Athletics: Thorburn puts it all behind him

It has been a traumatic week for Dunedin doctor Dougal Thorburn, but on Saturday he took up the offer of a weekend in the Catlins to contest the Papatowai Challenge.

Thorburn, the race champion of the annual 15.5km off-road challenge for the past two years, made it three from three on Saturday, despite a niggling knee injury and his mind on medical matters.

While his parents' home in Sumner emerged from the earthquake with exterior damage only, he has been busy at Dunedin Hospital dealing with patients relocated from Christchurch.

Feeling a little shell-shocked at times, he said it was all beginning to take its toll and the offer from race organisers for a weekend away proved to be an invaluable tonic.

The field of just over 500, which included four national mountain running rep-resentatives, including Thorburn, could only follow in his wake as he took control from the start and completed the course in 53min 31sec, just 24sec outside the race record he set last year.

The Dunedin pair of Will Smith and Mike Wakelin had a titanic battle for second, with Smith breaking away from Wakelin only on the flat 2km run into the finish.

Smith recorded 56min 26sec and Wakelin 56min 53sec.

Anna Frost returned from her busy international schedule on the world mountain marathon circuit to win the open women's section in 1hr 4min 32sec.

It was well outside the record time she set five years ago, of 1hr and 23sec, but the event came in a recovery period for Frost, following her victory in a 50-mile event in San Francisco in December.

Frost is about to begin a build-up for the Australian 45km Blue Mountain event in late March.

Following this she will begin a European mountain marathon circuit in April, and average a mountain marathon each month for the rest of the year.

"It was good to get in some speed work," she joked of her effort at Papatowai on Saturday.

Defending champion Whitney Dagg finished second in 1hr 9min 35sec and Sarah Chisnall third in 1hr 10min 2sec.