Athletes will chase glory in the G.M. and G.L. Hilson-sponsored Sally Conroy Memorial 200m and the A.L. Parker Electrical-backed Richard Kitt Memorial 1500m on Saturday, January 8 at the Flora Hill track.

Two of the biggest events on the Athletics Bendigo track calendar had been run as part of the Bendigo International Madison but were switched to Flora Hill in 2021 because of Covid.

Racing will be under lights at the Retreat Road complex.

A big night of track racing starts at 7pm when heats of the Sally Conroy Memorial are run.

Intersport Bicknell's has kicked in to sponsor the Little Athletics 200m and 800m.

Heats of the Little Aths 200m are set for a 7.20pm start and will be followed by the Conroy semi-finals, if required.

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The final of the 800m for Little Athletics will be at 7.50pm and followed by the Richard Kitt Memorial 1500m final at 8pm.

There have been plenty of surprises in the Richard Kitt Memorial finals.

South Bendigo veteran Greg Hilson ran from the 1:15 mark in this year's final and won in 4:58 from Eaglehawk's Shaylee Anderson, University's Nathan Crowley and Ebony Woodward, and Bendigo Harriers' young gun Harrison Boyd who had won in 2019 as a 13-year-old.

Yvette Palmer, nee Tuohey, from Bendigo Harriers won the Kitt final in 2020 and '15.

Little athletes will contest the 200m final at 8.20pm.

Finale to the meet will be the Sally Conroy Memorial 200m at 8.30pm.

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Eaglehawk's Laura Kadri won this year's final in 22.22 seconds from clubmates Jorja Morrison, Gabrielle Rusbridge, James Bentley, Julia Hattingh, Angus McKindlay and Tim Sullivan.

Athletes from a wide age spectrum have won the 200m classic.

Past winners include South Bendigo's Kaitlyn Bryce, Peter Curtis, Damian Horan, Billy McNally, Oliver Muggleton and Ant Sutton; Eaglehawk's Brittany Eastman; and Bendigo Harriers' Daniel Baldwin, Tiffany Bussem-Jorgensen, Isaac Everett, Simon Fraser, Brett Gilligan, and Neil Macdonald.

Dual winners of the classic are Peter Dyett, Ben Powell and Bernard Seymour.

Athletics Bendigo's track action resumes on January 4 when more heats in the A.L. Parker Electrical-sponsored Tuesday Night Series are run at Flora Hill from 7pm.

Race distances are 3000m or 1000m.

Entries for the January 8 meeting close on January 4 via the Athletics Bendigo webpage.

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