Stawell Gift


The Stawell Gift is Australia's oldest and richest short-distance running race. It is the main event in an annual carnival held on Easter weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, with the main race finals on the holiday Monday, at Central Park, Stawell in the Grampian Mountains district of western Victoria. the carnival encompasses events for both men and women of all ages and abilities, across distances from 70m to 3200m.
The final of the iconic main race is run on grass over 120 metres up a slight gradient. Competitors are handicapped according to their form, with each competitor "marked" by between 0 m and 10 m or more to theoretically reach the finish line at the same time. This process is administered by the Victorian Athletic League. Due to the relatively short handicap limit, the class of runners that can potentially win the event is limited compared to other Gifts in Australia.
The winner is, hypothetically, the runner who can best "rise to the occasion" and perform better than their previous form, although the key can often be to perform slightly below their best in lead-up events and thus receive a favourable handicap.

History

The Stawell Gift began in 1878 at the end of the gold rush, as the "Easter Gift" of £24 conducted by the Stawell Athletic Club in a program of seven races, most run in multiple heats. It has been raced every year since, except for four years during the Second World War. Originally it was the townspeople putting together an entertainment package to happen over Easter, complete with 'special trains' to the event. Today it is the most prestigious footrace in Australia, with a $40,000AUD first prize. The finals are televised live around Australia.
The event was historically run over. In 1973 the race converted to the metric system, and the distance was altered to, essentially an identical distance. Electronic timing was introduced in 1982 thus allowing higher precision in race results.
In 2010 the Gift track was found to be around 3 metres too long, with times much slower than expected during the heats.
In 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic the race was postponed. The Stawell Athletic Club was considering "… options to run the event later in the year".

Format

On Easter Saturday the heats are conducted, with the winner of each heat going through to the semi-finals along with the next best fastest times. On Easter Monday, the six semi-finals are run approximately two hours before the final, with only semi-final winners advancing to the final. Six semi-finals were first run in 1988, before which there were only five semi-finals.
The Gift is run on a 120 m grass track in front of the 100-year-old Stawell Grandstand, and the athletes run in lanes that are separated by lane ropes rather than painted lines.
The idea of the handicap system is that all runners should, theoretically, cross the line at the same time. The handicapper works out what mark or handicap the runner will have according to their previous performances in sprint events. Currently the maximum handicap is 10 metres, although this is occasionally increased to 11.
Each metre in handicap denotes approximately a tenth of a second in time. Race winners are often those that are able to "beat the handicapper", in that they need to perform well enough to qualify for the event and the finals, but below what they are truly capable of, so that they receive a handicap that gives them the best chance of a victory. The handicapping system often ends up pitting local runners against international professionals.
Gambling is allowed in the venue, and there is an extensive bookmaker's compound.
While the Stawell Gift is the feature race, the meeting also includes many other races, with more than sixty events taking place over the three-day meeting. The Women's Gift has run since 1989. In 2015, the Women's Gift had equal prizemoney with the men's for the first time.

Records

Winners

Winners of the Stawell Gift have been:
YearRunnerFrom Handicap Time
1878Condah, Victoria312.75
1879Creswick, Victoria6.513
1880Brighton, Victoria7.512.7
1881Avoca, Victoria912
1882Sale, Victoria1112.75
1883Dimboola, Victoria1412.5
1884Melbourne, Victoria7.512
1885Bowman's Forest, Victoria1012.25
1886England711.75
1887Balmoral, Victoria1211.75
1888Fitzroy, Victoria10.511.75
1889United States of America912
1890Eaglehawk, Victoria1111.875
1891Maryborough, Victoria1311.75
1892Port Melbourne, Victoria1212
1893Mudgee, New South Wales12.511.5
1894Gippsland, Victoria1111.75
1895Dunolly, Victoria512.25
1896Adelaide, South Australia11.512.5
1897North Melbourne, Victoria1212.2
1898Euroa, Victoria1411.8
1899Roseberry, South Australia14.511.8
1900Menzies, Western Australia1012
1901Woodend, Victoria1412
1902Malvern, Victoria11.512.2
1903Adelaide, South Australia1212.O
1904East Melbourne, Victoria1212.2
1905Mount Gambier, South Australia10.512
1906Abbotsford, Victoria1012.2
1907Numurkah, Victoria12.512.4
1908Rutherglen, Victoria1211.8
1909Burnie, Tasmania11.511.8
1910Dirranbandi, Queensland1311.6
1911Stawell, Victoria1311.4
1912Kew, Victoria11.512.2
1913Ernest GeorgeNorth Melbourne, Victoria12.512.2
1914Maldon, Victoria1211.8
1915Elphinstone, Victoria1011.4
1916South Melbourne, Victoria13.2512
1917Moonee Ponds, Victoria11.7512.2
1918Melbourne, Victoria1412.6
1919Abbotsford, Victoria10.512.2
1920Balliang, Victoria712.4
1921Parkville, Victoria10.2512.4
1922Cobden, Victoria10.511.7
1923Stawell, Victoria912
1924Stawell, Victoria8.512.1
1925Carthcart, Victoria512.15625
1926Coburg, Victoria9.512 4/16
1927Bundaberg, Queensland1012.0625
1928Jeparit, Victoria811.9375
1929Tocumwal, New South Wales1011.9375
1930Lakes Entrance, Victoria11.7511.8125
1931Richmond, South Australia9.511 14/16
1932Essendon, Victoria11.7512 2/16
1933Baileston East, Victoria1111 10/16
1934Mulwala, New South Wales9.7511 9/16
1935Port Pirie, South Australia7.512
1936Castlemaine, Victoria6.512 4/16
1937Coolamon, New South Wales1012
1938Geelong, Victoria11.511 11/16
1939Ballarat, Victoria9.511 14/16
1940Port Augusta, South Australia8.512 3/16
1941Devonport, Tasmania7.2512 6/16
1942No race
1943No race
1944No race
1945No race
1946Wahring, Victoria711 14/16
1947Ballarat, Victoria4.511 14/16
1948Ballarat, Victoria812 3/16
1949Broken Hill, New South Wales8.2511 15/16
1950Brisbane, Queensland1011 15/16
1951Brighton, Victoria811 13/16
1952Albury, New South Wales7.2511 14/16
1953Chelsea, Victoria5.7512
1954Rutherglen, Victoria911 8/10
1955Preston, Victoria8.7512
1956Altona, Victoria1211 8/10
1957Bacchus Marsh, Victoria10.511 8/10
1958Ascot Vale, Victoria8.511 8/10
1959Northcote, Victoria11.2511 8/10
1960Dimboola, Victoria6.7511 8/10
1961Nunawading, Victoria6.2512 2/10
1962Rosanna, Victoria8.2512 1/10
1963Moonee Ponds, Victoria1212
1964Echuca, Victoria8.512.1
1965Brighton, Victoria7.512
1966Wodonga, Victoria8.7511.9
1967Wodonga, Victoria5.7511.6
1968Surrey Hills, Victoria9.7511.6
1969Braybrook, Victoria7.7512
1970Ascot Vale, Victoria1111.8
1971Templestowe, Victoria7.2511.7
1972Ascot Vale, Victoria7.511.8
1973#Croydon, Victoria10.7512.1
1974Ripponlea, Victoria7.2512.0
1975MadagascarScratch12.0
1976Heidelberg, Victoria8.512.1
1977United States of America1.2512.0
1978Gunnedah, New South Wales811.9
1979Ivanhoe, Victoria8.2512.0
1980Viewbank, Victoria5.512.3
1981Scotland411.9
1982*Malvern, Victoria712.19
1983Bentleigh, Victoria612.22
1984Jilliby, New South Wales511.95
1985Essendon, Victoria10.7512.07
1986Albury, New South Wales712.01
1987Preston, Victoria8.2512.13
1988Roselands, New South Wales612.28
1989Wagga Wagga, New South Wales612.14
1990Kalamunda, Western Australia2.2512.29
1991Eltham, Victoria6.7511.93
1992Essendon, Victoria712.03
1993Caulfield South, Victoria7.511.94
1994Ringwood, Victoria7.512.05
1995Katamatite, Victoria6.511.79
1996Alberton, South Australia612.26
1997Mount Gambier, South Australia10.7511.98
1998Edithvale, Victoria7.7512.04
1999Buninyong, Victoria9.511.91
2000Wodonga, Victoria812.01
2001South Riverview, New South Wales7.7511.97
2002Cedar Grove, Queensland6.7511.98
2003North Lambton, New South Wales711.92
2004Barbados4.2512.07
2005Gillieston, New South WalesScratch12.36
2006Essendon, Victoria7.2511.98
2007Toowoomba, Queensland5.2512.35
2008Williamstown, Victoria6.0012.09
2009Lismore, New South Wales7.2511.87
2010Canberra, Australian Capital Territory8.7512.01
2011Gold Coast, Queensland6.5012.18
2012Ballarat, Victoria8.0012.22
2013Launceston, Tasmania7.2512.01
2014Bayside, Victoria10.012.33
2015Gold Coast, Queensland6.512.10
2016Brisbane, Queensland6.7512.17
2017Langwarrin, Victoria7.512.10
2018Lalor, Victoria 4.512.12
2019Victoria7.012.151
2020No race

Notes:
# Converted to metric distances in 1973.
* Commenced electronic timing in 1982.

1878: First winner

The inaugural winner was William J. "Bill" Millard, a farmer from Condah, Victoria, who reputedly trained by chasing kangaroos. Millard, running off 3 yards, won the race when the leading runner, W.J. Lambell, of Birregurra, running off 11 yards, fell two yards before the finish of the race. In 1889, aged 34, he won the 220 yards handicap at Stawell, running off 18 yards; and, at the same meeting, having been run out in the Gift's heats, he came third in the consolation race, the 120-yard Jubilee Handicap. Millard married twice, had 22 children, and died in 1939. His great-grandson, Daniel Millard, won the Stawell Gift in 1997.

Winners from scratch

Only two people have ever won the men's race running from scratch :
Three sprinters have won the race more than once:
Four Australian Olympians have won the Stawell Gift:
The following Gift winners also played senior VFL football:
Given the nature of the modern game, it is highly unlikely that any further AFL players would win a Stawell Gift.

Relocation

On a number of occasions there has been discussions about relocating the Stawell Gift for economic reasons.
On 14 February 2001, after much discussion about moving the event to Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, Premier Steve Bracks announced on ABC Local Radio that the Gift would be staying in Stawell and the State Government's $40,000 contribution would continue.
On 14 July 2009, it was announced that Ballarat had offered the Stawell Athletic Club more than $1 million in cash and incentives, including a $20,000 grant to the Stawell Gift Hall of Fame, to relocate the Gift from Central Park in Stawell to Ballarat City Oval for five years. The Club released a statement through Secretary Ian Lawrie stating they were considering the offer but the "decision is, without question, the most difficult ever undertaken by the Committee of the Stawell Athletic Club". He said the club would investigate and exhaust all other options to ensure the survival of Australia's most famous footrace.
On 16 September 2009 Victorian Premier John Brumby announced more than $300,000 State Government funding to keep the Stawell Gift in Stawell.

Womens Gift

YearRunnerCounty/State/TerritoryHandicap Time
1989South Australia8.511.55
1990Victoria8.7511.67
1991Victoria12.7511.52
1992Victoria1311.39
1993Victoria11.511.42
1994Victoria10.511.21
1995Victoria1311.57
1996South Australia1111.58
1997Victoria4.7512.05
1998Victoria9.2511.70
1999South Australia18.7511.51
2000Victoria511.70
2001Victoria411.76
2002Victoria911.67
2003Victoria14.511.15
2004Victoria14.7511.57
2005New South Wales1311.64
2006Victoria14.514.25
2007Victoria10.514.03
2008Victoria4.7513.88
2009New South Wales613.60
2010Victoria12.2514.06
2011Queensland9.513.90
2012Australian Capital TerritoryScratch13.95
2013New South Wales1013.98
2014Victoria11.513.13
2015Victoria10.2513.40
2016Victoria1313.70
2017Victoria1113.74
2018Queensland713.69
2019Victoria5.7513.58
2020No race

Footnotes