The Caversham runner, who has produced career-best form through many of her races this season, won the senior women’s title at the Otago cross country championships.
She finished the 10km course in 38 min 53sec, ahead of Meg McKay (Hill City-University) in 40min 29sec and Kristy Eyles (Leith) in 41min 42sec, showing the depth in women’s long distance running in Otago.
Leith runner Grayson Westgate secured the senior men’s title, clocking in at 34min 48sec in the highly contested 10km event. Hill City’s Jake Owen was runner-up in 35min 09sec and Leith’s Graham Fisher was third in 35min 39sec.
Hill City runner Ruie Hyslop, who was recently named in the New Zealand secondary school cross country team to compete in Australia, was strong in the men’s under-20 8km event winning in 27min 11sec. Club-mate Thomas Weatherall won the men’s under-18 6km edition in 21min 48sec.
Kimberley Iversen (Leith) sealed the women’s under-20 6km title in 24min 27sec, and Kotomiyo Comwell (Ariki) won the women’s under-18 5km event in 21min.
Hill City’s Eva McLean had a comfortable victory in the girls under-16 event in 16min 07sec.
St Pauls runner Hunter Flowers was the first home in the boys under-16 4km race in 13min 36sec and Will Bolter (Hill City) was the first
Otago runner home in 13 min 59sec.
There were some tight battles through the masters races as well.
Leith’s Ben Pigou raced home to win the men’s masters 35-49 title in 30min 20sec, club-mate Craig Iversen won the 50-64 race in 29min 43sec.
Ariki runner Phil Napper won an entertaining men’s 65+ race in 26min 37sec, 1sec
ahead of Caversham’s Ian McDonald.
Evelyn Armstrong (Caversham) and Sue Cuthbert (Leith) had a good battled for the masters women’s 50-64 title.
Armstrong eventually came out on top in 30min 44sec, 10sec ahead of Cuthbert in 30min 54sec.
Dalise Sanderson (Ariki) won the masters women’s 65+ event in 23min 40sec.
There were strong number across the junior events. Among the highlights was South Otago runner Freddy Allan who stormed home in the boys under-12 championship to win in 8min 50sec.
