March 10, 2022
Runners will be converging on the South Burnett Rail Trail on May 2 for the second annual South Burnett Express Rail Trail Relay.
The relay run is being organised by the Ashgrove Rangers Athletics Club, which is now taking registrations online for the event.
Club president Dan Murray said teams of between five and eight athletes would run legs from Kingaroy to Wondai and back.
“The course is approximately 60km with distances averaging about 5km for each leg,” he said.
The event was first held in October last year.
“It was really, really successful,” Dan told southburnett.com.au. “We had eight teams with about 60 odd runners in total.”
“We pretty much expect to the double the numbers this year,” he said.
Dan said the club hoped to bring back long-distance relay events to Queensland.
The rail trail was the perfect venue and the scenery was also a real drawcard.
“There’s a good chance it could build up to be one of the must-do races on the Queensland calendar. Queensland Athletics is right behind this,” he said.
While there is a competitive angle to the race, there is also a social side.
“Teams of all levels go head-to-head but it is all about supporting each other and not taking it too seriously,” Dan said.
“The local Kingaroy Scouts will also be providing a lunch barbecue for everyone.
“An all-teams dinner is also scheduled the night before the race at the Carrollee Hotel.”
The club says holding the event on the May long weekend provides a great opportunity for visitors to spend a little bit of extra time in the region.
“When we ran it last year many commented they loved spending the weekend away in Kingaroy and were keen to come back again,” Dan said.
“We hope our event grows in time and provides a nice boost to the local economy. We want this to become of the must-do long distance relays in Australia”.
- For more information or to register, visit www.southburnettexpress.run
