Mount Panorama played host to the 2023 edition in front of a healthy crowd scattered along the two-kilometre circuit, one that would witness 28 Australians face over 400 of the world’s best distance runners on home soil for the first time in the event’s 50-year history.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe had labelled the Bathurst run as one of the toughest ever devised for the Championships, and the intense heat only amplified its difficulty, as did the electrical storm that swept through the infield by the day’s end.
Australia’s performance in the mixed relay, where the work of Oliver Hoare, Jessica Hull, Stewart McSweyn and Abbey Caldwell earned a historic bronze medal, set the tone for the remaining four events and SBS Sport was on the ground to get each athlete’s immediate reaction.
Star quartet claim mixed relay bronze for Australia
What they said...
Oliver Hoare's experience:
"It was challenging. Going through the course, for me, was a lot different to running the track this past week but it was very exciting to represent Australia with these amazing athletes.
"We had the depth to stay consistent through the legs and for me it was about trying to stay in position, trying to stay in the medal contention. It was tough but the crowd got me through.
"Halfway through, I felt my leg starting to hurt a little bit but the crowd lifted me up and I kept rolling and kept in contention, tried to keep pushing through in that last section and that was the positive coming out of it."
Jessica Hull's internal dialogue:
"Just don’t panic, just use the first 60 seconds to find my rhythm and once I got through the billabong I was like, 'I’m going to go to work now'.
"I have a pretty bad habit of counting in my head when I’m running and I was able to spot the distance (from third to first), count, and realise I was closing the gap.
"That momentum, once I hit the downhill, you hear the cowbells, you hear the crowd cheering and I was like, 'alright, every second counts, let’s get it to Stewy'."
Stewart McSweyn on the support of the home crowd:
"It was definitely the motivation we needed. We had the crowd cheering us on the whole way around the course, so it made a huge difference on what was a tough course."
Abbey Caldwell bringing it home:
"It’s amazing, I don’t think we can be happier with that. We all ran the best we could on the day and that’s all we can ask for.
"These guys put in a great race, set it up perfectly for me, let me carry it home, so I don’t think we can ask for much more."
Robinson leads way for Aussies in men's senior race
What he said...
Ky Robinson (23rd place):
"It was a very tough race, I knew I had to go out conservatively. I thought I might have gone out a bit too fast, I was a little bit worried there but I was able to grind it out with the support of the crowd.
"Every time there was someone in front of me and I caught up to them, it just gave me a whole new wave of energy, so I tried to ride off that success, that confidence, those little steps, and grind it out to the end.
"I came in on that discretion spot, so a lot of the motivation in my head was, 'hey, you weren’t here to be number six, you were here to compete for Australia, to be in that top four to score, and so if you can get as much points for the team then you’ll come home successful', and I think I was able to do that.
"Representing your country is amazing and to do it at home is even better. To see the people in the crowd - the amount of people who turned up just cheering for Australia, cheering me on - I had a couple of friends and family who drove and flew down from Brisbane, so to see them on the course, it really meant a lot."
Pashley makes comeback alongside Batt-Doyle in women's senior race
What they said...
Ellie Pashley (19th place):
"It was brutal, we knew it was going to be brutal. We’ve been here a few days and ran the course a couple of times but the added heat made for a really challenging run.
"I had my baby in June last year. I had six weeks off and then I was jogging, running - extremely slow with a very high heart rate for those first few weeks - but I’ve been running for a long time now and I found that once I gather momentum in training, things would start to feel good again.
"I feel like now I’m finally getting back to fitness but I needed something like this to boost me. Having the trials and then a home World Championships race was really good motivation to get back into it and represent Australia again.
"It was beaming down in sunshine, it was really hot and then clouded over just before we started but we actually had quite a few spots of rain which I was trying to use as a bit of a boost to get me going again because you could feel the temperature drop. I think we were quite lucky compared to the junior boys and girls just before us."
Isobel Batt-Doyle (29th place):
"It was brutal. I have to say, I would take a half marathon or a marathon any day of the week. I just did a half marathon in Japan two weeks ago and my first marathon late last year, and that [Bathurst] has got to be the hardest race I’ve ever done. It was just so hard, the whole way through.
"I’m in a block right now where this is an absolute honour to run for Australia, I’m so all about it today, but I’ve got a marathon in three weeks' time in Japan, so I’m kind of dabbling in a few things at the moment.
"I haven’t done any hill training or any cross country-specific training because of my preparation for the marathon, so my plan today, knowing it was so brutal, was just to try and run as even as I could and make sure my effort stayed the same the whole way through whether it was uphills, downhills, through mud, sand, whatever.
"I think I’m really happy with how I ran because I was able to actually come through the field in the last two laps and feel relatively strong towards the end while being absolutely cooked.
"I was smiling for the first two laps - maybe not the last one - when I saw people. I saw 'go Aussie' signs, I heard my name so much; I heard 'go team Australia', 'go Australia', and it just makes me have that boost inside to want to push yourself that extra bit.
"Especially just seeing the girls ahead of me, how well they were doing and knowing that our placings are really close together - even though I knew I was in fifth position which doesn’t count for the team scores, I knew that if someone fainted in front of me, got injured or something happened, my position would be really important in helping Australia.
"Just seeing your teammates doing well pushes you through too. Ellie (Pashley), I have to say, she is amazing, it’s incredible to see her come back after a baby and run so strongly. She’s been somewhat of a team captain with the women and gave us great words of advice this morning, and made me feel really special to be a part of a team with these girls."
Noakes, Mulholland, Habler impress in men's U20 race
What they said...
Archie Noakes (17th place):
"It was brutal. I didn’t really like anything about the course but I backed my fitness and it really paid off, so I’m stoke for that."
Cael Mulholland (34th place):
"I was going through thinking I’ve got to run my own race and, in the back end, try and pick up as many places as I can because we’re a team and we could have had a chance (at a medal). It was a good, fun day out."
Bailey Habler (31st place):
"It was so good to see all my family and stuff, to have them help me along the journey was just a big thing so I thank them.
"The course was brutal, it showed by the quality of athletes out there but I did my best and I can’t be happier than that."
Top 40 finish for women's U20 call-up Carlyon
What she said...
Charli-Rose Carlyon (39th place):
"Oh my gosh, that was the hardest course I’ve ever done. Even the heat was hard - I know it was hard for other countries but I think it still affected us as well.
"At the start I was like, 'don’t go out too hard', and then everyone went, so I was like, 'oh well, I’m just going to go with them'. In the first lap I was like, 'I stuffed it, I’ve gone too hard', and in the second lap I was debating on stopping; but in the third lap something hit me and I was like, 'no, keep going, you’re almost there'. In the last lap I could hear everyone screaming, I think even the other countries were screaming so it was really good.
"I actually wasn’t meant to race, I was a reserve and then someone got injured so I got put in. This is a big surprise for me but next is probably the Nationals for Australia in Brisbane."
