THERE will be 950 people running their own hot lap of Australia's most iconic race track when the Mount Panorama Punish is held on October 27, 2024, making it the biggest field in the event's history.
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One beloved face will be missing from the crowd, though: co-founder of the Punish, Stephen Jackson.
Mr Jackson died after a single-vehicle accident on the road between Canberra and Bathurst in late February, 2024.
His fiancée, Jennifer Arnold, was also in the car at the time, but came away from the tragedy with non-life-threatening injuries.
Ms Arnold founded the Punish with Mr Jackson in 2017, and knows it will be different, not just for herself, but for everyone, to be at the event without him.
However, his loved ones will be doing their best to honour his memory and passion for the event.
"It will have a different feel to it this year without Stephen at the finish line giving people high-fives, but his eldest son, Chris, and his best mate Cam will be there doing the job for him," Ms Arnold said.
"His youngest son, Josh, is aiming to beat his dad's PB too and he'll be running with his dad's number, so we're aiming to make it a really special event for so many reasons."
Mr Jackson would be proud of how far the Punish has come since its inaugural event, where there were around 400 runners taking part.
In 2024, there will be more than double that number, and many of them will be people who have run in multiple years.
Ms Arnold said they will be coming from all over the country to take part.
"Every year it's surprising where people are travelling from to come to the Punish; last year we had a mini-bus of people come down from Ipswich, this year we have a group of runners coming from Gungahlin in Canberra," she said.
The Punish has been recognised in the past for its ability to attract visitors, having received Bathurst Regional Council's Destination Event of the Year award on three occasions.
Ms Arnold hopes to continue growing the event's reputation among tourists, which was aided this year with the assistance of a $20,000 flagship event grant from Destination NSW, designed to grow tourism in regional NSW.
The 2024 Mount Panorama Punish will get under way at 8am and participants will have up to 60 minutes to finish.
The fastest finishing time in the events history was set by Harry McGill in 2022, who completed his lap in 20 minutes and 44 seconds.
Limited last-minute entries will be accepted during bib collection on Saturday, October 26.
