Round the Bays is the biggest running festival in Wellington. It’s one of our best opportunities to invite new people to join the club. Join the Wellington Scottish team as a runner, a helper or a pacer. I will be coordinating that recruitment drive. If you think you can help either beforehand with promotion, publicity and administration support or on the day handing out flyers, staffing our tent and talking to people about Scottish let me know. 

Todd Stevens, todd.stevens@pwc.com is looking for two pacers to help with the event a 1.30 and a 1.40 for the half marathon. Please let him know if you want to help. 

Options this week

  • Tuesday 5.45pm, Waterfront 5km the tutu edition, Registration from 5pm outside Macs Brewbar, Taranaki Wharf. Come and run, volunteer or support. 
  • Wednesday 6pm, Twilight Track Meet No 5. Programme includes the Wellington 400m champs and Wellington 100m champs, 5000m and 600m.
  • Friday 2.10pm, Porritt Classic, Hamilton (Hamish Carson, Niam Macdonald, Jamie Barnes, James Preston)
  • Saturday 4.00am onwards, Tarawera Ultramarathon, Rotorua (Emma Bassett, Chris Howard, Nico and Jaime Vessiot, Abigail Pitman, Lindsay Young, Dave Allen, Dion Gamperle, Michelle Knight, Jamie White, Stephen Bass, Mal Kerr and Fiona Hayvice)
  • Saturday 6.30am, Xterra Wellington Festival, Queen Elizabeth Park Paekakariki
  • Saturday, 8.00am, Karori Park speed workout – contact our club captains Danielle and Ben for info, or check Facebook for details. 8.00am warm-up for an 8.30am start. All speeds and interests welcome.
  • Saturday, 8.00am, Lower Hutt 5km Parkrun, Porirua 5km Parkrun, Trentham 5km Parkrun, Kapiti Coast 5km Parkrun.
  • Sunday long pack runs – usually these leave 8.30am from outside Freyberg Pool and some alternative locations around Wellington. Contact our club captains Danielle and Ben for info, or check Facebook for details.

Results

International Track Meet, Christchurch

Hamish Carson 3:44.63 beat James Preston 3:45.50 (new PB) in the 1500m. Niam Macdonald 9:37.39 won the steeplechase.

Athletics NZ described the 1500m thus:

Six-time national 1500m champion Hamish Carson drew up his vast reserves of experience to repel the challenge of in-form James Preston and provide a rousing finale to the track action at Nga Puni Wai.

With 4:03-miler Benjamin Wall setting the pace through to the final 550m, it was Julian Oakley, the 2020 national 1500m silver medallist, who swept into the lead at the bell tracked by Carson and Preston.

Down the back straight it was Preston, the New Zealand 800m number one, who surged to the front but Carson responded before launching his winning assault down the home straight to kick past his junior by nine years to the race win in 3:44.63. 

Preston had the satisfaction of trimming just over a second from his lifetime best in second (3:45.50) with Oakley back in third (3:48.46).

Athletics NZ article and results

Wgtn 5000m Walk champs and 1500m Champs, Masterton

5000m Walk: Sean Lake 29:56.57, Terri Grimmett 34:17.79, Daphne Jones 37:28.14. 1500m: Andrew Kerr 4:48.79, Michael Wray 4:53.66. I think that makes everyone who competed Wellington champions in their age grades.

Results

Waterfront 5km (tutu edition)

Waterfront 5km PBs to Seamus Kane, Andrew Kerr (sub 17 and PB), Alistair Collow, Stephen Clarke and Mel Stevens.

Trentham Parkrun

There is a new parkrun in the region – at Trentham Memorial Park. It’s been running for two weeks and already Scottish runners have been frequenting it. Maryanne Palmer describes it as such: It starts on the north side of Trentham Memorial Park just up from the children’s playground, heads around the south side of Bartons Bush, up over the stock banks, south past the golf course, turns and returns through Bartons Bush. A nice course, which we suspect could get a bit windswept depending on the weather, but had the advantage over the other 2 closer Parkruns, of having toilet facilities by both carparks..

Results

Coming up

Waterfront 5km Series, Tuesdays

The Wellington Scottish Waterfront 5km continues until 30 March 2021. Please offer to help with registration and marshalling once in a while.

Capital Classic, 20 Feb

Capital Classic is the premier track and field meet in Wellington. Newtown Park.

Details and entry

Round the Bays half marathon, 10km and 6.5km – 21 Feb

The Brendan Foot Supersite Wellington Round the Bays winds its way around Wellington’s stunning inner city harbour. There are several event options available for participants: the 6.5km Fun Run/Walk, 6.5km Active families, Pak N’ Save Buggy Walk, Bluebridge 10km and the Half Marathon. All start at Frank Kitts Park and follow the shoreline for various distances before returning to the finish line festival at Kilbirnie Park.

Details and entry

Todd Stevens is looking for looking for 2 pacers for Round the Bays half marathon on 21 Feb: 1.30 and 1.40. Please contact him if you can help.

Let Stephen Day know if you can help at our bright yellow recruitment tent after the race – handing out flyers and encouraging people to join the club. We will be offering our usual $20 discount to adults who join or re-join on the day of Round the Bays. More details to follow.

Keep in touch with the club