Lincoln Barnes is well known for his speed on the football field, but is now preparing to take it onto the Victorian Athletic League circuit.
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Barnes, one of the Central Highlands Football League's top players with reigning premiers Waubra, will make his VAL debut at Sunday's Run for the Willow carnival.
The 27-year-old school teacher has nominated for the Daylesford Gift (100m) and will run in heat five off a 5m handicap.
Barnes is the partner of 2015 Stawell Women's Gift winner Grace O'Dwyer and admitted meeting her had played a part in his return to athletics.
"I was going to run before I did my ACL a couple of years ago... and (meeting Grace) just gave me another reason to get involved. I thought I'd give it a crack," Barnes said.
"I ran through school and it was just a matter of time before I got back into it."
While excited to be racing in the Daylesford Gift, Barnes has grand plans of reaching the mecca of the VAL calendar at Easter.
"The idea is to run at Stawell and to run well at Stawell," the former state school gold medal winner said.
"I think that's a bit of a milestone for anyone involved in the athletics field, to be able to say you've run at that."
Barnes said he has battled hamstring injuries since taking up sprint training and wasn't expecting to make a winning debut this weekend.
"It's going to be exciting. To race competitively, it's been a while so it will be nice to get back out there and see how we go," Barnes, who is coached by Grace's father Peter, said.
"It's good fun and the adrenaline is what I'm looking for."
Barnes will also run in a 400m restricted event on Sunday.
The carnival starts with 70m heats at 11.20am. The women's 100m final will be run at 3.10pm and $2000 Daylesford Gift at 3.20pm.
The meeting will be held at Cricket Willow in Shepherds Flat with entry set at $10 for adults and $5 for concession card holders/children (ages 6-18).
