For at least three members of the Ariki Harrier and Athletic Club, 18 is proving somewhat of a lucky number, as team captain Dalise Sanderson remembers the day in 2015 when she contributed to Ariki winning its first Peninsula Relay title in 29 years from the 18min mark.
She headed a team including Russell Lund and Brent Halley from the 2015 team, along with Emma Sutherland (nee MacDonell), Ben Lund and Allan Williment, which this year also started from a 18min mark.
Sanderson, a national masters age-group middle-distance champion got the team away to a flying start, with a solid 4km run over testing terrain from Portobello Domain to Cape Saunders Rd.
This was a section of the relay she also mastered in 2015 to bring that team into contention.
But this year the footing was far more demanding, with the winter flooding having made the road into more of a cross-country course around the Hoopers and Papanui inlet stages.
The underfoot conditions were a test also for former Otago 1500m champion Sutherland, who was having her first competitive outing in almost three years following the birth of her two sons, Henry (2) and Thomas (8 months).
Her run around the Papanui Inlet and Sheppard Rd loop was over an area which was by far the worst affected from the flooding.
Despite the testing terrain, Sanderson and Sutherland set the team up perfectly for Russell Lund.
On the 7km leg back to Portobello and the halfway point, he brought the team into contention and fourth place, 7min adrift of race leader Taieri.
With 11min taken out of the team's 18min deficit by these first three runners for Ariki, two-time Barnes Cross-country champion Williment and John McGlashan College cross-country representative Ben Lund (15) met the challenge with vigour.
They got the team into the lead and handed Halley a handy advantage on the demanding 7km final leg back to Portobello Domain.
The former New Zealand half-marathon champion, added the icing to Ariki's victory cake, crossing the finish line for a team running time of 2hr 27min 13sec.
''It was a good team effort,'' Sanderson said afterwards, not wishing to single out any team member.
''As the oldest in the team, at 61, I am quite privileged to be part of it. And, of course, it's great to have Emma back in the club ranks.''
For Sutherland, the victory could not have made for a more encouraging return to the sport.
''I was just pleased to get in the team today and get out for a run,'' she said playing down making a winning return and recording the third-fastest open women's time on the second leg.
The second team to finish was Caversham senior women, which crossed in 2hr 36min 2sec. Hill City-University No1 was third in 2hr 34sec.
There was more to celebrate for those in the Ariki colours when its team won the social team section in 2hr 39min 55sec, with Taieri second and the ODT Gunrunners third.
The Caversham senior men's team of Ben Rowley, Ken McDonald, Matt Maloney, Nathan Shanks, Glen Sutton and Jonah Smith claimed fastest-time honours, clocking 1hr 59min 34sec.
Hill City-University No1 was second-fastest in 2hr 34sec and Leith men third in 2hr 11min 6sec.
-By Wayne Parsons
