Athletics South West Turbines runner ready for round one of AVSL

It's about a dozen more than last season and on the back of current members sticking with the club and newcomers joining the fun.

Anna Prendeville, a 400-metre runner trying to beat 60 seconds, joined last summer but never got the chance to compete.

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She'll get her first opportunity when the majority of the club's competing members head to Geelong next weekend.

Dixon said some members would compete at Ballarat, another city hosting AVSL events.

Prendeville, 22, participated in athletics through high school when she was living in Cairns.

She said she spent two years away from the sport and recently started training again with Dixon, a sprint coach.

She said her main motivation to get back into athletics was the passing of her grandfather and long-time coach, Lenny Johnson, earlier this year.

Prendeville has her sights set on the 600m run in the opening AVSL meet at Geelong.

She may also have a go at the 60m sprint, long jump and discus which are the other three events on the draft timetable.

"I've always enjoyed it and I've always loved the competition," she said.

"My biggest supporter was my grandpa and he trained me a lot and he was a better runner than I was.

"He passed away recently and he was wanting me to continue on.

"So that's probably my biggest motivation now, is to just do it for him."

The Warrnambool Deakin University nursing student, who moved to the south-west three years ago, was thrilled to find a track and field club.

"I'd been looking for a club for a while and someone gave me Jeremy's number," she said.

"So I contacted him last year and have been training with him ever since."

She trains three or four times a week.

Since moving to the south-west she has also participated in a few months of training with South Warrnambool's female football team last year.

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