Some of your favourites are making a return to XCR Season ’26, and, with some strategic changes from the AV team, Victoria’s winter season looks set to be a big one!
Places for major events are becoming increasingly competitive, and, while our first preferences in the calendar weren’t always available, suitable alternatives were sought – all while in the midst of a busy summer season.
The first round of XCR will be Lakeside:5 on Sunday, May 10. Application was made for this event for the weekend prior; however, with advice from Parks Victoria that the necessary road closures were unlikely to be granted on a Saturday and a long standing booking for the Sunday, the All Schools Road Relays were moved to May 2, and Lakeside:5 to the following Sunday.
Next on the agenda in a jam-packed May will be the Jells Park Relays on Saturday, May 16. While we do understand the excitement of joining together for relays after a long break from cross country, surveying shows club administrators and members alike find distinct advantage in having at least one round of competition to settle in before the team relay competition.
Round 3 of XCR on Saturday, May 30, will see a return to our friends at St Anne’s Bendigo, while Hanging Rock will be rested.
After a weekend off, the stunning Cruden Farm will be the host for the 12km and Heritage Round on Saturday, June 13.
A mainstay of the XCR season, Sandown Racecourse, was unfortunately unavailable for any suitable date, except for one that clashed with the Gold Coast marathon. Discussions in the office, along with some quick thinking and site inspections, led to what we’re sure is a great alternative – this year, the Road Relays will head to Calder Park Raceway on Sunday, June 28.
The Road Relays will be followed by 10km races at Bundoora and Lakeside, respectively, before we head to Lake Wendouree in Ballarat, where another change awaits.
This year, for the first time, the distance at Lake Wendouree will be a half-marathon instead of 15km, a direct swap with Burnley for the longer distance only – short course distances will remain the same as previous years.
There are a few reasons for this move – one of them being our desire to make things a little easier for our athletes to transition to the final round, the Tan Relays, which takes place a week after Burnley – a big season of XCR to culminate with a celebration near the Yarra River on Saturday September 12.
Head here for all of your information as we approach another winter season.
