Remember to sign up as a member for 2023 on the new membership system.

This week

  • Tuesday 6.00 pm, interval session with Andy, Alice and Rowan, outside Freyberg Pool. This week we will be doing a pyramid with the following pacing: 500m at 5km pace, 1km at 10k pace, 1.5km at half pace. See below for details.
  • Friday 12.27 pm, Kupe Run, a chatty pre-weekend run from the Kupe statue on the waterfront.
  • Saturday 8.30 am, speed sessions at Karori Park. Contact our club captains, Emma and Bert, or check Facebook for details.
  • Saturday 2.00 pm, Friendly club pack runs, Mt Cook Clubrooms, Salisbury Terrace. See below for details.
  • Sunday 8.30am, Honest Ten, Outside Freyberg Pool.
  • Sunday 9am, Xterra Orongorongo, Catchpool Valley, Wainuiomata
  • 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

NZ team for World Athletics Champs

James Preston has been provisionally selected for the NZ team to go to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August. He will be guaranteed a slot provided he remains high enough within the world rankings to fall inside the entry quota that World Athletics has set for the 800m. He is currently ranked 21st in the world and needs to stay in the top 56.

Athletics NZ announcement

Christchurch Marathon

Some impressive runs from the large Scottish Contingent in Ōtautahi yesterday, including massive personal bests for Megan Ferry Dion Gamperle and Frank Grieve.

Marathon: Sam McCutcheon 02:32:38 (3rd SM), Ewan Sinclair 02:33:43 (2nd M40), Ben Twyman 02:38:16, Dion Gamperle 02:47:52 (10 min PB!), Mel Brandon 02:53:00 (3rd woman, 1st W40, PB, redemption), Alistair Richardson 02:53:18, Brad Wong 02:58:54, Karl Jackson 03:00:14 (PB), Sophie Dickson 03:02:28 (PB?), Gordon Pal 03:14:39, Brett Hawthorne 4:12:06, Megan Ferry 4:54:13 (10 min PB!)

Half Marathon: Dougal Thorburn 01:10:43 (1st M40), Oliver McLean 01:23:29, Floortje Kaars 01:27:36 (PB?), Alice Sowry 01:32:40, Guy Dryden 01:32:55, Frank Grieve 1:38:05 (3min PB)

10km: Geoff Ferry 00:39:29, Harry McLean 47:42

Results

Manchester Marathon

Mal Kerr 03:00:19

Results

Waitārere Forest Run

Mel Aitken 1:33:15, Iain Shaw 1:41:04, Caroline Fyfe 2:29:42, Karen Jenkinson 2:41:39

Results

Riverhead Backyard Ultra

Fiona Hayvice completed 12 laps of the Riverhead Backyard Ultra during Easter weekend. In June, she travels to Brisbane for the Australia Backyard Masters, where her goal is to surpass 55 laps (her current PB is 37 laps). “So last weekend was a great training session.” 

Results

Notices

Nau mai, welcome

Welcome to new club member Shayne Stringfellow.

Hoodies and long sleeve tee-shirts

Scottish hoodies (gold with coloured logo) are now available to order — they aren’t kept in stock, so must be ordered if you want one. Prices have gone up all around — they will be approx $50-55 but the cost will depend on the number ordered (more orders, less cost). They are the AS Supply Hoodie (gold) — UNISEX. Available XS – XXL — with Scottish logo printed on the front.

Info on sizing 

Scottish long sleeve t-shirts (black with a small white logo) are now available to order — they aren’t kept in stock, so must be ordered if you want one. Prices have gone up all around — they will be approx $35 but the cost will depend on the number ordered (more orders, less cost). They are the Cloke Stadium T/Shirt.  Can be ordered in adult’s (S, M, L) or children’s sizes (10, 12, 14). Note, the adult S has been too big for some of the smaller women.

Product details 

Email Heather with order details by Wednesday 26 April. We will need at least 10 orders (of each) to make it a reasonable cost. No payment upfront — but payment will be required before pick-up. Clothing should be ready mid-late May.

Sparkle Fitness: Masterclass – Train to your cycle: Deep Dive! Thur 27 April 7pm

Sierra Ryland has previously spoken about the different phases that make up a women’s menstrual cycle. In that previous masterclass, she uses these phases to identify different training principles that might apply to each one. The link to that masterclass is here if you want to watch it in preparation for this one. Of course, not everyone’s cycles are the same length. Some are longer, some shorter and some are affected by the type of contraception being used. In this masterclass, we’ll examine more fully how to customise training to cycles of different lengths, and even take into account if you are using the contraceptive pill. Questions welcome and encouraged!

Register here“

For more information email Sierra at sparklefitnz@gmail.com or 021 258 9445.

NZ Cross Country Champs, 30 July, Taupō

Let us know if you would like to join us for a trip to Taupō for the NZ Cross Country Champs. The cross-country championships bring together the best distance runners in NZ — and they are also a great opportunity for a club weekend away with runners of all speeds and ambitions.

Spa Park, with its rolling hills, geothermal scenery, hotpools and fast-draining volcanic soil, is one of the best cross-country courses in NZ. And Taupō is a great venue for a club weekend away. We’ll sort out shared accommodation and transport for those who want it, as well as a shared club meal on the Saturday night.

Details and register your interest

Hutt Valley Harriers Centenary

Hutt Valley Harriers is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year over King’s Birthday Weekend. It is planning a couple of events in June and it is inviting anyone with a connection to the club to participate.

Register for HVH centenary events

Coming up

Tuesday night session, 6pm outside Freyberg Pool

It’s back, the world-famous Scottish Tuesday night session. From now until daylight savings starts again, we will be meeting outside Freyberg every Tuesday at 6pm ready for an exciting instalment of reps. Reps will typically be some variation of 500m, 1km and 1.5km at different speeds with different rests. We will break into packs so everyone (no matter your speed or experience) is welcome.

And for those who are new to Scottish (or not new but have not tried the Tuesday night session out) do give some thought to coming down over the next few weeks and giving it a go. It has been a lot of fun the last few years and so you don’t want to miss out (and let’s be honest, on those tough winter nights it is always nice to have company when you are trying to run at pace).

Club pack runs, Saturdays at 2pm

We will have friendly social pack runs and walks from the clubhouse at Prince of Wales Park, off Salisbury Terrace in Mt Cook. We will arrange groups to suit all those who turn up, from walkers to faster runners. The groups will be out for around 1 hour. Be there, ready to go by 2:00pm. There will be afternoon tea when you return. For those who haven’t been to our clubhouse before, it has great hot showers, so bring a towel and a change of clothes if you want a shower after your run. There is also a regular group that goes to a bar afterwards. We book tables in advance – all are welcome to join.

Wellington Scottish will be holding a 5km race at Island Bay on Saturday 29 April (the day of the Shaw Baton Relay for runners).

Peter Tearle Trophy for walkers, 29 April

This event is open to all walkers, free of charge. Scottish club members will compete for the Peter Tearle Trophy and everyone else for a spot prize or two.

The race is an open handicap (staggered start) so the first across the line wins. Ian Morton is doing the handicaps and it would help him if you can let him know a couple of 5km times you have done recently — no submitting old, slow times as he has a good database of times for most of us! Email times to Ian at waterskaren992@gmail.com. Meet on the corner of Reef St and The Parade at 1.30pm for a 2pm start. There are toilets there in Shorland Park (and a bit of shelter under a couple of shop verandas). The course is yet to be confirmed.

Shaw Baton Relays, 29 April

Relays are the best part of the season, and the first interclub relays of the season are the historic Shaw Baton Relays at Battle Hill, Puatahanui. Teams of four each do a 2km cross-country lap on grass and gravel tracks, mostly flat to undulating with one sharp uphill and downhill. Log jumps and a water jump. The Shaw Baton Relay was started as an Olympic Harriers club race in 1923 and became an annual Wellington interclub event in 1929. Since 1954 it has been run as the first interclub event of the year. There are teams for everyone, social and competitive runners alike. It’s a great way to meet and remeet people in the club and in other clubs. Let your club captains, Emma and Bert, know if you want to be in a team.

University Cross Country Relays and Chocolate Walk, 6 May

The Victoria University Athletic Club invites us to the Victoria University Relay events being held at Queen Elizabeth II Park, Paekakariki, on Saturday 6 May. 10 grades with 4 runners per team, compete over a sandy farmland 3.5 km lap. All grades start together. Walkers compete in the Chocolate Walk earlier in the day over a 6km walk on nearby roads. And juniors under 16 have a series of cross-country scratch races.

Contact your section captain to let them know you want to be in a team.

Last year’s race details

Tanadees and Arkwright Cups, 20 May

Details to come.

Vosseler Shield, 27 May

Race details. And here are ten reasons to run the Vossseler.

Keep in touch