|
|
For older miscellaneous results
(before October 2007), check the links at the foot of this page
ANZ Cross Country Championships, Waikanae, 2 August 2008
Great racing and wonderful spectator support on an excellent course (pity about the weather): Rowan Baird (Auckland) and Ben
Ruthe (Tauranga) took out the senior women's and men's titles respectively. A good day for Rowans, as Rowan Hooper, a former
Scottish member like Ben Ruthe, was 2M. The Scottish presence is listed below with top 10 places noted.
B12: Keegan McLeod, 7; Jonathan Beresford; G14: Ariana Harper, 2; B14: Daniel Withinshaw; Logan Beasley; Patrick Twiss; W16:
Nicole Mitchell, 3; Olivia Johnson-Sullivan; M16: Hector Farmer, 8; Malcolm Hodge, 9; James Tie; Jeremy McLeod; Aaron Twiss; W19: Ariana Blackwood;
M19: Ryan Woolley, 3; Brendon Blacklaws, 9; Jesse Patel; Corey Casey; Evan Cooper; Sam Ritchie; Ethan Lankshear; David
Reynolds; W: Melissa Moon, 10; Charlotte Wood; Tina Harris; Lotty Turnidge; M: Glenn Hughes, 5; Rees Buck, 7; Dougal
Thorburn; Julian Cook; Andrew McCarthy; W40: Robyn Stansfield, 6; W45: Christine Carleton, 5; W50: Michele Allison, 2; W55:
Jenny Mason, 1; M40: Grant McLean, 3; Stuart Beresford; Glen Wallis; M45: Peter Wrigley; M55: Graeme Lear, 2; Richard
Brent, 3. Results | Rowan's
Photos | Photo: Ariana Harper by Rowan
Grieg
Ben Christophers’s AST Süβen
report, posted 1 August 2008 Less than a month to go.
Since my last letter back home I have done two more races - a 10k town run here in Süβen and
another bundislega race, in Greven which was just north of Münster. Other than training and racing I have also experienced a
few German town street parties, Stadtfest, which have been very cool.
It’s now just
over two weeks since I raced the Süβen 10k town run, stadtlauf. It was a flat and fast 5x 2k course.
Luckily the race started at
6pm
rather than in the heat of the day - it was over 30c earlier in the day and I’m not the biggest fan of melting when I’m
racing. I finished 3rd
which I was quite happy with. I didn’t do such a fast time that night, with a 34:00.69. but considering the trouble I have
had with my hip the last few months and the relatively small amount of speed work, it was a successful pain free run!
At the
prize-giving I ended up with a lovely bunch of flowers and a wonderful 5kg bronze trophy made here in the Strassacker
Kunstgiesserei, Kiln. The people at the airport baggage check-in are going to love charging me, 10€ per kg for excess
luggage! The Süβen
Stadtlauf is part of the Süβen Stadtfest which runs for two days and two nights over a weekend. So when I was racing
around the block, the streets were packed full of drunken German party-goers! It
was a lot of fun running past them.
After the race, a
few of my team mates and I joined in the celebrations through the streets of Süβen. I was a good boy
and didn’t drink that much as I have a responsibility to my team. It is quite tempting though, with beer stalls scattered
all the way down the street. German beer tastes damn good! Especially the Hefe
Wiessen bier, it’s brewed only in the southern regions of German and I think the Austrians brew something similar. As well
as the beer stalls there were food stalls run by either one of the local shops or community groups. So
there were Turkish, Mediterranean, Italian, African and German foods stands selling their countries’ traditional meals.
AST Süβen had a stall and so did other sports teams like the local football club. There are also little stalls
selling candy, nick-knacks, sculptures and art work.
There are two events that are
quite popular every year which have no relation to each other, except they both occur at the Stadtfest and they appeal to
different audiences. One of the events is ‘The Duck Race’. One thousand rubber ducks are sent down the small stream through
Süβen and its like any race, first past the line wins. It’s a whole lot of
fun. Some people take the extra care to paint their duck (I will remember that tip for next time!) just to make it easier to
spot. It’s not easy trying to spot your duck/number out of all the 1000 small yellow rubber ducks!
The other event which is popular
is the go-go girls at the petrol station! The local motorcycle club sets up their
stall at the petrol station and a stage for the rock band and go-go girls. It’s not everyday you see naked woman dirty-dancing
a petrol pump.
The week after the
10k run I had
my 2nd Bundislega race in Greven. The drive was over 5 hours and that was averaging 140k/h on the autobahns. The race
was sprint distance, 750/20/5, and it was all flat. I was told before we left Süβen
that the swim was going to tough, because the stream is narrow.
The race was fast and furious.
This was my 1st time racing in a stream or small river. I have trained in a river though because I sometimes do
training sessions in the Hutt river near Trentham
Memorial Park
when I can’t be bothered driving all the way to
Eastbourne
for an open water session.
It was an interesting start
because of the flowing stream and having to keep swimming backwards so we didn’t cross the start line too early. There was a lot of fighting in the water during the crowded 750m swim leg and unfortunately I got caught up in it and
struggled to get good clear water and failed to get into a good rhythm. I wasn’t too far back though and got into a bunch of
12 on the bike. The group didn’t work all that well though and we were not gaining on the bunch in front. I saved my energy
knowing it was going to come down to the run.
Sure enough the run was intense
and went really well. There was a few of us who pushed each other really well and managed to catch up to a lot of runners from
the bunch that were in front of us on the bike leg.
Because there are so many good
athletes racing over here the difference between finishing in the top 10 or getting 40-50thth is only about 1-2
minutes. Although I didn’t finish in the top 10, I personally had a great race, especially with my run. I’m slowly getting
back my strength and speed.
Last weekend was my 1st
weekend with no racing for the whole time I have been in Germany, so I was able to get some quality training in. I also went to a few more stadtfest’s and summer beer garden parties. This
time of year every town has their stadtfest so you can walk 3k down the road to the next town one weekend later and join in the
festivities all over again. No wonder there are some massive beer guts over here. It’s easy to drink beer but when you see
people like that, it makes it even easier not to do so! If I want to be fit and
fast, just don’t drink much.
This weekend I have got my last
Bundislega race and my last race for AST Süβen. Then after that, three more weeks of training, a European cup race in Split,
Croatia
then home sweet home.
I think I will have to start
psyching myself up now for the cold weather. I’m enjoying the 20c+ nights.
Tchüβ, Ben Christophers

Captain Cook's Landing, Queen Charlotte Track, 25k Trail Run, 19
July 2008 The annual pilgrimage from Ship Cove to Camp Bay along the
Queen Charlotte Track took place on Saturday. Casting off were Garry Hale (3:23), Carrie White (2:44), Caitlin Ryan
(3:27), Della Laird (3:45) and Belinda Buck (4:13).
Race report from our women's captain, Belinda Buck: Della, Nicola (my sister-in-law) and
I flew over to Picton on Friday afternoon. The views of Marlborough Sounds were stunning, showing a perfectly still
and dry day. Unfortunately this changed in the wee hours of Saturday morning, when the rain came and stayed for the
whole weekend.
We had an early start on Saturday, in order to catch the boat to the start of the race,
Captain Cook's Landing. The boat trip was 2 hours and proved to be a challenge for those who suffered from sea
sickness. There were a handful of people hanging over the boat and at least one women DNS due to sea sickness. The
25k (26.7k according to the map) race began with a very large hill. The first half had some pretty steep climbs and
from Furneaux Lodge to Punga Cove it was more undulating. The track was extremely wet and for most of the race you
were practically running through a small stream with larger streams to cross from time to time.The mud, fallen
trees, slippery track, streams and continuous rain made the conditions pretty treacherous and very challenging.
The finish was at Punga Cove where hot showers and a nice warm bar awaited our arrival.
The final results have not been released , however I finished in just over 4 hours with Della and Nicola a short
distance ahead of me. Fellow Scottish member Caitlin Ryan finished around 3 hours 25. Once all the competitors were
finished we took the boat to Furneaux Lodge where we all tucked into a delicious roast dinner and swapped race
stories. Results
Wellington
Cross Country & Road Running Committee, Athletics
NZ Championships, posted on 16 July 2008 From Don
Dalgliesh and Graham Tattersall - Centre
Selectors: In previous years,
when the teams for these champs were named, the managers had in place travel arrangements and accommodation details. Teams
travelled together on group travel plans. A few years ago, athletes started making their own travel arrangements, as
they could get cheaper fares than the group travel fares. Airlines also made group travel harder to use by making us
put names on tickets and pay for them much earlier, so we reached the current arrangements of athletes making their own
travel plans and the managers booking group accommodation.
If athletes wait until the naming of the teams (two weeks before the event) before booking travel, the cost of that travel
is usually very expensive, and a disincentive for athletes to compete.
The selectors would like athletes, and coaches, to start taking an different approach to competing at National
championships. We would like them to look at making their commitment to competing much earlier, and not wait until the team
is named to make that decision. If the athlete thinks that they are capable of attaining the guidelines set for their grade,
we would ask them to go ahead and book travel, while it is relatively cheap, and also lodge their entry with Athletics
NZ. Every now and then, this will result in the athlete having to compete as an individual, if they do not reach the
required guideline at the Wellington champs, but it does provide them with a chance to prove to the selectors that their
centre champs performance was a one-off bad performance.
The managers will give, as early as possible, the suggested means and timing of travel, and we would ask athletes to inform
the managers of the details of their bookings, so that they can coordinate any local transport.
For the upcoming Road Nationals in Hamilton on Saturday, 6 September, there is already no seats available flying to Hamilton
on the Friday, so we suggest that athletes look to fly in and out of Auckland. There will be transport to Hamilton, leaving
after the arrival of the flight at 1pm on Friday and returning to Auckland in time for the 7pm flight on Saturday night. If
there are athletes who will be travelling at other times, we will try to coordinate transport for them.
So, if you intend to compete, please advise Don Dalgliesh at 473-9414 or
dondalgliesh@xtra.co.nz of your travel plans as
soon as possible, so that Don can organise transport to Hamilton.
|
Guideline
times for selection for 2008 New Zealand Road Championships
|
Selection
Policy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Senior Women |
10km |
X |
|
Senior Men |
10km |
X |
North Island Cross
Country Championships |
|
|
|
Win |
50% |
Number |
|
|
Win |
50% |
Number |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2003 |
33.49 |
37.47 |
22 |
|
2003 |
29.42 |
34.02 |
58 |
|
Team Size. |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2004 |
35.44 |
38.35 |
9 |
|
2004 |
31.13 |
34.06 |
31 |
|
Up to a counting team (3) plus 2 in
each grade. |
|
|
| 2005 |
34.08 |
37.55 |
16 |
|
2005 |
30.42 |
33.03 |
37 |
|
Grades: SM, SW, M19, W19, M16, W16,
MM, MW. |
|
|
| 2006 |
34.02 |
38.59 |
20 |
|
2006 |
30.14 |
33.10 |
36 |
|
Selection based on performances in
races so far this season. |
| 2007 |
33.47 |
39.39 |
21 |
|
2007 |
30.38 |
32.57 |
38 |
|
Team named after Dorne Cup |
|
|
|
|
| Ave |
34.18 |
38.35 |
|
|
Ave |
30.30 |
33.28 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Target |
38.30 or 4.15 from
winner |
|
Target |
33.30 or 3.00 from
winner |
|
New Zealand Cross
Country Championships. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Zealand Road
Championships. |
|
|
|
|
Women 19 |
5km |
|
|
Men 19 |
|
8km |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2003 |
17.37 |
19.02 |
6 |
|
2003 |
25.49 |
27.26 |
23 |
|
Team Size |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2004 |
17.56 |
19.30 |
13 |
|
2004 |
25.51 |
28.35 |
16 |
|
Up to 10 SM, up to 8 in all other
grades. |
|
|
|
| 2005 |
17.49 |
19.03 |
14 |
|
2005 |
25.05 |
27.00 |
15 |
|
Grades: SM, SW, M19, W19, M16, W16,
MM35, MM50, MW. |
|
| 2006 |
17.38 |
19.04 |
15 |
|
2006 |
25.37 |
27.26 |
15 |
|
Selection based on performances in
centre championships mainly, but |
| 2007 |
18.02 |
20.07 |
13 |
|
2007 |
25.21 |
27.40 |
16 |
|
we
will
look at results from other races.The attached guidelines are |
| Ave |
17.48 |
19.21 |
|
|
Ave |
25.33 |
27.38 |
|
|
also used as
part of the selection proceedure. |
| Target |
19.15 or 1.30 from
winner |
|
Target |
27.45 or 2.00 from
winner |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preselections. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Women 16 |
5km |
|
|
Men 16 |
|
6km |
|
After the Dorne Cup, we will name a
small group of athletes as part of |
|
Win |
50% |
Number |
|
|
Win |
50% |
Number |
|
the
Wellington team for both championships. This is to enable athletes, |
| 2003 |
17.57 |
19.43 |
16 |
|
2003 |
19.18 |
21.19 |
12 |
|
and coaches
to be able to plan ahead, both for training and for travel. |
| 2004 |
18.15 |
20.02 |
12 |
|
2004 |
20.26 |
20.59 |
13 |
|
These athletes
will have to take part in the relevant centre champs and meet the appropriate
guideline time, to show fitness. |
| 2005 |
17.44 |
19.34 |
23 |
|
2005 |
19.20 |
20.53 |
28 |
|
|
|
|
| 2006 |
17.34 |
20.00 |
18 |
|
2006 |
19.51 |
20.52 |
20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2007 |
17.57 |
20.06 |
19 |
|
2007 |
19.25 |
21.06 |
24 |
|
We
can add athletes to this group at any time, as a result of interclub |
| Ave |
17.53 |
19.53 |
|
|
Ave |
19.44 |
21.02 |
|
|
performances. |
|
|
|
|
| Target |
20.00 or 2.00 from
winner |
|
Target |
21.00 or 1.15 from
winner |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We also have a list of those who we
think have the potenial to meet the |
|
Masters Women |
5km |
|
|
Masters Men 35+ |
10km |
|
guideline
performances, and clubs, or coaches, are welcome to put |
|
Win |
50% |
Number |
|
|
Win |
50% |
Number |
|
forward names
to us for consideration at any time.With the high cost |
| 2003 |
18.04 |
20.50 |
34 |
|
2003 |
32.10 |
35.46 |
43 |
|
of travel
to most championships, athletes are asked to start thinking |
| 2004 |
18.02 |
21.07 |
22 |
|
2004 |
32.18 |
36.49 |
36 |
|
about their participation
well in advance, and putting travel plans in |
| 2005 |
17.51 |
20.16 |
25 |
|
2005 |
31.20 |
36.27 |
29 |
|
place if they
think they have a realistic chance of selection in the team. |
| 2006 |
18.24 |
19.43 |
25 |
|
2006 |
31.52 |
35.58 |
31 |
|
Remember
you can still compete as an individual, if you miss selection for the
centre team. |
| 2007 |
19.10 |
21.07 |
30 |
|
2007 |
32.03 |
35.37 |
30 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ave |
18.18 |
20.37 |
|
|
Ave |
31.57 |
36.07 |
|
|
We would anticipate that the rest of
the teams would come from our |
| Target |
20.30 or 2.15 from
winner |
|
Target |
36.00 or 4.15 from
winner |
|
second
list, but we would consider anyone else, based on their centre championship
performance. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Masters Men 50+ |
10km |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Please
remember that these are only |
|
|
Win |
50% |
Number |
|
Anyone who can not compete in a
centre championship, but wishes to |
| guidelines,
and that achieving these times |
2003 |
34.33 |
41.09 |
40 |
|
be
considered
for a team, should contact us with the reason for not |
| does
not guarantee selection in the |
|
2004 |
36.14 |
41.07 |
30 |
|
competing and
details of performances leading up to the event. |
| Wellington
team. |
|
|
|
2005 |
35.21 |
39.06 |
37 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
2006 |
32.29 |
39.37 |
42 |
|
Any questions about these policies,
please contact one of the selectors. |
| Don
Dalgliesh |
|
|
|
2007 |
34.12 |
43.10 |
38 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ph
4739414 or 027 4070988 |
|
|
Ave |
34.34 |
40.50 |
|
|
Centre Selectors |
|
|
|
|
|
| dondalgliesh@xtra.co.nz |
|
Target |
40.45 or 6.15 from
winner |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Don Dalgliesh |
|
|
Graham Tattersall |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ph
4739414 |
|
|
Ph
4780278 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
dondalgliesh@xtra.co.nz |
gtatts@xtra.co.nz |
One month gone in Germany, one and a bit to go, Ben Christophers reports back, posted 17 July 2008
So this is report number 2, whatever you want to call it. I
will keep things pretty general and talk about my training, Süßen - the town I’m living in, my team mates, and fill you
in on how I have gone in a few races.
I’m about 60-70k south east of
Stuttgart
(the home of Mercedes Benz and Porsche). Süßen is a small town situated just under the Schwabish Albs (yep – that’s a
‘b’). The area offers awesome undulating roads to ride and great trails to run over and around the surrounding mountains.
And with a 50m outdoor pool just 2k down the road in Salach, the next little town, it makes for a really cool place to
train.
My accommodation in Süßen is fantastic. I’m staying at the guest house for the
Strassacker Kunstgießerei in Süßen. It’s where sculptures and artists come and create bronze statues and other little
works of wonder and masterpieces in bronze. Somehow my team managed to organise for me to stay here. The house is so good!
The days start off pretty good for me. Every morning there is a big table with a
wide array of breads, heaps of cheeses (a few that really stink, I avoid those) different types of meat (some which don’t
look too appealing), jams and nutella mmmmmmm nutella and an endless supply of doppio espresso coffee!. BBUUZZZZZZZZZ!! And
that’s just breakfast! I haven’t even got out of the house.
Lunch is in a totally different ball park, it’s amazing. The guest house manager
is a great chef and cooks most lunch times for me and the other guests. A different day, a different and brilliant meal. The
2nd best steak I’ve ever had (1st was at my aunty and uncle's in Vancouver
but that’s another story though), salmon steaks, some cold Spanish soup, I’ve forgotten what its called but won't forget
the taste - damn, it was good! Anyway I think you get the message that I’m not starving, I’m eating well and its tastes
great.
Three times a week I have organised group training sessions, a track session and two
swims, but most days I’m training with a few team mates whether its in the pool or on the road.
My team mates are really friendly and cool. They all speak English, some better than others. My German is slowly and
I mean SLOWLY improving, one new word a day. And that includes people’s names. Haha.
Racing has gone quite well the last few weeks, other than my first race in
Schliersee. I have been on the podium the last two races I have done. So racing is going pretty well. Over here, it’s not
like in New Zealand where a small local triathlon will have a small top-end field. There are a lot of really good triathletes over here and in
any little race you will find quite a few strong competitors. There’s 83 million people living in Germany,
so I guess there will be more top-end triathletes.
This weekend I’m racing in the Süßen 10k run. The team have put their money on
me to win. Haha, No pressure.
I have two more bundesliga races for AST Süßen one in Greven, July 20 and the last
race in Gelsenkirchen on the 2nd of August. Then I leave Süßen and head back up to Stuttgart
and stay with Katja’s family, one of my international student friends who stayed with us for 05-06. I will stay there for
three weeks before leaving
Germany
and heading over to Split, Croatia for my last European summer race which is a ETU Cup race. And then I fly back home.
I might flick a quick little email next week and after Greven and tell you how it
went.
Tchüß, Ben
Wainuiomata
Mountain Run and Walk, 11.9k, Wainuiomata High School, 13 July 2008 The start of the 11.9k course is at the
bottom of the Konini firebreak on Parkway extension and the finish is at Parkway Park. 9W (3?W35 in the AW champs for
registered runners) was Loretta Desourdy; 2M Cameron Goldsmid; 4M (1M40 in AW champs) Hicham Joumad-Baron; Olivia Sullivan,1W19.
Results
Harry Kerr Centennial Relay, Sovereign Stadium, North
Shore City, 13 July 2008, posted 14 July 2008 Race report from David Lonsdale. Some of you will know that
today, 14 July, is the 100th anniversary of New Zealand winning its first Olympic Medal, at the London Olympics
in 1908. And of course that medal was won by a walker, Harry Kerr of Taranaki. Also in the race was Arthur
(sometimes known as Albert) Rowland, who later on became the founding chairman of the Wellington Scottish Club. On
Sunday, 13 July, there was a relay race over 5 x 10,000m in North
Shore City
to celebrate that historic occasion. New Zealand
has won 81 Olympic medals in total, 16 of them by athletes, and two by walkers. Norm Read of New Plymouth won the second
walking medal, which of course was gold at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956.
Athletics
Wellington
sent a team to compete, and here is part of my manager's report to the Centre.
The Centre Track Relay team performed up to our pre-race expectations in
the Harry Kerr Centennial 5 x !0,000m Race Walking Track Relay. We were fourth team in what was an absorbing race, at
least for the minor places. Right through until the last leg places changed in the lower four teams.
Auckland A cleared out from the rest of the field on the first leg with
Mike Parker, the race organiser walking 52m 36s for his 10,000m.
This gave
Auckland
an eight minute lead over Taranaki A, which it gradually extended to finish in 4h 24m 10 with Taranaki in 4h 46m 17s.
All five
Auckland
walkers’ times were in the top 10 fastest with Tony Sarginson walking 46m 40s for fastest of the day.
The other placings were Athletics Nelson, 3rd in 5h 07m 10s,
Athletics Wellington, 4th in 5h 17m 16s, Auckland B, 5th in 5h 19m 49s, Taranaki B 6th in
5h 30m 34s, Waikato BOP Centre 7th in 5h 38m 07s.
Our team members times were
Alison Samson
(WHAC) 1h 03m 29s, Richard Willis (Hutt HC) 1h 09m 00s plus 1m 40s additional time penalties for red cards = 1h10m 40s, Zach
Sinclair (Carterton AC) 1h 02m00s, John Leonard (Scottish) 1h 7m 59s, Peter Baillie (Scottish) 53m 08s, which was the sixth
fastest time of the day. There was a system of allocating time penalties to those walkers who received red cards.
Nearly half of the field received one or more red cards.
Alison and Zach both had good starts but encountered bad patches and
slowed. They both showed real guts in keeping going and then speeding up to finish strongly not too far off their predicted
times. Richard, John and Peter all walked within seconds of their expected times.
It was a well organised event by Race Walking Auckland. Apart from race-walking
judges, they had ample helpers.
Peter Wrigley
was the chief judge, and in the absence of appointed judges I had to judge for the relay. The first three teams received
medals from Race Walking
New Zealand
, and also a replica medal of the one Harry Kerr won at the Olympics in London
on 14 July 1908. All members of the seven teams received a large certificate which was a copy of the diploma which was
also awarded to Harry Kerr at the Olympics.
After the relay there was a judged race over 3,500m for anyone who had not
been part of a relay team. About 20 of us lined up for this race over the same distance that Harry Kerr and Arthur Rowland
competed in. Arthur Rowland finished fifth in the final and received a diploma of merit after the race. At Auckland, all finishers who broke a standard time of 25 minutes received a copy of that diploma. Our team time keeper and lap
scorer,
Hannah Minot
(Scottish), finished in 24m 46s and I did 24m 16s.
The race is to become an annual event, but possibly at a different track
and time of the year. It is a great opportunity for race walkers to get together and face the challenge of 10,000m in
front of judges
30th Gold Coast Airport
Marathon,
Half and 10k, 6 July 2008 In the half, Robert Palmer, 1:28; Maryanne Palmer, 1:49; John Palmer, 1:50. In the full, Angela
Campbell (photo),
4:21. Leading the marathon were Kazuo Ietani, 2:14 and NZ's Shireen Crumpton, 2:38. Top places in the half were Michael
Shelley, 1:02 and Yoko Nishimi, 1:12:57, which was around Robbie Johnston's time.
Race report from John Palmer: On the Saturday
morning we woke to pouring rain and the forecast for the following few days was for rain and so it looked as if the 30th running
of the Gold Coast Marathon was going to be a wet one. When picking up our race packs later in the morning, we noticed that there
were long queues of people making late entries. At that time it was guaranteed that there were 18,000 plus entrants and this
number was surpassed. On race day we woke to slightly overcast skies and no rain - the day turned out to be great and the
conditions were perfect for running during the half but may have got quite warm for those finishing the marathon.
They announced that over all the events there were 21,000 entrants with 7,000 entered in the half marathon. Reading the paper the
next day. We noted the event finally totaled 21,001 entrants over all the races (full marathon; half marathon; 10k; 7.5k walk and
the kids' dash) and of these 18,847 finished. The Japanese seemed to flock back to the event in ever increasing numbers much to
the organizers' delight and there were 1,839 Japanese runners in the marathon alone.
The organizers had planned for 18,000 entrants based on a 30% increase over the past couple of years but were overwhelmed by the
final numbers. The downside to these large numbers is that the marathon committee are looking at "pressure points" and
will determine whether changes need to be made to the program in the following years. One option that they will consider is
cutting back to just two races as they are anticipating that the growth in numbers will reach 25,000 over the next couple of
years. This will be sad if they have to cut back as the event now caters for families to participate as a whole by running in the
different events offered depending on fitness and ability. We will have to wait and see what they decide on this.
Our son, Robert, after injuring his knee in February and only commencing running on 1 June and having had only six training runs
under his belt (cycling and swimming the only other training) managed to run with Australian marathon running legend Pat Carroll,
who was the 1:30 pace runner and finished in a PB 1:28 for 229th place out of 6,848 finishers and 44th in the M30-34 grade. He
suffered the next day though and is looking forward to the next half where he thinks that he can go even better with more
training. Maryanne had a good steady run and was really stoked to break the 1:50 (a CPB*) as she set out to do and managed
to finish 6th place in the F55-59 grade. In the marathon Angela Campbell was the only person we recognized from Scottish and
we managed to offer her encouragement at the 26k mark and again later when she was 3k from the finish. There were 3,935
finishers in the full marathon.
We don't know if there were any other Scottish participants as we didn't recognize any familiar faces or Scottish uniforms. This
event is a well organized event with great crowd support and here's hoping that the Palmer bodies hold out so we can come back
again next year for the 31st running of this event on Sunday, 5 July. *CPB - Century PB!
Results
Wellington
Regional Primary and Intermediate Cross Country Event, Harcourt Park, 1 July 2008 There were a number of Scottish
juniors representing Wellington in this event and the top 10 in each age group now go on to represent the region in the
inter–regional cross country event to be held a Harcourt Park on 25 September 2008. The following go through to the next
level: Jonathan
Beresford (4Y6B, 4th among year 6 boys), Julieta Stevens (9Y6G); Keegan
McLeod (4Y7B);
Rory McIntyre (9Y8B).
Well done, young Scotties!
The Arianas have been selected for the NZ Team to the Pacific
School Games, Canberra, 30+ November 2008, posted 24 June 2008 Ariana Harper has been selected for the 1500m after her
exceptional running this year including her 4:56 in early April (she is running faster than that now). Ariana Blackwood's
all-round abilities have been recognised in her selection for the 2k steeplechase, discus and javelin. AB won the North Island secondary
school javelin and was the top ranked steeplechaser in her age group last summer (including running 13s under the Wellington G13
1k steeples record with 3.26). AB has had a minor setback being hit by a car on Wednesday night, ending up on the
windscreen and then having her foot run over. Ambulanced to hospital with miraculously no breaks, but very shocked and bruised and
had a deep cut. Will miss the NZSSXC but will be back in a few weeks. Currently 24 countries are entered and the likely make
up is NZ, Australia, Pacific countries, SE Asia, China, Canada and South Africa.

Harbour Capital 10k, Half & Full Marathon - Westpac Stadium,
22 June 2008 When the going gets tough (rain, strong northerly), Scottish members get
going. Heaps of Scottish members took on the many events the old Harbour Capital Half has evolved into. Grant McLean
successfully defended his marathon title with a 2:37 win (that's the fourth year in a row). Third was new member Dave
Parsons in a solid 2:50. First woman was Lotty Turnidge in
3:07, some 7 minutes faster than her Rotorua outing earlier this year. Others in the marathon: Maximus Hawkes (Tim in his
Prime?), Robyn
Holland, Vivian Cheng. In the marathon walk: Terri Grimmett was 2W in 5:14, while John Leonard as 6M in 5:28. Over half that
distance: Stephen Day was second in 1:13:55 and becomes the 2008 Wellington Half Marathon Champion. Right behind him in 3rd and 4th
spots were Julian Cook and Nathan Bramley. Melissa Moon was 2W in 1:22. Others: Vaile Mexted, Rob Little, Jeremy Pitt,
Damian Walsh, Ed Massey, Matt Pepler, James White (?), Graeme Lear, Garry Murcott, Rob Hanratty, Bernie Portenski, Angus
Napier, Richard Brent, Jackie Mexted, Matyas James, Michele Allison, Sally-Ann Spencer, Christine Carleton, Glen Wallis,
Edward Sargisson, Des Young, Jane Fichtner, Pam Graham, Christine Jones, Sarah Beable, Road Warrior Karyn McLean, Howard
Harman, Roisin Doherty, Jeff Galt, Jo Badham, Simon Harper, Rowena McGavin, Maryanne Palmer, Marilyn Northcotte, Loretta
Desourdy, Andrea Farquharson, Belinda Buck, Annalee O'Rourke, Tony Archer. In the 21k walk was the indestructible John
Hines. The 10k saw Cameron Goldsmid and Mark Simpson slot into the 3rd and 4th positions in a shade over 35 minutes. Others:
Ioasa Kosena, Seini O'Connor, John Palmer, Karen Jenkinson, Dave Ward and Mary-Ann Moller. The Beresfords were represented
in the kids' magic mile by Jonathan, first in 6:02, and Sean in 7:16; first girl was Kelsey Forman in 6:14. Results
Grandma's Marathon, Duluth, Minnesota, 21 June
2008 Scottish's Karen Gillespie ran 3:36 in this classic
mid-summer event. Results
NZ Secondary Schools Cross Country Champs, New Plymouth,
21 June 2008 Results
(need to search) | Rowan's photos
Wellington zones primary school cross country event, Newtown Park
area, 19 June 2008
Scottish junior placings noted were Jonathon Beresford 5th, Kelsey Forman
1st, Keegan McLeod 3rd, Rory MacIntyre 6th, Bill Foley 15th,
Top ten positions go onto represent Wellington in the Intercity event to be
held on Tuesday 1st July at Harcourt Park.
5th Annual Spring Into Summer
5k Run Tampa, Florida, 7 June 2008 While on holiday in Florida, Ben Cornelius ran in a local 5k and clocked 19:15 for
3M3034. Ben says the race was very difficult owing to the heat and humidity. Results

World Triathlon Champs, Standard Distance, Vancouver,
5-8 June 2008 In the elite U23 event, Martin van Barneveld won bronze. He's the first Kiwi male ever to medal
in the U23 champs. In the age grade standard distance events, the triathlon changed into a duathlon
(3R/40C/10R) as the 1500m swim leg was canned due to very rough seas. So this would play to people who are stronger runners than
swimmers. Ben Christophers finished a meritorious 6th in the M20 grade. Jacinda Papps was 11th in the W30 grade, while Jane Loughnan and Amy White in W40 were 48th and 62nd. John
Skinnon finished 25th in the M60 grade. Results
Ben Touches Base
- Vancouver
World Champs and Beyond,
from Ben Christophers A late report but better than no report. I have finally installed,
reinstalled, repaired and activated Microsoft Office XP. I can now attempt to write a report about how my Northern Hemisphere
Triathlon Campaign – how it has gone and where it is heading.
May 19, I left
Wellington
to head to Vancouver
for the World Triathlon Championships on the 7th of June. Fortunately I have an aunty and uncle who live in Vancouver
so I thought I would get over there a few weeks earlier to acclimatise and get used to surroundings of Vancouver as well as
catching up with my relatives. Tony Dodds, another NZ Un23 triathlete came over with me, so I had a training buddy for the World
Tri Champs build up.
Winter hung around a long time in Vancouver. I was expecting it to be warm and sunny. I was wrong. There were a few days of sunshine and warmth but the majority of the
time it was just like home sometimes. Rather crap! So I was used to it and it didn’t faze me. We had to take a few precautions
while training in Vancouver. Its summer time so the bears are out looking for food wherever they can find it. So if they don’t find lunch in the forest
they will happily wander into the neighbourhood searching for food. Luckily no bears ended up in my aunty and uncles backyard
like they did the year before, eating cherries off the tree and leaving piles of beer poo filled with cherry stones! The
supermarket down the road was raided in the past!
Cycling up Cypress
Mountain, Tony and I did encounter a few bears. Good for the hill climbing!
Unfortunately one night, a skunk decided to make itself at home in the backyard… the stench
is so potent I don’t know how they live with themselves.
Anyway, enough about the wildlife, although it was great to see the wildlife,
I had one goal in mind. World Tri Champs.
My build-up back in
New Zealand
had not gone 100%, I came over to Vancouver with a hip injury and I was quite nervous about how I would cope. Luckily I was I able to train relatively pain free with
regular massage, stretching and physiotherapy exercises.
After having two great weeks staying with my relatives we moved into our team accommodation a few days before World Tri Champs.
I was going to miss the divine home cooked meals and copious amounts of grapes and mangoes everyday.
The last few days before the race is more a mental game than
anything, I was never going to get any faster in the last week. So training consisted of familiarising myself with the course
and the conditions. The weather was quite cold and the water was a jaw numbing 12.8c.
The U19 and sprint distance races (750m swim/20k bike/5km run) were on the Thursday and Friday before my race on Saturday.
Although they were racing a different distance to me the weather condition were predicted to be similar, Damn Cold!
A lot of people suffered from numbness and were unable to change
gears on there bike - some even suffered from hypothermia. These conditions weren’t too far off what I have experienced during
a Scorching Bay Triathlon. Most NZers south of the Bombay Hills, would feel at home.
Race Day
As I got down to the race venue I realised there was a bit of chop in the water. Perfect for me it should slow the fast
swimmers down, although the water was recorded at 11.8c that morning. Ouch!!
After setting up my gear in the transition area ready to race, I find that our start time had
been postponed by an hour due to the so called ‘rough’ water conditions. So everyone piled into the nearest coffee shop to
get their pre-race caffeine fix.
There were lifeguard boats being swamped with water and if there
are no life guards in the water there is no swim. So, after the coffee stop we were the told our swim had been cancelled and
would be replaced with a 3km run.
There were mixed emotions at the start line. The good swimmers were fuming and the good runners were stoked. A mix n’ match
duathlon. (3km run/40km bike/10km run) Me? Well,
I came here to do an Olympic distance triathlon so I was annoyed, but you have to be ready to adapt and change to the
conditions. I was a little nervous because I didn’t know how my hip would hold out, but I wasn’t going to hold back because
of it.
The Race
The gun went, it was a fast and furious 3km, I managed to get up the front
and just settle in before we were back into transition for the bike leg.
I had a quick transition which was great so I had space around and
got settled into a good rhythm, with the way the bike course was (4x 10km loop) it was nearly impossible to not draft (get into
the slipstream of another rider), and when the draft buster is closing up the only gap to get out of the draft, it turned into a
yelling match between the official on the scooter and about 15-20 athletes. A few people got pulled up for drafting.
I was a good boy and didn’t get caught.
After a few laps, the bunch spread out. The cycle went well for me
and I managed to pick off athletes one by one.
After another quick transition, this time from bike to run, I
quickly found a good pace and charged along. Five km into the run I could start to feel my hip. I
wasn’t able to get as much drive off my left leg, so my pace slowed down slightly, but no one passed me and I was still
passing others.
I came across the finish line in 6th place.
Post race analysis
Before the race, my goal was top seven with the way my hip was. I achieved my
goal, 6th place at the 2008 World Triathlon Championship, 20-24 age-group. If I had have been fully fit, the outcome
might have been even more favourable – I cannot complain.
The rest of my time in Vancouver was spent recovering from the race, supporting other NZ athletes in their races, celebrating and recovering from the
celebrations.
I really valued the extra 2 weeks I had acclimatising to the conditions prior to the race and considering the condition my hip
was in, it was a successful start to my northern hemisphere triathlon campaign.
I have already spent nearly 3 weeks in Germany and have had my first couple of races here for AST Sussen triathlon team, but I will tell you all about it in my next report,
which will probably be after my next couple of races.
Thuess………… (German for Catch you later)
Ben Christophers
Scorching Duathlons, Scorching Bay,
8 June 2008 Bitterly cold but brighter and dryer than expected: snow was evident on the hills to the west. For names
linked to Scottish, look in the medium course results: John Atkinson (1st), Rob
Hanratty (3rd), and Emily Buskirk. Aimee Cornish was in the short event. Results
Wellington Area Walkers 10k and 6 k races, NZIC, 7 June 2008
Twenty eight walkers started, and Peter Baillie who was still getting changed followed three minutes later.
Glen Burrell showed many of our local walkers what real speed is. Peter Baillie set off
after the field and went right through to finish second to Glen. Lower down there were a lot of interesting tussles in the
10k race, and plenty of changes of position right until the last lap. Andrew Shelley took things easy after doing the Aurora
50k race the previous weekend and easily won the 6k race. Results

Brenda Burke completes her 29th marathon, 7 June 2008 Brenda ran 28 marathons and was a member
of Scottish for a decade until last year when a medical condition forced her to give running away. She moped for a month or
two until coming up with the idea of indoor rowing. After six months of a marathon training programme that is very similar
to running training (endurance rows, VO2-max
interval rows, tempo sessions, etc.) she did her first rowing marathon today and clocked 3:43. The marathon was done at
Bodyworks Thorndon with the huge support of the staff there. Brenda rowed the first hour at sub-3:30 pace, slowed a bit in the
middle, but picked it up and finished strongly. "I am absolutely stoked," she said. "You can always find
another way to achieve your goals if you have to." She says she'll wait a day or two before setting the next target.
Queen's
Birthday Weekend Wrap, 3 June 2008 Commentary by Jim Kerr, membership manager: Wow – what a diverse club membership
base Scottish now has – an athletics club with its members participating in multiple facets of running/walking/jogging,
etc.!
Over the recent Queen's Birthday weekend, there was a run from
our clubrooms, a handicap marathon in Upper Hutt, the Christchurch full and half marathon plus 10k events and also there was
the National Duathlon Championships held in
Auckland. (Could even be more I don’t know of.) On the face of it, numbers appeared light at the club run but when you put
the whole picture together, you get the much better understanding of what Scottish is all about in this new millennium.
Let’s see.
75+ pack runners (incorporating six running packs, walkers,
juniors (J-Team) activities
30+ Scotties and friends all travelled down to
Christchurch
for participation in various events on offer
.
10 multi-sport athletes up in Auckland covering junior boys,
open men and women and masters' men and women's grades – and a coach as well - at the 2008 Duathlon Nationals.
Yes, it makes it hard to keep up with, but we should embrace
this diversity as it’s really helping us grow as a club.
To those who supported the club activities on Saturday – thank you for keeping the home fires burning!
Congratulations to those down in Christchurch
Provisional
results:
Sally Anderson, 2:59.55
marathon
(2nd Woman overall and first open woman)
Evan Roberts, 2:59:47
marathon
(26th open man)
Helen Anderson, 3:09.32
marathon
(8th woman overall and 5th open woman)
Simon Maister, 3:13.46
marathon
Martyn Reynolds, 3:34:09 marathon
Sophie Lee, 3:50.43
marathon
(Wellingtonian, friend of Scottish and possible member in the future)
Terri Grimmett, 5:13.37
marathon
Philip Grimmett, 5:16.55
marathon
Mark Simpson, 1:17.27 half marathon
( 26th overall and 24th open man)
Andrew McCarthy, 1:18.39 half marathon
(33rd overall)
Ewan Gestro, 1:24.28 half marathon
Natalie Smith, 1:26.21 half marathon
(10th woman overall)
Matyas James, 1:29.02 half marathon
Richard Parkes, 1:34.21 half marathon
Maria Kemp, 1:34.33 half marathon
Claire Hodge, 1:36.05 half marathon
(3rd place – W19)
Kirsty Berry, 1:37.12 half marathon (Wellingtonian, friend of Scottish and ex-member)
Geoff Brown, 1:41.42 half marathon
Nigel Roberts, 1:42.43 half marathon
(8th place, 60+ men)
Sarah Beable, 1:45.16 half marathon
Lisa Sara, 1:46.05 half marathon
(Wellingtonian, friend of Scottish & Hog 5k series)
Susanne
Lake, 1:54.31 half marathon
Janet Greenwood, 2:01.35 half marathon
(Wellingtonian, friend of Scottish and possible member in the future)
Dougal Thorburn, 31:46 10k race (5th overall)
Deano Gaskin, 34:25 10k race (11th overall)
Dave Parsons, 36:10 10k race (19th overall)
Sally Kemp, 50:29 10k race (39th open woman, sister of Maria, friend of Scottish)
Amy Thorburn, 53:20 10k race (57th open woman, partner of Dougal)
Plus I noticed Mandy Simpson, Rowena McGavin, Conan Young and Roger Twose all down to run, but sadly either did not get to
the start line (or finish as the case may be).
Meanwhile, up in
Auckland
at the NZ Duathlon Champs Provisional
results:
James Berry, 8th place schools race - year 8 boys
Alice Wilson, 1st woman 20-24 in 1:49.10
Stephanie Anderson, 2nd woman 20-24 in 1:56.54
Cherry Downing, 3rd woman 30-34 in 1:57.51 (Wellingtonian, friend of Scottish and possible member in the future)
Fleur Baker, 4th woman 35-39 in 2:03.05
Maryanne Palmer, 4th woman 55-59 in 2:16.31
Jay Macilquham, 2nd man 25-29 in 1:42.47
Darren Blackhurst, 2nd man 40-44 in 1:45.44
Plus Don Dalgliesh was on hand as coach, mentor, etc.
Finally, Peter Baillie apparently did well in one of the events associated with the Aurora marathon in Upper Hutt. Any
others competing there? Results still to come.
Well done, everybody!
See lots of you at this weekend’s club handicap race (5k) out at Eastbourne, I hope.

Brenda Ballinger Memorial Cross Country Race, 4k, New Plymouth, 17 May 2008 Several Scottish members visited the Naki
last weekend, including Anne and Chris Hare, Malcolm Hodge and Don Dalgliesh. Anne was third in the women's race. Malcolm was second in the men's race. Daily News
Kapiti Harriers
Duathlon Series, Paraparaumu, 18 May 2008 Palmers report in: A nice sunny, warm day at the
start of the event but then the cloud came over once everyone was under way which made it pretty good
conditions for running and cycling. A light breeze also picked up by the 3rd bike leg for most
competitors doing the longer distance cycle. Only two Scottish members made the start line: Maryanne
R6/C30/R4 for a time of 2:02:10 and John R4/C18/R4 for a time of 1:28:19. Official results to come
Masters Classic Cross Country Relay, Trentham Memorial Park, Upper
Hutt. 11 May 2008 Only 13 teams showed up on Sunday afternoon for the 4k
relay. Walkers' results are: First team - Peter Baillie (21:33); Kevin Watson (26:58);
Melanie Watson (31:52); and second team - Kristeene Parkes (34:11); Daphne Jones (33:26); Margaret Bray (35:40). Loretta
Desourdy reports on the women's team: The Scottish Women's
team managed to recapture the trophy we lost to Olympic Harriers last year. Despite the fact that the overall number of
teams at the relay was very low this year, two teams is as many as we've had in the women's category since I've participated
in this event, and until last year, it was usually only one - Scottish. (although I note on the trophy it says that Kapiti
were the initial winners). It was actually a good race - Olympic were leading for the first three laps, but not by a big
margin. Christine Carleton managed to take the lead for us on the 4th lap and much to my relief, I was able to hold on
to it on the 5th lap. Our team was: Robyn Stansfield, Bernice Cavanagh, Christine Jones, Christine Carleton and me. Olympic
were very good sports -they cheered me on when I ran by them on my lap while they were waiting for their runner.
Scorching Duathlons, Scorching Bay
(Mothers' Day theme), 11 May 2008 Glorious day for watching southerly fronts pass through, bringing showers, and cold
wind. Liquid sunshine! Scottish members taking the plunge in the first Scorching duathlon this season were: Medium
(4R/24C/4R) - Darren Blackhurst (1:11); Rob Little (1:19); Steph Anderson (1:20);
Fleur Baker (1:24); John Skinnon (1:25); Paul Rodway (1:33); Amy White (1:33); Karen Jenkinson (1:36); Claire Carpenter
(1:39). In the shorter race (2R/12C/2R) - Jeanette Bourke (50:19). Lending support were Don Dalgliesh, Kate Hadfield and Steve Plowman,
and organising was Darryl Bloomfield. Results
Race
Walking expert Jack Tregurtha dies, posted 9 May 2008 New Zealand walking stalwart and
rules expert Jack Tregurtha of Hastings passed away on Thursday after a short illness. Tregurtha, aged 71, was the president
of Athletics Hawkes Bay Gisborne as well as secretary of the centre.
He was the guru of race walking in New Zealand, organising the national 50k walking
championships in the Hawkes Bay each year. He kept meticulous records of walking events and individual records and produced
and published an informative magazine/newsletter "Race Walking Contact" throughout the year. He was a keen walking
competitor, setting a New Zealand M60 50k record of 5h 52m 7s in 1997 and he still holds the New Zealand 24-hour walking
record for M60 of 153.670k. Tregurtha won numerous New Zealand age group walking titles. ANZ
media release

Matyas James marries in China, posted 7 May
2008 Last stalwart of the P-team caves in. Matyas reports: "I went to China for two weeks
on 18 April and on 26 April I got married to Maggie (her Chinese name is Gao Qing) 'again.' Her
family was all there. To see us, they hired cars and then we went to a hotel to have lunch. It was a great
day. I do hope she can come to New Zealand soon. I signed the book on the 17/07/07 when I was there last
time. I had a great day. I will have another celebration as soon as she gets here. Hope to get back into
running soon."
28th Nelson Shoe Clinic Half Marathon,
4 May 2008 John Palmer reports: A very cold day with a
very light breeze greeted athletes but the conditions were ideal for running with some good times being posted by a lot of
the runners and walkers who took part. The overall race winner, fresh from his London Marathon effort, was Phil
Costly in a course record of 1:07:35. A small contingent from Scottish lined up at
the start and all were pleased with their efforts. Results: Mandy Simpson 1:44:10 (4th open women)
(PB for Mandy I think?); John Palmer 1:44:35 (9th MM60+);
Maryanne Palmer 1:51:35 (6th MW 45-54)
Crazyman multisport event, Hutt Valley, 4 May
2008 A swathe of Scottish athletes here: Look out for Ros Marjolein, Rachael Neutze, Phil Valentine, Simon Maister,
Sally Anderson, Ken Samonte, Jo Badham and former members Cam Durno and Mick Finn. Results Lion Foundation Rot
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