Muck and fun on hilly farm run

Athletics

The Ruamahanga Ramblers held their run at Dave Hodder's Hinau Gully farm last Saturday.

Highlights included:

? Being a new venue, the terrain was unknown until the course was set just before the race. As it was a dairy farm a reasonable contour was expected, however, Dave Hodder seems to be farming the hardest dairy farm in Wairarapa. There were plenty of hills, and they were steep. It didn't help that the runners had to do the course twice, meaning the gut-busting hills, once conquered, had to be faced again.

? John Sage thrived on the multitude of steep climbs and descents, and passed all the front runners during the second lap to win his first race for a long time.

? The start of the course was along the cattle race near the cow shed, and accordingly there was some deep cow "muck". Unfortunately there was a deep pothole at one point, and Jack Britland stumbled into this and ended up sliding on his stomach along the race in 5cm-deep sloppy cow pat. However, he bravely got up and carried on, although he had to have a good hose down at the finish.

? Walker Chris van Gervan decided to walk the whole 6.6km runners course (rather than the 3.6km walkers course) and finished ahead of some of the runners.

This Saturday, the Ramblers will have an open handicap race from Rex McKay's Longbush farm.

The course will be set by veteran Rambler Ray Wallis, so is expected to be easier than last week's one.

Results:

2km: Max Taylor 17.38, Josh Price 18.16, Kasey Cox 18.16, Fergus Pitney 18.34, Olivia Horsburgh 30.37, Arin Phelan 30.38, Hannah Evans 32.21.

3.6km: Michael Hymans 21.21, Hamish 21.26, Matthew Furkert 21.26, Oliver Hammond 22.47, Jack Britland 24.42, Andrew Hymans 24.43, Steve Pitney 25.18, William Horsburgh 29.43, Matthew Sebire 30.24, Ben Van Gerven 32.15, Elton Gregory 33.43, Samantha Duthie 35.36, Alex Megaw 42.15, Jessica Duthie 0.42.15, Lucas Megaw 42.15, Lucy Britland 42.15, Audrey Sebire 42.38, Kim Drysdale 43.45, Mel Megaw 45.48, Irene Price 1:01.22, Alison Morell 1:01.27.

6.6km: John Sage 39.50, Roger Jones 40.29, Michael Duthie 41.51, Marty Sebire 43.44, Katherine Hosburgh 43.45, Teresa Reynolds 46.09, Paul Furkert 46.10, Chris Megaw 50.28, Wayne Hyman 50.28, Steve Britland 51.29, Stephen Yeats 52.31, Ray Wallis 54.46, Chris Van Gerven 57.04, Claudia Baechle 57.15, Rupert Watson 1:05.05.