Speeding down Queens Drive - No tickets issued
Even after doing an 8.53-time trial in the morning, James McLeay had enough strength and speed to stay near the front then out-kick the leaders over the last 300m to win the St Paul's Mile.
By Lance Smith
Queens Drive became a racetrack on Saturday. The occasion was the St Pauls road mile, the shortest running event on the Southland harrier calendar.
While shortest, for many it’s probably the hardest. Short means having to run faster and fast invariably means more pain. At least it’s over quickly.
For overall winner James McLeay (St Pauls) it was very quickly - 4min 37sec into a headwind to be exact.
Even after doing an 8.53-time trial in the morning, he had enough strength and speed to stay near the front then out-kick the leaders over the last 300m.
(Why a hard 3k the day of a race? He was getting used to competing twice in one day as he possibly will in the coming national secondary school champs with the 1500m final and steeplechase within a couple of hours of each other.
Fourth place getter Lucas Huia did likewise by running the Parkrun earlier in the day).
McLeay was pushed all the way by first master’s runner Craig Iversen (Invercargill). Iversen kept in contact but James showed patience for 1200m then attacked on the uphill final 200m.
Iversen finished with a very creditable 4.43 with Ben Scott third in 4.56.
The women’s race came down to strength versus speed versus a mixture of both.
The combination of speed and strength triumphed with Millie McFadzien (15, Gore) controlling the race from the start, finishing 6th overall in 5.18. Abby O’Boyle (14, StP), the speed exponent (800 is her favourite event) was next woman in 5.29, 6 seconds ahead of Kimberley Iversen (Craig’s daughter, 16, Inv) whose strength is her strength.
Hudson Roy (Wyndham) in 5th was first of the juniors while Jason Russell (St Pauls) won the masters men division and Nicole Jackson (Inv) masters women, 5.21 and 6.08.