On a perfect Canberra summer's day- no mean achievement, as it was early October- the ever-popular 10 km / 4 km fun-run event boasted its largest field since it was first held in 1984.

The record field of 176 finishers braved the challenging lakeside course at Acton Ferry Terminal, and was rewarded by not only a sense of personal satisfaction and achievement, but also a breakfast of crepes (with fresh maple syrup), fruits and assorted cereals.

How does a runner stand out in such a large group? Well, it helps if your name is Scott. Scott Imhoff (below) easily won the 10 km race in 35:26, followed by Scott Irons (38:21). Two of our long-standing regulars, Geoff Monro (39:10) and Bruce Egan (39:22), came third and fourth.

The top female was Kristen Connell (41:34), followed by Kym Chisholm (44:16), Christina Thorne (44:56) and Reegan O'Keefe (45:36).

In the 4 km run, Chris Macdonald (13:15) clocked the fastest time on this tough course for several years, followed by Keith Southgate (14:02), Paul Considine (14:30) and Robert Torley (15:02). The fastest females were Catriona Windsor, 12 (far right), and Nicola Torley, nine, who finished in 16:23 and 16:29 respectively. (Both are already veterans of Sri Chinmoy events, and we can safely name them as"ones to watch" for the future.) As Catriona and Nicola are both under 13, Marissa Veid (16:45) clinched the women's first-place trophy, followed by Karina West (19:36).

Special mention should be made of Rylan Ziesing, easily our youngest-ever 4 km finisher. Ryan turns five later this month, so if anyone is inspired to break his course record, they will have to be no older than four years, eleven months, one week and one day old!

Full race results by category are published.   Please also view the finish line action in the event photo gallery.

A perfect morning for a run. Sunny Canberra weather, with the temperature rising to its ideal heights only minutes before the races began. The sunshine was replaced by strong wind, light rain and a temperature drop, right on cue: the moment everyone had gone home!

As a result, many commented on the fine weather as they ran over the tried-and-true course.

Geoff Monro (left), a long-time veteran of Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team events, won in 37:59, followed by another familiar face, Michael Corlis, in 38:18. Tim Mayfield (38:40) and Bruce Norton (39:20) came next.

Of the women, Melinda Cockshutt (below, right) won comfortably in 42:20, but Thea Zimpel, in second place with 44:05, trimmed three minutes off her personal best time. With such self-transcendence, we look forward to the rematch! Kym Chisholm (45:35) was third.

A special bow to Sue Archer, who won the women's 50-59 section- and was fourth woman overall.

The 4km race seemed to belong to the tremendous Torley family, with members of that family winning three of the six categories and placing second in another. Robert Torley (14:18), racing in the open category, was the first runner to finish, followed by Peter Zygadlo (14:26) and. Paul Torley (15:33)!

In a truly outstanding performance, the first female home was Catriona Windsor in 16:41 (left)- and she was racing in the under-13 age group! Second, also in that group, was Nicola Torley (17:08). Both girls were way ahead of their nearest rivals among the females, of any age group.

View the full results, and check out the photo gallery.