One of the region’s most iconic sporting events is set for a much-anticipated return next month.
The Shepparton Gift, which is named after iconic Yorta Yorta athlete George Nelson, will grace Shepparton Showgrounds for the first time since 2000, as competitors from far and wide come to town for a shot at the title.
Set to take place on Saturday, March 18, the day will be a festival of running with a plethora of relays and sprints culminating in the feature event, the George Nelson Shepparton Gift.
Having been in the pipeline for a number of years, George Nelson Shepparton Gift committee president Gerry Adams explained why it was now the best time to bring it back.
“We have been looking at doing it for quite a few years, but after I moved to Shepparton 12 months ago the wheels really started to turn as we needed someone on the ground up here,” Adams said.
“Floating the idea to the community, we got a fantastic response from a number of user groups and businesses, a lot of people want to be involved and with that support we felt the time was right to lock it in for March 18.”
In a nod to its rich history, the event will be held at its traditional Shepparton Showgrounds home, with the committee receiving a $5000 contribution from Greater Shepparton City Council to restore the athletics track.
But this year’s edition will not all be based around Gifts of the past, with some exciting new innovations set to take the race to another level.
“We are looking at the history of it (when it comes to planning), which is what prompted us to name it the George Nelson Shepparton Gift,” Adams said.
“George was a Yorta Yorta man who won over 30 professional races and then went on to be the first Indigenous trainer to train the winner of the Stawell Gift — so along with him we are going to use the day to recognise some of those old legends.
“But at the same time this is going to be a very modern event, it will be very colourful.”
The event will form part of a hectic March Victorian athletics schedule, as runners test themselves in regional Gifts across the state in preparation for the iconic Stawell Gift.
Set to be a crucial dress rehearsal for Stawell, Adams said the quality of the field to take to the track at the showgrounds would be top-quality.
“Sprinters from all around Australia chase the Stawell Gift every year, and they undergo a rigorous preparation period at races all over the state,” he said.
“As part of the Stawell Gift season so to speak, if you win a Gift like the one we are having here in Shepparton you get a bonus on your mark for Stawell.
“So that is an incentive for runners to come, and Shepparton will be the last chance for them to get a bonus, so we are expecting to see runners that are potential national-type-level runners.”
The event will be far more than just the feature race however, with a plethora of different races and relays set to make it a fun day out for the entire family.
“The day will run from about 1pm to 7pm and it will include a number of different handicapped sprint races to go along with our men’s and women’s Gifts,” Adams said.
“We’re getting record numbers of female runners and overall we’re expecting about 400 participants which is very exciting.
“We’ll also have little athletics relays, hopefully some football and netball relays and we are looking at something that’s called a stable relay, where each stable from towns across the state will compete against each other.
“This is the start of what we hope is an annual event and as a result we will see more running stables appear in Shepparton.”