Macklin wins by a country mile

Cross-country

Michael Macklin clearly took line honours when the Ruamahanga Ramblers held a cross-country event on properties near the Mahunga golf course in Masterton on Saturday.

Macklin was all of four minutes quicker than anybody else over the 6.4km course, a situation which had his rivals suggesting all future races should be held well away from Masterton as work commitments generally mean he struggles to make the usual 2pm start for events staged elsewhere.

Course setter Malcolm MacDonald was experiencing the trials and tribulations of that assignment for the first time and either the effort required to complete that task - or perhaps the lack of hills - saw him beaten by arch rival Paul Furkert, a reversal of results over previous weeks where the terrain obviously suited MacDonald better.

MacDonald also had to take some ribbing over the fact one paddock contained long grass, hidden among which were some rather firm cow pats. The first lap saw several runners stumble over these but by the second time around the grass had been sufficiently squashed to allow evasive action to be taken.

Robyn Weston again put in a good walk. She had just returned from the Rotorua half-marathon and next week heads off to another half-marathon, her sixth this year.

Results:

2.1km: Jack Britland 10.43, Marshall Pitney 10.57, Kasey Cox 11.50, Charlotte Anderson 17.38, Johnny Anderson 19.33, Madeline Anderson 19.33.

4.2km: Matthew Furkert 20.39, Samantha Duthie 21.52, Steve Pitney 22.36, Chris Van Gerven 30.23, Vanessa Vermeulen 31.10, Ali Lang 34.32, Robyn Weston 40.04, Robyn Weston 40.04, Judy Rayner 41.38, Laura Rayner 41.38, Lynne Birkett 43.12, Joshua Vermeulen 44.04, Irene Price 44.23, Clarissa Price 48.05, Deb Owen 49.44.

6.4km: Michael Macklin 24.41, Paul Furkert 28.31, Malcolm MacDonald 29.02, Derek Cox 29.42, Roger Jones 30.10, Michael Duthie 30.34, Lesley Graham 31.06, Malcolm Swanson 31.43, Stephen Yeats 32.27, Brian Sanders 32,42, Phil Anderson 32.47, Marty Sebire 32.55, Steve Britland 33.07, Teresa Reynolds 33.20, Greg Baillie 33.54, Helene Dore 34,17, Wayne Hyman 34.25, Ben Van Gerven 36.08, Martin Parker 38.28, Claudia Baechie 39.30.