Michele wins NOL title as NSW women take the spoils

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Last Updated: Tuesday, 07 October 2014 12:59

Garingal's three-time JWOC rep Michele Dawson has won the junior women's National League (NOL) title following the Australian Long Distance Champs in WA on Saturday.

Michele's fourth place was just enough to hold off Tasmania's Anna Dowling, who finished second behind Victorian Lanita Steer in the 7.8km race at Warranine Brook. Nicola Blatchford (NC) also had a chance to win but her sixth placing meant she remained third overall.

There was more good news for ONSW runners, with Georgia Jones (UR) and Daniel Hill (GO) named in the Australian Schools Honour team - and Callum Davis (BF) and Daniel in the Australian Schools team to compete against New Zealand in Tasmania in January. Georgia is a reserve. Well done to all!

NSW winners on Saturday were Mikayla Enderby (W10A), Ellen Currie (W12A), Cath Chalmers (W45A in a NSW trifecta), Sally Devenish (W45AS), Julia Prudhoe (W55AS), Lyn Dabbs (W60A), Jean Baldwin (W70A), Maureen Ogilvie (W80A), Ewan Shingler (M12A), Josh Blatchford (M21A), Rob Spry (M55AS), Basil Baldwin (M75A), Neil Schafer (M85A) and Katie Wallace (Open Easy).   

As a result NSW retained the OA Shield as the top state at the Long Champs.

Our president Greg Barbour reports: "Western Australia dished up another great day: glorious weather and a combination of beautiful yellow and white farmland with a covering of granite detail. Certainly not Australia’s most technical area but an area with something for everyone.

"The young kids had plenty of linear features and an occasional challenge. NSW has enviable strength in W10 so maybe a bright future. The elites had long courses due to the open and not too steep terrain. Results dominated by foreigners, particularly Kiwis... what are they doing?

"But the terrain was really perfect for the older generation with not much green and avoidable hills. Perhaps some of the ankle-breaking rocks would not have been missed. The area was technically easy enough that big errors were rare, making for close competition.

"The key techniques today were to run straight (and as hard as you could); for short legs direction out of control is key. Run to features rather than controls as we had by this stage worked out that Sandgropers 'bury' controls. Use attack points and compass and keep your head up. As for all the rocks... ignore them until the control and only then see them as clumps... use the contours.

"On chatting to Cath Chalmers after the event I heard something fabulous... she had deliberately made a big deal of the event to motivate herself.... get nervous and hopefully get a result...she won.

Results from the Long champs are on Eventor. The carnival wound up with the relays on Sunday. NSW surrendered the Xanthorrhea Trophy to Victoria.