Media releases

Athletes and members of the public participating in next month’s Federation University Ballarat Marathon will have the chance to benefit from world-renowned Sport Science expertise through a series of virtual seminars co-hosted by Federation University Australia and RADcentre.

The sessions will cover different aspects of running performance and training delivered by various experts, including members of Federation’s Exercise and Sport Science discipline within the University’s Institute of Health & Wellbeing, experienced sports scientists, coaches, dietitians and industry professionals.

Federation’s Sport Science discipline is widely acclaimed and in a recent joint report from Stanford University and Elsevier, in terms of total citations two Federation University Australia researchers are in the top 1.5 per cent globally in the Sport Science discipline.

RADCentre is a strength and conditioning gym focussed on athletic development at all levels. It is the brainchild of Federation alumnus Chris Radford and won Business of the Year at the 2022 Federation University Commerce Ballarat Business Excellence Awards.

The virtual conferences will allow attendees to tap into world-class expertise which is aimed at educating running coaches, athletes and parents on preparing for the physical rigour of the sport.

The sessions, listed below, will be hosted online from 18:30-19:30 each Wednesday from 27 March to 17 April.
 

“Tapering and race day strategy” – Julian Spence

18:30pm AEDT, Wednesday 27 March 2024

Julian Spence is a dynamic entrepreneur and passionate advocate for running. As the founder of The Running Company Ballarat and the owner of The Running Company Geelong and Walking by The Running Company, he has established a thriving community hub for fitness enthusiasts in the Ballarat and Geelong regions.

Julian is also the director of Run Strong Online Coaching, where he shares his evidence-based expertise to empower individuals to achieve their running goals. Julian has achieved substantial coaching success, including representation at the Olympic Games and World Championships by athletes.

Notably, Julian is an elite marathon runner who represented Australia at the World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019 and is one of the hosts of the wildly popular Inside Running Podcast.

Julian will discuss tapering for the marathon including common mistakes and race day strategies including pacing.

Register for "Tapering and race day strategy"

“Nutrition and race day fuelling” – Michelle Ryan

18:30pm AEST, Wednesday 3 April 2024

Michelle has worked as a dietitian for more than 10 years and is currently registered with Dietitians Australia and Sports Dietitians Australia who are the leading voices in nutrition and dietetics in Australia. Michelle lectured at Federation University on the topic of nutrition and is the current sports dietitian for the Westvic Academy of Sport and the RAD Centre.

Michelle has a successful history working with endurance athletes, to help them to ensure they are fuelling their bodies with the correct amounts and types of fuel to perform at their best.

Michelle will discuss strategies to fuel training and competition for distance running, including carbohydrate loading and race-day nutrition.

Register for “Nutrition and race day fuelling”

“Strategies to reduce and minimise common running injuries” – Dr Warrick Chilton

18:30pm AEST, Wednesday 10 April 2024

Dr Warrick Chilton is a lecturer in exercise and sports science at Federation University, specialising in Clinical Exercise Physiology including Musculoskeletal and Neurological Rehabilitation. Warrick has a long competitive history as an endurance athlete having completed several Half Marathon and Marathon events and understands the demands of long-distance running and reducing injury risk.

Warrick will discuss strategies to reduce and minimise common running injuries such as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis, Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome and others.

Register for “Strategies to reduce and minimise common running injuries”

“The Norwegian Training Model” – Dr Ryan Worn

18:30pm AEST, Wednesday 17 April 2024

Dr Ryan Worn is a lecturer in exercise and sports science at Federation University, specialising in high-performance athlete physiology and biomechanics. Ryan is an active distance runner and triathlete and an active cycling and running coach with success coaching athletes to a national level, including representation at world championships in road cycling, track cycling and BMX.

Ryan will discuss the concept of the Norwegian training model, its popularity in running and other sports, the physiology that underpins the model, and its potential utility citing a successful athlete case study.

Register for “The Norwegian Training Model”

Quotes attributable to Federation University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Duncan Bentley

“Federation’s Sport Science discipline is globally renowned, and we are proud to be able to share our expertise with elite athletes and the public ahead of this year’s inaugural Federation University Marathon in Ballarat through this series of virtual conferences.”

“Federation is proud to support this special event as we continue our proud tradition of supporting sport, health and wellbeing throughout regional Victoria.”