The Frankston Gift returns on January 14 after a six-year absence with CORE 24 resuming its position as a major sponsor, and organisers hope it will become one of the city’s premier sporting events.
The CORE 24 – 2018 Frankston Gift will be run at Frankston Oval, cnr Young St and Plowman Place, with athletes of all ages and abilities invited to compete in a competitive but fun environment. It will be a similar format to the 130-year-old Stawell Gift, with each athlete allocated a mark or handicap based on their ability, giving them an equal opportunity in their chosen event.
Photo by Jamesons Photography
Gift races are traditionally held on a grass surface, and records show that a Gift was run in Frankston as early as the 1920s and was last held in Frankston in 2012 under the name The Peninsula Gift. The Frankston Athletic Club is resuming the Gift under the new name and hopes the race will generate its own character and attract national and international level elite athletes. “These athletes, along with Frankston’s dynamic business community and rich sporting culture, will undoubtedly create one of the city’s leading sporting events,” the club said. It expects the Gift will attract more than 1000 runners and spectators, many of whom will eat, stay and shop in the area.
The CORE 24 – 2018 Frankston Gift team’s mission is to create stronger ties within the community by bringing individuals, businesses and sporting bodies together for a premier community and sporting event. The team also hopes the Gift will support businesses and sponsors, boost Frankston’s reputation as a healthy sporting community, provide a fun and innovative environment for all ages, and provide equal prize money for men and women to promote equality in sport.
CORE 24 also supports many other community and sporting clubs, including Frankston Football Club, Frankston Tennis Club and Frankston Heat Cricket Club.
CORE 24 – 2018 FRANKSTON GIFT
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