HARRIERS: Running brings freedom from family

ANENDRA SINGH
It's hard enough being a teenage girl coming to grips with life, but throw in three bothersome brothers and things could become stifling.
At times like that Katie Harris (pictured right) loves nothing more than deserting her home for a long, therapeutic run.
"They can be a little annoying, so when I'm out running it's a good time to think," Harris told SportToday, claiming her three younger brothers - Mark, 14, James, 11, and nine-year-old Fraser - could be a handful.
While the motivation may sound incidental, the end result for the Hastings Harriers women's team is beneficial.
On Saturday Harris, 16, was part of the Harriers team that won the Shoe Clinic-sponsored Hawke's Bay-Gisborne Road Relay Championship on the Apley Road/Puketapu.
In the scrap for the open women's crown, Napier Harriers looked as if they were on track to retain their title.
Napier's Danielle Kiely (22min 27sec) went within four seconds of the junior women's opening lap record before teammate Laura Nagel (30min 11sec) smashed Ashley Aitken's second-lap junior record.
Napier's top athlete, Lydia Diver (18:51), stretched their lead to 2min 57sec but sometimes looks can be deceiving.
Hastings pulled their ace cards out of their sleeves in the last two legs with Hastings Girls' High School sixth-former Harris (22:25) and fellow school mate Greta Porter (12:27) both smashing open women's lap records over the remaining legs as Hastings catapulted to a commanding lead.
The Hastings women took line honours in 1hr 49min 18sec, 90 seconds clear of their arch-rivals from Napier in the 26km relay.
When Diver tagged Shayna Heywood at the 5.6km fifth leg, Napier had a 1min 45sec lead. Orienteer Jamie Goodwin tagged Harris, who ran down Heywood on the flat with about 1.5km to the next change.
It was Harris' fifth relay on Saturday. Two years before that she was part of the Napier team who lost to Hastings in both clashes.
"My coach (Allan Potts) was from Hastings so I followed him to the Hastings Harriers."
She savoured the win, hailing her teammates who drove behind in a car for each runner to cheer them on.
The team received medals and the record-breakers also got a $30 shoe voucher and T-shirts for their troubles.
"I also love my food. The afternoon teas at the prizegiving are great. My friends give me a tough time about that."
Hastings Harriers men's team of Josh Barber, Ben Revell, Quentin Rew, Neville Smith and Michael Newton stamped their supremacy dominant in the men's division, claiming their 11th consecutive title.
Smith (17:36) overhauled his record by 26 seconds as Hastings completed the circuit in 1hr 29min 32sec, almost four minutes clear of Hastings B with Napier's top pick almost five minutes behind the winners.
In the 3.3km juniors race, Charlie Chittenden (12:49) claimed the title although he was 10 seconds off the pace from his time last year. He outpaced Hastings Harriers Joel Willetts and Harris' brother, James.
The winning Napier team of Chittenden, Jess Middleton, Henare Harvey-Brewster and Sam Hall received the shoe vouchers.