Australians dominate Kawerau King of the Mountain over Labour weekend

Runners set off during the Kawerau King of the Mountain race. Photo / Supplied

The 63rd Kawerau mountain race saw the Australian Pomona team secure a King and Queen double for the first time since the Trans-Tasman Challenge began in 1985.

Australian race favourite Ben Duffus secured his second title in Kawerau with a 49m 32s time. It was a time good enough to win by almost five minutes, ahead of Kiwi veteran Chris Morrissey (54m 34s).

Debutant Andrius Ramonas was third with a time of 54m 57s.

Trident High School student Luke Seufort was the first junior and fourth overall with an impressive 56m 10s, which is his best placing to date.

Meg Reeves, the Pomona Queen, added to that title with the Kawerau Queen on debut finishing in 1h 3m 13s, placing her 14th overall.

Her time was more than seven minutes ahead of the next female, veteran Anna O'Brien (1h 10m 30s) and Katie Lilley (1h 11m 30s).

Hayley Jones was the next best female Kiwi and local runner finishing in 1h 14m 53s.

The finishing times were comparably slower to previous years, with only 10 runners managing sub 60 minute times - Teunis Schonveld squeezing in with two seconds to spare and a rapturous crowd urging him on to do so during an entertaining sprint finish.

Sjors Corporaal (57m 45s) managed his 12th consecutive sub 60 minute time and finished just ahead of his son Kaya Henderson-Corporaal (59m 9s).

No new records were set with the starters numbers as 156 people scaling Pūtauaki on the day.

The slower times in the main race had a similar story in the curtainraiser race.

This year's Prince was 11-year-old Oliver Christie (22:10), a student from Allandale School, followed by Cory Warneford (22:53) and Xavier Christie (23:57).

Shay Williamson's 2007 record of 19:25 remains intact.

The 2018 Princess title went to Sophie Kirk (24m 35s), followed by outstanding young Kawerau athletes Waimania Rangiaho (25m 22s) and Hazel Tunisha Gates-Paul (26m 41s).

Kawerau South School students won both age groups for the Radio 1XX School Relays.

A koha cheque for $4500 was presented to the Taupō-based Greenlea Rescue Helicopter; which flew up from the central plateau at the last minute to be present on standby, this after the Rotorua-based helicopter was involved in an overnight response the night before .

Full results can be found at www.kaweraukingofthemountain.co.nz/results

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