Mates set to battle for Rotorua Marathon title

Jono Jackson of Auckland strikes a pose after finishing the half-marathon race. ASB Auckland Marathon 2014,02 November 2014. Photo: Raghavan Venugopal/www.photosport.co.nz

Training partners Jono Jackson and Josh Maisey will put their friendship to one side as they battle for line honours in the 53rd edition of the iconic Rotorua Marathon on Saturday.

Jackson, 26, has yet to win at Rotorua despite a list of achievements including the current national cross-country title and 2014 New Zealand mountain running champion. He was third in 2015 in 2:30:25 and has a personal best of 2:26:38 for second in the Auckland marathon last October. Jackson won last year's Kerikeri half marathon.

Maisey, 24, who is now based in Australia, was third in the Rotorua half marathon in 2015 in 1:08:42 and ran his best marathon of 2:27:52 in Christchurch the same year. Maisey sharpened up for his run around the lake with a fourth placing in last month's Canberra half marathon in 1:11:00.

Chris Sanson, second last year and silver medallist in the New Zealand championship, returns to try to go one better. The 29-year-old has a career best of 2:28:10 last year and comes into the race fresh from winning the Wellington round the bays half marathon in February in 1:10:26.

In the women's field Johanna Ottosson, 43, was New Zealand marathon champion in 2011, winning at Rotorua in 2:48:28, and she also won at Rotorua in 2010 in 2:50:19. She was third last year at Rotorua in 2:57:52 for silver in the New Zealand championship. Ottosson's personal best of 2:46:05 was in the New York marathon in 2011. With her record she will be hard to peg back.

Katie Wyrill will want to complete her progression on Saturday from third in 2015 and second last year to the top spot on the podium. Wyrill ran 2:57:26 in 2015.

Yuki Ogawa from Japan will add an international flavour to the women's section. The 24-year-old has a best of 2:48:12 for 21st in the 2013 Paris marathon.

New Zealand women's half-marathon champion Olivia Burne should have no trouble maintaining her winning trend over the 21.1km distance. The 25-year-old is clearly the fastest woman entered in the half marathon and should make it four victories in a row, following on from Christchurch last June where she ran 1:15:29, Auckland in October and Huntly in March. In the recent track season Burne was second in both the 3000m and 5000m.

The half marathon starts from the Government Gardens at 8am and the full marathon will be sent on its way at 8.20am.

A total of 5300 runners and walkers will take part in the 2017 event, with more than 1100 in each of the full and half marathons, more than 900 in the quarter marathon and 5km events and more than 2100 in tomorrow's mini marathon for primary school pupils from around Rotorua.