They came, they saw, they crossed

A record field of 235 athletes participated in the fourth annual Top Energy Northern Crossing on Saturday between Omapere and Kerikeri.

The 109km event comprised a triathlon, a duathlon and, for the first time, a shorter middle-distance event which organisers said had broadened the scope of the event and made it more attractive, particularly to locals, while the core group of top-flight athletes who relished the challenge of a coast-to-coast event remained catered for.

The challenge began from the South Head of Hokianga Harbour entrance where a karakia sent the runners off on the 8km first leg, followed by an 80km cycle route across to Waipapa, where the athletes dumped their bikes and ran down the scenic Kerikeri River track to the Stone Store basin and past Rainbow Falls to met a festival atmosphere at the basin's reserve where the duathletes finished and the multisporters began their kayak leg.

The shorter inaugural Missionary Trail course was taken on by 86 of the 235 and they did a 51km bike and run duathlon starting at Okaihau with a 13km mountain bike leg along the Pou Herenga Tai cycleway before joining the main route at Kaikohe. The abbreviated leg also featured a kayaking leg for those so inclined.

The Northern Crossing, organised by the Rotary Club of Kerikeri and supported by a variety of major and other sponsors, raised about $10,000 for community projects across Northland.

The top results included: Individual multisport results, Graeme Ewenson from Dargaville was the first man in in 5:03.14s while Mary Lambie, of Auckland, was first woman in 6:30.50.

Team, men: Justin Phillips, Dale Simkin and John Sanderson of Kerikeri in 5:11.36s, women: Anne Mortimer and Sharon Ducker from the North Shore in 5:34.28s; duathlon: male: Brendon Erskine of Auckland 3:10.03s, women: Shirley Dryden of Kerikeri 4:10.32s; team, men: David Hannan and David Whyman of Kerikeri 3:16.56s, women: Jane Young and Selena Wallis of Whangarei 4:8.28s.

Missionary Trail results, individual multisport, men: Geoff Dunn from Kerikeri 2:46.01s, women: DJ Gillming of Hikurangi 3:21:18s (female); duathlon, men: Mike Hardiman of Whangarei 1:53:33s, women: Josie Butcher of Otorohanga 2:14:31s.