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Australian Championship Potato Race - Robertson

There is no question of the correct title of the Spud Race.
Firstly the juniors start off the series of Spud Races. Then there is the Ladies Spud Race, sponsored by the Illawarra Fly.
Here is the winner, from Kangaroo Valley.
And I would have to say that she looked so fresh and relaxed at the finish
one thought that she might have gone around the circuit again.
Well done to her! Next to the men's Spud Race, sponsored by Elders.
My friend Bardy looks very optimistic
as he loads up the 50 Kg bag of Robertson's finest spuds. Here is the winner about to cross the finish line.
Shock Horror - he is not a local, or even from Crookwell
He came from Sydney! Oh, well, at least he's showing some pain.
Bardy is looking up
(as much as one can with 50 Kg of spuds on your shoulders)
to see exactly where the finish line is. Here is Bardy in recovery mode
after completing the race. Fine set of shorts too, Bardy.
I really admire his courage in starting the race.
To successfully finish this race is a genuine triumph.
Posted by Denis Wilson at 11:30 pm Labels: Robbo_Show, Spud_Race Flabmeister said...


More detail is needed on this magnificent event! Some initial questions:
1) What weight of spuds do the fillies carry?
2) How long is the course?
3) What time did the winner do?
4) Given that we are in election fever, which political parties are in favour of the proposition that the day of the race be swapped to the Friday and then made a public holiday as is the equivalent event in Melbourne?

6:35 am, March 13, 2011 
Please forgive my oversights, Martin.
Important questions.
The "fillies" carry 20 Kg bags, as do the ponies.
Distance is one circuit of the Robbo Oval, which is so old it presumably was set up as a "quarter mile". Approx 400 metres would be a good estimate. I doubt anyone has actually measured it, because in Robertson it is the track outside the football field, the home of "the famous Robertson Spuddies", the local Rugby League team. It is the field which is important, to the locals, not the track outside it, if you follow me.
As for your brilliant suggestion of a Public Holiday, my only question is, with the high rate of unemployment, and high retired population, would anyone notice?
Locals take both days of the Show (Friday and Saturday) off anyway.
On other snippet I overlooked to mention is the prize money. It is serious cash.
$1000 to the winner, and a bonus of $300 to any resident of the Wingecarribee Shire.
So, while there is NO PAROCHIALISM about the Robbo Show - even residents of Carwoola are welcome to enter, there is an additional value attributed to a win by a LOCAL.

10:43 am, March 13, 2011 Le Loup said...

An interesting post!

1:05 pm, March 13, 2011 
Thanks Le Loup.
Can you carry 50 Kg of spuds on your back?
I cannot (at least not around a football field).

1:08 pm, March 13, 2011 
Martin has responded off-system, but I will post it here.

Thanks for the response to my comment on the spud race.

Were I in the condition of my youth (played Rugby and more importantly worked on a traditional cereal farm in the UK) I would be in the event like a shot. At present I suspect my time for the event could best be measured by a calendar (probably one of those Mayan long-cycle jobbies at that) rather than a chronometer. However should anyone in Robbo care to donate a sack of spuds for training .....

I think it is quite fair enough to bias the prizes in favour of residents of Robertson. The visitors from elsewhere get a bonus from visiting anyway. However I have thought of an alternative mechanism with some ancillary features that might appeal.

* Set the prize at $1300 for all entrants.
* Reduce the prize by $3 per kilometre for distance travelled to get to the show from home unless the means of travel was carbon neutral.
* Add a bonus to the prize of $3 per extra kilo of spuds carried (still have to win to get the prize).

Distance could be established very quickly using Google maps! I used $3 since I thought this got Sydney folk back to around the grand currently on hand.


9:21 am, March 14, 2011 
Hi Martin
Always the statistician, eh?
It has the merit of being equivalent to "food miles". We all prefer fresh, local food. Why not fresh local contestants to cart the food?
Thanks for the imaginative suggestion.
Re trying to cadge a free bag of spuds for training purposes, coming from Carwoola, you could always carry 50 Kg of those rocks you guys grow out that way. Special provision of some soft padding on the shoulders would be acceptable.
I could get you a spare (empty) spud bag. :-))

9:29 am, March 14, 2011