RYE’s premier sporting event, the Rye Gift will be held at R.J.Rowley Reserve, Melbourne Road, Rye on Saturday 10 January 2026. Now in its 50th year, the event is rated as the third highest ranked event for professional running on the Victorian Athletics League calendar. Foremost in success is the Pasquali family, with Wally Pasquali winning the men’s 120m Rye Gift in 1995. Then the sensational and record breaking triple winner Anna Pasquali (Nee Deery) won the Women’s 120m Rye Gift in 2003, 2004 and 2005. 2023 saw daughter Bella Pasquali win the Women’s 120M Rye Gift as a 16…
Browsing: Rye Gift
By Barry Irving OAMDESPITE a very warm day Rye’s premier event, the 49th running of the Rye Gift, drew a record number of entries. There were 99 juniors who contested the junior gift with competitors coming from clubs as far away as Warrnambool. A record number of 736 VAL registered athletes contested the day’s events with clubs coming from Victoria-wide and including one international competitor from Scotland.Mornington Peninsula Shire prepared an excellent surface for competition; the running track was cut and rolled a number of times as was the 400 metre surface for all the distance runners. The event is…