STAWELL - The 130th running of the Australia Post Stawell Gift will feature a slight twist this Easter, with reigning women's national 100 metre champion Melissa Breen set to take on the men.
In a further twist, Commonwealth Games gold medal winning sprinter Simon Patmore, who stormed to victory in the T46 men's 100 metre for elite athletes with a disability in Delhi, will also be amongst the field set to vie for the $40,000 winner's prize.
In addition, Breen will contest the State of Victoria Strickland Family Women's Gift 120 metre and will be joined on the start line by current and former Australian champions, Lauren Boden (400m hurdles), Linda Allen (triple jump) and Tamsyn Lewis (400m, 800m and 400m hurdles).
Breen will become just the fifth female athlete to race against the men in the heats of the Australia Post Stawell Gift.
One of the nation's best female sprinters, Breen represented Australia at last year's Commonwealth Games and currently boasts a personal best time of 11.33. Based in Canberra, Breen trains with Matt Beckenham within a squad which includes a number of pro runners including 2010 Gift winner Tom Burbidge.
Although a female runner is yet to progress past the heats of Australia's richest and most prestigious footrace, Breen is excited for the challenge which awaits her.
"It's going to be a bit of fun and that's what the pros are all about," said Breen.
"In the women's Gift I'll be starting off scratch, but in the men's Gift I'll be the little bunny rabbit out in front and they'll all be chasing me down.
"I reckon the boys will swamp me in the last 10m of the race. I reckon I'll be good for 100m, and then there will be a swamping for sure."
Breen admitted she is better placed on the track but running on grass will be a good test for her.
"I could make the semis, I'm not as good on the grass as I am on the track but it's a good chance for me to practice all the things I've been doing at training.
"I'm not sure what the limit is going to be this year but I talked to the officials and they will put me on the limit, whether that be 11 or 12 metres depending on what the marks will be."
It will be a big couple of weeks for Breen who will contest the Australian Championships in Melbourne, then the Australia Post Stawell Gift the following Easter weekend, before jetsetting off to Japan for another international meet.
"When it comes to the pointy end of the season it's all about racing and I'm excited to have that many races in a few days," she said.
"It's a fantastic weekend in Stawell. I was there in 2009 and no other pro run in Australia is like Stawell. The prestige of it is amazing, the crowd and all the activities around it is just a sensational weekend. The rest of the squad from Matty B's Department will be there, so hopefully we'll have another winner in the bag to follow on from Tom (Burbidge) last year."
Joining Breen on the start line will be Queenslander Simon Patmore who stormed to victory at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games in the T46 100 metre and also took bronze in the 200 metre at the 2011 IPC World Championships in Christchurch earlier this year.
Born with erbs palsy, which limits the movement in his left arm, the 23 year-old has a career best time of 11.14 over 100 metres.
Entries into the 2011 Australia Post Stawell Gift closed Monday, and the marks are to be released next week.
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