ROTORUA MARATHON: Napier's Mumford completes 20th

ANENDRA SINGH
At about the 27km mark of the Rotorua marathon on Saturday Napier competitor Alan Mumford's thighs were feeling pretty tight.
"I said I was feeling great but I felt like I needed a new pair of screw-on legs," Mumford, who turns 65 in July, replied when asked by fellow Hawke's Bay Marathon clinic runners, Sherri O'Sullivan (Taradale) and Jenny Keenan (Napier), how he was faring.
"I was pretty tired and my thighs were beginning to cramp up. It's been a great challenge.
"The conditions in Rotorua were excellent although the temperature dropped on the home run," he said last night from his home in Greenmeadows.
Mumford, who works in the sales area of Napier company Easy Print, crossed the finish line 5hr 51min 33sec. He was in 52nd spot in his M60-64 age group and placed 1478 overall.
It was his 20th Rotorua Marathon after running his first one in 1979 in the 27 years of running 55 marathons at an average of about two a year.
Mumford belongs to the Rotorua Marathons Survivors Club, which requires competitors to have participated in at least 15 events to make the grade.
However, the 42nd Lion Foundation-sponsored event was Mumford's last marathon with the five to six hours of road training a week beginning to impact on the body.
"It doesn't sound like much when you say it quickly but I want to ease things off a little," says Mumford, who now wishes to focus on half marathons. His immediate target is the Taupo one in August and then the Hastings event.
He saluted the Hawke's Marathon clinic, which is an initiative of the Heart Foundation from the early 1980s. Founding members are Ian Norrie and John Wheeler, who was in the Rotorua field on Saturday.
In the spirit of the clinic's motto, "Complete, not compete", Mumford found a sense of well being and camaraderie among his fellow members.
Having run half mile and milers in Steyning Grammar School in Sussex, Near Brighton, in England, Mumford fitted into the Napier Harriers mould when he settled in the region with his young family in 1975.
"In the late 1970s marathons were popular and one thing led to another I ran my first marathon - the Hastings Marathon - and felt quite good," said Mumford, who on Saturday celebrated his feat in Rotorua with other Bay clinic members with a dinner.
Also celebrating were Taradale's Helen and Jim Tobin, as the first husband and wife couple to complete 25 Rotorua marathons.
Jim, a semi-retired surveyor and compiler of the masters athletics quarterly magazine, finished the lake course in 5hr 09min 17sec, improving by 35 minutes on last year's time. He was third in his M70-74 age group and 1188 overall. Helen, a public health nurse, clocked 5hr 53min 31sec for a 25th placing in her F55-59 age group and 1489 overall.
"I had one of my worst runs at Rotorua but that's the breaks. It was a big day at the office with 41km of it not so good," Helen said as the couple drove around the lake yesterday on their way home.
"Everything looks much nicer from the car," she said with a laugh.
Helen, 59, who predominantly walked the course, said the weather was great despite the lack of wind and humidity. Jim,73, ran the 42.2km.
The couple enjoyed a buffet meal and a couple of glasses of wine with the survivors'club before enjoying a good sleep. Napier's Len McFarlane joined the club with his 15th marathon, clocking 4hr 43min 54sec to finish in a position of 1013 overall and in 77th spot in his M50-54 age group.
Craig Mathers led home the Bay contingent again, repeating last year' 14th overall placing (sixth senior men) with another great effort, finishing in 2hr 51min.
Havelock North's James Bell finished in 3hr 02min 59sec (eighth in M35-39), just ahead of Napier Harrier Club captain Craig Eustace (3hr 04min 08sec, ninth place in M35-39) - which represented a six-minute improvement on his previous best.
Napier Harrier's Eric Phimister celebrated a second placing in the M55-59 grade with 3hr 15min 18sec.
Marion Sherburn, who celebrates her 70th birthday later this year, won the W65-69 grade in 4hr 15min 23sec. This was the eighth time she has won her age group.
Havelock North mother of two Jill Fuller recorded a six-minute improvement on her impressive 2005 debut.
Unfortunately, 3hr 09min 19sec only gave her a repeat of the fifth placing among the senior women.
Among the other Bay runners were Grier Fuller (40th SM, 3hr 20min 43sec), Simon Dunn (26th M35-39, 3hr 22min 05sec), Chris Skea (73rd SM, 3hr 33min 43sec), John Craven (31st M50-54, 3hr 45min 06sec), Robin Larkworthy (57th M45-49, 3hr 56min 44min) and Phil Patterson (151st SM, 3hr 58min 19sec).
Auckland journalist student Scott Winton, 31, took overall honours.
He was untroubled over the second half, running a time of 2hr 25min 34sec to beat Queenstown farmer Chris Dagg by two minutes.
Aucklander Melanie Burke, 26, followed up her second place last year in the women's race, carving 11min off her debut time to win in 2hr 53min 35sec.
She got a boost when three-times previous winner and women's race record holder Nyla Carroll was reduced to a walk at 22km.