It was one-way traffic for Dunedin's Katie Menzies as she dominated the open women's section at the Otago duathlon championships in Mosgiel yesterday.
Menzies (22), one of 16 Otago athletes representing New Zealand in age-group competition at the world triathlon championships in Australia in two weeks, was left unchecked as she led the entire race.
Racing over a 5km run, 40km bike and 10km run course, Menzies was quickly into her work, opening up a handy lead on the rest of the field and extending it further on the bike course.
Despite starting the second run stage comfortably, she tied up around the middle stages and laboured over the final 5km to finish in 2hr 19min 37sec, just 50sec clear of a fast-finishing Marion Maxwell.
Maxwell claimed the masters women's title in 2hr 20min 27sec.
Third to finish was Judith Neilson in 2hr 24min 40sec.
Johanna Jackson (19), a national junior bronze medallist earlier this year, won the junior women's title in 2hr 25min 50sec.
Timaru teenager Matt Milne (18) cruised to victory in the junior men's race in 2hr 10min 5sec.
An apprentice electrician, Milne is making a habit of punching above his weight and getting the best out of himself in race situations.
He qualified for the world duathlon championships in the United States next month by claiming a bunch of scalps at the national duathlon championships earlier in the year.
The open men's section started out as a highly competitive race, but once Wanaka-based John Mezger (32) took the lead on the bike section, it was all over.
Mezger claimed the title in 2hr 1min 15sec, with the 10km run section proving not long enough for second-placed Jason Palmer to haul back a huge deficit.
Palmer crossed in 2hr 3min, with Murray Gray, the first masters competitor, third in 2hr 7min 9sec.
United States-born and New Zealand-based for the past 12 years, Mezger will also be contesting the world triathlon championships in two weeks.
