PREVIEW: Open Women NSW Short Course XC Event

Published Fri 17 Jul 2020

17 July 2020

PREVIEW: Open Women NSW Short Course XC Event

The line-up for the open women’s 5km event at the NSW Short Course Cross Country in West Dapto this Sunday has the best depth for years with five athletes that have competed at the World Cross Country Championships starting in the 5km event.

The team’s race will be very interesting. If Sydney University can bring their full squad, they will be tough to beat, and finish ahead of Run Crew and Bankstown.

At the pointy end, Paige Campbell (Sydney Uni) looks unstoppable. Over the last two years she has compiled a remarkable series of performances from steeplechase to 10,000m and over cross country. She placed a brilliant 29th at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships in Denmark. Campbell has been based on her family farm in Warren in NSW’s northwest, so will be making a long trip to Wollongong and is excited to be back racing.

“Following a couple of niggles through Feb/March/early April I have put together some very consistent training,” Campbell said. “I have been training at home on the farm solo other than the odd session with my sisters on the bike. I am very keen to have a race against a quality field, I know everyone will be very fit and ready to go which is exciting. It’s fantastic that NSW athletics are able to run this event!”

Sutherland’s Lexy Gilmour made her Australia debut in her teens at the 2005 World Youth Championships. A couple of years later, Gilmour took a long break from the sport, but resumed in around 2015 and within two years she was back in the green and gold, selected in the Australian team for the 2017 World Cross Country Championships. Earlier this year she ran a 5000m PB of 17:32 and just last week won the Run Crew 10km trial in 36:38.

Run Crew coaches Ben St Lawrence and Gary Howard are enthusiastic about her form.

“Lexy hasn't missed a beat for two years. Without any fuss, she's impressively balancing her career, study, training load and travel from Helensburgh. She is in great shape, and always competes hard. We're looking forward to seeing her test herself against this strong women's field.”

Marnie Ponton (Bankstown) has enjoyed an enduring and successful career, winning national medals for 21 years in events from mountain running to steeplechase, cross country and half marathon. In 2019, in a high quality world cross country trial, she won selection for the national team for the World Cross Country Championships where she was the fourth Aussie to finish and assisted the Australian team to an outstanding fifth. Last year she ran an impressive 2:37 marathon and won this short cross country title 11 years ago in 2009.

“I’m stoked to finally have a race! I love cross county and I can’t wait to toe the line with all the other ladies,” said Ponton who is coached by Dick Telford.

New signing from the Delta Running Project, Lauren Reid, came to prominence after making the 800m and 1500m finals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games trials clocking PB times of 2:03.81 and 4:14.75. But she has also impressed over a great range of distances, and during the last 12 months has clocked PBs of 4:12 (1500m), 9:21 (3000m), 15:57.31 (5000m) and 72:38 (half marathon).

“I’m definitely excited and grateful for the opportunity to race again,” Reid said. “I figured even though I’m not feeling my best, it’s good to get amongst it and enjoy the competitive atmosphere. It will be a good chance to gain a bit of insight into where my fitness is at.”

Lauren Carey (St George) is all class in cross country. Last year, aged 15, she placed 16th in the under-20 event at the World Cross Country Championships – the highest place by an Aussie junior for 10 years.

Carey, now 17, will tackle the senior race at West Dapto. Coach Gary Howard, at Run Crew, is very pleased with her recent progress.

“Lauren has had a great 10 months, she is as close to her World XC form as possible, with a block of racing the only missing ingredient. She's performed very well in our squad time trials and XC races, but it's not quite the same as fair dinkum racing. When we saw the strength of the open women's field, we felt it would be a fun learning experience for her to mix it against some of the best.”

South African Aynslee van Graan, 24, will definitely be a factor in the race. Currently based in Sydney and training with the Run Crew squad, she is a well credentialled athlete who competed at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships. On the track she has PBs of 4:19/9:33/16:34 for 1500/3000/5000. In 2018 she graduated Coastal Carolina University in America with an Art degree.

Sarah Marvin (Sydney Uni) has been improving over the last 12 months, placing third last year in the NSW XC championships and quick track times of 9:25 for 3000m and 16:59 for 5000m.

Two surprise packets could be Keely Small (Kembla Joggers) and Katie Conlon (Run Crew). Canberra-based Small is the fastest Australian junior half-miler ever and was an impressive seventh in the under-20 Australian XC Championships. Conlon, an American based in Australia, won the Hobart marathon with 2:42 in January and last year was fifth in the Sydney10 with an impressive 34:17.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Paige Campbell at the World Cross Country (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)