NSW Short Walk Champs: Allanah Pitcher’s balanced victory

21 May 2023

NSW Short Walk Champs: Allanah Pitcher’s balanced victory

Australian 35km walk National record holder Allanah Pitcher and training partner Jack McGinniskin, are the NSW 20km walk champions for 2023. Testing a new venue, the Armory at Sydney Olympic Park, Allanah coasted to a win in 99:57, while Jack continued his solid progression in the last few years with a PB time of 95:43.

Women Open 20km Walk

Teenager, Allanah Pitcher started just her fourth 20km walk of the career today at the NSW Short Walks Championships, going on to take the title in 1:39:57, from training partner Hannah Bolton with 1:42.39, ahead of Bridget Bell in third with 1:48:18.

Allanah was reasonably pleased with her performance, a month after she broke the Australian 35km walk record in Japan.

“I’ve taken it a little easy after my 35km in Japan, it took a while for my body to recover from that race,” said Allanah. “All things considered I’m quite happy with that effort today. Time wise, not great, but under the circumstances I’m not to unhappy.”

She also gave the new venue the thumbs up.

“I liked the course, wider turns and we were able to see all the others throughout the course,” she said.

It was a massive PB for Hannah Bolton, nearly five minutes off the time she recorded in the National championships in February. The 19-year-old has destroyed her 5000m and 10,000m bests this year and in March on the track placed a notable fifth in the National open 10,000m title.

Allanah Pitcher

Although her National 35km walk record was broken today in Melbourne, Allanah can be very proud of her performance in Japan in April, however the step-up in distance took a toll. She took a moment today to reflect on her achievement.

“It was a lot of fun surprisingly. I really liked the longer distance and slightly easier pace of sustained walking. I only decided to race the 35km the week before. The longest I had walked was 30km in training. I thought I had nothing to lose.”

How did she approach the new distance?

“I wasn’t sure what I was going to do going into it. Do I play it safe and try and qualify (for the world championships) via points or go for the qualifier? It was good conditions and a really good track and good opposition. So, I decided to use the atmosphere to push me and hang onto the pace.

“I felt really comfortable on target pace, so I thought I’d do this as long as I can. I went through 20k feeling really good and thought ‘there is only 15k to go, so let’s try and hold this’. Each ‘k’ went past I thought ‘I’m stilling doing it’ then got to a point where I thought ‘this is going to happen.”

She clocked 2:50.23, taking three minutes off the National record and was 67 seconds under the automatic qualifying standard for the 2023 World Championships. She is almost certainly on her way to Budapest for her senior debut later in the year.

It capped off a magical 12 months for Allanah who had made her junior international debut a year earlier in Oman at the World Race Walking Team Championships, where she placed seventh in the U20 race and helped Australia to silver in the team event. She certainly has flourished through this period which has seen her transition from school to university. Allanah started off with Actuarial studies at Macquarie Uni in 2022, but made a change.

“It wasn’t aligning with my passions, so this year I switched to bio medical engineering (at Syd Uni), which keeps the maths element and my passion for the human body and helping people.”

“Uni provides a really good balance when training is not going so well, or you are backing off a little, it is good to have that other facet of your life, and not just attach your identity to your sport and results,” said Allanah.

“So Uni provides a balance and they complement each other. Now in my second year I’ve figured out the balance and how to do the Uni thing.”

“Sydney Uni have been so good at giving me special considerations for exams when you are overseas competing.” A resident of the Central Coast Allanah travels twice or three times a week to the Sydney campus, about an hour and a half each way.

“Even with my timetabling at Sydney Uni, they have been great at allowing me to fit the lectures into my training schedule and also be there when I need to use the gym.”

Men Open 20km Walk

With his training partners either interstate or overseas, Mingara’s Jack McGinniskin made the most of his opportunity to take the State 20km walk title. For the 20-year-old, it continued a terrific season where he has set PBs over 5000m, 10,000m and 20km. Today’s effort was a promising time of 95:43, as he continues to make a successful transition from junior to senior athlete.

Jasmine Dighton’s return

Former World Junior representative, Jasmine Dighton, 26, continued her return today, walking to 10km in the open women’s 20km event.

In just her third race in two years, she now manages her life with two young children, aged near four and two.

“I always did race walking through both of my pregnancies, but I really wanted to get back to competition and it is easier now the kids are older,” said Jasmine.

She is taking it one step at a time, and still under the guidance of South Coast based distance coach Andae Kalemusic.
“It is about enjoying it, and each week seeing how my body is coping. I will take it from there.

“I’ve shocked myself with how I have been walking in the last few weeks, which is a nice surprise. However, I get set-backs when the kids get sick as I usually get what they have.

“I normally get up early in the morning before everybody in the house is awake and use a treadmill and I’m done before everybody rises. I also do some training at Penrith regatta centre if the kids are in day care and I’m not working as a lifeguard at a pool. I just want to see little improvements and enjoy it.”

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Allanah Pitcher (courtesy of David Tarbotton)

Women 20km Race Walk Open

1 Allanah Pitcher - Sydney University Athletics, 1:39:57

2 Hannah Bolton - Mingara Regional Athletics, 1:42:39

3 Bridget Bell - Wests Track & Field Club, 1:48:18

Men 20km Race Walk Open

1 McGinniskin, Jack - Mingara Regional Athletics, 1:35:43

Other State champions:

Women 10km Race Walk Under 20 - Sienna Pitcher - Mingara Regional Athletics, 52:04

Women 3km Race Walk Under 18 - Ciara Cassilles - Westfields Athletics Club, 15:15

Women 3km Race Walk Under 16 - Matilda Webb - Winston Hills Athletics, 15:36

Women 2km Race Walk Under 14 - Sophie Polkinghorne - Hills Athletics  Club, 10:02

Women 1km Race Walk Under 12 - Avia Luketic - Athletics Balmain, 5:05

Women 1km Race Walk Under 10 – Stella Wade - Sydney Athletics Academy, 5:09

Women 5km Race Walk 40-44 Masters – Romina Garcia - Athletics Wollongong, 36:49

Women 5km Race Walk 50-54 Masters - Nicolle Challinor - Illawong Revesby Workers, 38:04

Women 5km Race Walk 55-59 Masters - Karen Herrmann - Illawong Revesby Workers, 38:05

Women 5km Race Walk 60-64 Masters – Anne Weekes - Illawong Revesby Workers, 37:33

Men 10km Race Walk Under 20 - Raven Pyda - Westfields Athletics Club, 52:43

Men 3km Race Walk Under 18 - Joel Byatt - 16 Girraween Athletics Club, 14:43.00

Men 3km Race Walk Under 16 – Christopher Nilon - 14 Parramatta City Athletics, 17:35

Men 2km Race Walk Under 14 - Callum Martin - Adamstown New Lambton, 10:16

Men 1km Race Walk Under 12 - Nate Appleyard - Winston Hills, 5:03

Men 1km Race Walk Under 10 - Harrison Bouquet - 5:23