As an athlete, Logan Tickell knows it’s not just all about running lap after lap. Since he joined the Athlete Development Program at Bendigo South East College three years ago, Tickell has built up leg strength for the intensity of racing and training. 

The hard work in the gym and on the track paid off for South Bendigo Athletics Club’s rising star in his most recent 3000m hit-out in a Victorian Milers meet at Box Hill.

Tickell’s time of 8:48.13 in the 3000m set a Victorian record for the under-15 age group.

The the-then 14-year-old lowered the mark of 8:49.77 set by Wendouree’s Harry Sharp, now playing AFL with Brisbane Lions, at Adelaide in November, 2017.

It was an improvement of almost 10 seconds.

Tickell became the first athlete from the Bendigo Region to hold a state track record in more than a decade.

Tickell, 15, said the work with athletics coach Andy Buchanan and strength/conditioning coach Valeri Stoimenov at ADP played a big part in his record-breaking feat.

The youngster has two or three gym sessions a week as part of ADP classes, and puts in a lot of time on the track.

“I wasn’t that keen on weights training at first, now I can see how much it has helped me improve.” Tickell said.

Increased leg strength has meant less fatigue in races and finishing strongly.

Tickell’s goals for the new year include the Richard Kitt Memorial 1500m held under lights on January 8 (where he ran fastest time!)

He will have home-track advantage when he contests the 1500m and 3000m at the Victoria Country titles in Bendigo across January 28 to 30.

Another goal is the Victorian championships at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne’s Albert Park precinct in late February.

A leg injury through most of winter impeded Tickell’s training plans.

“It was annoying not being able to train, but I had to rest and recover.”

The enforced lay-off has meant Tickell is even more determined in training.

In the gym he does a series of squats, lunges, deadlifts, rowing, and push-ups.

Athletics has played a big part in the Tickell family life for a long time.

Logan’s father, Lucas competed at national level on the track and was a Cyril Michelsen Trust Fund recipient in Bendigo’s Sports Star of the Year award.

These days it’s Zackery, 16; Logan, 15; and Chelsea, 12, who compete.

When asked about Logan Tickell’s strengths as an athlete, Andy Buchanan spoke about work ethic and self-motivation:

“Logan works incredibly hard. He always wants to learn and improve. He is also an excellent racer. The bigger the race the better he runs.”

This year, Logan Tickell moves up to year 10 and his final year with the ADP program.

Buchanan said Tickell’s training with talented youngsters Harrison Boyd and Jayden Padgham, a Victoria Country under-14 record-holder for 3000m, was also a huge plus.