Bats fly along Melbourne's roads

A field of 5740 ran the long-course race in the fund-raiser for the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal.

Cobram-based Stoate put in a brilliant run on Melbourne's streets to be third in 45:36 minutes and first in the 19-24 years class.

Reid from Moama clocked 45.48 as he was fifth overall and third of 232 in the 19-24 years division.

Echuca-based Threlfall was sixth across line in 45:58 and runner-up in the 25-34 years class.

Winner of the long course event was Olympic representative Liam Adams in 43:53 from Abere Belay in 45:16.

Bendigo University's Andrew Creer ran 14.8km in 57:53 to be 134 th overall and seventh in the 45-54 years category.

Stoate, Reid and Threlfall are all training partners and will again join forces for Bendigo Bats in this year's Athletics Victoria cross-country series.

Threlfall coaches Reid and Stoate who have achieved great results on the track and roads across 2021-22.

Reid will mark another trip to Bendigo on Easter Monday to contest the Bendigo Bank-backed

Dragon Mile (1609m) which is organised by the Bendigo Harriers, which is Threlfall's and Stoate's club.

Reid, 20, is a member of South Bendigo Athletics Club and will be one of the leading contenders in the Dragon Mile which was last run in 2019 and won by University's Andy Buchanan for a third time.

First held in 1987, the Dragon Mile is part of the lead-up to the gala parade in the heart of the city on Easter Monday.

Racing will start at the corner of Pall Mall and Mundy Street and head to Alexandra Fountain, swing right for the climb up View Street and Dudley House, and then turn for the descent and charge along Pall Mall to the finish.

First event on the day will be the girls Mini Mile for grade four and under at 10.30am and be followed by the boys Mini Mile at 10.45am.

Categories in the Dragon Mile are grades 5 and 6, years 7 and 8, years 9 and 10, years 11 and 12, open, veterans' 40-plus and 50-plus.

On-line entries close at midnight on April 15 via the Bendigo Harriers or Athletics Bendigo websites.

Late entries will be taken between 9am and 10am on Easter Monday.

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