Gisborne runners excel at Tarawera Trail Marathon

END OF AN EPIC RUN: Five of the Gisborne runners, Nicki Davies, Doug Moore, Nan Baker, Helayna Ruifrok and Gavin Murphy, who tackled the 50km and 42km options of the Tarawera Trail Marathon at the weekend, relax in the shade with a drink and their finishers’ medals. Ruifrok and Davies were first and second in their marathon age group, with Baker taking a fifth, while Moore was second in his 50km age group and Murphy eighth. Picture supplied

GISBORNE distance runners were on the podium several times at the 1000-competitor Tarawera Trail Marathon and 50km Race last weekend — including a quinella in one age group.

Helayna Ruifrok and Nicki Davies finished the 42km marathon together in 4 hours 58 minutes to take the top two places in the 30-39 age group, and finish sixth and seventh women overall in a field of more than 150 female runners.

Triathlete Nan Baker was four minutes behind them in 5:02 for 10th woman overall and fifth in the 40-49 age group.

Over the 50km longer event, Gisborne marathoner Doug Moore crossed the line 11th overall in a field of 250, clocking 4:49, taking second place in the men’s 20-29 age group and feeling comfortable the whole way.

Gavin Murphy also had a strong run in 5:10 to finish 21st overall male and eighth in the men’s 40-49 age group — with a little cramp along the way to remind him of the 60km Taniwha event he had run only the weekend before.

Gisborne’s evergreen distance runners were on the podium in the 60-69 age group. Graeme Lear crossed the line in 5:30 for second place in that age group and 39th place overall, while Keith Scholes was third in the age group and 72nd overall in 5:56.

Nadine McKinnon crossed with him in the same time to be 19th woman and 10th in the 30-39 age group. Christine Lear was eighth in the 50-59 year women’s group and 82nd overall woman, completing the 50km in 7:10.

Crossing together in 7:44 were Liz Thodey and Tania Gardner, 118th and 119th women. Legendary Liz was second in the 60-69 age group and only five minutes off the winner, while Tania was 49th in the 40-49 group.

Back in the 42km marathon, Sarah Lincoln was 71st in 6:39, for 15th in her 30-39 age group. Kath Wilkie and Robyn Wilkie were 137th and 138th in a time of 7:57, 61st and 62nd in the 40-49 age group.

Walkers Briar Robertson and Jenni Parkinson finished together to be 10th and 11th in the women’s walk in 8:22.

Conditions were hot for just the second year of the event. The field was five times bigger than the first year, including a large turnout of international runners.

The course began among Rotorua’s active geysers and headed out through the redwoods to the Green Lake where the 50km runners looped off to a farm with views over the water, then rejoined at the Blue Lake track, went through the Buried Village and back to the lake for a long and gruelling climb to finish at Hot Water Beach on the lake shoreline.

There are always more endurance runs on the horizon and events lying ahead for the Gisborne crew include the 18km Toi’s Challenge this weekend, which was won last year by Michelle Rennie, and the Rotorua Running Festival.

Further ahead, Gavin Murphy will line up in two ultramarathons early next year — the Tarawera 100km in February and the Northburn 100-mile race in March — while Doug Moore will do the Tarawera 60km and the 100km Ultra Trail Australia in the Blue Mountains.