Wednesday 17 May saw The University of Queensland (UQ) students and staff turn up to run and support the 38th Great Court Race.
One of UQ’s proudest traditions, the race sees competitors run 636m around UQ’s heritage-listed Great Court. Over the years a number of relay events have also been introduced to the program. In these events, teams must carry a baton through four sections of the Court, each section varying slightly in length. A handicapped 70m men and women’s sprint run on the Great Court grass is another exciting feature.
Despite several days of heavy rain, conditions ended up being perfect for athletes and BBQ lovers alike!
The 70m sprints got things off to a strong start with Maeghan Salumbide just beating Louise Tyson in a time of 8.87 seconds to win the women’s event. Harry Logan powered into first place in a time of 7.59 seconds to take out the men’s race.
The UQ Mixed Staff Relay followed. The staff from the Business, Economics and Law Team took this event out in a tight finish and time of 1.37 seconds.
In a battle of the UQ Clubs, the team from the UQ Social Runners Club were the clear front runners in the Clubs Mixed Relay, with a four second lead ahead of the UQ Physics Club.
Headlining the event were the men and women’s individual Great Course Races. This year’s line up again boasted some of UQ’s most talented athletes. The women’s competition was tight with Emma Bible winning the race in a slim margin against Mikayla Crouch. In an exciting men’s race, Riley Niven took the win with seconds between him, Nick Coonan and the other competitors.
Excitement levels peaked with the UQ Colleges battling it out in both the men’s and women’s relays. In two very close finishes The Women’s College were champions in the women’s race. In the men’s race, Emmanuel College won in a thrilling finish, beating Union College by just 0.09 seconds!
Thank you to the participants, spectators, special guests and staff who were involved in making the 2023 Great Course Race such a wonderful event, see you in 2024!
For more information here are the full 2023 Great Court Race Results.