The 4x4km cross-country relay, affectionately known as the Ponydales, was run in warm and dry conditions on the grassed and hilly terrain.
Hands down, the race of the day was the women’s relay — a contest that has burgeoned in recent years.
A duel between Hill City-University’s accomplished quartet and the favoured "Got the Trots" team from defending champions Leith was widely anticipated.
Caitlin O’Donnell (Leith) and Aly Craigie (HCU) started commandingly, placing the two teams firmly in the ascendancy after a couple of kilometres.
A second Leith team appeared unaware of any pre-race script and were determined to make it a three-horse race.
Kimberley Iversen gradually reduced the gap to Craigie before a storming second leg from Jessica Bray brought the underdogs to the front.
Resurgent, Rebecca Allnutt and Kristy Eyles restored the two chasing teams to within touching distance of Bray and Iversen’s team-mate Anneke Muller, setting up a thrilling final lap.
With an unavailable fourth runner, the 18-year-old Iversen stepped up to run the final leg for the aptly named Leith Triple Threat.
Margie Campbell made light work of bridging the gap for "Got the Trots", the first leg fatigue seeming to set in for Iversen.
By the top of the hilly course, the experienced Campbell had reclaimed the lead and HCU’s Meg McKay was nearby, continuing to reduce the deficit.
With 2km remaining, Iversen found a second wind, retaking the lead again as Campbell began to falter.
McKay remained in the picture, continuing to work down the gap.
However, the young Leith Triple Threat athlete held resolute over the final hurdles to hold off McKay and win the relays in 1hr 6min 48sec.
HCU were second in 1hr 6min 59sec and Leith Got the Trots third in 1hr 7min 20sec with Jessica Bray’s decisive second leg of 16min 11sec the fastest overall.
HCU remained in touch for the entirety of the men’s relay, but the Leith quartet of Grayson Westgate, Dan Hayman, Stephen Johnson and Graham Fisher prevailed in the tightest open men’s race in over a decade.
HCU’s Ruie Hyslop, aged 17, displayed his status as one of Otago’s current brightest distance running and triathlon talents, running away from fellow talented triathlete Westgate to record the fastest leg of the day in 13min 17sec.
HCU built a hand lead, but it was short-lived as Hayman’s second leg triggered the blue wave.
Jake Owen’s leg of 13min 25sec tightened the gap, but Leith were never seriously challenged after Hayman’s effort, victorious in 55min 40sec, 33sec ahead of HCU’s team of Hyslop, Sagar Khemani, George Bates and Owen.
Leith won both master’s races and HCU made a clean sweep of the junior events.
Caversham, Ariki and Civil Service won titles in the abridged 4x2km relay.
Matt Bolter (HCU) and Becky de la Harpe (Caversham) ran the fastest legs.
Nineteen runners competed in the Ponydale Challenge — a three-hour race to complete as many laps as possible — with Ben Pigou finishing 36km first in a close finish with student Sean Galdeman.
Alice Cuthbert and Laura Bungard both completed 32km within the three hours, but Cuthbert crossed the line first.
By Luke Geddes
