Ramblers could prove costly for historic shot at championship

A raiding party of Tauranga Ramblers runners hope to spoil Phil Costley's stab at history at the New Zealand 10,000m track championship in Inglewood tomorrow.
Christchurch's Costley is gunning for his 30th national title in the only New Zealand distance event between 3000m and the marathon that he hasn't won.
Chasing him down will be Tauranga's MacDonald twins, Iain and Kyle, who are in the form of their lives, Craig Kirkwood, Ben Ruthe and Matt Parsonage.
Former Tauranga resident Dale Warrander is perhaps Costley's biggest challenger, having won the 10km title in 2006.
"It would be nice to put that one on the board and complete the set," Costley admitted.
"I've had a couple of races on the track this season and didn't win either, but I'm in pretty good shape."
While Kirkwood has the fastest 10,000m time in the field, Ruthe is hoping his marathon training will put him within striking distance late in the race.
"I will be trying to hang in there and if I have the leg speed to be thereabouts with a kilometre to go, I should have a shot at a podium finish," Ruthe said.
Costley beat Ruthe at their last clash, the Dash for Cash at the Mount Criterium last month.
The 10,000m selection standard for the world cross country championships in Edinburgh in March is 29m 15s.
Ruthe's wife Jess should have no trouble repeating her victory in 2006 in the women's championship.
On that occasion Ruthe clocked 32m 37.51s.
The New Zealand allcomers and resident record is 32m 00.17s, set by Anne Audain in Wellington in 1989. Caden Shields (Otago), and Aaron Pulford, Cory Whiting (both Hamilton), will battle it out for the men's 19 title.
The standard for junior men for the world cross country championships is 31min 30sec.
Meanwhile, another former Tauranga athlete, Brent Newdick, will be chasing 8000 points to qualify for the Beijing Olympics when he competes in the Queensland open decathlon at the Griffith University in Southport today and tomorrow.
He's one of a number of top Kiwi athletes competing overseas, with world shot put champion Valerie Vili will be competing in the Canberra Classic meeting in the Australian national series tomorrow.
Nick Willis will be up against Australia's Craig Mottram over 3000m at the Boston Indoor Games tomorrow.
Kimberley Smith will also be in action in Boston, competing in the two miles against Meseret Defar, of Ethiopia.
Nina Rillstone will return to the scene of her 13th place in the world championships in August, when she competes in the Osaka (Japan) women's marathon on Sunday.