The Landy 2024 Registration

Registrations are now closed.

Attention all Masters’ quick sprint and sprint endurance athletes !

Victorian Masters Athletics’ (VMA) unique event “The Landy” is on again in 2024 – back for it’s 15th edition. This event, founded by VMA stalwart Richard Trembath back in 2000, is considered unique, with no other event that combines both sprint speed and endurance like it anywhere else in the world !

The event is named in honour of one of the icons of Australian athletics, John Landy. He was the second man in the world to break the four-minute barrier in the mile run and held world records for the 1500-metre run and the mile race. He was also the 26th Governor of Victoria from 2001 to 2006.

The event is based on age-graded handicaps and is contested by athletes across all masters age groups from 30+. The maximum number of entries for the event is 64. “The Landy” is in the same mould in both concept and prestige, as the WS Cox Plate - a feature event of Melbourne’s spring horse racing carnival.   

The event format is as follows: there are two qualifying rounds – the first is a 200m age-graded handicapped event and then the second about 40 minutes later is a 1,000m age-graded handicapped event. Athletes are graded in each event based on the overall placings and the eight athletes with the highest combined placing scores will contest a 400m age-graded handicap final. In addition there will be a consolation final for the athletes ranked nine to sixteen from the two qualifying rounds. The total nominal distance of the three Landy events is 1600m, which is just nine metres shy of the distance of John Landy’s signature event – the mile.

The winner of “The Landy” will win a sash and a custom made trophy valued at over $500, which they retain. They will also keep for a year the honour board which features the names of all past winners. The consolation final will have a “winner take all” prize of $100. And in a further evolution of this special event, it has been decided that from this year on, that it will only be possible to win “The Landy” just once. This change is reflective of VMA’s mantra of participation and also adds to the aura of “The Landy” in that from now on, each year there will be a new winner.  

A newspaper article back in 2005 (when the event was run for the sixth time) described “The Landy” as “…the most prestigious on the Victorian Masters athletics calendar”. The article went on further to add that “(the event) provides a stern test of speed, stamina, versatility and durability (for athletes)”.  And so, yes, this year “The Landy” will have a new winner….it could be you…are you up for the challenge ?  Enter now to make sure you are one of up to 64 that are in with a shot at Masters athletics glory !