Quality field in 10k competition

IT WAS a case of quality not quantity at the recent ADF 10k Championships held at Holsworthy and although numbers were down there were some exceptional performances and a new era of ADF athletic talent unveiled.

A field of just 28 runners faced the starter in warm conditions. The mainly flat course took them on four laps of a 2.5km loop that proved to the liking of most competitors.

Just after the halfway point Private David Whitehead (4RAR) decided he’d had enough of the conservative early pace and surged to the lead with only Corporal Geoff Hanckel (CSU WAG) and Warrant Officer Class Two Mark Anderson (1 HSB) able to hang on.

He then went up another gear in the last lap and left the other two to battle out the minor placings, winning in an excellent time of 33.24 min. CPL Hanckel hung on by just six seconds for second place ahead of the 43-year-old WO2 Anderson, in another great performance.

In the women’s race Captain Cathryn Rayward (3 Int COY), Second Lieutenant Tamyka Bell (7 CSR) and Private Jeni Greenland (4/3 RNSWR) battled it out.

They settled in to their respective order hoping that the later laps would take their toll on the others.

CAPT Rayward ran strongly to take out the event in 42.17 min followed by 2LT Bell in 44.11 min and PTE Greenland in 46.26 min. It was CAPT Rayward’s first ADF event but she is already aiming for the State Teams Half Marathon Challenge in May.

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