On the AFL Grand Final Day public holiday, you turned our Melbourne (Bundoora) campus into something pretty special.
From first start lines and PB attempts to a morning walk with mates and little legs taking on the Kids’ 1km, thank you for being part of Run La Trobe 2026.
With 681 registrations (up 22% on 2025), this was our biggest Run La Trobe yet. Community entries also continued to grow, with 307 Community entries making up 45 per cent of the field. Entries from outside the University community increased from 67 to more than 350.
Student registrations were higher than ever, with students travelling from across the country, including as far away as Orange in New South Wales.
For regional students, our Regional Support Program, delivered with support from the La Trobe Business Services team, provided free on-campus accommodation for the night before the race.
Lucy Longeri was one of those students. Lucy is a Mildura student and Run La Trobe Regional Ambassador who set up a weekly walk and run group on the Mildura campus through the Move Squad Campus Ambassador Program.
Lucy travelled to Bundoora for Run La Trobe, took part in the pre-event shakeout run, stayed in on-campus accommodation and competed alongside other Mildura students on race day.
"As part of the La Trobe Move Squad Ambassador Program, I’m really grateful to La Trobe Sport for helping make it possible for me to participate in Run La Trobe with members of my run club at Menzies College," Lucy said.
"As a student from La Trobe Mildura, staying at Menzies College at La Trobe Bundoora made travelling from Mildura so much easier. I loved having the opportunity to take part in Run La Trobe, spend time with my run club members and connect with the wider La Trobe community.
"I’m really thankful to La Trobe Sport and Menzies College for their support and for making the whole experience possible."
Run La Trobe started well before race day. The sold-out launch event, The Science of Running Unpacked, brought together speakers from across La Trobe’s Centre for Sport and Human Performance Research community to talk about training, injury prevention, recovery, fuelling and performance.
This was followed by Orientation activations, weekly Run Group sessions and a range of Race Week activities.
Throughout Semester 2, staff and students got together every Thursday afternoon for the weekly Run Group. Recovery activities, strength and Pilates sessions, staff wellbeing sessions and the pre-event shakeout run and walk gave people plenty of opportunities to prepare and get involved.
For those chasing a time, the official Run La Trobe results are now available with some incredible times recorded on the day. Nick Ingham won the 10km in 37:01, with Dianna Lepore the first female runner home in 47:19. In the 5km, Iker Leguizamon Salamanca finished first in 17:27, while Rachel Paterson was the first female home in 19:40.
But not everyone came to race or run a personal best. A total of 276 registrants identified Run La Trobe as their first organised running or walking event. The new Kids’ 1km attracted 47 entries, while the 5km Walk, funded entries, beginner-focused communications and Ivanhoe Harriers pacers helped make the event accessible to people with different goals and levels of experience.
The Kids Multi-Sport Camp delivered by the La Trobe Sport Community Programs team also helped more parents take part in the event, knowing their children were being looked after through an active program. More information about La Trobe Sport’s programs is available through the La Trobe Sport Holiday Camps page.
People came to Run La Trobe for different reasons. Some were chasing a personal best, while others were reconnecting with the University, taking part with friends before graduation, setting an example for their children or moving for a cause.
Together, the Run La Trobe community raised more than $14,000 for charity.
A special thank you also goes to UniSuper for sponsoring 100 complimentary staff places. This helped make it easier for more staff to take part.
Whether you came for a time, a cause, your crew or simply to give it a go, you helped make the day what it was.
To the volunteers, staff, partners and supporters who helped bring it all together, thank you too.
We’re incredibly proud of this community. Thanks for trusting La Trobe Sport with your race day. We hope you left proud of yourself, with a few good memories and a reason to keep moving.
