Adam Parker has won the most recent race of the Bendigo Athletic Club season by the narrowest of margins, in the VM & HM Drechsler 8000 metre Sealed Handicap held in Melbourne at the back of Tullamarine Airport at Woodlands Historical Park on Sunday morning.
Through persistent rain, Parker pipped Chook Stewart by just one second, to claim the $250 local prizemoney & sash, with Jessica O’Hara in third place.
Parker’s time of 28.35 minutes was a 20 second personal best, gaining him maximum points in the Bridge Hotel Open Award, with second placing to Ben Goode, just in front of the much improved Daniel Ryan.
Whilst in the Flack Advisory Award for the Top Veteran, 2nd placegetter overall Chook Stewart captured top points with his impressive over 60’s time of 32.26 minutes followed by Lyn Crome with Ingrid Douglass close behind.
The weekly winner of the Liz & Mark Findlay Under 23 Award & third place overall was Jessica O’Hara, from Jacob Nolan & Tim Dooley.
Tim Dooley again race strongly taking out this week’s fastest time honours in 28.01 minutes, just ahead of Jacob Nolan 28.10 & Daniel Ryan 28.34 minutes.
Fastest of the women on the day was Ingrid Douglass in 33.39 minutes, ahead of Jess O’Hara 34.24 minutes and Kerrieanne Hocking the third fastest in 37.43 minutes.
Rounding out the local results, the Bendigo Original Pie Shop Ladies Award was taken out by Jess O’Hara , ahead of Lyn Crome and Ingrid Douglass.
The race was held as part of the 19th Annual Caruana Cross Country Classic Handicap.
Melbourne runner Brigitte Seeley collected the $1000 winner’s prizemoney, running 31.39 minutes to beat Anthony Whitby, with Bendigo’s own Ingrid Douglass in third place, running a very impressive 33.39 minutes.
Other Bendigo runners in the top 10 included Adam Parker 9th & Chook Stewart 10th out of the 71 finishers.
This Sunday’s race is the Phil Noden 6500 metre handicap at Keith Noden’s property in Miller’s Flat Road, Whipstick, (right off the Neilborough Road, 5km from the end of Simpsons Road, Eaglehawk) with a Children’s 1000 metre event starting at 10am, followed by the main race at 10.30am.
