Belconnen’s gritty running stable still setting pace as World Cup fever grips the capital

CANBERRA-While the world’s attention is locked on the World Cup semi-finals in the United States, a quieter but no less determined contest is playing out on the capital’s footpaths and ovals. The Canberra Distance Project, a Belconnen-based running club that has produced a string of national representatives, has two of its athletes competing at the Australian Track & Field Championships in Brisbane this week.

The pair-a 23-year-old steeplechaser who holds a personal best of 8:34 and a 26-year-old 5,000-metre specialist-booked their spots at the national meet after a string of strong performances at the Canberra Times Fun Run series and the ACT Cross Country Championships earlier this season. Neither is expected to medal, but both are considered near certainties for selection in the Australian development squad for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Why it matters now

The timing is deliberate. July has always been a quiet month for club running in Canberra-the NRL and AFL seasons are in full swing, the Brumbies are on break, and the A-League is months away. This year, with the World Cup dominating screens, local athletics rarely gets a mention. Yet the Distance Project’s ascent coincides with a wider concern: strike action threatens the start of the new A-League season, and community sport is once again being asked to fill the void left by professional codes that struggle to hold public attention beyond finals.

Club president and head coach Michael Chen said the squad has been using the World Cup broadcasts as a team-bonding exercise, watching games together at the club’s base on Emu Bank before early-morning sessions on the Lake Ginninderra circuit. “The boys are buzzing,” Chen told The Daily Canberra. “They see England and Argentina getting this global stage and it reminds them that their own stage is only a few years of hard work away.”

Grassroots gains in a global city

Canberra has long punched above its weight in distance running. The capital’s altitude-around 580 metres above sea level-and its network of lakeside paths and bush trails make it an ideal training environment. The Distance Project operates a structured program that includes weekly tempo runs on the Stromlo Forest Park trails and interval sessions on the AIS track in Bruce.

The club has 47 registered members, down from a peak of 68 in 2024, but Chen said numbers have stabilised in recent months. “We’re not a big club, but we’re consistent,” he said. “The ones who stay are the ones who want to be here.” Membership costs $350 for the year, which includes coaching, access to a strength-and-conditioning program, and race-day support at up to 12 events across the season.

The club’s two national championship qualifiers will race on Friday and Saturday at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre. Neither race will be broadcast live, but the club plans to stream the events on its private Facebook group and hold a viewing party at a Florey sports bar.

For now, the runners are focused on the small, tangible goals: a new personal best, a top-eight finish, a shot at the development squad. The World Cup will be over in a week. The World Championships are still a year away. The pavement on Emu Bank will still be there in the morning.