No runner has ever won the Sportspower 400 metre Invitational Handicap in its 10 year history, but there will be a number of runners out to change that little piece of history this afternoon.
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If any of the previous winners in the field are going to win the event again, they will have to do so by knocking off 2013 NSW 400 metre champion Matt Lynch.
Lynch also represented Australia at the World University Games in Russia last year.
Aside from Lynch, the other 11 runners in the race all train together in Armidale, including event organiser and 2009 winner Jay Stone.
The runners are all handicapped on their personal best times.
This year will be the first time in the event’s history that Stone will not be the back marker. That honour goes to Lynch who will start from the 460.7 metre mark.
Stone is next at 442.2m, followed by Travis Stahlhut 442.1m, last year’s winner Luke O’Donoghue 437m, Huw Knox 428.9m, Matt Haydon 425.5, Lawson Fittler 405.7, Finn O’Keefe 416.3, Henry Sindell 397.7, Natasha Favotto 386.7, Neville McIntyre 371.5 and Miki Wilson 366.5.
O’Donoghue said history is against him repeating last year’s efforts.
“Hopefully I can win it again,” he said.
“It seems winning it is a bit of a curse.
“It’s going to be pretty hard.”
The 2013 winner also talked up the difficulty of the event.
“It’s one of the hardest races I’ve ever competed in,” he said.
“But it was a really good feeling to win the title and I’ll be giving it my best again.”
The race will take place at 5.30pm at Harris Park.
