The Agency Group 10000m Festival

Schedule

We have four running races and a track walk over the course of the afternoon and evening. Please check the start lists to make sure you know which race you are in and what time to arrive. Races from 7.30pm will be run under the new lighting system at Newtown Park. This is the timetable for race start times:

• 2.30pm — 10,000 metres Track Walk (mixed)
• 6:15 pm — 10,000 metres ‘B’ race (mixed)
• 7:30 pm — Elite Womens NZ 10,000m Championships AND ‘A’ race (mixed). Note these are a combined race this year due to a small number of Elite Women entrants. This has been approved by Athletics NZ. 
• 8:15 pm — Junior Womens (U20) 5,00
• 8:45 pm — Elite Men’s 10,000 metres NZ Championship Race

Races from 7.30pm onwards will be live-streamed. We will share details of this closer to the event to ensure you are able to pass details on to friends and family

Prize money will be on offer for the Senior Men’s and Senior Women’s Championship races.

Start lists

Registration

Please arrive an hour before your race and report to registration to collect your race number. Registration will be in the Function room, which is accessible halfway along the home straight. If you are a Wellington local, please bring someone with you who can be a lap scorer and get them to register at the same time. (See below for details.)

The meet is by pre-entry only. There will be no entries on the day. Athletes must wear their allocated race number during the race.

Pacers

We will have pacers to help runners reach your target times. They will be wearing a PACER bib on their backs.

• 47.00 mins – Malcolm Kerr (Mixed B race)
• 45.00 mins – Brad Wong (Mixed B race)
• 42.00 mins – Chris Howard (Mixed B race)
• 40.00 mins – Andrew Wharton & Mark Moore (Mixed B race)
• 38.00 mins – Paul Barwick (Mixed A race & Elite Women)
• 35:00 mins – Stephen Day (Mixed A race & Elite Women)
• 34.25 mins – Katherine Camp (Mixed A race & Elite Women)
• 32.00 mins – Seamus Kane (Elite Men)
• 29.30 mins – Oli Chignell (Elite Men)
• 17.25 mins – Hiro Tanimoto (in the Junior Women’s 5,000m)

If you want to run with a pacer, please introduce yourself to the pacer before you start so you know what they look like and so they know to look out for you.

Lap counters

If you are a Wellington local, please bring a friend to help with lap counting and/or count laps for another runner in a different race from your own. It is an easy job – it just involves recording the time at the end of each lap when your runner goes past. Most people are able to count for two or three runners at once. When you arrive at registration, please:

• register a lap counter for yourself and hopefully other athletes; or
• register yourself as a lap counter for another race; or
• request a lap counter for your race

Lap counters should report to the start-finish line 20 mins before the start of the race for a briefing.

Warm-ups

For general warm-ups, please use the area outside the stadium, rather than the competition arena.

Call Room

Those racing in the Elite Women’s and Elite Men’s NZ Championship Races should report to the Call Room located in the Function Room (opposite the registration desk) 15 minutes before their race for race briefing and shoe checks (see below).

Uniforms

You must wear your centre or club uniform if racing in the Elite Women’s and Elite Men’s NZ 10,000m Championship races. If you belong to an affiliated club, you need to compete in your club or centre uniform in other events.

Shoes

If you are wearing spikes, the maximum spike length allowed is 6mm on the track. Only cone, pyramid or Xmas tree spikes are allowed, no needle spikes.

You can wear a road shoe on the track but if you want an official World Athletics time or to be eligible for the NZ 10,000m Championship, it needs to have a sole with a maximum thickness of less than 25mm and be on the World Athletics Shoe Compliance List. Note: these regulations do not apply to the NZ Masters Championships.

The full World Athletics technical rules for shoes are available here and the World Athletics Shoe Compliance List (as of 15 Feb 2023) is here. A World Athletics FAQ on the Technical Shoe Regulations is here. Those in the Elite Women’s and Elite Men’s NZ 10,000m Championship races will have their shoes inspected in the Call Room prior to racing. If athletes in these competitions elect to race in non-compliant shoes their result will be denoted (n-cshoes) as non-compliant in the official race results and Athletics NZ rankings. 

For any additional questions on the Shoe Regulations, please contact competitions@athletics.org.nz.

Starting procedure

The starting rules to be applied will generally be based on the World Athletics Competition Rules.

Each race will have a two-group start: two-thirds of starters will start on the normal waterfall start line and run in the inside lanes. The remaining third of runners will start on a separate waterfall line and run in lanes five to eight for the first bend before joining the rest of the runners on the inside lane for the backstretch of the first lap. This bend will be marked with cones for the first lap.

Any matters relating to the start will be at the discretion of the start referee or track referee. It will be their responsibility to ensure all competitors receive a fair start. 

Being lapped

If you are running in the Mixed B/Junior Women’s 5000m race we ask that you stay in lane 1 if you are lapped by a faster runner than yourself. If you are in the Mixed A/Women’s NZ Championship or Men’s NZ Championship race we ask, where possible, that you move to lane 2 if you are about to be lapped. We understand that given the number of runners in some of the races, this could be difficult. Please do your best and show respect to all other runners on the track.

Finishing

It is difficult to manage photo-finish analysis with large fields in one race. Here are some things you can do to help:

1. If you decide not to compete, please let us know immediately by email or at registration on the day
2. Ensure your race-bib number is clearly visible at all times from the front
3. If you start but decide to pull out, please let a race official at the finish line know. This is vital. We don’t want to spend ages worrying that you were missed from a finish line sheet and hunting for you in photo-finish images because we weren’t told you pulled out.  If you do decide to pull out, please don’t pull out right at the finish line, as this may also create a confusing situation where the camera operator thinks you are finishing.
4. When you finish the final lap, please move out to finish in lane 4. We will put cones out as a visual cue. Finishing in lane 4 helps to clearly separate you in the photo-finish images from athletes being lapped.

Prize giving for Championships

The NZ 10,000m Elite Men’s and Elite Women’s Championships, along with the Wellington 10,000m Championships prize giving will take place at the conclusion of the last race. The NZ Masters Championship prize giving will take place when each age group has concluded racing.

Hot showers

Hot showers are available in two changing rooms adjacent to the Function Room towards the east end of the grandstand. 

Food and drink

Please hang around after your event to support the other races and our food and drink vendors. Food and drinks will be available for spectators from a Malaysian food truck, sausage sizzle and beers from Waitoa Social Club.

Health and Safety

Safety rules and guidelines for Newtown Park, including a Code of Conduct are published here.

All athletes must adhere to safety briefings and follow the instructions of the officials. Only athletes and officials are permitted in the competition arena, unless given approval by the Meet Director (Andrew Wharton). Lap counters will be able to enter the arena to undertake their task.

Thanks

Thanks to our sponsors, The Agency Group, Te Ahurangi Investments and Wellington Scottish Athletics Club, for their support and making this event possible. Many thanks to the Athletics Wellington race officials and volunteers who have dedicated many hours to helping out on the night.

Race records

• Senior men, Oli Chignell, 2020, 28:48.03
• Senior women, Lisa Cross, 2018, 34:23.51
• Junior men, Will Anthony, 2021, 30:59.07
• Junior women, Courtney Fitzgibbon, 2021, 40:23.42
• M35, Nick Horspool, 2018, 29:50.71
• W35, Lisa Cross, 2018, 34:23.51
• M50, Grant McLean, 2020, 34:13.90
• W50, Sally Gibbs, 2019, 36:46.96
• M60, Paul Hewitson, 2023, 35:49.11
• W60, Sally Gibbs, 2023, 37:38.98

Results

2023 results and coverage

• Results
• Kristian Day’s photos — community B race, community A race and elite women, junior women, elite senior men
• YouTube

2022 results and coverage

• Results
• Athletics NZ coverage
• Rowan Greig’s photos

2021 results and coverage

• Results
• Athletics NZ coverage
• Rowan Greig’s photos

2020 results and coverage

• Results
• Rowan Greig’s photos, video and write-up
• Sharon Wray’s photos Agency Group invitational, A Race and B Race

2019 results and coverage

Results

• B Race Results
• A Race Results
• Invitational Race Results

Videos

• A Race
• Invitational Race

Photos

• Rowan Greig
• Sharon Wray – B Race, A Race, Invitational Race
• Patrick Mackay – B Race 1, 2, 3, 4. A Race – 1, 2, 3, 4.
• Jonesy’s Photography

2018 results and coverage

Photos

• Rowan Greig
• Patrick Mackay: B Race, A Race and the Agency Group Race 

Thanks to our name sponsor, The Agency Group, for making this event possible. Thanks also to others who have helped including the Wellington Scottish Athletics Club. Many thanks to the Athletics Wellington race officials and volunteers who have dedicated many hours to helping out on the night.