Bennett to miss marathon

ON A WINNING RUN: Andy Bennett wins the 2013 Wairarapa country marathon.PHOTO/FILE

Andy Bennett has passed up the chance of making it a hat-trick of Wairarapa country marathon wins.

The Carterton athlete had originally intended to be on the start line for this Sunday's 2014 edition of the event but with other commitments interrupting his preparation, he has elected to give it a miss.

"I just couldn't get myself ready to tackle it this time round, there wasn't enough time to get some solid training in," Bennett said yesterday.

Having clocked fastest time honours with a time of 2h 50min 26s in 2012 and again last year when he was the only runner to break the magical 3-hour mark with a time of 2:59.56, Bennett has understandably developed a liking for a course which involves two laps of a circuit which starts outside the main gate at Makoura College.

A quick out and back for 400m along Makora Rd is followed by a left turn into Johnstone St, then right into Colombo Rd, past Lakeview School, then right into Te Ore Ore Rd. The course turns right again by the substation into Watsons Rd, right into Stronvar Rd and down the Lees-Pakaraka Rd. From there it is a right turn at the Martinborough-Masterton Rd and back to Makoura College where participants turn left into Makora Rd, and do it all over again.

Bennett says the two-lap format means the marathoners have the opportunity to get a good understanding of the intricacies of a course which he says is hillier than many probably anticipate.

"A couple of the climbs can be pretty testing, especially the second time around when you are starting to get a bit tired. It pays to keep that in mind through the early stages."

Bennett sees the picturesque nature of the course, which largely involves running along country roads, helping athletes cope with the mental challenges of taking part in such an arduous event.

"Mentally it always helps if the scenery is worth looking at and that's certainly the case here. There's something special about the feeling of being out in the country, I really enjoy that. "

Four other events are being held in conjunction with the marathon. A half-marathon walk and a half-marathon run will be held over one lap of the marathon course and there will be two "fun runs", one 10km and the other 5km.

The 10km competitors follow the marathon course before heading along the Waipoua River bank, up Blair St and past the hospital. They will turn around about 50m past the first drink station and then head home via scenic Henley Lake. The 5km field follow the marathon course and then complete a course within the Henley Lake precinct before returning to Makoura College.

Start times are: Marathon 7am, Half-marathon walk 8am, half-marathon run 9am, 10km fun run 9.30am, 5km fun run 10am.