2013 Gold Programme Newtown Park Sat 16 Nov

This was my first outing to a Gold Programme which gave me the chance to get some long jump and high jump shots. In the those events it looks like Mark Tinkle and Shaun Baxter are back. Although I didn' take any photos it was very interesting watching Montaya Wharehinga (Kiwi) throw the hammer - she got to 51.11m which was further than what clubmate and shotput gun, Ben Power was able to achieve. Harry Burnard continued his mission to compete in every event, and Stephen Day did a 400m hurdle race but no doubt would have preferred a steeplechase. Results

 

 

2013 Black Programme Newtown Park Sat 2 Nov

Today was Michael Browne's 83rd birthday and he celebrated by running an 800m race on the track. Results

 

 

 

 

 

 

2013 Black Programme Newtown Park Sat 19 Oct

We had a nice weather day for this time of the year. In terms of numbers there were plenty of high school athletes getting ready for their national champs in December and a surprisingly high number of senior and master’s athletes. Usually the serious senior athletes don't turn up to race at the track until after Christmas.

While the programme went smoothly the 800m heats were delayed by at least 40 minutes while the hurdle events were held. This really should not be happening and the Centre needs to look at ways of avoiding this.  I suspect there might have been a few complaints from coaches. The irony is that the 800m event had a large number of entries and athletes signed up to run had to hang around at the start line waiting for their call-up and continually repeat warm-ups.

 
The events photographed were all track races including 100m hurdles, 800m, 400m, 3k/5k and 200m. Results

2013 Road Relays

 

1980's Scottish C Team taken at the end of the Wairoa to Gisborne Relay

 

The national relay this year is back on the Takahe to Akaroa course. T to A is an enduring event which a long and colourful history. It is restricted to local clubs for 3 years out of 4 when it becomes the national course. I won’t be going this year but remember it as great event with some challenging laps.

 

Over the years many of the relays that used to form the backbone of the road racing season have disappeared mainly because of safety issues and new traffic planning requirements. In the Wellington centre there were two other important relays in addition to the short Bays Relay which started out as “juniors” only event. The Wellington situation was reflected in other provinces as well.

 

The Palmerston North relay and the Wellington to Masterton relay both significant and well supported events started in the morning with the first finishers coming across the line early to mid-afternoon. Each of relays have in the past been chosen to double as the national relay event.

 

 The start of the 1965 Wellington to Masterton Relay

  

Going even further back in time in Southland when I first started out in running there used to be an Invercargill to Winton relay put on a the start of the winter season as a purely local club event. It was pretty short as I recall. Also on the calendar was the Invercargill to Gore relay a longer affair which attracted teams from outside the province.
 

Full results and reports from these early relays are likely to be hard to find having being either lost forever or sitting at the bottom of a box at the back of the garage. It would be fantastic if some of this stuff could be found and digitised for the web.

2013 Bays Relay Wellington Aug 10

 

Provisional results and lap records

Sarah Gardner of WHAC handing over to Rebecca Keat at the end of lap 2. I understand that the WHAC women are planning to take it to the opposition at the National Relay Champs in Christchurch this October.