Recently the New South Wales Masters Athletics Association staged the inaugural running of our Regional Carnival, which included our newest Masters event, the Norman Windred 800m Handicap, at Maitland Regional Athletics Centre. The event also incorporated an outdoor pentathlon comprising 100m, Shot Put, Long Jump, and 800m, with entrants coming from the Hunter region, Dubbo, Muswellbrook, Sydney, and the ACT to take part.

Named after one of our Association Life Members, who passed away early in 2023, Norm was a fine runner, whose successes in the 800m distance were at national and world levels. In 1993 at the National Championships in Adelaide, he won the M65 400m and 800m events. He went on to compete that year at the Masters World Championships in Miyazaki Japan, winning Gold in the M65 800m, which he noted as being his proudest personal athletics achievement. He still holds the Men60 800m Masters State record.

We were delighted that Norm's wife Jill and several family members travelled up from Sydney to watch and to present the first-place sash to the winner Kimberley Fletcher, a member of the local Maitland Athletics Club. Thanks to all our entrants, and our sponsors Athelite. We hope this will become an important fixture on our annual calendar, and invite all masters-aged athletes in the Hunter region to be part of our events.
Masters is a competition across track, field, and cross-country events for athletes aged 30 and over, is held in five-year age groups, and has no qualifying standard required for any master’s event, worldwide. We are the state body for master’s athletics in NSW and represent fitness, fun, and fellowship across a range of athletic activities.

For more information on our organisation and to learn more about masters athletic events, please refer to our website at nswmastersathletics.org.au, or contact us directly by email at registrar@nswmastersathletics.org.au