Sydney:10 to host Australian Road Running Titles
The 2014 Sydney:10 will host the 2014 Australian Road Running Championships over the 10km distance. The formal announcement was made on Friday 28th February by Athletics Australia’s Competition Department ( see article here ). The Australian Road Running Championships had previously been hosted by the Launceston 10 for the last three years and as a part of the Great Australian Run in Melbourne in 2009.
“This is a great outcome for the Sydney:10” said Athletics NSW CEO Greg Meagher, “Athletics NSW has made it the flagship event of our winter running calendar since moving it to Sydney Olympic Park in 2008. Hosting the Australian Road Running Championships will lift the event even more as we welcome some of the best runners from around the country” Greg continued.
The event will again be held at Sydney Olympic Park for the 6th consecutive year and will, for the first time finish inside the stadium at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre (SOPAC).
This year’s Sydney:10 is aiming to be the best yet with a reconfigured course which includes a stadium finish at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre. The event will still complete two 5km loops of Sydney Olympic Park starting outside SOPAC on Dawn Frazer Ave and taking in the iconic Olympic Boulevard and extending out along Kevin Coombs Ave and Marjorie Jackson Parkway.
“The course has been altered to accommodate a stadium finish and to remove a slower section off Australia Ave” said organiser Scott Westcott. “We are excited to host the Australian Championships and saw it as an opportunity to improve the course to make it faster and more appealing to both the fun running community and for our elite runners” Scott continued.
While the Australian Road Running status aims to attract some of the best distance runners in Australia to contest the Sydney:10 it is the both club runners and the general public that give the event its colour and vibrancy as highlighted by Scott Westcott;
“We want to see more new runners at this year’s Sydney:10. For this reason we have developed a partnership with parkrun Australia where runners can represent their home parkrun and we are encouraging social runners to form their own teams like any other fun run. Many of our events are for traditional athletics clubs and registered athletes but the Sydney:10 needs to become more like a true mass participation event which celebrates everything good about running and community”
The Sydney:10 also includes a 5km and U/14 2.5km events and will be held on Saturday 3rd May. Entries are now open. For more information visit the event website at www.sydney:10.com.au
