Athletics: Rain can't keep Trevor from title

Rotorua athlete Trevor Ogilvie has added another cross-country title to his impressive resume.

Showers, surface water and muddy underfoot conditions greeted runners at the New Zealand cross-country championships held at Minogue Park, Hamilton at the weekend.

Fourteen Lake City Athletic club athletes featured in the various age groups races and distances on the programme.

Ogilvie, who has only returned from working in Australia for an extended period, was the only Lake City Athletic Club member to win a title. This success came in the Masters men's 60-64 grade when he recorded a solid performance of 31 minutes 34 seconds over the 8km distance.

Other club members to take a major placing in the various grades were:

Sue Crowley, second in the Masters women 40-44 6000 metres in a time of 24.18: Colin Earwaker 2nd, Masters men 55-59 8000 metres (30.11): Peter Vyver Masters men 70-74, 8000 metres (44.34): Bruce Edwards Masters men 50-54, 3rd (29.54), 8000 metres: Kathy Howard 3rd Masters women 60-64 , 6000 metres (32.14)

Other Lake City placegetters in the Master's grades were Adrian Lysaght, 35-39 8000m, 6th (29.23) and Tony Broadhead, 40-44 8000m 8th (29.53).

In the feature New Zealand men's senior championship raced over 12,000m, Steven O'Callaghan placed 18th in 42.45: Nick Portas 23rd in 43.15 and Sjors Corporaal 25th in 43.44. This race was won in a convincing manner by Kenyan runner Edwin Kaitang who has a series of unbeaten runs in New Zealand this year over both cross-country and road including the Rotorua marathon in April.

The senior women's race over 8m was won by Australian Celia Sullivan by 4 seconds from Hamilton's Mikayla Nielsen who took the New Zealand title. Sullivan's time was 29.33.

In the younger grade supporting races, young Lake City star Paige Satchell had to be content with 2nd place in a time of 10.56 for her 3000m distance. Race winner was Ari Graham of Christchurch in 10.49 who reversed the result from Satchell who won the New Zealand Secondary school's title earlier this year.

Michael Voss was 14th in the 6000m in 21.40, and younger brother Tom 16th in his Grade 14 3000m in 12.00.

In the teams events across the various grades Lake City members played a big part in Athletics Waikato BoP taking out the both the two masters men's teams events, 35-49 and 50 plus, and the bronze medal in the senior men's teams event.

This Saturday, runners and walkers from the Lake City club will contest the annual Matamata road relay with each team member racing a 3.3 km lap course in the Matamata township. They will face teams from throughout the Waikato BoP region.