THEY may be short, but the steep climbs at St Anne\u2019s Winery in Ravenswood will test runners in this Saturday\u2019s round of On-backed cross-country racing.<\/p>\n
Round three in the XCR series run by Athletics Victoria makes its way to the course at the foot of Big Hill for a second time.<\/p>\n
The inclines at Big Hill have played a crucial part in the training for some of Athletics Bendigo Region\u2019s team for this and upcoming rounds of the season.<\/p>\n
World cross-country championships representative Andy Buchanan is back in action to lead Bendigo in the eight kilometre contest.<\/p>\n
Commitments to the Hamburg Marathon meant Buchanan did not compete in the XCR legs at Jells Park or Albert Park.<\/p>\n
His lead-up to racing at St Anne\u2019s in Ravenswood where he won last year has included training with Bendigo team-mates Bryan Kelly and rising stars Harrison Boyd, Tully Lang, and Tullie Rowe.<\/p>\n
Bendigo will be well-represented across many divisions in the eight, four and three-kilometre showdowns at St Anne\u2019s on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cSt Anne\u2019s is clearly one of the toughest courses we have in this series,\u201d Buchanan said of a 10-race program.<\/p>\n
\u201cTraining at Big Hill is a unique experience. There are short, but steep climbs, and it\u2019s incredibly rocky.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorkouts at Big Hill are not about speed, but more about building leg strength and endurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bendigo\u2019s team, also known as the Bats, is determined to close or increase the gap on their rivals in the premiership standings.<\/p>\n
In pursuit of back-to-back men\u2019s premier division titles, Bendigo is third in this season\u2019s race led by Glenhuntly and Western Athletics, while the Bats lead the division three women\u2019s ladder.<\/p>\n
\u201cRacing much closer to home is an advantage we will aim to capitalise on,\u201d Buchanan said.<\/p>\n
The Bendigo team could number at least 50 and results are based on the six-best times for each team in the eight-kilometre duel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe performance of our sixth runner is just as important as the fastest two or three,\u201d Buchanan said.<\/p>\n
First race on Saturday starts at 12.20pm with the men\u2019s open and masters event starts at 1.40pm and will be followed by women\u2019s open and masters at 2.20pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THEY may be short, but the steep climbs at St Anne\u2019s Winery in Ravenswood will test runners in this Saturday\u2019s round of On-backed cross-country racing. Round three in the XCR series run by Athletics Victoria makes its way to the course at the foot of Big Hill for a second time. The inclines at Big […]<\/p>\n