The Lancefield Gift was once a staple of the running calendar before it disappeared in the 1960s.
The race used to feature some of the country’s best runners with many aspirants using the event as a warm up for the famous Stawell Gift.
This year the gift is being revived with the Bendigo Bank Lancefield Gift to be run on November 16.
Athletes and fans from across the country are expected to converge on Lancefield for the event that will be highlighted by the running of the richest men’s and women’s 400 metre races in Victoria featuring $6000 in prize money each.
The winners of the 120 metre men’s and women’s races will win $5000 each.
Gift organising committee president Gina Morgan launched the event at a function at Lancefield Park.
She said there was a lot of excitement of being able to bring back what was once one of Lancefield’s biggest events each year.
“It’s exciting for Lancefield to be holding an event of this magnitude,” she said. “To be able to bring back something like this after so long is great but to have it include the richest 400 metre race in Victoria in our very first year back is incredible.
Morgan said they were expecting the event to bring a lot of people from around the Victoria and interstate to our town.
“Early indications are that athletes should number in the hundreds and then they bring their own support teams on top of that. It’s a great opportunity for us to show off Lancefield.”
Also on the organising committee is the 1980 Stawell Gift winner John Dinan.
His long and successful career in athletics will help ensure the event focuses on providing the best event for the athletes.
He said they were hoping this was the start of something.
“One of the really exciting aspects of this event will be having the finals run at night under lights,” he said. “It will look spectacular.”
