December 13, 2023
Excitement brews
Organisers of one of the Surf Coast’s marquee summer events are strongly encouraging community volunteers to turn out in full force later this month to join in on a decade-long milestone.
Anglesea Roo Run race director and founder Michael Collins and event director Deb Elliott say they eagerly await December 27 when the community coastal running event returns to the Anglesea Motor Yacht Club for a tenth time.
Mr Collins said he expects a larger turnout at this year’s Roo Run compared to recent years with over 600 runners expected to arrive two days after Christmas.
“We’re super pumped to be celebrating the event’s tenth year, who would’ve thought we’d get this far considering so many other events have fallen by the wayside over the years,” Mr Collins said.
“We’re super happy to just be alive as an event, we’ve gotten through the pandemic, we’ve gotten through the Wye River bushfires, and we’ve been through the heat wave of last year, so it’s going to be a special day for runners and organisers alike reaching this milestone.
“We’ll have several community groups out and about to help make this year’s run possible, but we’d love to hear from those eager to help.
“Deb spends hours and hours from as early as August getting the day ready, but volunteers are crucial to executing the Roo Run perfectly on the day.”
Special medals and t-shirts marking the tenth anniversary of the event will be handed out on to runners, while the event will hold seven separate events for the first time ever.
The main event 8km Roo Run, will be joined by the more friendly 4km Roo Run, the 1.6km Grommet Gallop for children under 12-years-old, the 2XRoo (both the 8km and 4km runs combined), the Surf n Turf for those competing in the Rock2Ramp the following day, the Surf Coast Community Cup for teams of four, and the new Janet Jones Classic (an all abilities event) will be run alongside the Grommets Gallop.
“It’s really great that we continue to get volunteers returning year after year, none of this is possible without the volunteers and we fully recognise that,” Ms Elliott said.
“They love the event and everyone from the town jumps in, it’s real community spirit on display throughout the day.
“The town really buzzes on the day, and it all continues the following day on December 28 for the Rock2Ramp.”
To express interest in volunteering this year, email roorunanglesea@gmail.com. More event information here.
Read Surf Coast Times story here.
