Groth, Jacob scr 10.54
Landers, Steve 1.75 10.64
Brown, Craig 1.75 10.66
Bangura, Ali 1.25 10.68
Galic, Brandan 2.00 10.79
Jakeman, John 2.25 10.81
Ross, Joshua 0.25 10.87
Muzelenga, Arthur 2.50 11.23
10.87- Good effort by Ross on the comeback trail however he was beaten by his former training partner. Groth’s 10.52 is absolutely smoking for 100m on grass. This guy must run better on grass than synthetic. I think his PR for the season are 21.0 and 10.59.
Forum contributor Sharmer was spotted at the Lithgow Gift carnival … I received the following message:
"interesting result from Lithgow was the result of heat 3 of the Gift. Sharma 13.53 off 12.25m! That’s 13.53 for 107.75m. The equivalent of about 12.6 for 100m.
"And he had the audacity to question others on their training program…
120m LITHGOW GIFT
Heat 3 Preliminaries
1 Hargreaves, Matt 7.25 12.35
2 Sharma, Vic 12.25 13.53
"But it gets worse - he qualified for the semis as the first 3 in each heat advanced to the semis and only 2 runners turned up for the heat.
4th Semi-Final
1 Brown, Craig 5.00 12.25
2 Jakeman, John 5.75 12.28
3 McGrory, Peter 9.75 12.33
4 Galic, Brandan 5.25 12.34
5 Beckenham, Matt 11.25 12.67
6 Suapopo, Robert 10.75 12.79
7 Muzelenga, Arthur 5.50 13.03
8 Sharma, Vic 12.25 14.66
14.66s for 107.75m. "
Is that 13.6 for 100, after a 12.6 heat. Maybe he broke down? If not, maybe speed-endurance is not what he might have wished for…
if only two runners turned up for his heat then why did he bother trying to run fast at all? surely he could have trotted through and saved his energy if he was guaranteed to qualify for the semi??
Hey kit,
I’m confused, can you help me understand what "13.53 off 12.25m! That’s 13.53 for 107.75m. " means.
I’m sure it is that from the back mark the distance is 120m and he gets a 12.25m start so runs 107.75m and his time was 13.53.
Thank you sir
what he said 
nobody except the back marker (and only then if he is on “scratch” ) actually runs the full distance. Everyone else is graded according to their known current form. In theory this should produce a blanket finish with a photo required to separate first from last. Except it almost never pans out like that because various athletes will conceal their true current form and then freshen up for whatever race they figure they can win.
Probably trotted down in the heat & break down in the semi.
Sharmers recent gift times @nswal.com
Lampton 12.34
Temora 12.9
Lithgow 13.5, 14.66
Maybe he might aim for 15s at the next carnival.
So this is some kind of handicap race. the slow people get a head start?
What is the use of these types of races. Seems like a waste of time to me. The slow people get to get hawked down and the fast ones get to hawk people down.
Chris,
There is a thriving professional running circuit in Australia where athletes compete for thousands of dollars. Some of these races attract over 100 entries, with each athlete paying up to $50 to enter. The idea of the handicapping system is to ensure a close and unpredictable race.
In some parts of Australia they are bigger than the local state titles. Eg: In South Australia we often only get enough entries for a straight out final for our state titles, (all off scratch) while the handicapped “Gift” races attract many more participants and involve several heats, a few semis and a final. The prizemoney is not “sheep stations” but it makes it all worthwhile and exciting to be a part of.
I have about 25 athletes who all love running on the pro-circuit but less than half of my squad run amateur. That’s because there’s little incentive for the average runner with no hope nor aspirations of going on to an elite level. They still train as hard as my elite athletes but the lack of natural talent prevents them from being competitive in amateur scratch races. So they compete on the circuit in the hope of breasting the tape first and winning the prizes that are on offer.
There’s different forms of gambling on the events as the handicaps are designed to ensure as many athletes as possible are in the contest.
I believe its a wonderful breeding ground for future elite athletes as it exposes them to winning underr pressure and running multiple times in a day. I believe it is a far more enjoyable entry int the sport for athletes in their teens. There is not the pressure to perform at championships so athletes can enjoy the sport as their travel to the various venues competing in a variety of distances.
I had a Canadian athlete come out to Australia to see what all the fuss was about and to have a go on the circuit and he loves it as there’s nothing like it back in Canada. He hasn’t won anything but he was 2nd in a novice final.
It’s one of those things that you need to see how it operates before you can truly form an opinion.
Anyone who was at Loxton last Saturday (250km north east of Adelaide) would have seen a wonderful & exciting event with several close races. The main event -the Nippys Loxton Gift over 120m was worth a total of $6000 with $4000 to the winner. Six runners hit the finish line within a metre of each other. I had 4 runners in the final including the two backmarkers but still couldn’t get the winner, finishing up with 2nd, 4th, 5th & 6th. My Burnie Gift winner, Duncan Tippins was 2nd beaten by 0.011 sec. (Roughly 4 inches) That is a great effort because Duncan has come back 2.75m in the handicap in SA and is still very competitive.
Clay Watkins won the 2005 Bay Sheffield off an 8.0m handicap and now runs off 3.25m and was in the final at Loxton. He has improved substantially to still be a ‘player’ in these races despite conceding big starts. He was delighted with his performance and to see him win his heat off such a tight mark was terrific to watch.
To see a class backmarker storm down between the lane ropes, picking off the frotmarkers and surging ahead is one of the great spectacles in Australian athletics. We are very lucky to have this form of athletics thriving around the country as it gives a lot of average athletes a terrific opportunity to enjoy their sport and feel something special when they win a race.
Half the game is about fooling the handicapper. Joshua Ross did win his first Stawell gift from 7m. Which is a large head start. Considering one week later he beat a 10.4e guy from the same handicap.
Josh Ross is the most successful pro-runner in history, not just because his was able to run from 7.0m at Stawell one year. The bloke is a brilliant sheffield runner having won both Stawell and Burnie off scratch.
Yes it is a bit of a game, and like any game those who who know the strategies and how to play, are generally the most successful. And like all sport, it also involves a lot of skill and talent - those without the skill and talent don’t win as often as those that do.
It’s no different to horse racing in terms of handicapping to make the races even, only it’s distance and not weights.
I’ve been associated with both professional running and amateur running for a long time and I see just as much ‘immoral behaviour’ happening in the amateurs as I do in the pro’s.
The amateurs has its fair share of those who like to bend or break the rules.
At least in the pro’s it is part of the game and we accept that’s how it’s played by some and generally can see it coming.
The proof is in the pudding - we had about 2000 people at Loxton enjoying the action with over 120 athletes competing in a range of events chasing the healthy prizemoney. Sponsors love the closeness & excitement of the races and are happy to be involved. I’d defy anyone to attend a Loxton Gift meet and not get caught up in the excitement and enjoy the sport at a grass roots level.
You mean like Hendo and Cappa? Oh, wait, they came from the pro’s … 
In all seriousness though, AA could do worse than to help promote pro-running in terms of increasing the size of the overall market. The need it now generations are now the prominent sports people in the country and if the sport wants kids that can do well and have an opportunity to achieve things early on handicap racing is a good starting point.
Especially when you consider it often involves alcohol and gambling which turns any sports carnival into an event. Imagine that you could have it sponsored by the Mokbel’s and Ibrahim’s … Nothing like a gangsta connection to inject a little drama into sport, just ask the NBA.
DAZED WROTE: “In all seriousness though, AA could do worse than to help promote pro-running in terms of increasing the size of the overall market. The need it now generations are now the prominent sports people in the country and if the sport wants kids that can do well and have an opportunity to achieve things early on handicap racing is a good starting point.”
I agree with the above.
Paul Henderson rarely ran in the pro-ranks as he hailed from NSW and was an elite sprinter already. Only when he went to Matt Barber did he run more frequently.
Actually I was talking more in general terms and some of the stuff I’ve seen in respect to off the track with clubs seeking an advantage or securing athletes or manipulating points scoring systems, and other unscupulous behaviour associated with high profile athletes.
As for the alcohol and gambling, I have little understanding what you are alluding to. The notorious Melbourne crime figures (those that survived the gangland wars) are more likey to be seeking out cashed up footy stars than worrying about the few bucks that can be won backing battling pro-runners.
I’m yet to see a track athlete let alone a pro-runner in the media for drug or alcohol induced violence or associations with known criminals.
2008 Nippys LOXTON GIFT FINAL
Place - Name - Handicap - Time
1 Ben Koschade (7.75) 12.886
2 Duncan Tippins (4.00) 12.897
3 Andrew Steele (6.50) 12.905
4 Dylan Hicks (9.75) 12.920
5 Leon Burckhardt (10.75) 12.949
6 Clay Watkins (3.25) 12.962
0.076 which is roughly 70cm between 6 athletes. That is a remarkable result and why handicapped races are so exciting and unpredictable.
The winner, Ben Koschade has been around the pro-running scene for about 4 years. Before that he was one of the best sprint prospects in SA in the late 90’s, with a PB of 10.82 and sub 22s as a 17 year old. He went off to have a crack at Aussie Rules but suffered some injuries and returned to the track. He doesn’t run amateur, sticking to the pro circuit. Up until Loxton he had been a player in the minor “Gifts” but always fell short in the majors. Loxrton was his first Gift win.
As a result of the prizemoney won - $4000, he has been penalised 1.50m and at his next start will run from 6.25m.
Koschade’s heat (heat 3) was sold for $620 at the Calcutta on Friday night. Amazingly all 3 placegetters emerged from the 3rd heat. The winning prize pool in the calcutta was $2155.
In Aus interest in sports increases phenomenally when these become involved, unfortunately they do attract some unsavoury types. This wasn’t a dig at pro-aths in particular, just a joke regarding the organized crime involvement when it comes to anything gambling related in Aus, just ask the cricketers …
I seriously believe that pro-racing should be promoted more by the mainsteam to boost numbers for the sport in general. I don’t think AA and the pros should view eachother as competition but engage in partnership to grow the participation and interest in the sport as a whole.
Since money is involved I can understand. I would like to try this out.
Sharmer doesnt bother running fast because he can’t. He only thinks he can.