The Ballarat Gift will carry the name of the city’s own Len Templar.

“It’s a great honour,” a humble Templar said.

Templar has spent 60 years in and around the sport –  initially as an athlete and then as one of most respected coaches in professional ranks.

Although he spent his formative years in the Central Victoria town of Donald, it is in Ballarat where the 88-year-old has spent most of his life and become a living sporting legend.

The way of many professional runners in the mid to late 1900s, Templar started out as a footballer with Redan in the Ballarat Football League.

He was a Lions premiership player in 1952 before chalking up 59 VFL/AFL games with North Melbourne in 1954-57.

He then returned to the BFL, going on to becomes the Ballarat Swans’ longest serving coach of 15 years (1958-1967, 1970-1972, 1977-1978).

It was in his first stint with the Swans that the running bug first took hold in a big way.

Templar had long had an interest, but it was coaching Ballarat to victory in the 1959 footballers’ 4x110 yards relay at Stawell,  in which he ran with Bill Candy, Jock Hayes and Rick Winnell, that began what would be a longstanding love affair with Central Park and the professional circuit as a whole.

It was to be in the 1990s that Templar made his biggest impact as a coach – overseeing the careers Tony Martin, Rod Mathews, Evan King and Peter O’Dwyer. 

All contested Stawell Gift finals, but the biggest moment of many highlights came in 1999 when Mathews won the Stawell Gift.

Templar said as much as he liked football, athletics had its nose in front as his number one sport for enjoyment.

“You have to admire the work ethic and self motivation of athletes.

“Training is enormous...six days a week. The commitment.”

Templar believes that while the standard of professional running is not what was owing to the many other opportunities young athletes now have,  the sport remains healthy through the involvement of families.

He said with little aths and juniors,  and masters and veterans, there were many more families taking part.

Templar said it was great see.

The two-day Ballarat Gift Carnival begins on Saturday at 9am with junior dash for cash heats.

Ballarat Women's Gift heats will be at 2.15pm and Ballarat Gift heats at 2.45pm

Sunday's program, which also starts at 9am, has the women's gift final at 3.5pm and gift final at 3.45pm.

FULL PROGRAM

SATURDAY

9am: Victorian Junior Dash for Cash - 100m, 800m and  200m heats

11.15: 70m Mesh and  Masonry Open Sprint Handicap heats

12.15pm: 800m Gil Hills Memorial Hills Family Open Handicap heats

12.32: 70m Mesh and  Masonry Open Sprint Handicap semi-finals

12.45: 120m Hec Wilson Memorial Cressbells Drycleaners Restricted Handicap heats

1.10: Mcdonalds Victorian Junior Dash for Cash 400m heats

2.00: 120m Hec Wilson Memorial Cressbells Drycleaners Restricted Handicap semi-finals

2.15: 120m Active Women and  Girls Ballarat Women's Gift heats

2.45: 120m Len Templar' North Ballarat Sports Club Ballarat Gift heats

3.30: 300m Ru Advertising Masters Handicap heats

4.10: 400m Intersport Sportzbiz Restricted Handicap heats 

4.30: 800m Gil Hills Memorial Hills Family Open Handicapv final

4.40: 70m Mesh and  Masonry Open Sprint Handicap final

5.00: 300m Ru Advertising Master's Handicap final

5.05: 400m Intersport Sportzbiz Restricted Handicap final

5.10: Presentations 

SUNDAY

9am: Mcdonalds Victorian Junior Dash for Cash 100m semi-finals

9.45: Mcdonalds Victorian Junior Dash for Cash 800m finals

10.15: 120m 'hec Wilson Memorial' Cressbells Drycleaners Restricted Handicap Final

10.20: 120m U18 Junior Girls Gift heats

10.40: 120m U18 Junior Boys Gift heats

 11.15: 120m Active Women Girls Ballarat Women's Gift semi-finals

11.35: 120m Len Templar North Ballarat Sports Club Ballarat Gift semi-finals

11.50: Mcdonalds Victorian Junior Dash for Cash 200m and 400m finals

Noon: Ballarat Celebrity Gift Race 

12.20pm: 120m Ballarat Orthodontic Practice Master's Handicap heats

12.50: 1600m Masters Handicap final

1.05: 120m U18 Junior Girls Gift final

1.10: 120m U18 Junior Boys Gift final

1.15: 120m Ballarat Orthodontic Practice Master's Handicap final

1.25: 400m Quest Ballarat Women's Handicap heats

1.45: 400m Val Stewart Memorial Backmarkers Handicap heats

2.05: 400m Ballarat Athletic Club Open Handicap heats

2.25: Mcdonalds Victorian Junior Dash for Cash 100m finals 

2.45: 1600m 3ba Power Fm Open Handicap Final

2.55: 1500m Ballarat Regional Athletics Centre final

3.05: 400m Quest Ballarat Womens Handicap Final

3.15: 400m Val Stewart Memorial Backmarkers Handicap final

3.25: 400m Ballarat Athletic Club Open Handicap Final

3.35: 120m Active Women and  Girls Ballarat Women's Gift final

3.45: 120m Len Templar North Ballarat Sports Club Ballarat Gift final

3.55: 4x200m Women's Stable Relay final

4.00: 4x200m Men's Stable Relay final