid off. The huge improvement she has made from the last two years gave her victory by almost three minutes from second placegetter, Sven Mason, after she took the lead at the halfway turnaround point. Another young runner in Andrew Bates was third.

Mason’s run was an excellent one and indicated an early season win while Bates continued his great form from last year.

Other runners to catch the eye for future races included Simon Gates, Ewen Troughton, Brooke Fehlberg and Caroline Brett.

Fastest time for the men was recorded by Hobart runner, Phil McConnon with Lyn Saint-John fastest woman.

Earlier the nominated time winners were Quinn Aitken, Will van Rooyen, Kyla Cassidy, Cayla Ward and Milla Price.

Race01 Wivenhoe 5km Burnie Sportspower Fastest

Race01 Wivenhoe 5km Burnie Sportspower Line Positions