Smaller field takes on Crossing

Northland athletes completely dominated the top places in the fourth annual Craigs Northern Crossing, which took place between Omapere and Kerikeri on Saturday.

Category winners came from right across Northland, from Whangarei in the south to Kaitaia in the north and from Dargaville across to Kerikeri, noted event spokesperson Peter Heath.

While overall numbers were described as being on a par with previous crossings, there was concern in some quarters the event had not been able to capitalise on last year's record turnout, nor attract a wider spread of athletes from further afield.

Heath admitted the Northern Crossing had been competing with a variety of other events held in Auckland over the weekend, with all catering to what some have described as a growing nationwide interest in the multisports scene. No doubt it was also competing with the Mangonui's annual waterfront festival and also the local rugby's Rally Day.

Any conflict of dates was unavoidable however, Heath noted, with organisers forced to shedule this year's Crossing with a rare high tide in the Kerikeri basin in order to allow the event's kayak leg to take place.

So, while the starting field of athletes for the coast-to-coast crossing was "greatly reduced" compared with last year, to have 128 of the total of 207 participants participating in the the Missionary Trail was regarded by organisers as success of sorts, with the middle-distance event designed to broaden the scope and appeal of the event, albeit mainly to get more locals on board.

The 109km Northern Crossing - taken on as either a triathlon or duathlon - comprised an 8km run, 80km cycle, 8km run and 12km kayak. The duathletes crossed the finish line in Kerikeri's Basin Reserve, while the multisporters began the kayak leg along Kerikeri Inlet.

The shorter middle-course Missionary Trail 57km course began with a 13km mountain bike leg along the Pou Herenga Tai cycleway to join the main Crossing route at Kaikohe for a further 30km road cycling, followed by an 8km run down to the Stone Store Basin and a 6km kayak leg to finish. As with the longer coast-to-coast course, athletes could opt out of the kayak and turn their Missionary Trail into a duathlon.

Another first this year was the introduction of the Settlers' Run/Walk, which followed the 8km Kerikeri River trail from Waipapa to the Stone Store basin past Rainbow Falls.

The fundraising brainchild of the Rotary Club of Kerikeri and supported by various sponsors, the 2014 Northern Crossing also raised about $8000 which will go towards various community projects across the province.

Results: Northern Crossing: Male multisport: Graeme Ewenson from Dargaville, winning for the second consecutive year in 5.3:44 (e.g. five hours, three minutes and 44 seconds) by running, cycling and kayaking along the 109km route; duathlon, male: Chris Walls of Okaihau 3.29:3s, female: Hinerangi Waikai of Kaitaia 5.37: 27s; team multisport: Dave Green, Dale Simkin and John Sanderson of Kerikeri 4.57:12s*; team duathlon: Peter Foote and Teri Robinson of Kerikeri 3.56:19s.

Missionary Trail: Individual, male: Geoff Dunn from Kerikeri (also for the second consecutive year) 2.47:13s, female: Estelle Plowright of Whangarei 3.9:17s*; duathlon, male: Jeff Couchman of Okaihau 2.13: 37s, female: Catherine Semenoff-Murray of Kaitaia 2.14:32s; team multisport: Chris Fewtrell, Tim Hunter, Tess Tayler and Tony Del Beth-Hudson (Kerikeri) 2.34:42s; team duathlon: Ed Firth and Mark Forsythe of Whangarei 3.56:19s; junior team multisport: Jayden Gibson, Finn Fraser and Tassilo Eisenmann (Kerikeri High School); junior team duathlon: Adam Lee, Hamish Palmer and Grace Morrison (Kerikeri High School).

Settlers' Run/Walk: Male: Hamish Fleetwood of Kerikeri 38:55s, female: Alison Weinstock of Whangarei 48:15s.

*Indicates new course record.