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Overcast skies and a co-operative tide provided ideal conditions for the annual TK Cowan handicap races at Ocean Grove on Saturday.
Hosted by the Hill City-University Athletic Club, the free event drew nearly 60 entrants for 8km, 5km and 1.5km races on a demanding course taking in road, grass, mud, gravel, sand and hills.
All events were handicapped with the aim of having every competitor finish together.
The finishes were suitably tight.
In the 8km, Lynne Kerr made the most of her early start to take line honours in 65min 5sec, holding out against fastest man Leon Miyahara, who covered the two long loops in 29min 56sec.
Sam Bradbury-Leather (32min 53sec) posted the second-fastest men’s time, while Margie Campbell (33min 32sec) was the quickest of the women ahead of Emily Morris (35min 34sec).
Lara Findlater completed a rare double in the 5km walk, crossing the line first and recording the fastest women’s time of 42min 4sec.
Thomas Weatherall was the class act of the junior 5km on the stopwatch, his 20min 1sec the fastest junior time ahead of Caleb Dobier (20min 17sec), but Connor Horne used his handicap to advantage and claimed line honours.
Alena Cooney’s 26min 36sec was the fastest girls’ time.
Glenda Norris was the sole starter in the 5km open, finishing in 42min 45sec.
In the 1.5km, Isabella Kaina led the field home, while Eloise Aitcheson (7min 2sec) and Walter Howard-Smith (6min 19sec) recorded the fastest girls’ and boys’ times respectively.
The TK Cowan was created by the former Presbyterian Harrier Club and is named after one of its most influential runners, Emeritus Professor Tomas Keith Cowan.
The race helped forge the relationships that led to the amalgamation of the Presbyterian, Dunlaider (formally Anglican) and Mornington Running clubs into the Hill City Club.
A later merger with the Otago University Club formed the current Hill City-University Athletic Club.