Paddle steamer proves no sweat for runners

Perfect sunny skies and mild temperatures greeted competitors, with a huge number of runners setting out to beat the PS Pevensey across the line.

It was gun local Archie Reid that took out the 10km event in dominant fashion, running virtually solo after pulling out a huge lead to cross the line in 32 minutes and 17 seconds.

Hayley Newman was the first woman across the line, recording a time of 38 minutes and 28 seconds to finish sixth overall.

Brady Threlfall was unable to capture a 12th crown, finishing second to Reid in a time of 37 minutes and five seconds.

Forty-six runners managed to beat the Pevensey to the finish in the 10km race, with the paddle steamer blowing its whistle after 46 minutes and 21 seconds had elapsed.

The 5km event was an absolute thriller, with Jonathan McAsey and Riley Wilkinson battling it out in an enthralling sprint finish.

Both runners recorded a time of 17 minutes and 35 seconds, however it was McAsey that was judged to have crossed the line first and taken the win by mere milliseconds.

Megan Costello was the first female across the line, finishing ninth overall in a time of 21 minutes and 45 seconds, just nine seconds ahead of Makayla Ireland, who crossed in 21 minutes and 54 seconds.

Just nine runners managed to beat the Pevensey home in the 5km race, with the quick current on the way home seeing the boat cover the final 5km in 21 minutes and 54 seconds.

Allira Edgar claimed the 2km kids’ river run in a time of seven minutes and 53 seconds, followed by the first male Riley Henger, who recorded a time of seven minutes and 57 seconds.

There were also plenty of younger kids hitting the road, with the 600m kids’ dash proving a popular event for the second year in a row.

Event director Sarah Mulkearns was overjoyed with the day, which ran without complication.

“It started off nice and brisk, but the sun has been out all morning and it’s such a great atmosphere down here at Hopwood Gardens,” she said.

“Everything ran really smoothly, we had some fantastic volunteers for this event, and so many fantastic sponsors that really got on board this year.

“The event ran really smoothly in the lead-up to and during the event, which obviously makes it really enjoyable for those out there running.”

Participation at the event was outstanding, with a huge increase on 2022 numbers, which has in turn led to an outstanding fundraising figure.

“We had 433 (runners), which is nearly 100 on last year, which is fantastic,” Mulkearns said.

“We will be tallying up (the fundraising figure), but at last glance it looked like it was at about $15,000, or even just ticked over $15,000, which is so good to be able to put that back into the community.”

Mulkearns thanked all sponsors of the event who made the day possible, and also singled out the committee members of the Echuca Moama Tri Club, who do a mountain of work to ensure the event runs smoothly.

“The Echuca Moama Tri Club, our committee have put on this event for the last number of years, so we are excited to be able to put it on again this year,” she said.