Happy New Year!
Welcome to 2026 and another chance for HBH glory.
The Holdfast Bay Handicap (HBH) is back on again this Australia Day weekend for its 23rd year in a row.
Details for this years race:
Sunday 25th January
Rockford Place, Marino.
Arrive from 7.20am, participant photo at 7:40.
Race starts at 8:00am.
Welcome to stay at the bay post-race.
Feel free to contact organisers or other racers for a pickup at the bay pre-race or for a lift back to Marino post-race.
The 2025 race, saw another HBH win from the Clarke family with Patrick Clarke taking out the win with Dan & Mitchell Ryan completing the podium for the second year in a row for the men. Millie Starrs took out the Women's field, with sisters Harriet & Phoebe Farrugia coming in at 2nd & 3rd, continuing the era of the youth taking over this women’s race.
With the stage set for many great runners young & old, eager and ready, who will be the winners holding the cup in 2026.
See you at the starting line!
2026 Handicaps:
Women
15 mins - Elysia Ryan,
12 mins - Karina Sharp,
10 mins - Jess McCabe
7 mins - Mel Farrugia
6 mins - Ewa Starrs
4 mins - Lucy Ryan, Sally Ryan,
3 mins - Verity Farrugia,
2 mins - Phoebe Farrugia
1 min - Harriet Farrugia
Scratch - Millie Starrs (Reigning Champion) (all New Female Runners)
Men
15 mins - Ben Ryan,
12 mins - Fernando Farrugia
10 mins - David Jucha, Nathan Strempel
9 mins - Peter Sharp, Joseph Sharp, Liam Sharp, Tom Ryan, Nick Cosma, Tim Wedding
8 mins – Jeremy Saywell
7 mins - Adam Starrs, Noah Starrs
6 mins - Dan Ryan
5 mins - Jack Ryan, Mitchell Ryan
4 mins - Robbie Trott
3 mins - Jason Moore, Brett Clarke
2 mins - Marco De Pierro
1 mins - Harry Waugh, Adam Jaedi
Scratch - Dale Clarke, Patrick Clarke (Reigning champion), Luke Ashman, (all new male runners)
* Handicaps have been decided for those who have run the event in recent years. If you have participated previous to this and intend to run this year or are a debut runner, please let us know by Friday, Jan 23, 2026 so that we can provide you with a handicap.
THE HISTORY
Sunday, December 8, 2002:
Three young boys awake from a deep, deep sleep walk. They are running. They are right in the heart of Marino, Adelaide, swiftly making their way along the picturesque southern coastline. To where? Not even they know the answer to that. They are free. No fighting, no wars, no homework (their summer holidays had just begun)…. They are running because they can, but little do they realise what this run will become.
Twenty one years on, and this run has become a tradition, an icon and more importantly, a race. The boys ended up running from Marino to Glenelg, a 7.6km journey that pits courage against fatigue and makes one wish they were dead at numerous points along the way. In 2002, it was merely a casual jog to the Bay with a couple of mates. In 2003 it became so much more. It had become a race between three sworn enemies. It had become the Holdfast Bay Handicap.
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