Home crowd buzz builds for Portarlington Gift

PORTARLINGTON is sprinting into summer, with the town’s newest athletics showcase just one week away.

Strong interest suggests a busy and competitive day, with almost 550 entries received for the official events. A range of fun children’s races will also be open for on-the-day entries.

Local sprinter Harriett Fox, who will compete in the Gift and several other events, will add hometown interest to the program.

Fox said she was surprised to see Portarlington hosting a Gift race.

“When I saw that there’s a Gift in Portarlington, I was a bit baffled. I was like, ‘This is actually crazy’,” she said.

After missing the early part of the athletics season, Fox said she was starting to hit her stride at the right time.

“I travelled a lot this year, so I kind of missed my preseason, but coming back I just tried to lock in straight away and I’m finally starting to see the results from that,” she said.

“Obviously my goal is to win, because that would just be insane, winning a home Gift and also being the first winner.”

Event coordinator Peter Emerson said the carnival’s location helped set it apart on the Victorian Athletics League calendar.

“We think the location is a magnificent spot being so close to the beach,” he said.

“Often you’re running in stinking hot weather and you’re a million miles from water, so it’ll be great for the athletes to finish their run and they can go for a cool down and a swim.”

The carnival will feature a wide range of events, including 70m races and 120m Gift events across multiple age groups, with equal prizemoney for men’s and women’s races.

For more information, head to val.org.au/portarlington