Donna finishes 3rd in nail-biting finish.

For the first 3k of the 5k race, Donna held first place position. By 8 1/2 laps, she was in 4th place by .76 sec behind 1st place, but with her sprint finish, she made ground finishing 3rd in a time of 16:00.43.

Lap times

Event 26 Women 5000 metres
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Name Year Team Finals Points
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Finals
1 Jamieson, Sarah VIS 15:54.64
2 Weightman, Lisa VIS 15:58.92
3 MacFarlane, Donna TIS 16:00.43
4 Tamsett, Lara NSWIS 16:03.13
5 Furst, Lee VIC 16:42.00
6 Coady, Narelle VIC 16:46.77
7 McKillop, Lauren NSW 16:55.13
8 Emery, Hollie NSW 17:07.20
9 deCastella, Isabella VIC 17:12.67

Next race: 12.5 laps of the track

I was pleased with my run in the Bridgewater Road Mile-  I won the women’s race (6th overall). This weekend I’m trying something new… I will compete in the Sydney Grand Prix in the 5000 metres.  I have only ever done a few 5km’s on the track, and only in local races. This will be a good test for me to see how fit I am. The big atmosphere of the event should bring out my best.  My training has improved greatly in the last few weeks and I’m going to try and enjoy this one!

Donna

MacFarlane Given Top Honours by R4YL Magazine

Beijing Olympian Donna MacFarlane has been honoured by being named the 2008 Run For Your Life (R4YL) Australian Distance Runner of the Year.

2008 was a stunning year for the Hobart based athlete, topped off by an Oceania record in the 3000m Steeplechase, when placing third at the Oslo Golden League in June.  MacFarlane also finished 2008 as the 8th fastest in the world at her pet event.  “I had a brilliant first half of the year and I achieved my main goal of breaking the Australian record,” said MacFarlane after a training run in Hobart.

Her list of victories included the World Athletics Tour meeting in Melbourne, the Olympic Selection Trials in Brisbane and the World Athletics Tour meeting in Doha.  She rounded the season out with a 7th placing at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart.

R4YL is Australia’s premier magazine for distance running and its annual list takes into account performances 800m and above, from a combination of track, cross country and road races.  Coming in second on the women’s list was 1500m national record holder Sarah Jamieson, while world indoor 800m champion Tamsyn Lewis claimed third.  Topping the men’s list for 2008 was distance great, Craig Mottram.  “The other nine names on the list are all very accomplished runners, so it’s great to be on top of it for 2008,” MacFarlane added.

MacFarlane’s next race outing will be the Bridgewater Mile next Thursday, followed by the World Athletics Tour meeting in Melbourne, then Australian Championships in Brisbane after which her international plans will be decided for 2009.  “Looking ahead now to 2009, I feel encouraged that I can look forward to more great performances,” she said.

R4YL top Australian distance runners for 2008;
Women
1)    Donna MacFarlane
2)    Sarah Jamieson
3)    Tamsyn Lewis
4)    Benita Johnson
5)    Kate Smyth
6)    Lisa Weightman
7)    Anna Thompson
8)    Lara Tamsett
9)    Victoria Mitchell
10) Lisa Corrigan

Men
1)    Craig Mottram
2)    Youcef Abdi
3)    Martin Dent
4)    Collis Birmingham
5)    Mark Tucker
6)    Michael Shelley
7)    Scott Westcott
8)    David McNeill
9)    Lachlan Renshaw
10) Andrew Letherby

Australia Cup in Brisbane

On paper, coming 3rd in 4.23 in the Australia Cup 1500m doesn’t sound that flash, but I was pleased with that race.  For the first time in months, I actually raced the other girls for the lead, rather than struggling somewhere in the middle of the field!  The first half of the race was very slow, before the sprint finish that we all knew was coming.  My next race will be the Bridgewater Road Mile.

Donna

Season's best 1500m…slowly improving

I was hoping to run my fastest time of the new year…and I did.  I expected to post a slightly better time though.  5th in 4.22.58 is average by my standards.  At least it was faster than the other two 1500m races I did earlier this year.  My personal best of 4.10 is still a way off, but there’s plenty of time to train and improve before the Australian Championships in March. 

The Hobart crowd was again fantastic.  I was lucky to have 7 members of my family watching, including my two children.  Next weekend I will have another go- I will race the 1500m in Brisbane, in the Australia Cup match.

Donna