Sport
10 February, 2022
Award honours Fun Run stalwart
THIS year’s Terang and District Lions Club’s Noorat to Terang Fun Run will honour a long-time stalwart of the event.
THIS year’s Terangand District Lions Club’s NoorattoTerang Fun Runwill honour a long-time stalwart of the event.
The Lions Club is set to honour John Keane with the newly created John Keane Award which will be presented to the first local male and female participants across the line.
The award has been established in recognition of the Terang local’s contribution to the fun run over the last four decades.
A backbone of the local community, Keane has been a driving force behind the event from its inception to its 40th instalment set for Friday, February 25.
He said he was proud to have the award named in his honour.
“I’m very pleased and humbled that the club has decided to do this,” Keane said.
“I’ve been happy to see the fun run as a community service all my life, and community service is part of my DNA.”
Keane has given his time and effort to numerous community projects throughout the years, from fundraising for the Terang Indoor Sport and Recreation Centre and the squash courts, to laying Besser bricks to help build the Terang swimming pool.
But the fun run is unique to Keane in that it has spanned such a long period of time.
The 5.92 kilometre event was established in response to the Ash Wednesday fires in 1983, when the Terang and district community was reeling from the tragedy.
“We had several people who died in the Ash Wednesday fires, and we thought this would be something to take the community’s mind off the terrible trauma,” Keane said.
Keane said the event’s 40th anniversary was a chance to reflect on its beginning as well as its highlights throughout the years.
Olympian Steve Monaghetti has made several appearances in the fun run, and still holds the record finishing time.
“Steve came in 1987 and created a record for the run of 17.33, and on that day he wouldn’t accept the major trophy, because he was an Olympian and he didn’t want to upset the locals,” Keane said.
“But he signed hundreds of autographs for the local kids which was absolutely fantastic, and then he ran back to Noorat to get his car.
“He’s just an amazing guy, he came back in 2002 and created a new record of 17.10, and that still exists.”
Keane said an invitation had been extended to Monaghetti for this year’s anniversary, but the Olympian’s plans had not yet been finalised.
“Just to indicate how good Steve was, that record of 17.10, hardly anyone has got within a minute of it,” said Keane.
“A fellow named Vin McCarthy got 18.03, he won it five times, and in 2000 he ran it in a downpour, it was absolutely teeming down.
“But he wheeled a three-wheeled pram with a baby girl in it, he crossed over the line with this baby in the pram.
“I thought, he couldn’t have pushed that the whole way, but he did.”
A number of other important people from the fun run’s history are also reconvening in Terang for the anniversary.
“Trevor Wickham was one of the guys who was responsible for the original run, he actually got it off the ground, and he’s coming back to be part of the 40th anniversary, which is good,” Keane said.
“He came back in 1994 and created the 50 and over record, 21.15, which still exists.
“He still runs, he’s probably about 70, and he still runs up in Wangaratta pretty much any time there’s a fun run of any sort.”
Keane said the club hoped for a large number of participants given the 40-year landmark, and encouraged anyone to join in, regardless of running experience.
“We try to make it a family event, that’s the objective,” he said.
“To get all the family to do it, either walk or run.”
Entries for the event can be made online via https://www.trybooking.com/BXBYD.