Athletics New Zealand – 49th Rotorua Marathon set to go

The Rotorua Marathon has had 86,590 pairs of running shoes fronting up on the start lane over the last forty eight years including three thousand who didn’t get a chance to get around the lake in 1999 because of severe flooding and damage to the course.

The 49th Lion Foundation Rotorua Marathon will set set off Saturday morning with almost 4000 runners and walkers taking on the lake in the various races on offer including the most popular, the full and half marathon distances.

It will be a big day for Mel Tuineau who will be aiming to complete her 100th marathon at the iconic event Rotorua event. Race organisers have given her race number 100 and are organising a special finisher’s medal for her. Mel is bound to have the support of many around the course and at the finish.

Recent entries from a hometown hero and a Japanese athlete have strengthened the men’s field, but Timaru's Sam Wreford will start as favourite.

Wreford has the fastest marathon time in New Zealand on a certified course for the past 20 years and remains the favourite to translate his 2 hours 16 minutes 35 seconds time in winning the Southland Marathon in November last year to victory in his first attempt at Rotorua.

Wreford also won the Christchurch Marathon in June last year and took out the New Zealand Cross Country title in Hamilton in August.

Steven O’Callaghan  from Rotorua, featured in the most dramatic finish ever seen at Rotorua in 2009. He was set to be the first Rotorua runner to win the Rotorua Marathon for many years and was leading the race with 10 metres to run, when he stumbled and fell and was passed by Scott Winton.  O’Callaghan struggled to his feet and finished second, six seconds behind Winton.

O’Callaghan was winner of March’s New Plymouth Marathon on the fast downhill course. He will be a huge sentimental favourite with the big Rotorua crowds who come out to support the event.

Japanese runner Akiyosho Kamijo is the leading overseas athlete, having run 2 hours 21 minutes 51 seconds at the Kashiwazaki Marathon in October last year.

Gabriel O’Rourke is the top ranked women’s competitor entered in the full marathon. She finished 2nd last year behind Liza Hunter Galvan and had been in the medals a total of three times, but has never won Rotorua.

O’Rourke’s best recent time was 2 hours 47 minutes 22 seconds at the Christchurch Marathon last June.

Tony Payne, the reigning New Zealand marathon champion is favoured in the half marathon.

The half marathon sets off at 9.00am with the marathon field getting under way at 9.30am.

Athletics New Zealand – News