Wycheproof locals are a resilient bunch; living in the Victorian Mallee, relying on grain crops and unpredictable rainfall has that effect on you.
So, this small town with a population of 610 decided to draw a crowd. It looked up, right up, to the peak of Mt Wycheproof, which stands at 43m elevation and is allegedly the smallest registered mountain in the world.
And they decided to bring back the King of the Mountain race.
“It’s been 35 years since they ran the event back in 1988 when they used to pull thousands of people to town,” said organiser and Wycheproof Narraport Football Club member Rory White.
The 1km foot race is made gruelling by a 60kg hessian bag of wheat for the men and 20kg for the women. With the honk of a Riordan grain truck, the race begins in the centre of town and winds slowly towards the summit.
Crowds of people lined the street to cheer on the 50-plus King & Queen participants who thought they’d ‘give it a go’ enduring the flies, the scorching sun and the strain of carrying wheat bags.
“It was a real family day. We had Boys & Girls Mountain Dash, Men’s and Women’s Mountain Dash and the Wheelbarrow Relay event as well as the main King & Queen race,” Mr White said.
Tom Rodgers took out the Riordan Wycheproof King of the Mountain with local footballer Matt Hall claiming second place.
The Queen of the day in every sense was Carly Isaac who hails from down the road at Boort and won the Women’s Dash and the Wheelbarrow Relay too. Tara Eccles earned runner-up in the 33-degree heat.
Wycheproof Narraport Football Netball & Hockey Club organised the day and made sure the stage was set for locals and visitors alike with working bees and countless hours put into preparing this unique event.
“We sold around 900 tickets to the family picnic day that was held at Centenary Park after the competition,” Mr White said.
“The AFL grand final was on the big screen, there were plenty of kids’ activities, food and drink vans and a bar on-site.”
With the support of major sponsor Riordan Grain, the organisers were able to offer a $20,000 prize pool and thanks to Buloke Shire Council the planned upgrade of the children’s playground was completed before the hive of activity unfolded.
“Nothing is official, but my guess is we’ll be doing this all again next year! So spread the word and start training,” Mr White said.