It was a case of fourth time lucky for David Booth in Saturday’s Lilydale Lope.
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The 66-year-old showed he is getting better with age, winning for the first time after three previous attempts.
He finished ahead of Deb Pauna, who was racing in her 13th Lilydale event.
There was a modest turnout for the annual event, with 38 entrants making their way around the 16.6 kilometre course. Organiser Frank Nott said the size of the field had varied throughout the past few years.
“Given the Launceston 10 is next week and the City to Casino was last week, some of the better runners may choose not to race in this event as it may effect their times,” he said.
“We’ve also found that parkrun has impacted numbers since it was introduced.
“People aren’t going to run five kilometres and then come and do this.”
First held in 1974, the Lilydale Lope was the brainchild of Pipers River farmer Brian Baxter, a dual state cross country representative in the 1970s. The handicapped race is now organised through the North Launceston Athletics Club and the Launceston Running Club.
LRC president Michelle Frost said the “iconic nature” of race had allowed it to build up a loyal following in the time it had been running.
“People love the idea of having a run in places where they don’t normally go to train,” she said.
“The support of the North Launceston Athletics Club has meant there are records people come here to break as well.”