Cross-country: Lake City lap up three wins

Lake City Athletic Club runners had a successful day at the North Island Cross-country Championships on Saturday at Spa Park, Taupo.

More than 500 athletes from throughout the North Island and a small number from the South Island competed in the 15-event programme held in sunny but cool conditions, with a slight wind.

Underfoot conditions were firm, with the events based over 2000m and 3000m laps.

Lake City grabbed three wins on the day, with Colin Earwaker, Sjors Corporaal and Paige Satchell overall winners of their respective races.

Earwaker (55-59), competing in the masters men's 50-plus race over 6000m, was more than satisfied in winning overall, as this meant he has won this age group for the past five years in a row.

The surprise of the masters men's 50-plus race was the run of Earwaker's clubmate Bruce Edwards in coming second.

After a relatively slow start, Edwards moved to second place midway through the first lap to chase Earwaker all the way to the finish to win his 50-54 age division.

Corporaal, competing in the masters men's 35-plus age group event also over 6000m, ran an excellently judged race.

He shared the lead with two other well-preformed competitors for about 4400m, at which point he made his move up a short, sharp hill. That proved the winning break and Corporaal came home a decisive overall winner from former Rotorua runner Ross McIntyre (Hastings), who was third in this year's Rotorua Marathon.

Satchell was again dominant in winning her girls' 14 race over 3000m, this coming on top of her New Zealand Secondary Schools title over the same distance two weeks ago in Auckland.

Satchell led all the way to win by 15 seconds.

Sue Crowley, competing in her first major cross-country event for Lake City, ran a good race winning her masters women's 40-44 age group over 5000m. Crowley finished sixth overall in the masters women's event.

Peter Vyver won the masters men's 70-plus section, with clubmate Ray Hewlett second in the 65-69 section.

The men's open 9000m, won by Kip Kemei, the recent Rotorua Half Marathon winner, saw Lake City's Steven O'Callaghan finish 12th.

In the younger grades, Tegan Fookes (girls' 12), racing over 2000m, placed 10th, while sister Ella was 16th in her girls' 14 3000m.

Tom Voss was 25th in the boys' 12 3000m and brother Michael, racing in the men's 16 5000m, was eighth.