ATHLETES will race on one of Australia’s fastest street circuits in this Sunday’s running of the Lakeside ten-kilometre classic at Albert Park.<\/p>\n
An action-packed morning of racing in South Melbourne starts with a three-kilometre event at 8.20am.<\/p>\n
The 10-kilometre contest begins at 9am.<\/p>\n
Bendigo Bats will aim to climb some rungs on the premier men’s division ladder in round three of the On-backed XCR series run by Athletics Victoria.<\/p>\n
In pursuit of a premiership hat-trick in the open men’s top class, Athletics Bendigo has scored 15 points in a race led by Mentone, 19; Western, 17; and Glenhuntly, 16.<\/p>\n
The Bats line-up is considerably strengthened by the return of gun marathon competitor Andy Buchanan.<\/p>\n
Racing in and then recovery from the Hamburg Marathon meant Buchanan did not contest the XCR series opener at Jells Park or the next leg at Hanging Rock.<\/p>\n
Distance is much shorter than a marathon hit-out of 42.2 kilometres, but Buchanan is likely to be at or near the front of the Albert Park classic.<\/p>\n
Bats’ team-mates Archie Reid, Brady Threlfall and Nathan Stoate all ran strongly at Hanging Rock to be fifth, seventh and eighth at the iconic venue.<\/p>\n
In division two women, Bendigo starts the round in fourth place on 15 points.<\/p>\n
The race is led by Malvern, 21; Yarra Ranges, 19; and Essendon, 16.<\/p>\n
Bendigo’s squad for Sunday’s race includes marathon champion Jill Wilkie, Rebecca Wilkinson, Tullie Rowe and Anne Buckley.<\/p>\n
At under-20 level, Logan Tickell will be aiming for back-to-back wins after his success in the seven-kilometre duel at Hanging Rock.<\/p>\n
The Bats have scored 13 points to be second in the under-20 men’s race led by Mentone on 22.<\/p>\n
Highs for Bendigo include the 50-plus women’s team leading the title race on 19 points from Mentone, 16; and APS United, 15.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ATHLETES will race on one of Australia’s fastest street circuits in this Sunday’s running of the Lakeside ten-kilometre classic at Albert Park. An action-packed morning of racing in South Melbourne starts with a three-kilometre event at 8.20am. The 10-kilometre contest begins at 9am. Bendigo Bats will aim to climb some rungs on the premier men’s […]<\/p>\n