2024 LAVic Race Walking Road Championships
For the first time, Little Athletics Victoria (in conjunction with the Victorian Race Walking Club) will hold a Winter Race Walking Road Championship in 2024. It is open to all registered competitive Little Athletes Victoria members, from Under 9 to Under 17. All distances will feature Boys and Girls races in their respective age groups.
Medals will be awarded to those who’s final placings are 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each age group and gender. Final placings are awarded after all judge’s decisions have been factored into the finish line placings.
Date: Saturday 22 June 2024
Location: Middle Park Bowling Club (Google Maps)
Age Groups: U9 – U17 Athletes
Entry Requirements
To participate in the 2024 LAVic Race Walking Road Championships an athlete must:
Be a 2023/24 LAVic financial registered competitive member (this includes Winter season members).
Race Schedule
| Time | Distance | Age Group |
|---|---|---|
| 1:50 p.m. | 3.0 km | U15, U16, U17 |
| 2:15 p.m. | 2.0 km | U12, U13, U14 |
| 2:35 p.m. | 1.5 km | U10, U11 |
| 2:55 p.m. | 1.0 km | U9 |
Note: In the interest of saving time, age groups doing the same distance will compete together but there will be separate presentations for each individual age group (eg U10 & U11 Boys and Girls will compete together but there will be separate presentations for U10 Boys, U10 Girls, U11 Boys and U11 Girls etc). Presentations will follow at 3:15 p.m.
Races will be preceded by:
12:00 – Judging clinic: Introductory session for those who would like to begin judging race walking.
12:15 – Coaching session for athletes: How to race walk, understanding judges and the warnings given.
What’s so good about Race Walking?
Race walking has been Australia’s most successful track & field event for many years. Our walkers have had a medallist and/or top 10 finisher in every Olympics since 1996, and our best ever male walker, Jared Tallent, is an Olympic gold, silver (twice) and bronze medallist, making him Australia’s greatest Olympic male athlete.
In addition, Australia has had several Commonwealth walks champions (the latest being Jemima Montag), numerous World Championship medallists and top-10 placings and several world record holders, including Kerry Saxby-Junna, Nathan Deakes and Ted Allsopp. Kerry and Simon Baker OAM also won World championship gold.
What does this have to do with Little Athletics?
The Australian team for this year’s Paris Olympics will include four VRWC members – Jemima Montag, Rhydian Cowley, Rebecca Henderson and Kyle Swan. All four of these elite walkers got their start as Little Athletes, walking in Saturday summer track competitions and in the VRWC’s winter road events. However, none of them had the chance to compete in a State Winter Road Championship for their LAVic Centre, as cross-country runners do. On June 22, today’s Little Athletics walkers will have that chance.
At the recent World Race Walk Teams Championship in Turkiye, Australia’s Isaac Beacroft won gold in the U20 10 Kilometres race and, with his Victorian teammates Riley Coughlan and Marcus Wakim, won bronze in the Teams event. This was three weeks after Isaac won the Little Athletics NSW U17 track walk title!