Southland Road Running Championships - The Facts
The scenery along the Te Anau lakefront was spectacular but no one stopped to admire it.
By Lance Smith
The Southland Road Running Championships were here at Te Anau over the weekend.
Fact 1: The scenery along the Te Anau lakefront was spectacular but no one stopped to admire it.
Fact 2: Probable medallists James McLeay, Siena Mackley, Kennedy Taylor, Jude Deaker, Nicole Jackson and Kelvin Meade were not there.
Fact 3: It isn’t who’s not there that counts but who is there.
Fact 4: Dwight Grieve, Debbie Telfer, Ben Scott, Millie McFadzien, Kimberley Iversen, Lucas Huia and Hudson Roy were there and they made it count.
These were grade winners and consequently Southland Champions. Not to mention the silver and bronze medal winners who made the races competitive and, in many cases, pushed the gold medal winners.
Dwight Grieve (Fiordland) was first overall in the 10km, paced step for step by Craig Iversen (Invercargill) until halfway through the last of the 5 x 2k laps where a gap opened up and was held to the end. Dwight’s time of 33.09 was 40 seconds faster than last year on the same course.
Craig’s 33.30 also bettered his last years’ time. Obviously, a case of improving with age! While first and second over the line, the pair took the masters medals, giving the senior title to third place finisher Ben Scott. (St Pauls, 34.57).
Debbie Telfer (Invercargill) continued the form that gave her the recent NZ W65 crosscountry championship to be first of all masters women grades for their 6km distance.
Millie McFadzien also brought her crosscountry form (4th at NZ U16 champs) to comfortably win the GU16 4km ahead of Abby O’Boyle and Jorgia Tucker. (Both St Pauls) Hudson Roy (Wyndham) took the BU16 title in a close tussle with Lewis Blay (St Pauls).
U18 winners were Kimberley Iversen (Inv) in 22.19 for 6km (considerably faster than her winning time last year) and Lucas Huia (St Pauls, 6km, 21.05).
Fiordland’s Carolyn Fox won the SW trophy and junior championships went to Charlie Braaksma (Fiord, BU10), Craig Iversen Jr (Inv BU12), Cameron Fox (Fiord, GU14) and Mahe Braaksma (Fiord, BU14).