KILMORE Racecourse played host to the Woodlands and Whittlesea Division Cross Country Championships last week, welcoming students from multiple primary schools across Victoria attemping to progress to the next round of competition.
Organised by School Sport Victoria, SSV, the event marked the first primary division cross country competition to be run at Kilmore Racecourse and use its full-length horse racing track to form either a two-kilometre or three-kilometre course for the various age groups.
Twelve different races were run for children aged from nine to 13, with the top 12 placegetters in each race securing a spot in the Northern Metropolitan Primary Cross Country Championships on June 14 – also planned for Kilmore Racecourse.
Kilmore Racing Club marketing and partnerships manager Lindsey Melis said the club had a strong interest in hosting the events since they were first approached about the Northern Metropolitan Championships.
“[SSV] contacted us and just said that they were looking for a new venue and being a community club, we were more than happy to jump on board and offer our track,” she said.
“Once we had started planning for the Northern Metropolitan, the organiser of the Woodlands and Whittlesea Primary Division contacted us and said they would also like to use the track.”
Ms Melis said hosting the events gave the racecourse a chance to bring the large cross country community to Kilmore and show off the club’s facilities, with Trackside and the grandstand opened to accommodate athletes, parents and officials.
“A lot of people think that running a circle isn’t really cross country, but we’ve got a decent slope on our track that gives them a little bit of a hike uphill. It doesn’t look like much, but it certainly is once you’re on there,” she said.
“The ground isn’t totally flat, so they’re definitely having to pay attention to where they’re going, which sort of gives that cross country feel – it’ll be a good challenge.
“Because you can see them all the way around [the course], the parents get to get involved and cheer the kids on too.”
