Road Relays return to Ourimbah with Mingara

Friday 15th July, 2022

Road Relays return to Ourimbah with Mingara

The team relays across both the XC & Road terrains cultivate some of the best atmosphere across the annual Athletics NSW Winter Series, and tomorrow will be no exception.

The Road Relays have not been held since 2019, however Margaret Beardslee, Acting President of the host club of the event – Mingara Regional Athletics Club – is excited to be back. James Constantine (ANSW) caught up with her briefly this week in the lead-up:

JC: What makes the Road Relays an enjoyable event in terms of the location, course and club atmosphere?
 

MB: This venue is a fantastic closed course with a 2 loops per lap allowing spectators and team mates to engage easily and often with their team mates throughout the race. The venue is tight but roomy! Parking is close, Teams can locate comfortably close to the course in a classical University Village Green environment. The run venue is scenic and just enough challenge without being arduous! Facilities are plentiful and undercover is very generous!
 

JC: From a host club perspective, what does the Mingara committee put into hosting the event each year?

MB: The Mingara Athletics Club committee has been very willing to put up our hand to host an ANSW event. We have a strong experienced team and there was a need for a NSW Championship level event outside of the Sydney Metropolitan area. We researched a number of venue options and worked hard to convince Newcastle University to allow this event at their Ourimbah Campus; a first large outsiders event for them and many barriers needed to be overcome. It has turned into a stellar public relations coup for them and our sport is a winner too. As a club we work for our athletes and our community. It is fantastic to allow our local athletes an opportunity to showcase and compete in our sport in our home location.
 

JC: How do your athletes take advantage of staying close to home whilst participating in a great event?
 

MB: The Mingara Athletics Club started as a distance running group some 20 years ago; and mostly due to the National quality Regional Synthetic Athletics Track at Mingara, today our members are very strong in the sprints, hurdles, and field events. However, we are still able to enter a few teams and look forward to strengthening our distance numbers again in the future.

JC: Thanks for your time, Margaret - enjoy the weekend!

This weekend, Randwick Botany Harriers – as they have done so on several occasions this year – lead the number of club teams entered with 12, with Gosford Athletics fielding 9 teams, and Hills Districts and Run Crew 7 teams each. Athletics NSW looks forward to another great edition of this event tomorrow.

All Road Relays information, including the timetable and competing teams, is available via the event page on our website - https://www.nswathletics.org.au/events/136683/