{"id":320429,"date":"2022-07-01T23:19:17","date_gmt":"2022-07-01T13:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=320429"},"modified":"2023-06-23T16:21:28","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T06:21:28","slug":"runners-enjoy-a-country-welcome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2022\/07\/01\/runners-enjoy-a-country-welcome\/","title":{"rendered":"Runners Enjoy A Country Welcome"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Margie Williams, from Kingaroy, was making sure the Condamine bells were kept ringing at the finishing line to urge the runners home<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

July 1, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Wondai Country Running Festival is continuing to grow with more than 500 registered runners hitting the South Burnett Rail Trail on Saturday and Sunday.<\/p>\n

Race director Ros Heit said the organising committee was “super happy” with the event, the weather was perfect and more than 45kg of bananas (and 14 boxes of mandarines) were handed out!<\/p>\n

Saturday morning started with the regular Wondai parkrun, but numbers were boosted by the runners in town for the Festival, with about 175 people taking part.<\/p>\n

The Festival itself started a bit later on Saturday morning with a frantic “Dash For Cash” which saw runners doing a super-quick one kilometre dash along the trail for the chance to win a cash prize.<\/p>\n

Ros said the Family Fun Run, also held on Saturday, was much bigger than last year, with about 100 runners taking part along the 2km course.<\/p>\n

Also well-supported was the All-Abilities Race which includes wheelchairs, carers and competitors of all ages and sizes.<\/p>\n

This race is always popular with spectators who gather at the finishing line to cheer the runners home.<\/p>\n

One of the competitors, Wendy and her pet bantam “Chicken”, proved a hit throughout the weekend, with “Chicken” posing for photos with runners, in McEuen Forest, and at the markets.<\/p>\n

On Saturday afternoon, the running became more serious with the two Forest Runs which started on the Rail Trail and then wound their way through McEuen Forestry.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ros said the city visitors really enjoy this challenge as they rarely get the challenge to run competitively on bush tracks.<\/p>\n

In between the morning and afternoon events on Saturday, visitors had the opportunity to browse through the adjacent Wondai Country Festival Markets, organised by the Wondai Regional Art Gallery in Coronation Park.<\/p>\n

There was live music as well as food and market stalls.<\/p>\n

A bonus attraction this year were helicopter rides which could be booked from a site beside the Rail Trail and proved very popular with visitors and local residents alike.<\/p>\n

(“Chicken” even hitched a lift … check out the photos on the Life Of Chicken<\/a> <\/strong>Facebook page.)<\/p>\n

Most of the visiting runners stayed overnight to take part in the longer events on Sunday morning with 106 campervans and caravans booked into the Wondai Showgrounds.<\/p>\n

The festival committee organised a special dinner in Wondai Memorial Hall on Saturday night to feed the visitors and their friends.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ros said more than 200 people packed into the hall to enjoy a hot dinner, mulled wine and live music.<\/p>\n

On Sunday morning, the South Burnett Mountain Bike Club prepared breakfast for the runners, offering bacon and egg burgers and pumpkin soup.<\/p>\n

“There were more than 300 people on the trail on Sunday morning,” Ros said.<\/p>\n

Six drinks stations were manned along the marathon course by local groups who received donations from the committee for their efforts.<\/p>\n

Ros said the festival was getting bigger every year and was providing a boost for Wondai.<\/p>\n

“A number of local businesses stayed open longer on Saturday and some opened again on Sunday morning,” she said.<\/p>\n

Ros said the aim of the event was to provide the city visitors with a whole weekend of country hospitality.<\/p>\n

She said the feedback so far had been extremely positive, with 98 per cent rating the festival as “excellent” or “very good”; and 99 per cent saying they would return again next year.<\/p>\n

Profits from the Wondai Country Running Festival are ploughed back into the local community.<\/p>\n

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Organising committee member Liz Nicholson with race director Ros Heit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Wondai resident Winston Burrows was the very enthusiastic course announcer for the two days<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Angie Dingle and John Box, from South Burnett CTC … CTC sponsored the All-Abilities Race<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The helicopter rides which took off from beside the Rail Trail proved very popular with locals and visitors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Hansen Kitchens Family Fun Run<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

There were a record number of entries in Saturday’s 2km Family Fun Run along the Rail Trail.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Everyone who entered received a prize of some description.<\/p>\n

This was a fun social event, so there was no timing but organisers said the number of entries was much larger than last year, with about 100 runners taking part.<\/p>\n

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The youngsters are always the first away in the Family Fun Run (and the first back home)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

CROW-FM Dash For Cash<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The 1km Dash For Cash had prizes ranging from $1 through to $10 for participants.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Lincoln Fields, 12, from Windera, was first across the line in the Junior Dash For Cash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Liam Wilson, from Logan, was the first home in the Adult category<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Melissa Ballin, from Nanango, was second home in the Adult category (first Female)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Cameron Dew, from Narangba, came home 3rd in the Adult category (second Male) despite running the 1km with his blow-up alien friend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Craig Kapernick, from Cloyna, was first home in the Masters category<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Junior Male placegetters … Sean Andersen (5th), Lenny Dew (2nd), Lincoln Fields (1st), Alex Farmilo (3rd) and Fraser Hampton (4th)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Junior Female placegetters …. Daisy-May Robertson (3rd), Hannah O’Connor (1st) and Amelia Jorgensen (2nd)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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Adult Female placegetters … Lucy English (2nd), Melissa Ballin (1st) and everyone else was “chicken”<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Adult Male placegetters … Cameron Dew (2nd with alien) and Liam Wilson (1st)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Masters Male placegetters …. Neil Burton-Shaw (4th), Darrin Kefford (2nd), Craig Kapernick (1st), John Purcell (3rd) and Jason Ford (5th)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Three members of the organising committee hit the line almost simultaneously in the Masters category … Masters Female placegetters Ros Heit (1st), Liz Nicholson (2nd) and Michelle Hansen (3rd)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CROW-FM Dash For Cash Results:<\/strong><\/p>\n