Chocolate Walk Results
Leading the leaders up the steep bit was Will Anthony running lap 1 for the Olympic Harrier’s Junior Men’s team. After doing in the WHAC Junior Men’s team at the Shaw Baton they were out to repeat the result, and they did, but only just thanks to some even running by the WHAC team.
In the Junior Women’s grade the WHAC teams once again dominated. WHAC had 4 teams entered in the grade out of a total team count of 8 and 3 of those teams finished in the top four places. It stands out that Scottish has no junior teams at all and to get a run they would have been melded into other teams.
Second up the hill was track star Max Spencer who was running for Victoria University’s 4th ranked team but who clocked the 3rd fastest overall lap time. Looks like a team selection error to me Dan Hunt?
Now I for one am interested to see what Vic Uni can do this year because as a club it has come back from the brink of extinction. It is possibly at the stage where it could become a real threat to some of the more established clubs. If it can build up its base and get the needed depth well who knows what it might achieve in the modern era.
Third past me in my accidental spot was Niam MacDonald running the lead lap for the Men’s Scottish A team. He looked like he is back to form, but probably isn’t but did what was needed on the day by putting the team into the SM lead at the changeover.
Scottish A ultimately opened up a significant lead over the rest of the field with Daniel Jones picking up the overall fastest lap time on the final lap.
Probably of more interest was the strong showing of the Scottish Men’s B team which ended up with in 2nd place holding off a determined challenge from WHAC A.
It was Bert Prendergast versus Isaac Murphy. When they came past me at my new accidental camera spot Bert had roughly a 35 second lead over Isaac with maybe just over 1km to go. Looking at the final times I figure that Isaac closed the gap on Bert by another 11 seconds with 2/3rds of the race gone. Just as well the laps weren’t any longer.
Like the Junior Women, the WHAC Senior Women’s A team dominated the grade and finally ended up just over 9 minutes ahead of the Olympic team which came in 2nd.
University Relays, QE Park, McKays Crossing Paekakariki – 11 May 2019
Wellington Scottish won the senior 4 x 3.7km relay in 51:26, from their B team 53:18 and Wellington Harrier Athletic Club 53:42. The Scottish team was Niam Macdonald 12:36, Harry Burnard 13:22, Seamus Kane 12:59 and Daniel Jones with the fastest individual time of 12:29. WHAC with Andrea Peat, Melissa Black, Sarah Drought and Maiya Christini won the senior women’s relay in 60:55 from Olympic 70:11 and Kapiti 72:10. Christini had the fastest time of 14:17. Olympic with Will Anthony, Jack Julian, Liam Wright and Toby Gualter won the junior men in 53:39, Gualter the fastest with 12:30. The junior women went to WHAC, their team of Kirstie Rae, Esther Kozniak, Maali Kyle Ford and Charlotte Floodsmith-Ryan recording 61:54, Rae the fastest with 14:18.Scottish won the master men and master women. The men’s team of Stephen Day, Andrew Wharton, Valentino Hernandez and Jerome Edwards recorded 55:01. Day running 13:21. The women’s team of Mel Stevens, Fiona Hayvice, Carla Denney and Lindsay Barwick won in 69:07. Stevens recorded 15:41.
The weather forecast on Saturday for the Kapiti area was
overcast skies with intermittent showers and a chance of apricot bliss balls.
Thankfully the rain stayed away although it did threaten.
Curiously I found myself accidently in the same sport a few years ago which is very strange indeed. Of course in this place which is about 6 minutes or so from the start of the race the field is still pretty bunched and you have to be fast with the camera to try and get everybody. But that’s the job.
Thankfully the rain stayed away although it did threaten.
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| Sharon Wray contemplates the strategy for her mega apricot bliss ball manufacturing empire: first we take Manhattan - then we take Berlin |
There are plenty of
places to take photos on this course and this year and for the main relay race I
accidently found myself at the top of the short narrow steep section in the
sand dunes at the southern end of the course.
Curiously I found myself accidently in the same sport a few years ago which is very strange indeed. Of course in this place which is about 6 minutes or so from the start of the race the field is still pretty bunched and you have to be fast with the camera to try and get everybody. But that’s the job.
Leading the leaders up the steep bit was Will Anthony running lap 1 for the Olympic Harrier’s Junior Men’s team. After doing in the WHAC Junior Men’s team at the Shaw Baton they were out to repeat the result, and they did, but only just thanks to some even running by the WHAC team.
In the Junior Women’s grade the WHAC teams once again dominated. WHAC had 4 teams entered in the grade out of a total team count of 8 and 3 of those teams finished in the top four places. It stands out that Scottish has no junior teams at all and to get a run they would have been melded into other teams.
Second up the hill was track star Max Spencer who was running for Victoria University’s 4th ranked team but who clocked the 3rd fastest overall lap time. Looks like a team selection error to me Dan Hunt?
Now I for one am interested to see what Vic Uni can do this year because as a club it has come back from the brink of extinction. It is possibly at the stage where it could become a real threat to some of the more established clubs. If it can build up its base and get the needed depth well who knows what it might achieve in the modern era.
Third past me in my accidental spot was Niam MacDonald running the lead lap for the Men’s Scottish A team. He looked like he is back to form, but probably isn’t but did what was needed on the day by putting the team into the SM lead at the changeover.
Scottish A ultimately opened up a significant lead over the rest of the field with Daniel Jones picking up the overall fastest lap time on the final lap.
Probably of more interest was the strong showing of the Scottish Men’s B team which ended up with in 2nd place holding off a determined challenge from WHAC A.
It was Bert Prendergast versus Isaac Murphy. When they came past me at my new accidental camera spot Bert had roughly a 35 second lead over Isaac with maybe just over 1km to go. Looking at the final times I figure that Isaac closed the gap on Bert by another 11 seconds with 2/3rds of the race gone. Just as well the laps weren’t any longer.
Like the Junior Women, the WHAC Senior Women’s A team dominated the grade and finally ended up just over 9 minutes ahead of the Olympic team which came in 2nd.
Result summary below nicked from the ANZ Weekly Newsletter
University Relays, QE Park, McKays Crossing Paekakariki – 11 May 2019
Wellington Scottish won the senior 4 x 3.7km relay in 51:26, from their B team 53:18 and Wellington Harrier Athletic Club 53:42. The Scottish team was Niam Macdonald 12:36, Harry Burnard 13:22, Seamus Kane 12:59 and Daniel Jones with the fastest individual time of 12:29. WHAC with Andrea Peat, Melissa Black, Sarah Drought and Maiya Christini won the senior women’s relay in 60:55 from Olympic 70:11 and Kapiti 72:10. Christini had the fastest time of 14:17. Olympic with Will Anthony, Jack Julian, Liam Wright and Toby Gualter won the junior men in 53:39, Gualter the fastest with 12:30. The junior women went to WHAC, their team of Kirstie Rae, Esther Kozniak, Maali Kyle Ford and Charlotte Floodsmith-Ryan recording 61:54, Rae the fastest with 14:18.Scottish won the master men and master women. The men’s team of Stephen Day, Andrew Wharton, Valentino Hernandez and Jerome Edwards recorded 55:01. Day running 13:21. The women’s team of Mel Stevens, Fiona Hayvice, Carla Denney and Lindsay Barwick won in 69:07. Stevens recorded 15:41.
Race 1 Boys & Girls U10 Photos
Race 2 Boys & Girls U12 Photos
Race 4 Boys & Girls U16 Photos (Not many - a small field)
Race 5 University Relay Photos
The End
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