A day perfect for fast running welcomed our relay squads at Box Hill. A very big thank you to Arthur Whitchell and Stella McNamara who were the only members who put their hands up to be AV Helpers on the day. Where were our runners and parents?

Essendon’s highlight happened in one of the first events of the day with our Men’s 40+ 4 X 1500m team of Jon Brown, Jeremy Drake, Damien Bruneau and Arron Downes taking gold. However, it wasn’t without controversy. Initially AV officials DQ’d the team for incorrect check in, but allowed them to run “under protest”. With a clear win, officials decided that the result would stand. The time of 18:28.72 is one of the best ever by a team of 40 plus men.

The Mixed Open 4 x 400 team of Ilana Grade, Mikeala Selaidinokos, Vishnu Satish and Marcus Guglielmino won in 3:35.17, while our Open women (Anna Kasapis, Emily Mizis, Aimee Jungfer and Lauren Connell) picked up bronze in the 4 x 1500. The Under 16 boys took second in their 4 x 400. The team of James Kerr, Josh Tracy, Jannik Ernst and Pat Stewart ran a smart 3:42.73. The other team to grab a medal was the Open women’s 4 x 100 team of Stephanie Richards, Nina Lawson, Ilana and Mikeala who took silver.