Athletics New Zealand – News – Feilding Marathon, 3 November: The 58th Feilding Marathon was won by 34 year old Carl Laffan of Lower Hut Tahiti Half Marathon

TAHITI – Tahiti Half Marathon, Papeete – 3 November 2012
Aaron Pulford won the half marathon in 1h 11m 1s, heading in Gregory Rouault of France by 39 seconds. Masataka Uchino of Japan was third in 1h 14m 43s. Pulford has a personal best of 1h 7m 41s from Rotorua last year.

National half marathon champion Lisa Robertson was eighth overall and the first woman in 1h 22m 50s beating Marie Pierre Hoffmann of France by four and a half minutes. Robertson’s best half is 1h 14m 22s recorded in the Gold Coast event in July.

AUCKLAND
Panasonic Twilight 10km, Pakuranga – 3 November 2012
National road running champion Tim Hodge flew up from Wellington in the morning to easily win the inaugural twilight 10km road race at Pakuranga on Saturday evening.
The 25 year old from Wellington Scottish Club wasted no time taking the lead and he covered the four circuits of the roads surrounding Lloyd Elsmore Park in 31m 3s. Alex Parlane was second in 31m 43s with Hodge’s team mate Jesse Patel third in 32m 13s.
Hodge will be representing New Zealand at the Chiba relay in Japan in two weeks time.
“I’m hoping to qualify for world cross (championships) and this is just part of the build up for that. I wanted to get in a good 10km where I could sort of push myself a bit and also treat it as a tough work out. It is also the stepping stone to Chiba, the Zatopek 10km in Melbourne and the national 10km champs in Timaru,” he said.
Hodge said he would have liked to have gone a bit quicker.
“It was tough, tough course, tough conditions, a bit windy and raining, so I’m happy with what I did today all things considered.”
Alice Mason won the women’s race in 36m 20s, beating Georgie Grgec by five seconds. Caitlin Lloyd ran herself into the ground in finishing third in 39m 28s. Mason won the forerunner event the Sir Barry Curtis 10km in 2008 and was second in 2009.
Matthew Holcroft won the 10km walk in 49m 7s with Brooke Cowsill the best of the women in 57m 49s

HAMILTON
Athletics Waikato Bay of Plenty Open Meeting, Porritt Stadium – 3 November 2012 
Regan Standing was over the high jump at 2.05m. Ryan Howe 100m 10.87s (+1.6) and LJ 6.94m (NWI). Dalton Coppins 100m 10.74s (+1.6). Michael Cochrane 300m 35.36s. Thomas Monnery 1000m 2m 33.78s, Phil Simms 400m hurdles 56.93s. Matthew Bloxham hammer throw 5kg 67.44m. Talia Horgan 100m 12.44s (+3.7) and 300m 40.45s. Kristie Baillie 300m 39.26s. Arianna Lord 1000m 2m 56.81s. Tracey Hale 300m hurdles 44.69s, Grace Gill 46.81s. Anneke Grogan 2k St 7m 43.43s. Paige Harwood HJ 1.70m, Eliza McCartney PV 3.50m, Danielle Botha HT 48.20m.

NELSON
Twilight Meeting, Saxton Field – 2 November 2102
Jess Martin set a Athletics Nelson junior women 1000m record of 3m 3.96s breaking Jackie Goodman’s long standing record by seven seconds. Martin’s time was just two seconds slower than Anna Buckley’s senior record. Mike Lowe won the 1000m in 2m 38.49s. Dale Pritchard had the senior shot out to 14.02m.

CHRISTCHURCH
Canterbury Centre Meeting, Rawhiti Domain – 3 November 2012
Emma Sutherland HJ 1.70m, Jacob Reese-Jones 400m 55.65s. Sean Eustace 1500m 4m 19,20s, Ben Musson 3000m 9m 19.29s.

DUNEDIN
Otago Centre Meeting, Caledonian Stadium – 3 November 2012
Larissa Dyke won the senior sprint double 100m 12.55s (+3.5) and 200m 26.61s (+3.3). Phillipa Symes W20 recorded 12.53s (+3.5) in the 100m.Christina Taylor won the 1500m in 4m 53.60s from Charlotte Cahill 4m 57.07s and Anna Kean 4m 59.84s. Daniel Balchin won the 1500m in 4m 3.54s. Sam Bremer won the M17 1500m in a PB 4m 7.24s. Dean Rusbatch won the junior 6kg shot with 15,13m. He was just 19cm short of Kieran Fowler’s 2007 Otago M18 record. Jerram Huston won the senior 7.26kg shot with a put of 14.48m. Rory McSweeney was out to 46.89m in the javelin. In cold conditions Rosie Robinson won the 3000m track walk in 14m 32.95s after passing the 2km in 9m 38s.

AUSTRALIA
Madison Gipson was 9th over 100m in Campbelltown NSW on 3 November in 12.72s (+1.7).
ROAD RACES AROUND THE COUNTRY
Auckland 
Rat Race 5km, Takapuna, 24 October: Neil Madgwick 17m 34s, Andrew Wilson 17m 54s. Adele Thorpe 20m 50s. 31 October: 
Pakuranga 5km Series, 29 October: Simon Riley 17m 41s, Justin Carnaby 18m 30s. Courtney Martin 20m 10s, Rebecca Williams 20m 32s.
O’Hagan’s Viaduct 5km, 30 October: Jared Bowden 16m 24s, Ian Richards 17m 3s, Andy Hughes 17m 6s. Katie Wright 17m 12s, Florence Reynolds 18m 11s, Claire Macky 18m 49s.

Hamilton
Eastside Riverpath 5km, 30 October: Michael Whitehead 16m 36s, Sunil Ritchie 17m 44s. Lynn Hodgkinson 19m 37s.

Tauranga
Smiths Sports Shoes Everyone’s 5km, 1 November: Lucas Fairweather 18m 14s, Roger Creighton 18m 44s.

Napier
Napier Pak’nSave Half Marathon, 28 October: Graham Bee 1h 17m 11s, Faryn Ngawaka 1h 22m 18s. Renee Holtom 1h 29m 1s, Amber Morrison 1h 29m 34s.
Bluewater Hotel 5km, 30 October: Toa Elphick-Iaveta 16m 23s, Graham Bee 16m 35s, Paul Ryman 16m 47s. Holly Manning 20m 56s.

Feilding
Feilding Marathon, 3 November: The 58th Feilding Marathon was won by 34 year old Carl Laffan of Lower Hut in 3h 31m 43s. While outside his personal best of 3 hours 20 minutes, like the rest of the 24 strong field of marathoners, he had to contend with strong northerly winds through the first half of the course which ascends 140 metres from the Timona Park start to Stanway Hall.

First woman was a regular visitor to Feilding, 46 year old Ingrid Frost of Auckland YMCA in 3h 55m 02s. This was Frosts 154th marathon and she has a perfect record of finishing every marathon she has started. 
“If I start then I always finish. No matter what!” she says.

The two person team of Charlotte Wall and Melissa Thorne (Feilding Moa) took overall line honours in 3h 28m 13s, having trailed Laffan at half way, Thorne got past him at around 35km on the way to a personal best half marathon of 1h 34m 59s. Palmerston North pair Kay Richdale and Clair Long won the two person walk in 6h 19m 20s. The individual walk went to another Feilding Marathon regular, Chris Leahy (Hutt Valley Marathon Clinic) in 5h 22m 20s. Leahy has her name several times of the fastest walk trophy as well as being the fastest woman runner on a number of occasions. This was her 124th marathon. 
Race Director Robert Dabb used IAAF Age Adjustment factors to compare each competitor’s performance relative to age. These tables factor in an expected decline in performance as the years advance.  
“It levels the playing field in respect of age and helps us identify the best performance,” said Dabb. 
Best age adjusted run of the day came from 61 year old Marian Hilder of Palmerston North. Her actual time of 4 hours 2 minutes was adjusted to 2 hours 53 minutes. Best of the men was 56 year old Stephen Bottcher (Palmerston North) whose 3h 59m was adjusted to 3h 22m. Dabb says that while the Feilding Marathon is not the biggest in the country, it has a very loyal following. 

“Over half the field that ran on Saturday have completed 100 or more marathons and the event this year was chosen by Helen Tobin of Hastings to notch up her 100th marathon.” 

She walked it in 6h 48m. Tobin ran her first marathon at Rotorua in 1981, has a personal best of 3h 39m and ran her first 75 marathons, including 9 completed overseas. She had a contingent of family and friends supporting and celebrating this milestone.

Another notable finisher was Francis Wilson of Marton in his 110th marathon, 48 years after his first marathon at Owairaka as a 19 year old in 1964. Wilson aims to be at Feilding in 2014 for its 60th anniversary and his own 50 years of marathon running and walking.

Wellington
Lifestyle Sports Waterfront 5km Series, 30 October: Hamish Carson 15m 30s, Tony Wolken 17m 18s. Tom MacDonald 17m 54s. Gabrielle O’Rourke 18m 49s, Niamh O’Malley 19m 8s, Jessica McIvor 19m 51s. Walk Terri Grimmett 29m 40s, Fraser Samson 32m 47s.

Nelson
Waimea Vineyard 5km Summer Series, 31 October: Brian Kemp 17m 5s, Simon Leaning 17m 9s. Bridie Edwards 18m 50s, Colette Read 20m 16s.

AWARDS
Alan Tucker received the Administrator of the Year Award at the Canterbury Sports Awards in Christchurch on Friday evening. Bryan Kerr received a Lifetime Achievement Award for athletics.

OBITUARY
Long standing Athletics Auckland and national official Kelvin (Monty) Montgomerie died on Tuesday 30 October aged 90. 
Kelvin, who served as an official for over 50 years, was the chief judge for the javelin throw at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games. He started officiating in Wanganui in the early 1950’s before shifting to Auckland.
 
Murray McKinnon
Communications Advisor
Athletics New Zealand
0274 806086
murray@mckinnon.co.nz

 

Athletics New Zealand – News