Arriving late for his scheduled start was not enough to stop Dwayne Sheddan (Hill City-University) winning the open men's title in the annual Barnes Cross-country at Kettle Park yesterday.
A former Southland cross-country champion, Sheddan (35) first came on to the Dunedin harrier club scene four years ago, as a member of the Caversham club, before returning to Gore.
He came back to Dunedin last year and joined Hill City-University. Yesterday's victory was his first Otago title.
Sheddan's athletic achievements are impressive when you consider that, as a child, he suffered severe head injuries in a major traffic accident.
Sheddan took a relaxed approach to the event. He was scheduled to start off a 2min handicap but missed the start, and instead began his race from the 3min 30sec mark.
He began to feature at the end of the second of four laps on the 5km course, when be began a battle for the lead with Ray Knox (Leith).
Ten places behind them, just 32 seconds away, two-time Otago senior cross-country champion Geoff Anderson (Caversham) was lurking as a major threat.
By midway through the third lap, Sheddan had opened up a 14sec gap on Knox, while Anderson continued to make headway behind them and by the end of the third lap trailed Sheddan by just 17 seconds.
Try as he might over a thrilling final lap to chip away at Sheddan's lead, Anderson could not slip past and Sheddan held him out by four seconds.
Sheddan finished in a race time of 24min 23sec (22min 23sec actual), with Anderson finishing in 24min 27sec (19min 27sec).
Peter Frew (Leith) was third in 24min 50sec (19min 50sec). Frew, who is training for the Dunedin marathon, contested last year's Boston Marathon. The fastest time was recorded by Lorenz Kissling (Caversham), who clocked 18min 9sec.
First home in the open women's three-lap event was former Scottish under-21 international Donna Young (Caversham).
In her first season of competitive running in Otago, after several years away from the interclub scene, Young (41), a part-time teacher at Kavanagh College, was another who faced the start unaware of her 4min 30sec handicap, or what to expect from those around her.
She completed the first lap content to sit in behind fellow 4min 30sec marker Charlotte Homan (Hill City-University), eventually pulling away from her on the second lap to make her way through the field.
She had little inkling of her chances until just before entering the final lap, and only when turning for the final 800m did she realise she was in with a chance.
She decided to go for it, turning on a blistering pace and taking the lead 100m out, before breaking the tape in a running time of 21min 10sec (16min 40sec). Julia Hunt (Hill City-University) was second in 21min 17sec (17min 17sec).
Young is more of a distance runner and the shorter Barnes Cross-country course proved a real lung-burner.
''It's quite hard to change the legs up a gear, so I wasn't sure if they'd keep going,'' she said.
Louisa Andrew (Leith) claimed fastest-time honours with a smart 14min 57sec.
