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The Castlemaine Gift is an almost century-old tradition, having first run in the 1920s.
But yesterday was the first time in 17 years the town had hosted its historic race day.
Hundreds of athletes travelled to central Victoria for the event and it was for those runners organiser Darryl Nettleton said he brought back the gift. He oversaw the last race in 2000.
This time, the event was well-supported by the local community, he said, with businesses sponsoring races and residents attending the course to watch the action.
“It’s just been great,” he said.
The Castlemaine event welcomed junior runners as well as veterans like Ricky Dunbar.
His first win on Australian soil came at Castlemaine in 1965, just days after migrating from his native Scotland.
It took him just 11.9 seconds, a result be backed up with a win in the 75-metre race the same day.
Now 77, the former British record holder is still running, registering for the 300-metre masters event on Sunday.
Athletics was a life-long passion, one at which he had worked hard.
“When I first started running, I was running 12.3 (seconds) for a hundred yards, but [the coach] saw I tightened up,” Mr Dunbar said.
“Then every year I just improved, improved, improved.”
The 38-degree weather on Sunday was different from the snow that Mr Dunbar remembered from his running days in Edinburgh.
Athletics is a family affair for Mr Dunbar; his wife and daughter both worked at yesterday’s event while his son and granddaughter also took to the track.
A gift race is 120 metres long, known as the Sheffield distance because of the English town in which miners once raced from pub to pub.
The quickest runners begin the race closer to the starting line, Mr Nettleton explained.
“If you want to be the quickest, you run the Olympics, but if you’re not that quick, then you train up to be the best you can be, and there’s a place for everyone.”