Changes to the weekly newsletter. Oliver McLean has kindly offered to help write and distribute our weekly newsletter. So, once every fortnight you will be hearing from him, and on the alternating weeks you will read the news from me, Stephen. You can contact us both at the shared email address scottishathleticsnews@gmail.com. Make sure you send us all the notices, results, photos and gossip you want the rest of the club to know.

This week

  • Tuesday 5.45 pm, Waterfront 5km, Macs Brewbar
  • Wednesday Intervals 6.00 pm, track session with Andy, Alice and Rowan, Newtown Park.
  • Friday 4:00 pm, Capital Classic, including the senior men’s and women’s 3000m championships, Newtown Park. Turn up to cheer for Liz Bentley, Ayesha Shafi, Ben Brunner and Andrew Kerr in the 800m and for Emma Perron, Hannah Miller and Seamus Kane in the NZ 3000m championships.
  • Saturday 8.30 am, speed sessions at the track. Newtown Park. Contact our club captains, Emma and Bert, or check Facebook for details.
  • Saturday 2:00pm, Scottish Summer Saturday walk/ run. Our route is the Te Whiti Riser — a mostly wide and well-graded shared walking/ mountain biking path that climbs through some nice sections of regenerating bush, with great views back over the Hutt Valley. It will take 1.5 – 2 hours return to walk the route from Te Whiti Park, including the triangle at the top. The elevation gain is around 240 metres. The meetup point is the northern end of Te Whiti Park, on Riverside Drive in Waiwhetu. All are welcome. We have the usual plans for refreshments afterwards, but the venue is to be confirmed.
  • Sunday long pack runs — usually, these leave at 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

Jumbo Holdsworth Mountain Races and Hooper Loop

Results are not available yet.

North Island Masters Track & Field Champs

I missed these results from 13 January. They show that Heather Walker’s indomitable season continues.

  • 3000m run: Terri Grimmett 17:50.31,
  • 3000m walk, Helen Willis 21:07.11, Terri Grimmett 21:04.86, Bob Gardiner 22:06.62, Daphne Jones 23:53.81
  • 5000m walk: Terri Grimmett 35:35.39, Helen Willis 35:36.83, Daphne Jones 40:55.80
  • 1500m: Peter Stevens 4:34.63, Heather Walker 4:54.42 (Wellington W50 record)
  • 800m: Heather Walker 2:24.52 (Wellington W50 record)

Results

Potts Classic

Athletics NZ reports: James Preston repelled the challenge of Maltese athlete Jared Micallef to secure the men’s 800m victory in a meet record time of 1:48.05. Josh Ledger paced the field through the first lap in 52 seconds before stepping off the track to allow the tall Preston to hit the front with the Micallef in close pursuit. Nothing changed until the final 60m or so when Preston gradually pulled further clear of the Australian-born athlete to take the race win in 0.62. 

800m: James Preston 1:48.05 (meet record), James Hercus 1:57.44

Waterfront 5km

The Waterfront 5km is back, and the first two races have taken place.

Cooks Classic, Whanganui

Athletics NZ reports: “Sam Tanner provided a thrilling climax to the Pak’n Save Cooks Classic in Whanganui… by regaining the national title over the classic distance in a PB of 3:54.56… In total, four men dipped under the four-minute mile barrier, with the Aussie duo Callum Davies (3:56.05) and Jude Thomas (3:58.29) claiming second and third and national 800m champion James Preston also achieving his first landmark sub-four-minute time with a 3:59.44 clocking for fourth and also earning the silver in the New Zealand mile championship.”

  • Men’s Masters Mile: Peter Stevens 4:56.37, Andrew Kerr 5:07.08
  • Women’s Masters Mile: Heather Walker 5:23.63, Ayesha Shafi 5:28.42
  • Senior Men’s Mile: James Preston 3:59.44 (2nd NZer), Liam Jones 4:41.54

Results

Photos from Peter Jones:

Twilight Track Meet, 25 January

A superb 4x100m relay result capped off an impromptu evening of running.

  • 600m: Liam Jones 1:34.53, Rowan Hooper 1:42.45, Heather Walker 1:45.44, Ayesha Shafi 1:47.33, Alice Sowry 2:05.99
  • 1000m: Hiro Tanimoto 2:48.83, Liam Jones 2:54.94, Rowan Hooper 3:00.97, Simon Keller 3:10.73, Heather Walker 3:27.14, Frank Grieve 3:35.07
  • 4x 100m Relay: Wellington Scottish ‘A’ (Rowan Hooper, Ayesha Shafi, Alice Sowry and Tamara Novak) 1:01.69

Results

Notices

Athletics Wellington asks if we can provide any pacers for Round the Bays. It is after:

  • Half marathon (7 pacers required from 1.25 hours through to 2.10 hours)
  • The 10km (40, 50 and 60 minutes)
  • A lead cyclist for the 3 races

To volunteer, or for any further information, email community@athleticswellington.org.nz

Support Hannah Millar to get to the World Cross Country Championships

The Wellington Scottish Supporters Trust’s broad objective is to financially assist our younger and top-performing members to ensure they can compete at National events and where funds permit international ones as well. The trust is funded by donations, and these have been especially welcomed by the Athletes that have been supported over the past 15 years.

Hannah Millar, who joined Scottish at the start of the season, has had a fantastic 2022, winning national titles over the road, half marathon, marathon and more recently, the NZ 10,000m champs on the track at Newtown. We are not sure if this has been achieved by any other NZ Athlete. Hannah has most recently been selected to represent NZ at the World Cross Country Championships (the pinnacle of our winter sport) at Bathurst in Australia in February 2023. Unfortunately, Athletics New Zealand provides no assistance to team members, so runners need to self-fund the full cost of the trip.

If you would like to assist in helping Hannah to follow in the footsteps of Melissa Moon or to make a broader contribution to the trust, then your donation would be most welcome. Payment can be made into our Kiwibank account 389006 0470186 00. Please make sure you place your name in the reference field so that we can issue an official donation receipt which will qualify you for a tax rebate. Thanks.

If you would like more about the trust or how you can assist, you can contact one of the Trustees, Sharon Wray, Glen Wallis (0274 302049) or James Turner

Coming Up

Twilight Track Meets

Scottish is organising twilight track meetings over the course of the summer. These are fun, low-key events, open to anyone who wants to try out track racing or sharpen up for other events — it would be great to see a good Scottish turnout to support the event.

Without volunteers, these events do not happen — Andy Ford is looking for help on the night with jobs including a starter (training provided!) and finish recorder. Let Andy know if you can help at any of the events.

The next Twilight Track meet is on 8 February. It includes a 3000m and a 1500m race.

Capital Classic, 3 February

World Athletics Challenger Meet includes the 2023 New Zealand Senior 3000m Championships. See many of NZ’s top athletes compete.

Event Information

Athletics Wellington Track and Field Championships, 18-19 February

Event information

Wellington Round the Bays, 19 February

Wellington Round the Bays is the largest mass participation event in the lower North Island and the third-largest in New Zealand. This iconic community event has been going strong for 45 years. Enter the 5.5km, 10km or half marathon. Wear your yellow to promote the club, and when you sign up, don’t forget to register as part of the ‘Wellington Scottish Athletics Club’ team.

Event information

XTERRA Wellington Festival, 25 February

Event information

Keep in touch