About the Gift

The Castlemaine Gift is a volunteer run, annual professional running event on the Victorian Athletic League calendar and hosted at Camp Reserve, Castlemaine. The Gift has over 150 years of rich history and has been a professional event for just over 100 years.

It is run under the control of the Victorian Athletic League. This is one of many meetings on the VAL calendar which always culminates with the running of the three-day Stawell Gift every Easter. The meeting is a non-profit community event held on the Castlemaine’s Camp Reserve.

The meeting is a full day of professional, handicap running that lasts for about seven hours of non- stop action. The day starts with the heats of the Junior Castlemaine Gift for boys and girls aged from 5 years to 13 years. Then the professional meeting begins at about 11.00am with races over 70m, 120m Gift for men and a 120m Gift for women, 120m Veterans sprint for men and women (over 35 years), 300m for men and women Veterans, men’s, and women’s 400m races, an 800m and a 3200m. There is also an Under-18 120m for both boys and girls and an Under-18 400m.

Competitors come from across all parts of Victoria and interstate to compete from many and varied backgrounds and occupations. They race for substantial cash prizes as well as the winner’s sash, trophies and gifts from sponsors and local traders. They are healthy, happy fit people racing across age ranges from juniors through to 70-year-olds, competing on one of the best Victorian grass surfaces.