Athletics: Wakelin bides time before pulling away in second half

Mike Wakelin soaked up the rural charms and aromas of rural West Taieri to win the hill-free half-marathon near Outram yesterday.

Wakelin (43) has maintained a low profile over the past 12 months while taking a break from competitive running.

But with a love of community-based and off-road events, he could not resist the lure of yesterday's half-marathon.

With Kieran Cody, runner-up on the course last year, and Matthew Gibbons setting a snapping pace from the start, Wakelin used his knowledge to not get drawn into anything silly from the start, opting instead to sit in behind the pair.

By the 3km mark, he found himself up running on their shoulders.

The three remained together until Gibbons dropped off.

Wakelin shared the lead with Cody until just before the halfway stage, when he found himself pulling away.

"I'm not sure whether Kieran slowed, I sped up or we just drifted apart," Wakelin said.

Wakelin performed strongly over the final stages despite running alone and contending with a long straight and flat 5km from the bottom end of the course towards the finish at Outram.

He crossed in 1hr 12min 4sec.

"If I'd been fitter, I may have been 5min faster," Wakelin said.

"But I'm happy with that. It's about what I expected."

Second-placed Cody finished in 1hr 14min 42sec, and Gibbons was third, in 1hr 14min 50sec.

Kirsty Morris, another to have maintained a low profile over the past 12 months, won the open women's section.

She clinched the title in 1hr 27min 49sec, Anna Stevens was second, in 1hr 33min 28sec and Sasha Antunovic third, in 1hr 33min 29sec.

Morris, who won the Edmond Cup steeplechase in June, was originally going to walk the 10km course with sister Emma Hill.

"I was going to be pushing the baby buggy," she said.

"But Emma baled on me."Arriving on the course with fiance Elliot O'Sullivan, who was marshalling, Morris then thought she would do the half as a Sunday training run.

"It was only 20min before the start that I decided and entered," she said.

The 10km events went with the form book, with Dougal Thorburn winning the open men's section in 32min 19sec and Shauna Pali the open women's section, in 39min 44sec.

It was far from Pali's best day at the office, but she was content to take any time that was sub-40min.

Her training has not been based around any distance work lately and yesterday's race was just to get one under the beltBut Pali is well coached and focused, with top performances over the coming track and field season on the agenda.

Rozie Robinson (20) continues to impress with her race walking, winning the associated walk in a very respectable 50min 42sec.

Her father, Geoff, a former New Zealand ultra-distance representative who has also taken to the discipline, finished second behind his daughter, in 53min 35sec.

Third was Georgina Wilson, in 56min 22sec.