Paige Campbell and Aaron Spiessberger–Parker crowned winners at the 124th NSW Cross Country Championships

19 June 2022

Paige Campbell and Aaron Spiessberger–Parker crowned winners at the 124th NSW Cross Country Championships

Despite the enormous amount of rain in 2022, the Willandra course was in immaculate condition for the running of the 124th NSW Cross Country Championships on Saturday. After a battle early, Paige Campbell won the women’s race, while former local athlete Aaron Spiessberger–Parker won a terrific tussle with dual Olympian Ben St Lawrence, to take the men’s title.

WOMEN

On the start line in the women’s 10km event, there were three podium favourites, 2019 World Cross Country representatives Paige Campbell (for Australia) and Aynslee Van Graan (for South Africa), along with the first NSW woman in the Sydney 10, Newcastle’s Jessica Noble.

It did not take long for the trio to build a gap on the field, running together for the first half of the race.

“I know Jess and Aynslee are good athletes, so I knew it was going to be a hard race, so I tried to take it easy through to 5km and then pull away in the second 5km,” said eventual winner Paige Campbell who clocked 36:18.

Aynslee Van Graan fought on strongly to place a terrific second in 36:33. In third was 21-year-old Newcastle physio student Jessica Noble with 37:02. Over the late stages of the race, Irish athlete Niamh Allen, stormed home to clocked 37:04, finishing just two seconds behind Jessica. Niamh, 27, was fifth in the Sydney 10 and is the current Ireland 1500m champion.

Fifth over the line, in 38:28, was Newcastle’s Laura Simon, an athlete on the improve, and who recently ran 2:44.55 in the Hamburg Marathon.

MEN

The men’s race was a close contest from the gun with Ben St Lawrence (RCR), Aaron Spiessberger-Parker (BAN), Joshua Johnson (BAN and Luke Hince (KEJ) clearing out on the field. All four had strong claims for favouritism, but it would come down to the last kilometre to decide the winner.

Canberra-based former local, Aaron Spiessberger-Parker recalled how the race unfolded.

“It was a lot warmer than the weather in Canberra – I definitely felt the heat a little bit,” he said.

“It was pretty quick as Josh took it out hard at the start. I tried to sit in feel comfortable.”

Things started to open up on the last lap.

“On that last 4km lap it was Benny and me. With 2km to go I made a move and he got back on with 1 km to go and I thought ‘I had used my move and he is probably going to win this one”.

But Aaron was not done yet.

“Then going up the last hill after the last bridge I noticed Ben didn’t push up the hill, so I made a move and kicked away.”

Aaron ran on for a six second win in 31:56, while Ben St Lawrence took silver with 32:02. Teenager Luke Hince was a terrific third in 32:20 and is certainly one to watch for the future.

Not far back in fourth was Joshua Johnson with a time of 32:36, holding off a group of strong finishers including 20-year-old Hamish Longworth (BAN) 32:41 and Leo Peterson (UTN) with 32:49.

A huge thank you to the Gibb family and the Victory Runners Club for hosting the event. The family and club officiated on the course, managed the car park and staffed the canteen. Another outstanding effort from the club and its supporters, as the venue hosted its 30th NSW Cross Country event for Athletics NSW.

The work and care that has gone into the development and maintenance of the course is enormous and as a result of untold hours per week led by Rod Gibb and funded by the family. Considering many cross country courses and sporting fields across Sydney and NSW are closed, as they are waterlogged, we are fortunate to have this great facility to conduct our Premier cross country event in 2022.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Paige Campbell leads Aynslee Van Graan in the open women’s race. (images courtesy of David Tarbotton)