Women’s teams on handicap win

Press, 19 August 1985, Page 28

Women’s teams on handicap win

By

GLENN HASZARD

Women’s teams finished first and second on handicap in the annual Metropolitan Life Port Hills road running relay in fine weather on Saturday.

The front-mark women’s teams led for most of the race, from Beckenham and around the Port Hills to finish in Fisher Avenue, but were overtaken in the last lap by two women’s teams which started from 17 minutes behind them, Q.E.I and Ashburton.

Chris Boulden, a veteran, finished nearly two minutes ahead of Ashburton runner M. Puckett to give Q.E. women the victory. Third across the line was a team with men and women, Cashmere-Hillmorten, which started two minutes ahead of Ashburton and Q.E. women.

Olympic veteran men easily broke the veteran men’s record, setting a time of 126 minutes seven seconds, while University women led by its international star Mary O’Connor, broke the women’s record with a time of 141:33.

Lap records were set by uphill specialists Tony Good

(Olympic) and Colleen Bardsley (Sumner), O'Connor on lap two, Nev. Reid (Olympic) in the veteran men’s on lap four, and Sue Bruce (New Brighton). Bruce ran a devastating last lap, with a slight tail wind, to knock about half a minute off the lap record.

Her time was more than a minute faster than University’s Mary Warne, who nevertheless would be pleased with her time of 32:22.

O’Connor broke her own record by two minutes and a half. A disappointment in the women’s race was that Wendy Renner, who was to have run the last lap for Bascik New Brighton, was unavailable. Sue Bruce moved from lap two to take the last lap.

Results: Handicap team placings: Q.E. 1 women (M. Stokes, T. Enright, M. Ruki, W. Adams, C. Boulden), off 17 minutes, net time 163 minutes 56 seconds, 1; Ashburton women, off 17, 165:47, 2; Cashmere-Hillmorten, off 15, 169, 3; Zoe 1, off 42, 143:47, 4; Ashburton B, off 46, 139:25, 5; University 1, off 48, 137:30, 6. Fastest teams: men, Bascik New Brighton, 120:08, 1; Olympic, 124:01, 2; University, 124:21, 3; Toe H, 124:38, 4. Veteran men: Olympic, 126:07; and record; Christchurch, 131:04, 2; University, 137:30; 3. Women: University, 141:33, 1 and record; Christchurch, 148:05, 2; New Brighton, 148:35, 3. Fastest laps: Lap one: men, T. Good (Olympic), 25:17, 1 and record; P. Meffan (University), 26:08, 2: I. McGregor (Christchurch), 28:20, 3. Veteran men: J. Brownie (Olympic), 27:18, 1 and record; S. McLean (Toe H),

27:45, 1; and record; P. Daly (Cashmere-Hillmorten), 31:28, 2; A. Warren (Christchurch), 32:15, 3. Veteran women: M. Orr (Olympic), 36:04, 1. Lap two: Men: D. Greig (New Brighton), 25:42, 1; K. O'Sullivan (University), 26:30, 2; I. Lauder (Toe H), 27:11, 3. Veteran men: B. Burns (Olympic), 28:20, 1; D. O’Keefe (Christchurch), 29:35, 2; A. Cook (Olympic B), 30:34, 3. Women: ' M. O'Connor (University), 29:06, 1 and record; M. Walker (Christchurch), 32:52, 2; A. Devine (Christchurch B), 32:59, 3. Veteran women: P. Hogarth (Toe H), 36:49, 1. Lap three: Men: D. Brook (Christchurch). 23:21, 1; R. Neish (New Brighton), 23:30, 2; S. Taylor (Olympic), 23:45, 3. Veteran men: D. Carver (Christchurch), 24:07, 1; D. Neill (Olympic). 24:34, 2; S. Hill (Technical), 24:40, 3. Women: M. Jewel (New Brighton), 27:25, 1; K. Ward (Christchurch). 27:55, 2; K. Wheeler

(University), 29:13, 3. Veteran women: A. Henderson (Toe H), 36:32, 1. Lap four: men: G. Hardy (New Brighton), 14:58, 1; C. Penrose (New Brighton B). 15:22, 2; L. Fraser (University), 16:12, 3. Veteran men: N. Reid (Olympic), 16:15, 1 and record; B. Taylor (University), 16:31, 2; R. McLean (Christchurch), 17:24, 3. Women: J. Merrifield (University), 17:51, 1; K. Jackson (University B), 20:15, 2; D. Nelson (New Brighton), 20:18, 3. Veteran women: M. Fraser (Toe H), 23:31, 1. Lap five, Men: D. Macdonald (Olympic), 27:54, 1; K. Barnes (Christchurch), 28:49, 2; J. Gibson (Toe H), 28:50, 3. Veteran men: J. K. Macdonald (Olympic). 29:40, 1; S. Pavett (University), 31:32, 2; W. Baker (Christchurch), 31:51, 3. Women: S. Bruce (New Brighton), 31:06, 1 and record; M. Warne (University), 32:22, 2; V. Lindsay (Technical), 33:23, 3. Veteran women: J. Miles (Olympic), 41:07, 1.