Bendigo blitzes Ballarat race

ATHLETICS Bendigo Region’s number one men’s team blitzed rivals in last Sunday’s running of the On-backed cross-country action at Ballarat’s Lake Wendouree.

The Bendigo team, known as the Bats, had five runners in the top 12 of the men’s open 15 kilometres as it dominated premier division.

Chasing back-to-back premiership titles, Bendigo’s charge in the road race was led by Victorian open 10-kilometre cross-country champion and 2023 world championships representative Andy Buchanan.

Seventh in the marathon at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Buchanan completed the Lake Wendouree showdown in 45.06 minutes.

Bats’ team-mate Archie Reid marked his best run of the season by being third in 45.30.

Also in hot form for Bendigo were Nathan Stoate in fifth in 45.48, Matt Buckell at nineth in 46.36 and Bryan Keely finishing 27th in 48.16.

Top score of 11 points meant Bendigo moved 11 points clear of Box Hill in the premiership race at three rounds to go and the text best are Western on 56 and Glenhuntly with 55.

The unbeaten run by Bendigo in women’s division three kept rolling.

Virginia McCormick was runner-up in the 15-kilometre event clocking 51.50 as Tullie Rowe was 11th in 55.57.

Another of the region’s rising stars, Taryn Furletti came in at 56.16 to be 14th as Alice Wilkinson ran 59.12 for 34th.

Bendigo also won the men’s division three and six duels and took fourth in the women’s division four line-up.

In juniors, Bendigo was third in under-20 men, won under-18 boys, sixth in under-16 boys, and ninth in under-16 girls.

Round eight in XCR will be on 19 August when Ekiden Relays are contested at St Anne’s Winery in Myrniong and athletes will line up for the Burnley half-marathon on 3 September.

Finale to the On XCR action is on 16 September when The Tan Relays will be held on the iconic track in Melbourne.