Athletics: Running into top form on road to Games glory

Nina Rillstone just loves running, through the forests or on the road. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Nina Rillstone delights in running past male competitors. In winning the Christchurch half-marathon this month in 1h 10m 49s, she ran by a lot of them.

In her next big race the stakes will be different.

Next week she returns to Jakarta for a 10km road race that offers an inviting US$10,000 ($14,000) for the winner. Rillstone finished fourth last year and, not surprisingly, has high hopes again.

"It was a bit daunting going up there for the first time. There was amazing depth with top Kenyans and Australians," said Rillstone, 30.

"Going head-to-head with some of the world's best was a great experience.

"Conditions aren't easy. The elite race was part of a huge fun run in which 30,000 Indonesians took part.

"Because of the humidity we started at 6.30am in a race billed as the Run for Humanity.

"I'm pleased to be going back as I need some races before I head to Canada for the world half-marathon championships in October."

Rillstone's record-breaking run in Christchurch caught her a little by surprise.

"I thought I was in 72-minute shape and thought I might have a chance of breaking Mary O'Connor's longstanding race record of 71m 40s."

Despite being forced to walk/jog for 200m as she battled abdominal cramps, Rillstone rattled home to break Nyla Carroll's New Zealand-best half-marathon mark by 4s and dip under the time needed to book a ticket to the world championships.

It was a far cry from her first experience in the race when, as a 16-year-old, she ran it with her parents and recorded a time of 1h 45m.

Since then it has not all been plain sailing for Rillstone.

Born in England to New Zealand parents and living here since she was 9 months old, Rillstone began running while living in Dunedin and continued while in Wellington, where she spent four years at university doing degrees in physical education and marketing.

In Auckland for the past three years and working in IT, her running career has taken off again after she was sidelined for a few years when hit hard by glandular fever.

She had been on a few trips to Asia with NZ Eikeden relay teams and had run at the World Student Games, but Rillstone's first real claim to fame came in 2001 when she won the 1500m and 3000m national track titles.

"When I won those I thought I might have a chance of making the team for Manchester [the 2002 Commonwealth Games] but I got glandular fever and that was that."

She bounced back last year to again win the 3000m, and added the 5000m crown to her haul when she ran away from Melissa Moon over the last three laps.

Trained by John Bowden and now running many of her training kilometres with partner Alan Bunce, Rillstone has her sights on next year's Commonwealth Games.

"With the mileage I'm doing and the strength I am building, I want to have a go at the 10,000m. I ran some good track times last year and that rekindled my thinking about having a go for Melbourne.

"The Commonwealth Games have always been a dream. I have run 32m 57s but feel I'm capable of a lot faster. I'm sure I can get to the low 32 minutes and under the qualifying time of 32m 25s."

Bowden has no doubts she can make it.

"Her run in Jakarta last year convinced me she is capable of matching the best. I'm sure with the experience of that race behind her she is capable of a personal best this time."

Rillstone will continue her mileage work right through to the world half-marathon championships.

"After that we will look for a couple of 10,000m races to do the qualifying time."

The sport here is in need of a boost. Maybe Rillstone will be the one to provide it.

Nina Rillstone

Date of birth: April 15, 1975

Where: Basildon, England

To NZ: 1976

School: Otago Girls High

NZ titles: 1500m/3000m 2001, 3000m/5000m 2004.

1st represented NZ: Eikeden Relay, Japan 1998