Lithgow hosted a great number of runners for the first Ridgy Didge running festival at Hassan’s Walls on 20 August 2022. With 228 runners registered for the event.
Local businesses reaped the benefits. Accommodation, restaurants, and cafes were busy over the weekend and the Lithgow Pony Club catered for the hungry competitors at the event site.
There were several race distances available to accommodate for different standards of competitor making it an ideal event for people just starting out in trail running. There was good representation of demographics across the board with slightly more women than men.
The event organisers conducted a survey with 94.3% rating the event as Awesome or Very Good.
Some testimonial feedback from the runners was “Amazing Volunteers, great vibe and atmosphere”, “Course marking was excellent”, “Loved the Pony Club location as an Event Hub”, “The volunteers were without exception the loveliest bunch ever”, “Awesome signage, marshals and volunteers”, “very clean amenities, good parking, coffee van and food was good to have”, “As the event grows it will be an awesome area for a festival atmosphere”.
Mayor, Councillor Maree Statham said “The Ridgy Didge running festival was a welcome addition to Lithgow’s events landscape, and I am particularly pleased to hear the flow on effects to the tourism area. The Hassan’s Walls Reserve is such a magnificent asset right on the doorstep of Lithgow and to see people enjoying their sport in this special place was great to see. I congratulate the event organisers for their hard work and excellent coordination”.
The event organisers also manage the Glow Worm Tunnel Marathon Weekend and are very excited about the prospects of making the region a number one choice for runners and bringing great economic benefit to Lithgow.
