Sandy's men produced their most dominant round of the season on the flat roads of Albert Park, packing four athletes into the top nine of a 695-strong field and winning the Premier Division with 68 points to Western Athletics' 241. James Heneghan led them home in third overall in 29:30. In the women's race Natalie Rule was second in a field of 234, and with three rounds to go Sandy still top both season ladders.
Round 7 was the Lakeside:10, a certified 10km road course finishing inside Lakeside Stadium, and this year the open men and women had separate starts for the first time.
Full official results are on the AV Results Hub, XCR Round 7, Lakeside:10.
Individual Results — Sandy athletes
Male Open 10km — four in the top nine
🏆 Four Sandy men finished in the top nine of a 695-strong field, and six scorers came home inside 61 seconds of each other.
James Heneghan finished third overall, just 22 seconds behind winner Matthew Buckell of Bendigo Region. Ben Buckingham (5th, 29:33), William Garbelotto (8th, 29:38) and Bailey Murzecki-Hince (9th, 29:49) all broke 30 minutes alongside him, with Tom Davoren (28th) and Hamish Donohue (29th) closing out the scoring six. Max Luke and Reece Langdon were next home inside the top 50.
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | James Heneghan | 29:30 |
| 5th | Ben Buckingham | 29:33 |
| 8th | William Garbelotto | 29:38 |
| 9th | Bailey Murzecki-Hince | 29:49 |
| 28th | Tom Davoren | 30:29 |
| 29th | Hamish Donohue | 30:31 |
| 44th | Max Luke | 31:07 |
| 47th | Reece Langdon | 31:14 |
| 177th | James Paproth | 33:47 |
| 488th | Matthew Hodder (M45) | 39:34 |
| 567th | John McGuinness (M45) | 42:03 |
| 583rd | Paul Azad (M45) | 42:45 |
| 689th | Jonathan Reeve (M50) | 56:09 |
Female Open 10km — Natalie 2nd overall
Natalie Rule finished second in a field of 234, 23 seconds behind Box Hill's Donve Viljoen. Mia Roux (5th, 34:39), Alice Oakley Kerr (15th, 35:52), Meg Oakley Kerr (26th, 36:43) and Orla Shackcloth (38th, 37:23) completed the scoring five, and nine Sandy women finished inside the top 66.
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Natalie Rule | 33:51 |
| 5th | Mia Roux | 34:39 |
| 15th | Alice Oakley Kerr | 35:52 |
| 26th | Meg Oakley Kerr | 36:43 |
| 38th | Orla Shackcloth | 37:23 |
| 41st | Lucy Polkinghorne | 37:28 |
| 50th | Andrea De Jong | 38:13 |
| 51st | Stella Crawford-Rust | 38:17 |
| 66th | Gabrielle Vincent | 39:03 |
Male Open 3km Short Course
Mike Bryant finished 22nd in a field of 30, in 13:18, racing in the M50 category.
Female Under 16 (3km)
Emily Wetzels finished 16th in a field of 32, in 11:17.
Male Under 16 (3km)
Finn Polkinghorne finished 38th in a field of 40, in 11:38.
Team Results — Round 7 Premier Division
🏆 Sandy's men won the round outright with 68 points, a margin of 173 over second-placed Western Athletics, banking the maximum 11 ladder points. The women were second on 73 points behind Box Hill on 59, taking 9 ladder points.
The Male 40+ team also fielded a full scoring three at Lakeside, finishing 29th. Full official team scores are on the AV Results Hub.
Season Ladder — after Round 7
Male Premier Division
Sandy lead on 75 ladder points (11, 11, 11, 11, 9, 11, 11 across the seven rounds), 17 clear of Western Athletics on 58, with Bendigo Region third on 53. The only points dropped all season came on the Round 5 relays. Full standings on the AV Results Hub.
Female Premier Division
Sandy lead on 70 ladder points, just two clear of Box Hill on 68, with Western Athletics third on 52. The title race goes down to the wire. Full standings on the AV Results Hub.
Next up
Round 8 is the Half Marathon and 6km at Lake Wendouree, Ballarat, on Sunday 9 August.
Photos
From XCR Round 7 at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park.
Photos by Neal Conder. Got more from Lakeside? Send them to sandyaths@gmail.com and we'll add them here.
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