Race Previews 2022

The PCCCT – Running Club Greg and Dianne Woodhouse Marathon is the longest-running handicap marathon in Australia, and the 2022 edition of the race will be held this Sunday.

Alongside, it will see the second running of a relay marathon with teams of four runners sharing the hard work. This year the event has been named the Terry Watson Memorial Teams Handicap in honour of the late Terry Watson who was a Club member and promoted and sponsored the first teams marathon held last year.

Both races utilise the pathway between Ulverstone and Turners Beach, starting at River Park in Ulverstone, and heading out to the end of the esplanade at Turners Beach, before returning. The Marathon competitors will complete two laps of this course, with Teams Marathon competitors each completing a 10.55km point to point leg.

A small but quality field will assemble for the main event, the Marathon, with the first runner away at 7am.

It is always difficult to predict the winner of this event because of the distance and it is even harder this year as there are three runners having their first races with the Club.

On exposed form, Amy Courto should start favourite. She is proven over distances even longer than a marathon and is in good form. Troy Reader may be her main danger while Lib Smith always enjoys this event and will be very competitive.

There are eighteen entered in the relay and a close exciting race is anticipated. The first team will get underway at 7am.

Entries for both events have now closed. There will be no nominated time event this week.

Handicaps will be posted Friday at 6pm, along with the race brief.

Toilets and changerooms in the new facilities will be available.

NOTE – The men’s race will commence at 9:30 with the women’s race as soon as possible after the completion of the men’s race. (The order of the races was incorrect on the entry page)

Please be aware we are sharing paths with the public and need to give other users due consideration.

The course is a very simple one. It is four clockwise laps, plus a bit, of the streets surrounding Meercroft Park. Care will be needed running the back straight, North Street, as there is no footpath there.

Similarly, care is needed while running through the parking area on the William St side of Meercroft Park.

Thank you to our sponsors – Anne and Ben Ketelaar (men’s race) and Everyday Lions (women’s race).

This Sunday the PCCCT – Running Club will conduct split division races at Meercroft Park Devonport.

Until last year, the event has been split into Frontmarkers and Backmarkers. However, last year saw the races run by gender which proved very popular and has been retained for 2022.

Split division races events are very popular with runners because as well as competing in one event, they get to watch the other.

The course is a flat, fast, four lap one on the road around Meercroft Park. and this also makes them great viewing for spectators.

The Ketelaars Male Five-kilometre Handicap will be run first at 9:30.

There are many men who have been close without winning lately and one who will be well suited here is Brendan Burr. After starting the season slowly, he has been getting closer each week and was not far away in finishing ninth last week.

He will be challenged strongly by Jordan Mathews, Steven Tammens and backmarker, Hayden Bishop.

Pat McMahon will also be a big chance to take a deserved win.

The Everyday Lions Female Five-kilometre Handicap will follow and should also be an exciting contest. Selina Crispin is favoured here. She won this event last year so proved the course suits her. She is back in winning form running a great sixth last week

Felicity Lovatt will be the hardest to beat while Lyn Saint-John, Rhian Miles and Anne Thomas will also be chances. Runners are reminded that entries are online only and close at 6pm Friday. New members are always welcome.

This week’s race starts at the Howe Street Netball Centre in Burnie. It is a hard 6 km but only has one hill to worry about. You will be crossing many driveways and several streets including the main entrance into the Burnie hospital, so please take care and always check carefully before crossing!  

The race starts on Howe St and turns left onto West Park Grove heading down the hill. The course enters the top gate of West Park and stays on the path down to exit the gates at the bottom.  Runners then stay on the footpath along the Bass Highway.  At Buttons Ave, cross the road and follow the footpath over the hill (DO NOT run on the road). Continue on the footpath and then turn left onto Brickport Rd. Continue up Brickport Road on the left footpath until just before the roundabout at Futuna Avenue/Uplands Place where you will cross to the right. After the roundabout, you will be crossed back to the left and follow Mooreville Rd to West Park Grove.  Run down West Park Grove and stay on the left to re-enter Howe Street and on to the finish. 

 Safety warnings: 

• The top of the path through Burnie Park is undergoing maintenance. Please take extra care running down through this section. 
• You must ONLY cross roads at the marked points 
• You are responsible for your own safety. 

This week sees members of the PCCCT- Running Club head to Burnie for the Glow Cosmetics “Big Six” 6km handicap.

The course is a circuit, starting and finishing at the Howe Street Netball Centre and uses West Park Grove, the Bass Highway and Brickport Road. It requires runners to be proficient at steep gradients, both downhill and uphill.

The shorter distance, following two longer events will be welcome for some and a good field is anticipated.

Following her great victory in the Club’s ten-kilometre Women’s Championship last week, Penguin runner, Lyn Saint-John, will be a top chance.

Amazingly, Saint-John ran nearly a minute faster in taking out that event than she did in winning it in 2021, indicating she is in great form. She also placed eighth overall on time, thus beating all but seven of the men. This course will suit her perfectly and she could be the one to beat.

Jason Scott and Steve Tammens have both had numerous placings this year and will be her main challengers. They were third and fourth respectively last

Other competitors whose recent form gives them top chances include Pat McMahon, Ross Smith and Rhian Miles.

Entries close at 6:00pm on Friday with the race beginning at 9:30. New runners are always welcome but must register for membership first. Both registration and entries can be done at www.pccct.org.

There will be a nominated time event at 9:00.

Remember: this is a mass start/sealed handicap event. The handicaps and handicap race placings will be revealed following the race. Race start is at 9:30am.
It incorporates the Club’s 10km championships and for which there will be medallions and prize money.
Please take care crossing streets and also on sections of the track which can be uneven. Only cross streets at the designated points.
The race commences at the parkrun start near the playground at The Bluff. Follow the path to the turn which is approximately opposite George Street. Return to The Bluff, crossing the road at the crossing point before the skate park.
Follow the path to Coles Beach, past Nixon Street, then follow the fingers and witches hats to Don College and around a loop in the Don Reserve before retracing your steps and finishing in front of the hockey centre.
A big thank you to our sponsors: Physiotas (handicap), Molly Malone’s Pub and UTAS Athletics Club (championships).

The PCCCT – Running Club next event is the Physiotas “City of Devonport” 10-kilometre handicap which starts at Devonport’s Bluff Beach and uses the foreshore path and tracks in the Don Reserve.

This event will also incorporate the Molly Malone’s 10km Women’s Club Championship and the UTAS Athletics Club 10km Men’s Club Championship. The race will be a mass start, seeing all competitors commence at the same time. The first three males and females across the line will be the placegetters in the Championships. Handicaps will be applied after the race to determine the winner of the handicap race.

Thomas Murton will be the clear favourite to take out the championship for the men but if he falters there are others who will come into contention. These include Andrew Winkel, Hayden Bishop, Tom Young and Josh Febey.

The women’s championship should see a tight contest between Rhian Miles, Lyn Saint-John, Ellen Burgess Isabelle Sharman and Felicity Lovatt with any capable of taking it out on the day.

In the “City of Devonport” handicap there are many potential winners as many runners have shown consistent form without breaking through. David Murton will have a great chance as he has been improving each week and ran a great race to finish fourth in last week’s “Mountain Classic”.

His main danger is definitely Jason Scott who followed a one second defeat two weeks ago with fifth last week.

Others with good chances include Dominic Troughton, Andrew Lucas and Kelly Baxter.

Runners are reminded that entries are online only and close at 6pm Friday. The race will start at 9:30am Sunday. New members are always welcome and encouraged to check our website. www.pccct.org

Nominated time events will be held at 9:00.

Please ensure you are at the start line for your posted handicap time. Race start is at 9:30am.

Please note: There is no nominated time event this week.

There will be drink stations but you need to place your own drink bottles in the collection crates at the start. Please make sure they have your name and number on them.

If you have a supporter providing you with drinks/nourishment, they must do this at the drink station. We don’t want runners or supporters crossing over the road during the race at random spots.

Please be very careful on this course because you will be running across intersections and driveways which won’t have marshals. 

The meeting place is at the cenotaph in West Park, Burnie.

Run east towards the gate and then up the path inside the park adjacent to West Park Grove. Exit the park and continue on the right -hand side of West Park Grove to Fortuna Avenue. Turn right and continue to towards the roundabout at Brickport Road. There will be a race marshall to cross you to the left-hand side of Futuna Avenue. Turn left into Mooreville Road.

Here you will be crossed over to the footpath on the right-hand side. Continue until you reach Three Mile Line Road and turn right.

Continue until you reach West Mooreville Road and turn left. Stay on this road until you reach its junction with Ridgley Highway, then go straight ahead before finally turning right to finish in the car park at the Ridgley Football Club.

The first of the season’s major races will be run this Sunday, with the running of the High on Penguin Mountain Classic 16.5km Handicap.

Starting at Burnie Park, the course heads up via West Park Grove, Mooreville and West Moorville Roads, to finish at Ridgley. It has a reputation for being a very tough course, with over 400m of elevation gained over the distance and members look forward to testing their fitness and resolve. It typically has suited the stronger runners, who can maintain a solid pace while conquering the hills.

A good field of forty-six has entered and while there are many realistic chances, Ben Brockman could very well be the strongest among them. He has shown great promise in shorter races this year and this distance will suit him down to the ground.

His biggest challengers look to be Ben Young, Jason Scott and Kelly Baxter. They have all recorded seconds in earlier races this year and will be hard to beat again.

Aaron Robertson, Felicity Lovatt and Rhian Miles all bear watching as they are each nearing a win and it could be here.

Gerard Lowry has won this race twice and is running well enough to make it a hattrick. Clearly, he loves the course.

Entries have now closed, with the first runner away at 9:30am. Handicaps, as well as the race brief, will be posted on the website www.pccct.org on Friday at 6pm.

The meeting place is at the Spreyton Cider Co on Melrose Road. However, the start will be in the big paddock across Sheffield Road where we have started in recent years. Please be careful crossing Sheffield Road. The course is the same as 2021.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT do your warm-up on Sheffield Road. Use the paddock or the area around the cidery.

Run straight up the paddock to Jowetts Lane and turn left. Follow the road (stay on the left) until a finger directs you left into an orchard where you will run straight ahead.

Follow the fingers and arrows which will take you through the cherry orchard, turn left and head down Pilgrims Road where you will be directed behind the apple shed. Complete the marked loop and rejoin your path out which will take you back to the start/finish.

The presentations will be at the Spreyton Cider Co. 

Thank you to Roselyn Hendriks for measuring and marking the course.