They may not have won everything they competed in, but a pair of young Dubbo athletes have once again shown themselves to be names to watch out for in the future courtesy of massive efforts in Sunday’s Greater Dubbo Fun Run.
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Lockie Townsend and Ella Penman each finished on the podium in both of the respective 2km and 4km events held as part of the competition.
Penman highlighted her potential with a slashing win in the 2km female event, beating home Emalee Olbrich and Chelsea Olbrich.
She backed that up by taking on much more experienced rivals in the 4km event, finishing third behind Elizabeth Simpson and Deb Leonard.
Townsend also showcased his considerable potential, with a pair of second placings.
On both occasions he finished behind another likely prospect in Mitchell Olbrich, who performed a rare feat and completed the double in the male events.
In the 2km event the pair beat home Thomas Olbrich while the third placegetter in the 4km event was Thomas Dale.
Organiser Jane Fardell said that while the number of competitors wasn’t quite what she had hoped for, the enthusiasm of those that did take part was what the event was all about.
“The idea behind the Greater Fun Run is to give people the chance to run on this track, which is an outstanding facility.
“We have it here on our doorstep and it doesn’t get used a lot, and for a lot of people today was the first time they have run on the new Barden Park track.
“The other good thing was that we were able to get people out and running, being active, and there was just as much support for the final runner to cross the line as there was for the first.
“We had about 150 people take part today, which is down a little on what I was hoping for, but it didn’t matter if you ran the whole way fast, or walked for a while, everyone got out and had a go.
...for a lot of people today was the first time they have run on the new Barden Park track. The other good thing was that we were able to get people out and running, being active, and there was just as much support for the final runner to cross the line as there was for the first.
- Jane Fardell
“It might help get people going, and I’d like to think it could help be the catalyst to get people involved in the Dubbo Stampede later in the year as well.
Olympian Ben St Lawrence was among those who helped Fardell with the organisation of the event, and said he was delighted to see the young performers shine.
“This is where it all starts and I remember being a similar age to these kids and competing in events like this,” he said.
“You do that and have dreams of maybe one day being able to go to the Olympics, and I was fortunate enough to be able to do that twice, and hopefully that is the ambition of some of the youngsters that have competed here today.
“To see Mitchell win both of the male events, and for young Lockie and Ella to be on the podium in both, shows the level of ability they have, now it’s a matter of harnessing their talent and helping them go to the next level.
“I’ll be keeping an eye on all of them going forward to see how they progress, and I’m available for them if they need any help as they progress through their careers.”
While praising the quality of the young competitors, St Lawrence was also overwhelmed by the sheer quality Barden Park facility.
He was also proud of everyone that competed, regardless of whether they were on the podium or not.
“I grew up in the Blue Mountains and we certainly didn’t have anything like this there,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic complex, and one that Dubbo is lucky to have, and with Jane here to help foster the next crop of young athletes everything is set up nicely for Dubbo to become a bit of a hub for athletics.
“Having a surface like this not only allows the athletes to train on a proper track, it is also a lot spongier than your concrete running paths and the times that can be run are also much quicker, which helps every athlete as they progress.
“Events like today complement the parkrun that I know has been set up, and other events held at outside courses, but you have to start somewhere and everyone that took part today should be proud, regardless of how long it took them.”
Of course events such as the Greater Dubbo Fun Run aren’t possible without community support, and Fardell admitted to being very happy with the amount of external help that went into making the day a success.
“It takes a lot of people to make these things work, and everyone did a really terrific job,” she said.
“Of course the Greater Bank are the major sponsors, so it was great to have representatives from them here to help but there were a lot of other organisations involved as well, such as Fitness Focus, Dubbo City Toyota, Wheelers Cycles, and Dubbo Regional Council backed us as well by allowing us to use the facility.
“People involved with the Relay For Life volunteered and manned the water station on the other side of the track. Everyone who was here today played a part in making the event happen.
“All of the proceeds this year are going to the Pink Angels charity, and they had a number of their members up here as well.”