This week

  • Tuesday 6.00 pm, speed session with Alice and Rowan, outside Freyberg Pool. This week’s session is a mix of 500m, 1km and 1.5km reps.
  • Friday 12.27 pm, Kupe Run, a chatty pre-weekend run from the Kupe statue on the waterfront.
  • Saturday 8.30 am, speed sessions move to the track this week. Newtown Park. Contact our club captains, Emma and Bert, or check Facebook for details.
  • Saturday 2.00 pm, Spring Track and Field Open Meeting, Newtown Park (this meeting includes an 800m at 2.15 pm, a 3000m at 2.50 pm and 3000m walk at 3.45 pm)
  • Sunday long pack runs — usually, these leave 8.30 am from outside Freyberg Pool and some alternative locations around Wellington. Contact our club captains, Emma and Bert, or check Facebook for details.

Results

NZ Half Marathon Champs, Cambridge

Hannah Miller was first and won the NZ Championship in 1:20:31. Mel Aitken won W45 in1:27:00. Paul Barwick second was M45 in 1:18:54, Andrew Kerr 3rd M50 in 1:22:52, Todd Stevens, backing up from Saturday with a 4th M50 place in 1:26:40. It sounded like it was a hilly and windy course.

Steve Aitken’s photos

Results

Report from Athletics NZ:

Miller had control of the women’s title from the start and also set a course record of 1:20:30, an improvement on Sue Crowley’s 2013 time of 1:23:12…

The hills and the wind were also a challenge for Miller.

“I’m happy to take the win on certainly a more challenging course than I’d anticipated.

“It was good to have those hills in there which made it tough and mixed it in with a variation of the terrain.

“It was good having Kath out there pushing me through and the wind on the way back made it a bit of fun,” said Miller.

She added that it is an honour to take a New Zealand title.

“It is always a great opportunity to be out here amongst people who love what they do.

“I’m excited to be back in New Zealand and doing the Kiwi season, not quite the times I’ve been after this year but starting to get my legs back under me and find my rhythm working full time.”

With the aim of making the team to the world cross country championships in Bathurst in February Miller runs the 10,000m that Auckland Athletics is putting on at the end of this month and the 10,000m champs in Wellington and later the Night of 5s.

NZ Trail Running Champs

Sam McCutcheon was 2nd in the Crater Rim 53km Ultra marathon in Canterbury in a time of 04:50:26 – and won the NZ Championhsip title. Gordon Pal ran an impressive 07:58:12 around the hilly course. Alistair Collow ran 3:49:26 on the 30km course.

Results

Report from Athletics NZ:

Sam McCutcheon after a period of three years experiencing trial racing in Europe returned to win his first national title in the Crater Rim 53km event in Christchurch.

The race was won by Daniele Danesin but as he is not a member of an athletic club McCutcheon in second won the New Zealand trail running championship.

They matched strides over the first half of the race before Danesin got a break and went on to win by five minutes in 4:45:28.

McCutcheon said it was a stunning day and a great race and a great course.

“The course is a lot more relentless than I anticipated. It is constantly up and down, and you don’t really get a break which I didn’t really appreciate coming into it.

“Those hills are tough but the day unfolded well, Dani and I were pushing for the first half of the race, and after that, he got a couple of minutes on me over the next two aid stations.

“I held him on the last bit but didn’t have enough to catch him,” he said.

“Dani is not a member of a Club which is a little bit bittersweet, but that’s the rules. It’s nice to get the title but not to come second.

“It was a good hit out today, and I just need to recover before we head over to Aussie in a couple of weeks for the Australian Ultra Trail in the Blue Mountains.”

Bernie Portenski Trophy

81 people from clubs across wellington turned up for the end-of-winter season handicap race. Peter Ellis from Kapiti Running and Tri Club won the Bernie Potenski Trophy. Competing for the Scottish trophies, Todd Stevens won the Baudinet Cup and Bev Hodge won the Ladies Open Handicap Cup.

Full results below

Rowan’s photos

Under distance track and field opening day.

1000m: Guy Lees 2:48.35, Heather Walker 3:13.25.

1500m Walk: Ian Morton 9:40.87, Bob Gardner 10:29.25, Ray Marten 11:20.15, Daphne Jones 11:28.57.

Results

Japan track races

On Saturday Hiro Tanimoto ran 8:43.77 for 3000m in heat two of the Hyogo track meet.

Then on Sunday Hiro Tanimoto ran a 4:06.09 1500m in heat 1 of the Sumitomo Denko Cup.

Next Saturday, Hiro is running a 5000m in Osaka Amagasaki that is organised by Tsubasa Hokamura. Tsubasa was the Sakai marathon exchange runner to Wellington in 2019.

Run4Reef

1km: Naormi Richardson was first in 3:58. Rowan Richardson 4:37.

10km: James Richardson was second in 34:20.

Coming Up

Track and Field Season

Newtown Park will be a busy spot for the upcoming track and field season. Entry for most events is free for Scottish athletes. The majority of senior track and field events at Newtown Park will be “Entry on the Day”. We ask athletes to make one Pre-registration for the season at no cost and this will enable you to report to the stadium and enter on the day, provided you arrive prior to the normal assembly time for an event. Once you pre-enter, you will have a Newtown Park 2021-2022 season number allocated for designated regular competition days. Each athlete will receive a bib number and a bib with your name and number. 

The 2022-2023 track and field season will feature major meetings starting with New Zealand 10000m Championships hosted by the Agency Group 10000 Festival on Saturday 19 November. In December the New Zealand Masters Athletics Championships are hosted in Wellington on 2-4 December and the Scottish Night of Miles Saturday 17 December. In the New Year the annual Capital Classic World Athletics Challenger Tour Meet is on Friday 3 February and, a month later, the first-ever four-day New Zealand Track and Field  Championships, including the inaugural Under 16 Championships, is at Newtown Park. 

More details

The Agency Group 10000m Festival, 19 November

The Wellington 10,000m Festival is the most popular set of 10,000m races in New Zealand. For the last four years, this has been a night of PBs for athletes of all speeds — 40 percent of athletes finished with a new best time.

We are very excited to announce that in 2022 we will be hosting the Athletics New Zealand 10,000m Championships for men and women across two separate races. Combined with this, are a number of new initiatives to enhance your running experience and create an incredible atmosphere for participants and spectators.

As always, we will host a number of 10,000m races, and all will have packs of many different speeds to drag you to your new PB. Races are open to men and women of all age grades.

Entries open soon. 

Race details

Scottish Night of Miles, December 17

The Scottish Night of Miles is a unique event full of Christmas fun and features races over the rarely run distance of one mile. Each year we collect donations ($5 suggested) from athletes and spectators then hand them on to a local Wellington charity. The programme consists of a mix of children’s, senior elite and fun social events. There are several different mile races including competitive men’s and women’s races that require pre-entry, and an all-comers mile that anyone can participate in (including Father Christmas).  

Details to come.

Notices

Missed ordering a long sleeve Scottish t-shirt?

Orders are open again, for both children’s and adult’s sizes. The shirts are black, long sleeve, with a small white Scottish logo on the front.

Product details here: http://www.cloke.co.nz/product/cloke/slm-adults-stadium-ls-tee/

The cost will be approx $30.

Please complete your order here: Scottish Long Sleeve T-Shirt Order. Or you can email Heather your order hwalkerathome@gmail.com

Orders will close Friday 18 November, with delivery early December (all going well).  

Thanks

Ngā mihi to Oliver McLean for looking after the newsletter for a few weeks while I took a wee break.

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