The Stawell Gift is the richest foot race in the country. It is the most storied and historic of races in Australia. It is quaint and unique, but it was also made to be too ridiculous for its own good. This year, Stawell was able to attract the biggest name in Australian sport right now, Gout Gout, thanks to the largesse of local farmer turned businessman Sandy McGregor. Crowds came in numbers unseen in years. The broadcasters salivated as ratings soared. It was the biggest Stawell Gift in decades. Not only did they have Gout, organisers also had Lachlan Kennedy, the 21-year-old who beat Gout over 200 metres earlier this year and only weeks ago ran 10 seconds flat for the 100m. Gout, who needs little introduction, is the 17-year-old wunderkind who has broken national records at under-16, 18 and 20 level. He broke Peter Norman’s 200m record that had stood since the Mexico Olympics. He had been signed to a $6 million contract with Adidas.