A Record Sydney 10 - Elite Women's & Men's Preview

Published Fri 05 May 2023

With over 2,300 runners from across New South Wales, and interstate, descending upon what’s quickly become one of the key road races on the domestic calendar for all runners, the Sydney 10 – featuring the NSW Road Championships – has solidified it’s identity as a welcoming event for anyone to be involved in.

With increases in both Athletics NSW member and recreational runner (non-member) figures, Sunday’s temperatures in the low teens and light breezes should provide a perfect platform for another fantastic edition of the event.

Before we take a look at the who’s who in the Elite 10km races, we’d also like to give thanks to the continued support from the Sydney Striders club, who once again are providing pacers for those try to break 40 minutes, 45 minutes, 50 minutes, 55 minutes and 60 minutes for the 10km, as well as volunteers assisting with water stations, medals and bib collection. Another 130+ Striders runners will also take part across the three event distances – an outstanding club effort once again from the green & white.

Women’s Elite 10km Field

Eloise Wellings returns to headline the Sydney 10 for the first time since 2015, and in that time has become an out-and-out road racer and one of the top female marathoners in the country. After a breakout 2022 season with a big marathon personal best of 2:25:10 in Nagoya, and a 4^th place in the Commonwealth Games Marathon, she looks to open her domestic road racing account in 2023 with newfound mental and physical strength.

“I thought the season as a whole was one of the most satisfying and enjoyable of my whole career. Every marathon I learned valuable lessons about the event which I know will help me in the future.”
“For me, it’s so much just about enjoying the process of working towards each goal. It’s about leaning into challenges, believing that I can do hard things and ultimately just trying to be the best athlete that I can be whilst also learning and growing as a person through all the ups and downs that sport itself can bring,” Wellings states.

After finishing 4^th overall at the 2022 Sydney 10, Aynslee Van Graan will look to not only find herself on the podium this year, but to possibly challenge Eloise for the title. The 2x South African World Cross Country Representative, who placed top-40 at the recent Bathurst World Title event, is no stranger to state title – winning the “Distance Treble” of the 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m track Championships across the 2021/22 Summer Season. And after opening her Winter 2023 account with a St George Classic win, she will look to make it two from two this Sunday.

Van Graan’s Run Crew training partner and Irish international, Niamh Allen, also ran very well in her first Australian road race last year – placing 5^th behind Van Graan. Hailing from the Worcester club and plenty of exceptional cross country performances under her belt, the 28-year old is certainly one to watch for the NSW podium in the women’s race.

Other contenders will include trail and ultramarathon champion Stephanie Auston – a previous UTA22 and Kosciuszko 100 winner – who will step down in distance to test her speed, Australian junior triathlete representative Chloe Bateup, who recently placed fourth at the Oceania Triathlon Championships, Queenslander Alexandra Blake, who has run 34:36 across the 10k distance and boasts a 2:48 Melbourne Marathon personal best from last year, and the evergreen Regina Wright, with the Novocastrian also a 34-mid 10k runner at her best.

A superb race record of 31:20 was set by Victoria’s Lisa Weightman last year, and it would be some sort of performance if we were to see Eloise, Aynlee, or any other athlete get within touching distance of the record in 2023.

There are a total of 31 outstanding female athletes in the Women’s Elite field, with many a breakthrough to be had by a great contingent of up-and-coming NSW runners.

Full Elite Women’s Field – 2023 Sydney 10
in alphabetical order by first name

Alexandra Blake
Alison Colgan
Amelia Gorman
Amy O’Halloran
Audrey Amiya-Hall
Aynslee Van Graan
Breanna Golub
Bronte Oates
Bronwyn Hager
Chloe Bateup
Cicely Brown
Eleanor Goldrick
Elise Falloon
Ella Higgins
Eloise Doherty
Eloise Wellings
Erika Jordan
Georgia Barr
Helena Eastham
Ingrid Cleland
Jasmine Sargeant
Jessica Burke
Karen Blaney
Katherine Gambell
Maya Borthwick
Michelle McAdam
Niamh Allen
Portia Olsen
Rachel McCormick
Regina Wright
Stephanie Auston

Men’s Elite 10km Field

The surprise of last year’s event was Kieren Perkins who took out the event overall, just missing Kieren Tall’s race record of 28:55 set the previous year by two seconds. The Queenslander, based out of the running club BERT (Brisbane Elite Run Training), ran regularly under 14 minutes over the 5,000m on the track through 2021/22, before focussing his efforts on the roads in 2022, to run an impressive 2:17 debut marathon in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Lining up for his first big race in 2023, we’re very happy to see the man from the sunshine state come back to defend his title.

Perhaps his biggest threat is the cult running icon of Sydney’s northern suburbs roads – Ed Goddard – who took out last year’s Sydney Half (NSW Half Marathon Championship) in style, breaking away from the field with a scoring first 7km lap in just over 20 minutes (2:52/km). Now a marathoner-at-heart, Goddard has developed a new level of aerobic strength and speed, regularly clocking 190km+ week in training. Also not one to race wondering, Ed will look to make it fast from the gun, and like Perkins and possibly other contenders in the field, will have half an eye on Tall’s race record of 28:55.

There are a host of other exciting gents to watch out for in this one – including Bathurst World U20 Cross Country representative Ciaran Rushton, and his coach & Sydney 10 past winner Ben St Lawrence (2018 & 2019), as well as the in-form man from Wollongong, Luke Hince, who was very impressive in shaking off St Lawrence and Matthew Cox in winning the St George Classic a fortnight ago.

A tantalising Elite Men’s field of 31 superb athletes will take part at the Sydney 10 on Sunday, with conditions favouring finishing times well into the 28’s if the pace is hot from the start.

Full Elite Men’s Field – 2023 Sydney 10
in alphabetical order by first name