Nationals is done and dusted for another year.
This is the highest level of racing in the country and the weekend proved just that.
Multiple national and world records falling. It was fast, messy, tactical, and honestly a bit ruthless. Exactly how racing at the highest level should be.
We had three of our very own lining up in it this year. From the heats to finals, doubling up in distances and everyone running PBs!
Photo credit: @teelstudios.
Jaylah Hancock-Cameron - Busy weekend!
800m and 1500m. Heats and finals in both. That’s a heavy few days back-to-back, especially when every race matters equally.
Jaylah ran 4:16:11 in the 1500m heat and 1500m final in 4:18:39 for 5th place in Australia!
That’s a whopping 2:52/km.
These races never go evenly. It’s usually a bit of a crawl early, everyone’s playing tactics, then it just snaps. Pace drops, everyone panics and its on. You’ve got about 300m to make a decision. Do you go with the pace or trust in your kick for the last 100m?
Backing that up with the 800m is no easy feat. In the heat she ran 2:03:64 then went into the final and ran a Personal Best of 2:01:11 for 4th place in Australia.
Pretty good resume if you ask me! Jaylah is in a great position. That mix of speed and strength is hard to find, and she’s right in that zone now. Well done to Jaylah and coach Ande. A successful weekend in Sydney.
Cate Giason - Steeple (Respect Where It’s Due, what a tough event)
Steeplechase is one of those events you don’t fully get until you sit there and watch it properly.
Everyone looks smooth for the first lap or two, then all of a sudden, it starts to hurt. Barriers get clipped, rhythm falls, someone mistimes a water jump, and it costs them 5–10 metres.
Cate lined up and just got stuck in. True Cate form!
She’s been building into this for months, and it showed! Cate ran 11:17.98, which puts her at roughly 3:46/km pace across the full 3000m. But with steeple, that number doesn’t tell the full story.
You’ve got to also factor in:
• 28 barrier clearances
• 7 water jumps
• Constant changes in stride pattern and cadence
• The need to re-accelerate every single time you land
Cate handled those things well, and she’s not done yet either.
Straight back into it with Uni Nationals this week, which she is ready to get after it again.
Good luck Cato!
Photo credit: @insideaths
Isaac Shaw - 5000m Final
The 5k is always a grind. Those final 5 laps just hurt every time (spoken from the man himself!)
No pacers, no structure. Just a bunch of guys who can all run very fast and kick very hard.
Isaac who claims himself as not a 5k runner (just yet!) ran a mind-blowing 14:13:56 for a Personal Best by 10 seconds! Over the 5000m in a national race at that level and running that fast, 10 seconds is a huge PB.
A great way to close his Athletics season and now he is ready to focus on a few more road races in the winter period. I have a very good feeling that we will see this man continue to push those PBs down like nothing is in his way!
Congratulations Isaac!
Special Shoutout to Luke Hince. Unfortunately, the week of Nationals, Luke pulled up with some sickness and decided that he couldn’t race properly at that level. I know this would have been a hard decision for him, but the best one. We can’t wait to see him back in action this winter in some huge races and really develop the Hince name further into the Australian running scene as a top competitor.
From Run Havoc’s Side
Our people and our team make Run Havoc. So naturally, seeing people we know, believe in, support, and see most days, step into that level and handle it well make us not only happy, but very proud of the way they have performed and continue to perform!
It feeds back into everything we do. The conversations in store, the way we approach fittings and service, the way we talk about running and the way we interact with our community.
Nationals was a huge success for Run Havoc, and I cant believe we are only 10months into our journey!
Stay tuned for more.
Riley Kilham
Riley is the General Manager at Run Havoc and brings hands-on experience from years of triathlon, running events, and coaching. He writes about training, performance, and finding the right gear, combining real-world insight with a passion for helping others get the most out of their movement.
