WHATEVER else happens at this year’s staging of a well-known Border run, the winner is assured of a course record.
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The 2016 Commercial Club Wodonga Classic on Sunday, a calendar fixture for 37 years, will start and finish at a new point, Bandiana Primary School.
Wodonga Athletic Club president Bill Pearce said growing residential developments and increased traffic had required a few course changes in the race’s history.
This year’s Classic will also cover the Baranduda bike path, Tooles Road and the hills of the stock route.
“So we’ve kept the core of the course,” Pearce said.
“We’ve always used that course, that part of the stock route since 1979 when it was first run. It’s always had that little bit in it, which is quite a testing series of undulations.”
A group of club members ran the new course on the weekend to test it out and positive comments followed.
“It offers a lot of variety in that it’s got a fast, flat surface to start with, which gets you really warmed up before you get into the hills,” Pearce said.
“And then that’s when the strength runners will come through.”
The Wodonga Classic began originally in spring to introduce the athletics season, but then inevitably clashed with grand finals in other sports.
“So we’ve moved it back to mid-winter and it’s been there for many, many years now,” Pearce said. “It’s traditionally attracted quite a number of good runners, but also a lot of the weekend warriors that just want to test their fitness and like to get out on an organised run.
“Being a winter run, once you get up on the hill surfaces can become a little bit wet at times, but that’s part of cross country running.”
The race categories include male and female open, under-20, over-40, 50 and 60. As well as the 11km main event at 10am, a 4km out and back children’s run will start 10 minutes later. Adults may enter, but will not be eligible for prizes.
Proceeds from the day will support Wodonga Athletic Club and Bandiana Primary School.
Pearce said the run usually attracted a field of between 80 and 110 runners, with many last-minute entries.
“They’re not rushing in just yet, but that’s the nature of the beast,” he said.
“A lot of people will just wait and see what the weather’s like on the day, being July.”
The president said early bird entries had also opened for this year’s Fed Hill Challenge on September 4.
“(The Classic) is probably the last major local run before that, so it’s a good hit-out for people for the Fed Hill Challenge,” he said.
For more information, go to wodongaaths.org.au.