Southland quartet triumphant on national stage
“Perhaps some city dwellers don’t get to practice on natural terrain like the provincial-based athletes can.”
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It’s a long way from Southland to Northland, but for three Southlanders, it goes even further with Siena Mackley, James Weber (both Wakatipu HS), and Millie McFadzien (St Peters Gore) earning a trip to Queensland.
A top ten finish at the national secondary schools crosscountry champs in Whangarei over the weekend earned automatic selection to the Australian Championships at Runaway Bay, Gold Coast.
It means Southland has three of the 20-strong team and two from the same school.
Mackley was undoubtedly the star of the Southland contingent at the nationals, taking the coveted senior girls’ title.
Coach Neville Britton describes how Mackley’s victory played out.
“Siena approached the race with calm experience with a calculated race strategy of controlling from the front and then surging over the last 800m, the section with the most hills - it’s very hard to pass on hills (and get passed).
“A good phase of hill prep paid off with the strength to unleash a sprint finish that left many of the star-studded field struggling. Faster runners who focused on shorter, flatter speedwork required for track season couldn’t make full use of their speed on the soft undulating terrain.
“Perhaps some city dwellers don’t get to practice on natural terrain like the provincial-based athletes can.”
The finish line was at the top of a gruelling uphill, with only second-placed Denika Clooney (Otamatea HS) and Lisa Hellyer in third (Onehunga High) in a position to give chase.
However, both ended a few seconds short of the Southland runner.
The 17-year-old achiever has national championship medals in track, mountain running, and cross-country, with her latest gold adding to a long list of Athletics NZ and secondary school championship awards.
In the senior boys’ 6km event James Weber ran a smart race to finish 5th in a field of 156 finishers.
Coach Britton said: “He ran himself to the ground to fight off last year’s silver medallist and gain selection to the NZ Team.”
Billed as the most stacked field in the race’s history (five sub 3.50 1500m runners including sub-4-minute miler Sam Ruthe) Weber has to be a strong podium contender next year.
There was more to come next day.
Sunday saw the relay events with Mackley, McFadzien, and Weber combined with junior Hunter Flowers (SBHS) to convincingly win the senior mixed relay.
Each runner competed over a 2km lap.
The Southland quartet got off to a good start with Flowers holding his own among senior runners, finishing his lap in a close third.
McFadzien and Mackley kept the team up near the front, then Weber took over and demolished the field to win by over a minute.
The margin was so decisive that a doubting official was heard to ask whether all had run their full laps. It appears the view of never underestimating Southlanders hasn’t got as far as Northland yet.
Outstanding results ... well done! :)