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Leith Harrier & Athletic ClubDunedin, New ZealandHarriers, Roadrunning, Track and Field,
Mountain Running, Recreational Walking
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Clubrooms:
Chingford Park, North East Valley. Postal Address: PO Box 1507 Dunedin |
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Winter Harrier Reports for 2011Note: These are full reports with summary results only. For full results go to results page
1. Opening Club Run, Chingford Park, Saturday 2 April, 1.45pm President Ron McLay-Barnes welcomed a disappointingly small crowd at the opening club run and walk on Saturday. The conditions were great for running and walking with the sun shining brilliantly and the temperature at a cool 20 degrees Celcius. We welcomed new members Aaron and Kristy Eyles, and Jonah Smith and welcomed back the Ashton family. The new life members W. A Kenny, J. R. Flynn, K Blair, E Stevens and P Hughes were congratulated on being awarded this honour from the club general committee. The fast pack headed by Richard Hendry went up North Road to traverse the Organ Pipes and return via Bethune's Gully. In this group were Hendry, Ray Knox, Grant McDougall, Sue Cuthbert, Marc Boulle and new runner the 16&U Men's runner Jonah Smith who kept up a good pace for the entire distance. Boulle returned back down North Road for a shortened run. Margaret Knox took the juniors for a run in the vicinity of Chingford Park, with a run up Baldwin Street being one of the highlights. The slow pack consisting of Valerie Ashton and Jim Flynn went for a short run, while the walkers which included Greg Johnston and Russell Hight took in Bethune's Gully during their walk. 2. Club run, Chingford Park, Saturday 9 April, 1.45pm There was a much better turnout this weekend for the club run and walk held from Chingford Park with the thermometer in North Road registering 19 degrees celcius and the sun shining brightly. Some of the new members we welcomed to the club were Gaya Gnanalingam, Kate Spenceley, and Drew McLean, unfortunately we didn't get all the new runner's names on the day. The walkers turned up in their droves as did the junior runners. Kirsty Morris took the large medium pack for a trip up to Signal Hill via the Gardens and Ravensbourne Township. Included in this pack was fast young runner Jonah Smith, Megan Balchin, Grant McDougall, Graham Anderson, Rene Aarsen, Sue Cuthbert, new runners Gaya Gnanalingam and Drew McLean, Jason Palmer, Ray Knox and Marc Boulle. Aaron and Kirsty Eyles ran into the Gardens with this group and then had to head to another venue. Smith, Palmer, Knox, Aarsen and a couple of other runners headed back via the transmission station, Gleghorn Street and down North Road, while Morris took the rest back via Opoho and Calder Street. The slow pack headed down with the medium pack to run out to the Railway Station and back via George Street, doing a circuit of Woodhaugh Gardens before heading back up North Road. The walkers drove up to Gleghorn Street and then walked up over Signal Hill back to the club via Calder Street. Included among the walkers were Greg Johnston, Russell Hight, Kevin Blair and Jannette Anderson. Margaret took the children for a light run through the tracks behind the club rooms and then brought the new athletics games equipment out for the kids to have an athletics training session. 3. Club run, Chingford Park, Saturday 16 April, 1.45pm A tough and hardy group of runners and walkers turned out at Chingford Park on Saturday afternoon. The cloudy, cold and wet conditions did not deter these determined athletes. The main medium pack set off down North Road to Woodhaugh Gardens and headed up to the Ross Creek Mountain Bike tracks via Leith Valley and Islay Road. Among this group were Mark O'Donnell, John Bayne, Drew McLean, Gaya Gnanalingam, Ray Knox, Marc Boulle, Graham Anderson, Rene Aarsen and Grant McDougall. Anderson and Aarsen (running the Three Peaks the next day) were among those who headed back at the top of Islay Road while the rest decided to tackle the mountain bike tracks. The tracks seemed to go on forever and ever. McDougall liked the tracks so much that just before we headed out onto the road again, he decided to give the wet slippery surface a great big kiss. Once out of the tracks it was into Ross Creek and back home via Woodhaugh Gardens and North Road with Gaya heading home from the dam wall. The slow pack headed down North Road for a run around the Gardens area while the walkers took in the Chingford and Quarry tracks. The juniors also headed down North Road for a short run. 4. Three Peaks Mountain Race, Sunday 17 April Leith athletes performed well in the Three Peaks Mountain race on Sunday. The weather was cold and wet and the going was very slippery on some of the steeper sections. Alan Funnell finished second in the MM35+ grade and fourth overal in 2hrs 16min 36sec. Chris Sole finished first in the MM50+ grade and sixth overall in 2hrs 19min 29sec. Louisa Andrew won the Women's 35+ grade also finishing as first woman overall in 2hrs 35min. Neale McLanachan, Julian O'Hagan, Rene Aarsen and Peter Frew were among those who finished well up in the field. This report will be fully completed once the results are declared final. Thanks go the Leith race organising committee and all those who helped put on this popular trail event. The full results can be accessed via the Three Peaks Website 5. Club run, Chingford Park, Saturday 23 April, 1.45pm There were many away on holiday over the Easter Weekend, so only a small group of runners and walkers gathered at the clubrooms at Chingford Park on Saturday afternoon. One pack which included Alan Funnell, Grant McDougall, Peter Frew, Juno Wiparata, Ray Knox, Marc Boulle, Drew McLean, John Bayne and Jim Kerse headed up to Mount Cargill via Bethune's Gully. Funnell, Wiparata, Bayne and Frew continued over the top and back to the club via Pine Hill and North Road while Boulle, Kerse, Knox, McLean and Grant McDougall headed back down the track to Bethune's Gully and thence to the club. Margaret Knox took the children down to the Garden's with the minivan for a run around the Botanical Gardens area. 6. Lovelock Relays Trials, Chingford Park, Saturday 30 April, 1.45pm Weather: Sunny and cool In the main race, Neale McLanachan regained his Open Men's club mile title which he had lost last year to Andrew Lonie. This time he held out a determined Master runner, Alan Funnell, in tougher conditions than last year with a relatively slow time of 5 minutes 24 seconds.. Funnell finished second in 5 minutes 30 seconds and was also the first Master Men's 35 runner to cross the line. Third to finish was John Bayne (2nd MM35 runner) in 5 minutes 32 seconds with Marko Draganoff just a second back finishing third in the MM35 grade. Kirsty Morris was the first senior women to finish in 5 minutes 49 seconds. Young Men's 19 runner Jonah Smith did well to finish in 12th place overall. Louisa Andrews was the first Master Women 35 runner to finish in 6 minutes 16 seconds. Marc Boulle was the first Master Men's 50 runner to finish in 6 minutes 34 seconds. The Men's maiden mile was won by new club member Juno Wiparata in 5 minutes 39 seconds. In race one over 400m, Bruce Knox suprised everyone with a fine win. Daniel Ashton was second and Aaron Hall was third. For full grade results go to results page of website. In race two over 1 mile, Reuben Knox cruised to an easy victory. Reuben Knox finished second and Daniel Ashton finished third. For full grade results go to results page of website. Thanks to all those officials who helped at the race. 7. Lovelock Relays, University Oval, Logan Park, Dunedin, 7 May 2011 Leith competed in the Lovelock Relays at the University Oval
on Saturday in cool, calm, cloudy and intermittent drizzly conditions.
The Leith MM1 team of David Rush, Alan Funnell, Mark O'Donnell,
Juno Wiparata, Marko Draganoff and Richard Hendry successfully
defended its Master Men's title in an excellent time of 29 minutes
6 seconds. New club member Wiparata finished with fastest time
of 4min 48sec. Rush (4:49) was second fastest and Funnell (4:50)
was third fastest in this grade. The feature of this team's effort
was that all team members ran within seven seconds of each other.
The Leith MM2 team of Julian O'Hagan, Peter Frew, Marc Boulle,
Grant McDougall, Graham Anderson and Ray Knox finished in fourth
position with a time of 32 minutes 38 seconds. 8. Chingford Challenge, Chingford Park, Dunedin, 14 May 2011 It looked like the Otago University team was going to walk away with the title as the women's results showed that University was leading by 4 points after 2 laps with Lisa Rush and Penny Roy finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively. Leith's Louisa Andrew relished the tough hilly and muddy conditions to finish first among the women.. It was up to the Leith men to narrow the gap on the third lap, and with Jason Palmer to the fore and excellent backup from Alan Funnell and Neale McLanachan, Leith clinched the Men's race by 3 points. Varsity's David Blumer who finished an excellent second backed up by Kieran Cody and Matt Gibbons managed to deny Leith the extra point which would have made it a draw resulting in Leith keeping the Shield another year. However, Otago University truly deserved this narrow one point victory. There were lots of very muddy and tired runners afterwards which was an indication of the toughness of the course. Some feature performances: Graham Anderson's excellent run. The 63 year old evergreen runner showed some younger runners that he has lost none of his competitiveness. Also Ray Knox in his first race in the MM50 grade finishing first amongst this grade albeit in an Open Grade race. Louisa Andrew showing the youngters what running in these conditions is all about in winning the Women's Open Grade race. The 1.75km Junior race was also keenly contested with Sam Cuthbert winning the B10 race, Erin Knox winning the G12 race and Anna Ashton winning the G10 race. As was the 3.5km Junior race wth Sebastian Sole winning the M14 race and Claudia Sole winning the W14 race. Thanks to all who helped set up the course, the entry officials, the timekeepers and the course marshalls and the athletes who took part. Alan Funnell and Ron McLay-Barnes did an excellent job in setting up the course. 9. Leith XC Relays "The Ponydales", Dunedin Pony Club, Three Mile Hill Road, Dunedin, 21 May 2011 The Leith organised Leith XC Relays “Ponydales” were
held at the Dunedin Pony Club, Three Mile Hill Road on Saturday
in gloriously sunny weather. 10. Joe Cowie Memorial Handicap Races, Chingford Park, Dunedin, Saturday 28 May Weather conditions: Calm, sunny and cold - temp 10 degrees Celcius New club member Jude Patterson made an immediate impact in club harrier running by winning the Joe Cowie Memorial Handicap Open Grade 3-Miler held at Chingford Park on Saturday 28 May 2011. Off a handicap of 4 minutes 40 seconds, she gradually made inroads into Valerie Ashton's (off go) and Lisa Wiparata's (off 2 minute 10 seconds) lead. Also aware of the chasing bunch, she kept up a steady pace emerging as the winner 33 seconds ahead of second placed Lisa Wiparata who had also passed Ashton. Louis Andrew (off 9 minutes 20 seconds) finished in third place registering the same finish time as fourth placed Richard Hendry (off 10:30) to give the ladies a 1-2-3 triumph in this popular handicap race. From then on it was a quick procession of runners coming in within seconds of each other. Fastest time went to Jason Palmer (off 12 minutes) who ran an excellent 15 minutes 56 seconds for the 3 mile distance. He finished in eleventh position. Second fastest time went to Neale McLanachan (off 11 minutes 40 seconds) who ran the 3 mile in 16 minutes 6 seconds. Third fastest was Master Runner Alan Funnell (off 11 minutes 30 seconds) who ran 16 minutes 35 seconds. Fourth fastest was Richard Hendry (off 10:30) who ran 16 minutes 56 seconds another to dip under the magical 17 minute mark. Tom Sharpe won the 12 & Under 2.4km (approx) handicap race. Second place went to Daniel Ashton. Third place went to Jamahl Wiparata. Reuben Knox (M14 grade) ran a solo 2.4km race (approximate distance) in 10 minutes 12 seconds. Thanks to all those who helped run this event. The course layout people, the Club Captains, the time keepers, the marshals and of course the athletes themselves. 11. Club run, Chingford Park, Dunedin, Saturday 4 June + Christchurch Marathon, Lincoln University Club Run Weather conditons: Overcast and cold, but calm conditions This Queen's Birthday long weekend resulted in many being away (some running the Christchurch Marathon on the Sunday) but with the weather providing for ideal running conditions we still had enough people arrive for two running packs + a walking group. Neale McLanachan took the fast pack consisting of Jonah Smith, Ray Knox, Peter Frew, Julian O'Hagan and Russell Hewitt up to the Organ Pipes via North Road and returning via the track through Bethune's Gully. Marc Boulle took the medium/slow pack for a run through the lower Quarry Gardens track and then up Black's Road to the Alhambra Union sports ground, the Northern Cemetary, Logan Park and back via the upper Botanical Gardens and up North Road to Chingford Park. The walkers enjoyed a walk up to Bethune's Gully and back. Christchurch Marathon + associated races A number of Leith runners competed in the Christchurch Marathon and associated races from the new Lincoln University based course on Sunday. Richard Hendry finished 31st overall in the Half-Marathon running a solid 1 hour 22 minutes 30 seconds also giving him a 5th in the Master Men's 40-49 grade. Amanda Scott finished in 1 hour 39 minutes 17 seconds. Juno Wiparata chose the 10km race finishing it in 36 minutes 48 seconds. David Rush finished in 38 minutes 39 seconds. Sue Cuthbert ran with her daughter Alice Cuthbert in the 10km finishing together around the 54 minute mark. 12. Combined Club run with Hill City, Logan Park, Dunedin, Saturday 11 June Leith Harrier club members enjoyed club runs and walks at the invitation of Hill City Harriers from their clubrooms on Saturday afternoon. Joe Beamish led a fast pack out to McGouns Creek and back with Alex "The Face" McEwan, also sometimes known as Mohawk McEwan, leading the medium pack almost along the same route but taking in the mountain bike tracks. Some Leith runners included in these packs were Grant McDougall, Marc Boulle, Sue Cuthbert, Graham Anderson, Alan Funnell, The walkers negotiated the Botanical Gardens and Opoho environs. Afterwards everyone enjoyed refreshments at the club rooms. Leith thanks Hill City for a great day out and the fine table spread. Hill City report by Jane Pali 13. Barnes Cross Conntry Handicap Races, Kettle Park, Dunedin, 12 June On Sunday afternoon in cool, mostly fine conditions and firm
going, Leith competed in the Barnes Cross Country Handicap races
at Kettle Park in Dunedin. Graham Anderson was the first Leith
runner to finish in the Open Men's 5km race. The team of Anderson
(8th), Marc Boulle (11th), Ray Knox (14th), Jason Palmer (18th),
Russell Hewitt (19th), and Peter Frew (21st) finished second.
Palmer was the fastest Leith runner with 17min 35sec (4th fastest
overall). 14. Club run, combined runs and walks with Civil Service Harriers, Chingford Park, Dunedin, Saturday 18 June Leith Harriers hosted the Civil Service Harriers club members at Chingford Park on Saturday afternoon, where everyone enjoyed club runs and walks and refreshments. Ray Knox took the fast pack up to the Signal Hill transmission tower via Ravensbourne and then returned down Blacks Road. Included in this pack were Neale McLanachan, John Bayne, Jonah Smith, Russell Hewitt and Grant McDougall. Marc Boulle took the medium pack for a run down North Road taking in some of the tracks and roads along the way before heading for a circuit around the Leith Valley Holiday Camp before heading home. The slow pack followed for awhile before going its own way. Included in the medium pack were Peter Clark, David Low, Peter Frew and Graham Anderson. The large walking group took in Chingford Park and Quarry Gardens tracks and surrounding areas both sides of North Road. 15. Balclutha Half-Marathon + associated 10km run and walk, Otago Half-Marathon Champs, Balclutha, Sunday 19 June On Sunday Leith members competed in the Otago Half Marathon Champs held in conjunction with the Balclutha Half Marathon and associated races. Jason Palmer won the Otago Open Men's Half Marathon title in 1 hour 13 minutes 27 seconds. Richard Hendry won the Master Men's 35+ title in 1 hour 21 minutes 12 seconds with Peter Frew second in 1 hour 21 minutes 29 seconds. Stuart Hodges won the Master Men's 50+ title. Sue Cuthbert won the Master Women's 35+ title with Joy Wylie second and Jude Patterson won the Open Women's title. In the non-championship 10km event, Louisa Andrew finished fourth overall in winning the Master Women's grade in 40 minutes 16 seconds. Returning member Danny Knudson achieved fifth place in the 10km walk in a time of 1 hours 10 minutes 9 seconds. 16. Edmond Cup Cross Country, Wingatui Race Course, Saturday 25 June On Saturday Leith competed in the Edmond Cup Cross Country races
at Wingatui Race Course in fine weather but with tough wet underfoot
conditions. Kirsty Morris (20min 21sec) won the open women's title
(Jenny Hughes Trophy) over approx. 5km. Jonah Smith (20min 12sec)
had an excellent run to finish third in the Men's 19 grade 5km.
Thanks to those Leith members who gave of their time to do marshalling and other duties on the day. 17. Club Run, Chingford Park, Saturday 2 July A small but hardy group of runners and walkers gathered at Chingford Park. Many were absent due to the Leith Cross Country Champs due to be held the next day so about 8 runners and 8 walkers turned up. The runners headed up in the direction of the Mt Cargill transmitter with Richard Hendry, Peter Frew and John Bayne returning via the Organ Pipes and North Road. Alan Funnell and Marc Boulle returned from near the top of Mt Cargill with Boulle meeting Grant McDougall part way down on his return to the club. Ray Knox and others had only gone part way up with a mind to reserve energy for the champs the next day. The walkers took in the garden's area before returning home. 18. Leith Cross Country Championships, Balchin Family Farm, Clinton, South Otago Sunday 3 July Venue: The Balchin Family farm, Clinton, South Otago Weather: Was great - cold but sunny throughout Conditions: Wet and slippery in parts with variable underfoot conditions - firm to soft.. For results >> Results Page For photo Album >> Photo Album page The Leith Cross Country Champs were held in Clinton, South Otago on the farm of Dave and Robyn Balchin (Megan Balchin’s parents). The course was run over a challenging 2.25km circuit (this distance is approximate and still has to be verified, but has been put down as the distance in the results) Many thanks go to Jason Palmer and Megan Balchin for organising this truly great event and to Dave and Robyn Balchin (Megan's parents) for being such great hosts. The bus driver was also awesome. Everyone enjoyed themselves and it looks like this could continue to be the venue for Leith's annual cross country championships. The course was a true cross country course with sections to test the runners in all kinds of ways. Steep gullies to negotiate, tricky forest paths (ask Megan), electric fences (ask Marc), long wet grass, frosty valleys, sustained long uphill as well as three sharp uphill sections, flat paddock and steep long downhills as well as electric fence steeples (insulated) all transpired to make this one of the most interesting courses one would wish to run on. The squash skills evident at the courts afterwards suggested that maybe some should stick to running. The supper at Waihola Tavern was also awesome. Thanks to Margaret Knox, Kevin Blair and Greg Johnston for their timekeeping, results and other race organisation and to Julian O'Hagan for taking the photos. Race Report summaryChildren – 1 lap (2.25km) Open Men's 6.75 km 3 lapper Race Jason Palmer won the Leith Senior Men's cross country title in a time of 26 minutes 19 seconds. Neale McLanachan was second and Russell Hewitt third. Alan Funnell who finished second overall won the Master Men's cross country title in 26 minutes 44 seconds also winning the Sealed Handicap for Open Men. Second in the Master Men's 35+ grade was Richard Hendry and third was Juno Wiparata. The course was tough but all finished looking like they could run around another 3 more times. Hendry has also laid claim to being the first runner to get to the bottom of the first hill on the first lap beating the redoubtable and nonplussed Jason Palmer to this significant landmark. There may be an award offered to the first runner to get to this landmark on the first lap and who still finishes in the top three overall in the Open Men's race - something to chew over? Other cameos: Peter Frew pretending he had hurt his ankle just so he could take a badly earned rest; Andrew Lonie running barefoot in really cold conditions - someone was heard to comment "Well, with feet like that, who needs shoes?" Senior Women's, Master Women's and Master Men's 50+ race - 4.5km 2 lapper There were some dramatic scenes in this race. Ray Knox and Louisa Andrew battled it out for line honours with Knox prevailing by just one second and taking out the Master Men's 50+ title in comfortable fashion in 19 minutes 20 seconds almost 2 minutes ahead of second placed M50 runner Marc Boulle. Boulle (21 minutes 17 seconds) had a tough time keeping out the evergreen Graham Anderson (21 minutes 23 seconds) who finished third in the MM50 grade. Louisa Andrew's second overall placing in a time of 19 minutes 21 seconds was just reward for a tremendous run in taking out the Master Women's 35+ title. Joy Wylie was second and Sarah Goldsmith third in this grade. Kirsty Morris finished third overall in 19 minutes 34 seconds to take the Senior Women's title from Megan Balchin who finished in 21 minutes 19 seconds. Jude Patterson still recovering from the Balclutha Marathon finished third in this grade. Balchin who was instrumental in setting up the course, decided to take a closer inspection of the muddy ground through the tricky forest section near the end of the first lap. She decided to do away with using a magnifying glass to study the texture of the mud so instead tried to bury her face in the stuff. Boulle who was just behind her has evidence to support what transpired. Balchin in turn also witnessed Boulle trying to take a short cut through the electric fence just 50 metres from the finish on the last lap. His pathetic attempt to run straight through two electric fence wires was doomed to failure resulting in him being bounced back onto the correct path. 14 & Under, 12 & Under, 10 & Under race - 2.25km 1 lapper Reuben Knox set a fast pace from the outset in winning the Men's 14 title in 11 minutes 42 seconds.. His brother Bruce was next to finish winning the Boys 10 title from Jamahl Wiparata in 12 minutes 6 seconds. Erin Knox took out the Girls 12 title in 13 minutes 4 seconds while Anaia Wiparata won the Girls 10 title in 15 minutes 12 seconds. 19. Otago Cross Country Championships, Waikouaiti Race Course, Saturday 9 July Louisa Andrew (23min 40sec) comfortably won the 6km Master Women's
35+ title at the Otago Cross Country Championships held at the
Waikouaiti Race Course on Saturday in cold but mostly sunny conditions
with a blustery cold Westerly wind strengthening significantly
during the Senior Men's and MM35 race. Joy Wylie finished third
in this grade. Kirsty Morris (31min 48sec) finished second in
the Senior Women's championship over 8km. Ray Knox (30min 49sec)
did well to finish third overall taking out the silver medal for
the Master Men's 50 grade over 8km. The team of Knox, Stuart Hodges
(9th) and Marc Boulle (10th) finished second. In the Senior Men's 12km race, Rob Creasy (43min 27sec) was the first Leith runner to finishing in 9th position. Neale McLanachan (43min 40sec) finished tenth in this grade. Alan Funnell won the highly competitive Master Men's 35+ title over 8km held at the same time as the Senior Men's race where the conditions deteriorated somewhat having an effect on the times achieved in relation to the earlier 8km race.. Juno Wiparata was the next Leith runner finishing in sixth position. Jonah Smith arrived too late to enter the Men's 19 and Under race, but he ran instead in the Senior Men's / Master Men's race, running the M19 regulation distance of 8km. He was extremely happy to make the Otago M19 team for the National Cross Country Championships to be held at Halswell Quarry in Christchurch on 23 July along with Alan Funnell and Juno Wiparata MM35 team, Ray Knox MM50 team, Jason Palmer and Neale McLanachan SM team, and Louisa Andrew MW35 team. We congratulate all these athletes on this achievement and we wish them well in this prestigious competition.. Erin Knox won the Ashton Family Trophy for winning the Girls 12 & Under race. Anna Ashton finished third and Anaia Wiparata finished fourth in the Girls 10 & Under race. Aaron Allan was third and Bruce Knox fourth and Jamahl Wiparata seventh in the Boys 10 & Under race also winning the teams title. Daniel Ashton finished third in the Boys 12 & Under race. 20. Combined club run with Caversham Harriers, Chingford Park, Saturday 16 July Leith hosted Caversham Harriers for runs and walks from Chingford
Park on Saturday in cold but generally sunny conditions. Jason
Palmer took the fast pack which included Tony Payne, Mitch Hopping,
Bevan Stevens, Hayden Donnelly and Daniel Balchin up to the Mt
Cargill transmitter via Bethune's Gully returning via the Organ
Pipes and North Road. Megan Balchin, Gaya Gnanalingam, Jude Patterson,
Mark O'Donnell and Ray Knox bypassed the transmitter to return
via Norwood Road. 21. Club run, Chingford Park, Saturday 23 July While a small group gathered on Saturday afternoon for runs and
walks from Chingford Park, some of Leith's top runners were competing
at the New Zealand Cross Country Championships at Halswell Quarry
in Christchurch. 22. New Zealand Cross Country Championships, Halswell Quarry, Christchurch, Saturday 23 July Leith's top runners were also competing at the New Zealand Cross
Country Championships for Athletics Otago at Halswell Quarry in
Christchurch on Saturday. 23. Club run, Chingford Park, Saturday 30 July In cold but ideal sunny running conditions, a small group gathered on Saturday afternoon for runs and walks from Chingford Park. The runners ran in one large pack up towards Mount Cargill via the mountain bike tracks in Bethune's Gully. Steve Skilling, Aaron Eyles, Jason Palmer, Alan Funnell, Jonah Smith, and Russell Hewitt set the pace, while most of the others ran more leisurely. Trevor Allan, Marc Boulle and Zinzan Smith turned back partway up to return to the club. Skilling continued over the top to the Organ Pipes returning via North Road tempo running along the way. The rest ran back down to the club the way they had come. The walkers group which included Greg Johnston, Cliff Donaldson and the Blairs negotiated the circular route up North Road returning via Norwood Road. 24. Clyde to Alexandar Road Races (incorporating Otago 10km Road Champs for SM/SW/MM), Saturday 6 August Leith competed in the Otago 10k Road Champs on Saturday. These
were held at the Clyde to Alexandra Road Races. David Rush won
the Master Men's 35+ title with Mark O'Donnell winning the bronze
medal. Ray Knox won the Master Men's 50+ title. Marc Boulle finished
fifth. Louisa Andrew won the non-championship Master Women's 35+
race. Lisa Wiparata finished seventh. Jim Kerse finished fifth
in the non-championship Master Men's 60+ grade (sixteenth in the
championship Master Men's 50+ grade). Gaya Gnanalingam finished
thirteenth in the Open Women's race. Jude Patterson finished fifteenth.
Neale McLanachan finished fifteenth in the Open Men's race. Russell
Hewitt finished twenty second. 25. Timaru Round the Gorges Relay, Timaru, Saturday 13 August In the Timaru Round the Gorges Relay on Saturday, the Leith team of Russell Hewitt (Leg 1) 3rd SM, 4th overall, Sue Cuthbert (Leg 2) 1st MW, 2nd overall, Steve Skilling (Leg 3) 1st overall, Peter Frew (Leg 4) 2nd MM, 7th overall, Jude Patterson (Leg 5) 1st SW, 4th overall, Jonah Smith (Leg 6) 1st overall, Marc Boulle (Leg 7) 1st M50, 5th overall and Richard Hendry (Leg 8) 1st overall also did well finishing second in the A grade. Gaya Gnanalingam ran for University of Canterbury One on leg 8 finishing 1st SW, 11 overall. Jonah Smith had a great run in his first road relay race. With everyone running to and some even above their potential the team was upgraded to the A grade from the B grade once the results had been collated.. This was also due to the fact that some of the other teams had changes in personnel while our team remained as orignally entered. Gaya Gnanalingam was thrilled to get a run with the Canterbury University No. 1 team who were short of a runner due to injury. She acquited herself well in her first road relay event. Russell Hewitt kept up his good form to ensure that Leith was not far off the pace at the first changeover. Sue Cuthbert continued the good work by bringing Leith into second place over all grades. Despite a niggling calf injury the mercurial Steve Skilling brought Leith into outright lead on Leg 3. Peter Frew tackled the tough longest leg 4. He had to contend with a leg that notoriously teams put their best runners on and we had surrended the outright lead but still were in a good position at this stage. Jude Patterson ran a steady race in her first road relay event ensuring that she ran to her current potential in ensuring that Leith did not fall too far behind by the end of leg 5. Jonah Smith had a tremendous run on leg 6 to bring Leith into second outright place to University of Canterbury No. 2 team which was ultimately disqualified due to a runner running two laps in sequence. We were also ahead of Timaru 1 at the start of Leg 7. On Leg 7 Marc Boulle also ran to his potential but Timaru One team's runner was just too good on this lap resulting in Leith falling behind this team leaving a lot of time for Richard Hendry to make up on the final leg. Richard Hendry made up 14 seconds on Timaru 1 but with their lead of over three minutes, this was not enough to win outright. Leith had to be content with second place in an overall time of 4 minutes 19min 50 seconds, 2 minutes 50 seconds behind the winners Timaru One. The main thing here was that everyone had a really great time with fantastic refreshments at the prize-giving. Congratulations to the organisers for putting on such a well organised event and also to Southern Trust for sponsoring Leith Harriers for the vehicle hire for this trip. On the way back to Dunedin, we stopped at Oamau for tea before beating the snow home.
Leith would like to thank Ariki Harriers for the combined club runs and walks on Saturday. The runners took in the Karatai route which all enjoyed. The refreshments were much appreciated afterwards. 27. Otago Age-Group Road Championships, Wharf Circuit, Dunedin, Sunday 14 August Leith athletes did well at the Otago Age-Group Road Champs held on the Wharf circuit on Sunday in cold windy conditions. Louisa Andrew (18:33) won the 5km MW35-49 race. Aaron Allan (08:55) won the 2km B10 race, Bruce Knox (09:25) finished second. Erin Knox (09:02) won the 2km G12 race. Reuben Knox (12:45) finished 3rd in the 3km M14 race. Open 5km non-championship race: Alan Funnell (17:17) third; Mark O'Donnell (17:39) fifth; Ray Knox (17:42) sixth. 28. Informal club run with Hill City, Logan Park, Saturday 20 August Leith would also like to thank Hill City Harriers for inviting three Leith runners, Marc Boulle, Jonah Smith and Zinzan Smith to join in their Saturday afternoon run and refreshments afterwards. Jonah went with the young gun runners from Hill City while his brother Zinzan took a more easy run with the slower runners. Marc Boulle went with the medium pack which included Richard Barker, Matt Bixley, Bella Bloomfield, David Cross, Alex McEwan and more along a route which took in the Botanical Gardens, Woodhaugh Gardens, Ross Creek and the Mountain Bike tracks. The weather was great for running, a change from some of the snowy weather we had experienced just a week earlier. 29. National Road Champs, Wellington, Saturday 20 August Leith had only one athlete representing Athletics Otago at the National Road Championships held in Wellington on Saturday. Competing in the Master Men's 50-54 age grade, Ray Knox made the most of his excellent form this year winning bronze in this tough grade. His 35 minutes 54.14 seconds third place finish at the National Championships is just reward for his perseverance in training despite having had a niggling injury at the beginning of the season. Knox had already pocketed the Otago 10km Road Championships Master Men's 50+ title at the Clyde to Alexandra Road Race two weeks previously. 30. Peninsula Relay, Dunedin, Sat 27 August The Leith Blue team of Mark O'Donnell, Louisa Andrew, David Rush, Russell Hewitt, Kirsty Morris, Neale McLanachan, Jonah Smith and Alan Funnell ran superbly to finish second with third fastest time in the Peninsula Relay on Saturday. The Leith White team of Jason Palmer, Joy Wylie, Grant McDougall, Marc Boulle, Steve Skilling, Megan Balchin, Reuben Knox and Gaya Gnanalingam ran well to finish ninth. At this moment we are still waiting for the results to be final due to some discrepencies in times on Legs 5 and Legs 6. Once these are final this report will be updated with more information on each runner and the overall team's performances. We would also like to thank those Leith stalwarts who helped with the marshalling duties on Leg One particularly Alan Funnell who did a great job in co-ordinating the whole Leith operation as he has done for the whole winter season. 31. The Great Naseby Water Race, Naseby, Sat 27 August Leith athletes also enjoyed success at the Great Naseby Water Race on Saturday. Richard Hendry and Sue Cuthbert won the mixed 60km teams race in 4hr 55min 19sec. Grant Koedyk and Jude Patterson finished third in this grade. John Bayne finished second in the 100km race in 9hr 25min 45sec. Dave McLean finished second in the 80km race in 10hr 37min 2sec. Peter Frew and Juno Wiparata finished second in the Open 60km teams race in 4hr 51min 55sec. Brian Pascoe and Stu Hodges finished third. Race report summary by Jamie Sinclair: The Dunedin runners did well, with Leith Harriers having a good showing too. There were 84 runners in total, from as far away as Auckland and Tuatapere, with 45 runners from Dunedin in the various distances of 100 km, 80km, 50km solo, or 2 person 60km teams (30k each) with a 6am start for the bigger distances. Headlamps were compulsory as it was dark till 7am. The 50 km and teams started at 10 am. The course was changed slightly to last year for safety reasons, as one area was quite ugly. Weather conditions took away any advantage you could gain by a shorter course although the GPS measurements were all over 10 km anyway. It was still patchy with snow up to 6 inches deep in places that you couldn't avoid, interspersed with dry areas, and muddy bits. Most people had slip marks, all had wet feet, lot's of smiles as well. The sun was patchy as well but nice when it was about, with a few cool breezes. Aid stations at start/finish and 5 km with Horleys Replace, water, and nibbles looked after the runners with Liam Koedyk at Coalpit Dam (halfway) in a Musical Directors role as well. Seemed to work quite well. 32. Club run, Chingford Park, Saturday 3 September A small group of Leith members enjoyed some good weather running and walking in the vicinity of Chingford Park on Saturday afternoon. 33. Combined club run with Ariki Harriers, Chingford Park, Saturday 10 September Despite the Moro Marathon being held the next day, there was a sufficent turnout from both clubs for runs and walks from Chingford Park on Saturday. In fine weather conditions, one large running pack headed out towards Bethune's Gully for a run up to the Organ Pipes. Most only did short runs, but those not competing the next day went further up. Richard Hendry did the entire Organ Pipes, North Road route. The walkers also headed in the same direction under the leadership of Janette Anderson. Great refreshments and conversation about the Moro Marathon and the Rugby World Cup took place in the club rooms afterwards. We thank Ariki Harriers for the opportunity to enjoy the afternoon with them. 34. Otago Marathon Champs, Moro Marathon and Half Marathon, Dunedin, Sunday 11 September On Sunday Leith athletes excelled in the Moro Marathon. Russell
Hewitt (2:55.26) had an excellent race winning the Open Men's
Otago Marathon title finishing fourth overall (3rd Open Man).
Peter Frew (3:01.21) narrowly missed breaking three hours, but
finished ninth overall and was the second Otago registered master's
athlete to finish (fifth masters man overall). Rene Aarsen (3:13.39)
finished third in the Otago Marathon Master Men's division (15th
overall, 7th Master Man overall). Sue Cuthbert (3:12.33) was the
first woman overall winning the Otago Master Women's title. Ed
Stevens (3:29.48) won the Otago Master Men's 50 title finishing
47th overall and 17th in the Master Men's overall. Other Leith
athletes to finish were Juno Wiparata (3.32.35), Ron McLay-Barnes
(3:36.33), Marc Boulle (4:06.21), Jim Kerse (4:50.27). This report will be updated once the provisional results have been finalised. 35. Port Chalmer to Dunedin Road Race + associated junior Butts Rd races and recreational walk, Dunedin, Saturday 17 September Gaya Gnanalingam won the Port Chalmers to Dunedin Handicap 12.3km
Road Race on Saturday. She was also the first woman to finish
crossing the line in 1hr 4min 19sec off a handicap of 7min resulting
in an actual time of 57min 19sec. The next Leith runner to finish
was Alan Funnell (12th overall) and 8th male runner crossing the
line in 1:07:43 off a handicap of 22min and fourth fastest time
of 45:43. Kirsty Morris (23rd overall) and 8th woman crossing
the line in 1:09:00 off a handicap of 18min and second fastest
woman's time of 0:51:00. Other Leith runners to compete were Joy
Wylie (29th overall, 11th woman), Marc Boulle (35th overall, 22nd
male). The Leith women's team of Gnanalingam, Morris and Wylie
finished second. 36. Hughes Memorial Handicap Road Races, Wharf and Portsmouth Drive, Dunedin, Saturday 24 September Neale McLanachan (off handicap of 23:30) won the 2011 Hughes
Memorial Handicap 10.19km Road Race held in cold and rainy southerly
weather conditions. He beat second placed Lisa Wiparata (off 7:00)
by 36 seconds to also finish with fastest time of 35 minutes 44
seconds. And third placed Jason Palmer (off a handicap of 24:15)
finished just 8 seconds behind Wiparata with second fastest time
of 35 minutes 45 seconds. Fourth placed Alan Funnell (off 23:30)
achieved third fastest time of 37 minutes 1 second.
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