The race was held in association with the Otago Half-marathon Championship. Thompson’s trophy cabinet is filling up. Yesterday’s victory was his fifth major win in Otago events, starting with the Port Chalmers to Dunedin Road Race in late January. He followed that with a fifth consecutive win in the Three Peaks Mountain Challenge and then rounded out the winter season by claiming the Otago cross-country and road titles.
Despite favourable conditions, Thompson’s time of 1hr 15min 56sec is well down on his personal best of 1hr 8min for a half-marathon. The new Otago half-marathon champion put the time down to work and family commitments, plus he was also a little leg weary after a punishing run over the Waitati circuit two weeks ago with Otago’s next generation of senior champions that included New Zealand junior road and cross-country champion Oli Chignell, Sam Bremer, Caden Shields and Jarod Monk.
"I enjoy running with them. They keep me honest and help me feel younger," Thompson (37) said.
"I just wanted to have a nice solid run today. It’s a long way off my personal best but I’ve got to be happy with that."
Thompson, a Dunedin physiotherapist, added he is really happy with the way the year has panned out, with only the Edmond Cup and Otago Marathon titles eluding him.
"I’ve entered a lot more races, and am enjoying my running a lot more. I feel a lot fitter than the same time last year."
While not having any firm plans for competitive running before Christmas, Thompson is, however, eyeing the Oceania Championships in January.
Sharon Lequeux continued her rise through the
ranks with her win in the senior women’s section of the half-marathon.
Lequeux wasted little time in getting involved and stamping her authority on the event to eventually win by just over 4min in 1hr 32min, 42sec.
Lequeux (28), an electron microscopist, was using the event as part of her build-up towards the prestigious Auckland Marathon at the end of the month.
Admitting to having to recover over the middle stages from a fast start, Lequeux faced a headwind on the run up Huntly’s Rd.
"Overall, it wasn’t too bad," the multisport convert to distance running said.
"I must be the first microscopist, to hit the sports pages," she said of her life outside running.
Kirk Madgwick (22) backed up his half-marathon victory at the Dunedin Marathon last month with a convincing victory in the associated 10km race.
Well outside his personal best, Madgwick clocked 34min 22sec, perhaps suffering a little over the final stages following a fast start with second-placed Jonah Smith.
Madgwick will next tackle the half-marathon section of the Queenstown Marathon, before beginning a summer track programme of 800m and 1500m races.
Shireen Crumpton broke away early to win the open women’s title, finishing ninth overall in 39min 49secMark Waller (51), a Dunedin IT consultant, was first home in the associated 10km walk while his partner, Michelle Phillips, a teacher at Abbotsford Kindergarten, was not far behind to be first home in the women’s section of the 10km walk.
In the future champions 2km race for children, Otago junior champion George Hamilton (12), a year 8 pupil at Balmacewen Intermediate, was first home in an impressive 7min 16sec. Caitlin Butson (11), a year 6 pupil at Columba College, was first in the girls section, clocking 8min 5sec.
- Wayne Parsons
