Final event to decide NSW Winter Championships titles

10 August 2025

Final event to decide NSW Winter Championships titles

Close men’s and women’s NSW Distance Runner of the Year competitions will come down to the last winter event in 2025 – the NSW Half Marathon. The competition, held over seven NSW winter distance running events, recognises the best all-round NSW distancer runner during the winter. With 15 to 1 points on offer at the last event, the NSW Half Marathon Championship at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday 14 September, six men and six women are in the hunt for the titles.

NSW Distance Runner of the Year – MEN

With up to 15 points on the line, six men are mathematically capable of taking the title. The current standing after six rounds are:

35 – Ben Bishop (SYU)

29 – Luke Hince (KEJ)

28 – Ethan McKenzie (UTN)

25 – Ben Graham (SYU)

24 – Logan Campbell (UNS)

24 – Oliver Ham (GOS)

The group includes NSW cross country champion Luke Hince, NSW Short Course champion Ben Bishop and revelation of the season, Gosford 20-year-old Oliver Ham. Defending NSW Distance Runner of the Year, Luke Hince, a member of Kembla Joggers, was last year just the second country-registered athlete to win the title, behind Russell Dessaix-Chin, who also represented Kembla Joggers when winning the 2002 title.

Current leader, Ben Bishop from Sydney University, would become just the second Sydney University athlete to win the title, behind coincidently Russell Dessaix-Chin. Chinny won the title in 2004 and 2012 with Sydney University, after transferring from Kembla Joggers.

NSW Distance Runner of the Year – WOMEN

In the women’s title race, six are in the mix for the title. The current standing after six rounds are:

36 - Danette Sheehan (RCR)

33 – Kate Spencer (UTN)

25 – Abigail Gilbert (SYU)

24 – Sophie Chudley (RCR)

23 – Shayne Hargraves (BAN)

21 – Ruby McPhillips (BAN)

The women’s competition is a closer battle with defending champion, Danette Sheehan from Run Crew, just three points ahead of UTS Norths’ athlete Kate Spencer. A win for Danette will be a three-peat for Run Crew, while a win by Kate will see UTS Norths win their first ever title.

Winter Trophy

Going into the last event, the NSW Half Marathon, Run Crew hold a 218-point lead over defending champions Kembla Joggers. Historically only four clubs have won this title, Sutherland, Randwick Botany, Kembla Joggers and UTS Norths, so a Run Crew win would be an inaugural title for them. The current standing after six rounds are:

1563 – Run Crew

1345 – Kembla Joggers

1151 – Manly Warringah

762 – St George

760 - Randwick Botany

686 - Bankstown

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Danette Sheehan (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)