Five-time winner close to race record

UQ pharmacy student Daina Surka narrowly missed out on breaking a record that has stood for 14 years at the historic 23rd Maunsell Aecom Great Court Race yesterday (Wednesday, May 30).

Ms Surka, who took top honours in the women’s event for a fifth successive year posted a time of 1:41:91, only a third of a second behind the elusive record set in 1993 by Sandra Dawson (1:41:68).

Human Movements student Mitchell Kealey made it a hat trick of wins in the elite men's race.

Mr Kealey, who has just been selected to represent Australia in the 2007 Summer Universiade in Bangkok in August, said it was a tough race to win.

"It's something different from just running around a track or doing cross country racing," Mr Kealey said.

"It's completely different to anything else, you're sort of going around right angle bends and off-camber bends," he said.

The Queensland 1500m champion was the only competitor to finish the race under a minute and a half, coming in with a time of 1:28:82.

The current men’s race record is 1.26.40 set in 1988 by four-time victor Simon Still.

The 636-metre one-lap dash around the sandstone cloisters of UQ’s Great Court is based on the Cambridge University Race, as featured in the film Chariots of Fire.

With both Ms Surka and Mr Kealey in their final year at UQ, the mantle will be passed to a new generation of athletes all bidding for Great Court supremacy next year.

In other Great Court race events, Cromwell College took out the novelty sack race and women’s inter college relay.

Kings college student Duncan Short won the sprint race and went on to lead his college to victory in the men’s Inter College relay.

Media: Melina Stephanos at UQ SPORT (07 3346 7519, melinas@uqsport.uq.edu.au)