Maggie Jones at the Athletics New Zealand Championships in March. Photo / Alisha Lovrich
Athletics is alive and well in the southern North Island as demonstrated last weekend in Palmerston North at the second round of the Regional League.
Despite a far-from-encouraging weather forecast on Saturday we saw none of the predicted heavy rain and strong winds in Palmerston North and instead enjoyed warm dry conditions with light wind. Club members from 15 competing clubs were clearly not deterred by the forecast and attended in large numbers. Seventy athletes ran in the 100 metres (37 males and 33 females) with similar numbers in the 200m. The 1500m races attracted 42 athletes: 21 for each gender.
The format of events seeded by ability rather than strict age gradings gives meaningful competition for all as seen in the five male and female heats in the 100m. The inclusive nature of the competition and the club format is a good mix and is at the heart of the ongoing success of the Regional League. It is a model that could be adopted successfully beyond the lower North Island.
Whanganui had a much larger representation than in the opening round and although still fourth of the 15 clubs the gap has been closed.
The return of athletes such as Nat Kirk and Bella Willis for the third and final round in Masterton on November 26 suggests further upward progress.
New Zealand Secondary Schools representative Maggie Jones gave Whanganui the perfect start and clearly demonstrated that although short of competitive outings this season, she is in good shape.
Despite a 1.4 metre per second headwind Jones set a personal best 14.51 seconds over the 100m hurdles. Jones is defending New Zealand Secondary School Champion over 300m hurdles from 2020 (the 2021 Championships were cancelled because of Covid-19).
On Saturday Jones demonstrated she will be among the favourites. The hurdles were incorrectly set making her 44.94 invalid. Jones will know that this was nearly two seconds faster than at the equivalent before the 2020 Championships and also the distance ran was 300m albeit the hurdles were on the wrong marks.
Paige Cromarty was second and she also should be encouraged by what for her was a best time over the hurdles.
It was good to see Travis Bayler, returned from university, put in a big shift that will provide benefits this season. Bayler concentrated on sprints, running the 100m, 200m, 400m as well as running in the 4x100m over a two-hour period. The 400m provided the best result finishing in 52.37 with solid efforts in the others providing excellent preparation for later events.
Jacky Dai won the triple jump with a 13.01m winning effort reflecting good early season progress.
He finished 5th in his less favoured long jump (19 competitors) with a 6.15m effort only 4cm shy of his personal best. Pick of the younger athletes was Whanganui Collegiate Year 9 Juliet McKinlay who represents Palmerston North. McKinlay won her 80m in a season’s best, was 5th in the high jump, and long jump and third in the triple. Thomas Gowan should be pleased with his 400m. He won Heat 2 in 53.47 which would give him fifth overall one place behind Bayler. Damian Hodgson was second behind Gowan with Year 9 athlete Oliver Toohey third in Gowan’s heat. Greta Darke, 15, finished second in the 2000m steeplechase with a personal best closely followed by 14-year-old Hannah Byam with an excellent debut (7:56.07). Both athletes improved on this at Tuesday’s Club Night.
Whanganui leading middle distance runners Daniel Sinclair and Louise Brabyn finished second in their respective male and female 1500m races. Sinclair found himself against the older Karsen Vesty (third in the New Zealand under-20 rankings) and perhaps needed to be a little more decisive over the last lap. Sinclair felt a little flat but should get consolation from the fact that in breezy conditions he set a season’s best less than a second shy of his personal best. Brabyn also set a season best and probably could have stuck closer to former teammate McKenzie Morgan in the early laps. Brabyn narrowed the gap in the last lap. Morgan, bound for East Michigan in August on a track scholarship, had a good early season 4:42.29 performance (Brabyn 4:43.13). Brabyn and Sinclair excelled in the 2000m steeplechase at Tuesday’s Club Night recording outstanding performances. Sinclair sliced 18 seconds off his best to top the New Zealand under 18 rankings (6:04.32), while Brabyn improved by nine seconds and likewise tops the rankings (7:01.22).
There are 22 days to the New Zealand Schools Championships and just five days to the final Regional league.