2014 Le Gaye Races Island Bay Wellington Sat 12 Apr

 

This event is made up of a walking race a junior race and an open race. It uses the streets of Island Bay. Because the suburb is long and narrow with hills either side of the flat corridor to the sea it is difficult to avoid traffic which seems to be increasing. For the junior race the Derwent St/Humber St intersection seems to be especially risky and for the open race the Owhiro Bay-Island Bay Esplanade heading into Island Bay is particularly gnarly.

In the past the Le Gaye has been well attended mainly because it is the first club race of the season and used as selection for the Shaw Baton relays. This year there were 59 finishers in the open race compared to 74 in 2013.  The reason for the drop in numbers is not obvious although there were a few people at the NZ Mountain Running Champs in Nelson. Perhaps the weather and the prospect of running up an unforgiving hill played a part in the lower turnout.

Results

 

2014 Kiwi Wins the Queen Street Golden Mile Sun 6 Apr

In form Hamish Carson and long distance runner Lydia O’Donnell win the Queen Street miles

Hamish Carson, fresh from winning his fourth national 1500m title in Wellington last week, used his lethal finishing kick to good effect to win the Queen Street mile in 4m 5s.

Carson was content to sit back early in the race and allow Oska Inkster-Baynes to set the pace.

Former American 1500m champion Craig Miller made a bid for victory mid way through the scramble down the city main thoroughfare but Carson was well positioned on his shoulder. Entering the wharf area and the finish Carson let fly and to the cheers of the large crowd breasted the tape to be congratulated by Sir John Walker.

Malcolm Hicks, the national 5000m champion from last week, was second in 4m 6s with American 800m runner Mark Husted third clocking 4m 7s.

After only a fifth placing last year in 3m 54.42s Carson was pleased with the win.

"I’m really happy I could go away with a win today. We started off with an uphill so I took my time there and started at the back. I was with Miller crossing Quay Street and on the blue matting I thought right now is the time to go," he said.

"I’ve raced Miller a couple of times before and always have come up a bit short so I’m really glad I got him today," he added.

Carson is off to the States tomorrow in a bid to get a qualifying time in the 1500m for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Hicks who is chasing a berth to the Glasgow Games in the 5000m, said it was a good blow out before he too heads to the States.

"Hamish really turned it on just as we came on to the wharf with 100m to go. I tried to respond and I think I did relatively well to hold the other guys who were catching me. I’m very happy with second a good result after a few hard weekends of racing," said Hicks.

Lydia O’Donnell gave none of the other women a chance in the women’s race leading from start to finish. The national 10,000m track champion headed in Annika Pfitzinger and Anna Bramley in 4m 38s.

O’Donnell said it was satisfying to finally get a good race in.

"It was really fun, it’s so different than being on the track, with such a buzz having this crowd here," she said.

"After racing the 5000m and 1500m at the nationals last week, a big weekend it rolled over well to this week, but now it is time for a break."

Pfitzinger said that it was a bit of a shock to the system coming a week after the nationals.
"I just got into a rhythm and just hoped for the best," she said.

Pfitzinger is the partner of Carson and she will join him in the States in racing in California and doing altitude training at Boulder Colorado.

Queen Street Golden Mile

Results:

Men.-
Hamish Carson (Wgtn) 4m 5s 1, Malcolm Hicks (Akld) 4m 6s 2, Mark Husted (USA) 4m 7s 3, Craig Miller (USA) 4m 8s 4, Luke Mathews (Aust) 4m 9s 5, Tim Cornish (Wgtn) 4m 13s 6.

Women.-
Lydia O’Donnell (Akld) 4m 38s 1, Annika Pfitzinger (Akld) 4m 42s 2, Anna Bramley (Akld) 4m 50s 3, Tina Harris (Wgtn) 4m 52s 4, Emily Roughan (Hamilton) 4m 58s 5, Amy Shaw (Akld) 5m 8s 6.


Source

2014 Scottish Morning Wellington Waterfront Race Sat 5 Apr

A beautiful day in Wellington which at 8,00am brought out plenty of dogs taking their owners for a walk, joggers, cyclists, walkers and sightseers. Not an auspicious start to the 5k or 10k option race though. There were 36 participants which given the size of the club must be disappointing for the organisers. This is especially so given the fantastic racing conditions.  From my perspective the turn-off could be the over-used course that offers few challenges to those who already run the same bit of pavement in training or as part of the Tuesday night 5k race series.  There is essentially no point of difference between the two events apart from the early morning start for the new Saturday series and the 10k option. I also doubt also if the $10 entry fee will attract a lot of non-Scottish club members given that the entry fee for the Tuesday night race is $8 with a free beer thrown in.  We will have to wait and see if interest picks up for the rest of the series. Results

 

Nick Horspool (32.57) unchallenged in the 10k

2014 National T& F Champs Newtown Park Sun 30 Mar - Day 3

Day 3 Live Results

2014 National T& F Champs Newtown Park Sat 29 Mar - Day 2

 

Live Results Day 2

 

 

2014 National T& F Champs Newtown Park Fri 28 Mar - Day 1

Results from Day 1

Joshua Baan (Manawatu-Wanganui) in an upset win in the Junior Men's 5000m race

Malcolm Hicks Men's 5000m winner

2014 National Track & Field Champs - Liam Malone - The Road To Rio

Photo: Lauren Wafer-Kiddle/Faifax NZ

For those that might have missed it there was a great story last night on TV3’s 3^rd Degree programme about Liam Malone New Zealand’s own ’blade runner’. Liam lost both of his legs at an early age due to a birth defect but this hasn’t stopped him from living life to the full. His is a truly inspiring story and a testament to what he has managed to achieve. This weekend he will be at Newtown Park competing in the AWD 100m and 200m sprint events for Nelson-Tasman with the goal of qualifying for Rio. He deserves our support so if you are in town this weekend head to Newtown Park  

Here is a Nelson Mail story from last year which reports on Liam's aspirations for Rio and his new running blades.

'Blade runner' Liam inspired by public's support

Sarah Dunn 11/9/2013

GAMES GOAL: Liam Malone, at the University of Canterbury, where is studying commerce and psychology. The little legs he is holding were his first-ever pair of prosthetics.

A young Wakefield athlete is well on the way towards becoming an elite amputee "blade runner" after receiving more than $20,000 toward his Paralympic dream.

Nineteen-year-old Liam Malone appeared on TV3's 3rd Degree programme last Wednesday to speak about his goal of participating in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. The former Nayland College student was born with a condition named fibular hemimelia, which meant both of his legs had to be amputated below the knee when he reached 2.

Now studying commerce and psychology at the University of Canterbury, Mr Malone is a keen sportsman who enjoys rugby, mountain biking, snowboarding and sprinting. In order to make it into his chosen discipline, he plans to buy a $20,000 pair of carbon-fibre "blade" prosthetics that would sharply increase his speed and efficiency.

He explained that when non-amputees ran, their leg muscles naturally returned "a large proportion" of energy expended, meaning they did not tire as quickly. His current prosthetics returned very little energy, but the J-shaped blades used by athletes such as South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius would work more naturally with his body.

Mr Pistorius has the same condition as Mr Malone. Mr Malone has said that he admired the older athlete's sporting achievements despite his recent arrest for the murder of his girlfriend.

Further similarities between the two include their transition from rugby to sprinting, and both have lost their mothers. Mr Malone's mother lived with cancer for six years before passing away last year.

He said he expected the blades would change his running style, but he was unwilling to estimate how much faster he might end up.

"I think a lot of it will come down to individual chance."

Following the TV show's screening, Mr Malone received donations from all over New Zealand that more than covered the cost of his first set of blades. A trust has been set up to handle the overflow.

"It's pretty remarkable actually, I didn't expect how many sponsors I got. It's been inspiring and overwhelming."

He will be measured up for the blades by a technological team before ordering them through the New Zealand Artificial Limb Board in Christchurch. The process will be a new twist on a familiar theme for the teenager, who has destroyed "uncountable" prosthetic limbs during his athletic pursuits.

He expects to receive the new blades within three to five months.

Mr Malone's father Murray said the Paralympics campaign had been developed independently.

Although based in Wakefield, he is the general manager for a fruit growing and trading firm that operates throughout Asia.

"I've just come back from two months abroad and found all this, it's just fantastic," he said. "I want to give my sincere thanks to all those good people in Nelson who have donated or have called to support us over the last few weeks."

He said his son had stepped back from an earlier involvement with Paralympics activities following his mother's cancer diagnosis. He travelled to Australia as a junior Paralympian when he was 14.

The pair had had a special bond and the young athlete was badly affected by her death, but his father saw his new focus as a sign that he was feeling like his former self again.

"[Making it to Rio] is something he's very capable of doing. He's got a very determined personality."

Source: stuff.co.nz/Nelson Mail