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St Lawrence living up to his rating - Tamsett wins again
By Heather Quinlan
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Living up to his rating as Australia's form middle distance runner, NSW's Ben St Lawrence produced a commanding performance on his 29th birthday to win yesterday's 10km Rebel Sport Run4Fun, presented by The Sun-Herald.
Just weeks after competing in the stultifying heat of the Delhi Commonwealth Games 5000m and 10,000m, St Lawrence added some icing to his birthday cake with an easy 29 minute 46 second victory on the turf of ANZ Stadium, half a minute ahead of his nearest rival.
Thousands of people converged on Sydney Olympic Park for the Run4Fun and the combination of balmy weather and a relaxed atmosphere proved a winning one for all.
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While St Lawrence and Coogee's Lara Tamsett - who were also this year's Sun-Herald City2Surf winners - claimed the trophies and first place cheques, 6776 mums and dads pushing prams, weekend joggers and wheelchair participants experienced their own "Olympic"moment finishing the 10km course inside the giant stadium.
Heroic Games marathon silver medallist, Michael Shelley, fired the starting gun and enthusiastically high-fived hundreds of participants as they passed by.
It was a day to savour for St Lawrence, who manages to combine his training and competition with a full-time job as a health and well-being consultant in the finance industry.
The Blue Mountains athlete began yesterday's event as if it was a sprint, burning off his competitors with a 8min 28s first three kilometres.
"It was a good win for me - I had 10 days off after Delhi and today I had to work hard to get out on my own," St Lawrence said.
"It's nice to come back like that and a great way to start my birthday.
"I'll be celebrating with breakfast with my family and then a barbecue tonight with some friends."
Surprise second placegetter, Queenslander Jonathon Peters and third-placed Victorian Mark Tucker finished in 30.22 and 30.46 respectively.
Well-performed Tucker was philosophical about the result."When I heard Ben was running I knew my chances [of winning] were extremely slim," he said.
"He's definitely one of the best runners in Australia now at this distance and frankly I'm just happy to be in the top three with him."
Diminutive Tamsett, who crossed the line in 33min 16s, recorded her second race success in a week, after her win in the 5km Noosa Bolt.
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The promising 22-year-old finished more than a minute in advance of Queenslander Clare Geraghty in 34.33, while 36-year-old Sylvania mother-of-two Belinda Martin was third in 35.26. "I guess I'm out there showing that us older women can do well against the young ones and we have plenty to offer in running events," Martin said.
Tamsett appears well on track for a shot at the 10km national championship in Melbourne next month.
"I'm happy with that run today although I would like to have broken 33minutes," Tamsett said "I just really enjoyed the crowds and the atmosphere here and running into the stadium is pretty awesome."
The Run4Fun included a new wheelchair division and hand cyclist Todd Philpott was the first home in 21.47.
A charity fundraiser for NSW's leading children's hospitals at Westmead, Randwick and Newcastle, the event this year pledged more than $126,000 in donations.
Living up to his rating as Australia's form middle distance runner, NSW's Ben St Lawrence produced a commanding performance on his 29th birthday to win yesterday's 10km Rebel Sport Run4Fun, presented by The Sun-Herald.Just weeks after competing in the stultifying heat of the Delhi Commonwealth Games 5000m and 10,000m, St Lawrence added some icing to his birthday cake with an easy 29 minute 46 second victory on the turf of ANZ Stadium, half a minute ahead of his nearest rival.
Thousands of people converged on Sydney Olympic Park for the Run4Fun and the combination of balmy weather and a relaxed atmosphere proved a winning one for all.
While St Lawrence and Coogee's Lara Tamsett - who were also this year's Sun-Herald City2Surf winners - claimed the trophies and first place cheques, 6776 mums and dads pushing prams, weekend joggers and wheelchair participants experienced their own "Olympic"moment finishing the 10km course inside the giant stadium.
Heroic Games marathon silver medallist, Michael Shelley, fired the starting gun and enthusiastically high-fived hundreds of participants as they passed by.
It was a day to savour for St Lawrence, who manages to combine his training and competition with a full-time job as a health and well-being consultant in the finance industry.
The Blue Mountains athlete began yesterday's event as if it was a sprint, burning off his competitors with a 8min 28s first three kilometres.
"It was a good win for me - I had 10 days off after Delhi and today I had to work hard to get out on my own," St Lawrence said.
"It's nice to come back like that and a great way to start my birthday.
"I'll be celebrating with breakfast with my family and then a barbecue tonight with some friends."
Surprise second placegetter, Queenslander Jonathon Peters and third-placed Victorian Mark Tucker finished in 30.22 and 30.46 respectively.
Well-performed Tucker was philosophical about the result."When I heard Ben was running I knew my chances [of winning] were extremely slim," he said.
"He's definitely one of the best runners in Australia now at this distance and frankly I'm just happy to be in the top three with him."
Diminutive Tamsett, who crossed the line in 33min 16s, recorded her second race success in a week, after her win in the 5km Noosa Bolt.
Tamsett appears well on track for a shot at the 10km national championship in Melbourne next month.
"I'm happy with that run today although I would like to have broken 33minutes," Tamsett said "I just really enjoyed the crowds and the atmosphere here and running into the stadium is pretty awesome."
The Run4Fun included a new wheelchair division and hand cyclist Todd Philpott was the first home in 21.47.
A charity fundraiser for NSW's leading children's hospitals at Westmead, Randwick and Newcastle, the event this year pledged more than $126,000 in donations.
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