Bill Dunn 400m Handicap 2002
Final
| Place | Name | Handicap |
Elapsed Time |
Actual Time |
| 1st | Chris Sullivan | 6 sec |
62.09 |
56.09 |
| 2nd | Sam Laughlin | 12 sec |
62.74 |
50.74 |
| 3rd | Lewis Powell | 14 sec |
63.48 |
49.48 |
| 4th | Steven Hirst | 8 sec |
64.00 |
56.00 |
| 5th | John Haynes | 13 sec |
64.51 |
51.51 |
| 6th | Michael Sullivan | 0 sec |
70.44 |
70.44 |
Heat 1 - 1st Sam Lauglin, 2nd John Haynes, 3rd
Chris Sullivan, 4th Chris Ware, 5th Robert Lauglin, 6th Patrick Lyden
Heat 2 - 1st Steven Hirst, 2nd Lewis Powell, 3rd Michael Sullivan, 4th Trevor
McKenna, 5th James Scarr, 6th Mathew Woolley
The 2002 Bill Dunn 400m handicap race was held on Tuesday 12th March at the
Domain Athletic Centre.
The men’s event had sufficient numbers for two heats of
six, with the top three qualifying for the final. Heat One was an extremely
close event, with Sam Laughlin, John Haynes and Chris Sullivan finishing in
a virtual dead heat. They were followed by previous winner Chris Ware, with
Rob Laughlin and a flu-ridden Patrick Lyden rounding off the field. Heat Two
saw a comfortable win to Steven Hirst, from back-marker Lewis Powell and Michael
Sullivan. Trevor McKenna, James Scarr and Matthew Woolley all finished within
a second of the three qualifiers.
Handicaps were adjusted for the final to take into account the perceived ease
with which certain athletes made it through their heats. Strong, blustery winds
greeted athletes as they lined up for the final of one of the Sandy Bay Harrier
Club’s most prestigious events. For the second year in a row, Michael Sullivan
found himself of the front mark, with Lewis Powell the back marker. However,
Michael was unable to reproduce his performance of last year when he finished
second to Simon Baptist and he found his lead all but gone by the 200m mark.
It was then up to twin brother Chris to fly the flag for the Sullivan family
and he did it with style, holding off Sam Laughlin and a fast finishing Lewis
Powell in a win that he later described to the mass of waiting reporters as
his “best ever”.
Many thanks to all those who assisted in the running of the event, particularly
Max Cherry for cajoling athletes into running and to Mark Lyden for his advice
on handicaps.