Athletics New Zealand – News – MILE ROAD RACE RETURNS TO QUEEN STREET AUCKLAND – Athletics NZ Weekly Roundup

AUCKLAND – John Walker Night of Miles, Yvette Williams Track, Lloyd Elsmore Park Pakuranga – 15 December 2012
Ben Moynihan followed up his secondary schools 1500m victory in Dunedin last week with a convincing win in the annual John Walker junior mile.

Moynihan stayed in contact with the top field of 12 to the three quarter mark before putting his superior speed to effective use with a blistering last lap to win in 4m 12.93s. Seton Hill out kicked early pace maker Matt Baxter for second in 4m 16.33s, Baxter recording 4m 16.69s.
Moynihan said that the confidence gained in Dunedin gave him the winning edge once again.
“I was confident with my finish so I sat with the leaders and tried to keep sheltered from the wind, and with 400 metres to go I sort of went again same as the secondary schools, so it all went to plan,” he said.

The junior mile was established in 1987 and the race record is 4m 5.01s set by Richard Potts in 1990.
Alex Parlane won the senior mile in 4m 16.08s and Georgia Grgec won the women’s mile in 5m 00.61s.
Te Rina Keenan, back in Auckland after completing an athletic scholarship at the University of Hawaii, was in top form with the discus, throwing the second best effort ever by a New Zealand woman of 56.45m. It was nearly a two metre improvement on her previous best set in the States in May. Siositina Hakeai who is third on the all time rankings with 56.27m was second with a throw of 53.77m. Beatrice Faumuina heads the all time national rankings with 68.52m.

Three times national champion Marshall Hall of Dunedin was also in action in the discus winning the senior men’s competition with a throw of 49.47m.
Sam Ulufonua and Kyle Van der Merwe had a close contest in the M18 throwing events, Van der Merwe winning the shot put with 17.20m and second in the discus with 55.39m. Ulufonua had the shot out to 16.84m and recorded another world youth championships qualifying throw of 58.15m.
Isaac Tatoa recorded 11.12s (-3.8) over the 100m into a steady head wind and Mike Morresey won the mile walk in 7m 16.81s.
In the Auckland junior 1500m championships a top performance came from Isaiah Priddey of Hamilton who won the boys’ 12 race in 4m 26.92s.

ACA Open Meeting, Kings College Otahuhu – 12 December 2012
Isaac Tatoa 60m 6.53s, 100m 10.63s. Josh Maisey 5000m 16m 13.48s and Mulu Yeshum 17m 16.19s.

Discus Skymaster Competition, AUT Millennium Stadium – 16 December 2012
Siositina Hakeai surpassed Te Rina Keenan’s performance the day before, adding 35cm her New Zealand W18 record with a throw of 56.62m. Keenan threw 55.27m. Sam Ulufonua was out to 58.51m with the 1.5kg discus and Kyle Van der Merwe 55.32m. In the senior discus Marshall Hall threw 49.38m and Matt Dallow set a NZ masters 40 record of 47.68m, improving on Roy Williams 1975 record of 43.44m.

TAURANGA
Waikato Bay of Plenty Centre Meeting, Tauranga Domain – 15 December 2012
Joseph Millar 100m 10.52s (+2.6), Ryan Howe 10.67s, Zac Topping 10.85s. 200m Millar 21.70s (+3.4) Topping 21.98s. Kristie Baillie 100m 12.29s (+3.1) and 200m 25.18s (+2.5), Mariah Ririnui 25.33s. Cameron French 400m 49.70s and Kyle Macdonald 3000m 8m 58.98s.

CHRISTCHURCH
Canterbury Centre Meeting, Rawhiti Domain – 15 December 2012
Emma Sutherland 1.79m HJ. David Elliott 100m 11.62s (+0.2) 200m 24.83s (+0.6). Hayden Hall 1.75kg DT 52.60m, 800gm JT 44.63m. Charlie Gamble 5kg SP 14.85m, 1.5kg DT 45.28m 700gm JT 44.09m. Kate Newitt 2km walk 11m 6.19s, Joshua Kokick 3km walk 16m 5.52s. Masters 5000m championship Christopher Mardon (42) 17m 10.69s.

DUNEDIN
Otago Centre Meeting, including 10,000m championship, Caledonian Stadium – 15 December 2012
Nicole Bradley hammer throw 53.58m, Hamish Finnie 14.11m senior shot Dean Rusbatch 6kg shot 14.32m. Daniel Balchin 1500m 3m 59.12s, Christina Taylor 1500m 4m 43.57s. Fiona Hely 200m 25.80s (-2.8). Neale McLanachan Otago 10,000m title in 33m 8.20s and Jonah Smith M19 in 34m 58.12s.
On 8 December 2012 Tom Walsh was out to 19.04m with the 7.26kg shot and Jerram Huston 14.35m.

INVERCARGILL
Southland Centre Meeting, Surrey Park – 15 December 2012
Gail Kirkman (Fiordland) set three N.Z. Masters records at the Southland Centre Meet (Winton Graded Scratch meet) at Surrey Park on Saturday. She started with the W60 high jump record, clearing 1.24m to add 3cm to the previous mark, went straight to the 80m hurdles and ran 15.50s (+1.2) to better the old record of 16.4s ht then capped off a record day with 70.12s 400m to shave a fraction off her own record set a month ago. Other highlights: Rebecca Peterson 12.82s (+1.4) fastest women’s 100m, Deejay Kennedy 11.35s (+1.3) to win the men’s 100m, Charlotte Muschamp 1.70m high jump, Ashley Craig 45.36m for MU18 hammer and Hinewai Collins 36.61m in WU18 hammer.  

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Olympic Park – 15 December 2012
Madison Gipson 100m H 840mm 14.49s (0.0) 2nd. 100m 12.81s (+0.7).

ROAD AND TRAIL RACES AROUND THE COUNTRY
Auckland
Pakuranga 5km Series, 10 December: Nick Pannett 15m 28s, David Lee 18m 23s, Quinn Wallwork 18m 25s. Sarah Blyde 20m 35s.
O’Hagan’s Viaduct 5km, 11 December: Gene Beveridge 16m 14s, Jason Waite 16m 52s, James Bradshaw 17m 4s. Katrin Gottschalk 19m 12s, Imogen Scott 19m 17s.
Rat Race 5km, Takapuna, 12 December: Callum Ross 17m 28s, Gene Rand 17m 41s, Matt Downs 18m 25s. Fleur Bromley 19m 51s, Adele Thorpe 20m 50s.
YMCA 10km Series, Auckland Domain, 13 December: Sebastian Hours 31m 55s, Warick Brenan 34m 25s, Shaun McGuire 35m 24s. Katrin Gottschalk 40m 28s.

Hamilton
Eastside Riverpath 5km, 11 December: Garit Read 16m 23s, Sunil Ritchie 17m 55s, Stefan Wagner 17m 56s. Rachel O’Donnell 21m 40s.

Tauranga
Smiths Sports Shoes Everyone’s 5km, 13 December: Scott Furness 17m 55s, Roger Creighton 17m 59s.

Wanganui
3 Bridges Marathon, 8 December: Struan Webb 3h 3m 51s. Maria Kroonenberg 3h 14m 34s. Walk Joff Hulbert 4h 48m 31s. Half Marathon Brian Garmonsway 1h 15m 0s. Wendy Cottrell-Teahan 1h 31m 41s. Walk Peter Zwart 2h 9m 54s. 10km Brad Mathas 34m 28s.

Wellington
Lifestyle Sports Waterfront 5km Series, 11 December: Tomas Bridgeman 16m 18s, Jason Theobald 16m 54s, Ash Thyne 17m 39s. Gabrielle O’Rourke 17m 48s, Hinano Sefesi 18m 58s, Michelle Van Looy 20m 14s. Walk Daphne Jones 36m 56s, John Hines 38m 28s.

Nelson
Waimea Vineyard 5km Summer Series, 12 December, Estuary Course: Matthew Kutugata 16m 5s, Martin Cox 16m 6s, Allister Meffan 17m 13s. Paula Canning 18m 59s, Colette Read 20m 0s.

MILE ROAD RACE RETURNS TO QUEEN STREET AUCKLAND AFTER AN ABSENCE OF 30 YEARS
The Queen Street mile has been resurrected by the John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams and will be staged as the Queen Street Golden Mile to be held on Easter Monday 1st April 2013. Unlike the earlier street races in 1972, 1982 and 1983, which focussed on elite athletes, next year’s event will also be open to the public. Auckland Council will back the event for three years. Mayor Len Brown who joined Sir John Walker in announcing the event last Wednesday said it was not intended to rival the popular Round the Bays fun run or the adidas Auckland Marathon.

Numbers would be capped to 4500 in the first year. The new course means the race record of 3m 28.36s set by Mike Boit of Kenya in 1983 won’t be broken. Next year’s race will start on Mayoral Drive and finish on Queen’s Wharf. The previous races started on Karangahape Road with runners taking a sharp right-hand turn on to the steepest section of Queen Street finishing at the intersection with Customs Street.
Sir John said that any promotion of athletics is got to be good for the sport.
“It gives the kids a chance to compete on the same level as the senior athletes, running the same course and getting a time. If we can get the elite athletes running a sub-four minute mile that will be pretty tremendous,” he said.

OBITUARY
A great Whangarei and Northland athletic stalwart Colleen Brunker passed away on Thursday aged 81.
Colleen was a life member of the Whangarei Athletic Club and Athletic Northland.
She was a huge worker for the sport all her life. She was a music teacher, a swim and athletic coach and served on every athletic committee possible, and was an active masters athlete to the end. Just last month in Hamilton she set a New Zealand masters W80 hammer throw record of 24.49m at the North Island masters championships.

Colleen received an MBE for her services to athletics. Her funeral will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, at Newberrys Funeral Home corner of Kamo Road and Moody Avenue Whau Valley Whangarei at 1pm.

                  
Murray McKinnon
Communications Advisor
Athletics New Zealand
0274 806086
murray@mckinnon.co.nz

 

Athletics New Zealand – News