The Mount Isa Athletics Club hosted their first Retro day of the season last Saturday.
Retro Days were introduced a number of years ago to give athletes an opportunity to challenge dormant records of the past which would otherwise remain unchallenged.
It also gives the club a chance to run the more difficult and time consuming events like long hurdles, pole vault and the walks.
While seven existing records were broken by a good cross section of athletes the clubs ‘Little Machine’ Kadea O’Donnell would have to be hailed as the ‘Athlete of the Day’.
Kadea having nominated for all the events available to her found herself within a period of an hour and a half competing in the 3000 metres followed by the 80 metre Hurdles then by the 200 metre hurdles and finally a 700 metre walk.
After finishing the 80m Hurdles she looked totally spent but in true ‘Machine’ fashion she found her second wind and completed all her events.
Just to prove she was no slouch she took out club records for the 3000 metre and 700 metre walk along the way.
Another budding walks champ may well be Mel Butler.
She and Kadea both slashed seven seconds off the 700 metre walk records both of which have stood for the past 18 years.
Another two younger girls Ally Thomson and Analee Wilson also did quite well for their first ever attempt at the walks.
Jayden Boshoff was impressive in his 1000 metre run taking nearly a minute off the existing time.
Dan Butler also had a good run in the 1000 metre bettering a new time set earlier in the season.
The clubs ‘Shot Put Cannon’ Breanna Waerea was true to form firing a heavier 4kg shot out to 9.60 metre to take the club record just that little bit further.
She fell a mere metre short of also advancing the 4kg hammer record.
Lachy McCoy was not Pole Vaulting to his usual level but still managed to clear a record 2.40m before retiring.
Ruth Chandler and Susan ‘Sparkles’ Cernoia had an epic battle in the Women’s 100 yard sprint which saw Ruth edge out Sparkles taking the club record in the process.
Three All Comers records were also broken throughout the day by Zeb Kretschmann – six years 200 metre, Patrick Baker 16 years pole vault and Lachy McCoy under 18 110 metre hurdles.
Three of the other pole vaulters Rico Waerea, Connor Baker and Dan Butler all nudged at their age group records the closest being Rico who after just one training session finished just two centimetres short of the 12 year boys record.
The second Retro Day of the season has been scheduled for Saturday September 16which will be one week after the final club day of the season (Superhero Day) and one week prior to the North Queensland Championships in Townsville.
