Athletics New Zealand weekly round-up

CAMBEWARRA, NOWRA, NSW - 29 August 2009
Australian Cross Country Championships
Aaron Pulford finished second and Michael Banks third in the Men under 20 Australian cross country championship on Saturday. Pulford recorded 27m 4s for the 8km, 28s ahead of Banks. Harry Summers of NSW, who was 29th at the world junior cross country championships in Jordan in March, won the under 20 race by a wide margin over Pulford in 26m 11s. Sam Dobson was 11th in the men's open 12km and Elizabeth Orchard was 20th in the women's open 8km.
New Zealand performances
Women open 8km: Elizabeth Orchard 20th 34m 8s.
Men under 20 8km: Aaron Pulford 2nd 27m 4s, Michael Banks 3rd 27m 32s, Alex Parlane 7th 28m 10s, Luke Longdill 10th 28m 36s, James Hand 12th 28m 55s, Julian Harris 36th 30m 51s.
Men open 12km: Sam Dobson 11th 41m 22s, Rowan Hooper 19th 42m 4s, Aaron Jackson 45th 49m.

SUSA, ITALY - 30 August 2009
Memorial Partigiani Stellina.
Jonathan Wyatt won the annual mountain race for the 11th year in a row in a race record time. Wyatt covered the 14,500m 1,695m ascent and 235m descent in 1h 7m 56s, slicing seven minutes off his 2004 race record. Melissa Moon was second in the women's 8100m 820m ascent and 235m descent in 42m 2s, with Lara Phillips fourth in 42m 33s. Russian Janna Vokueva won in 39m 37s.
Wyatt's next race is on Saturday in Switzerland where he tackles the Jungfrau Marathon 42.2km ascending 2000m.

CHRISTCHURCH - 29 August 2009
50th Riverside Handicap Road Relay
University (Simon Gallaway, Matt Ingram, Gus Taylor, Brett Tingay, Phil Costley) were the fastest in the senior men 5 x 5km in a record 1h 17m 58s. Tingay ran the fastest lap of 14m 56s, Brett Smith was on 15m 5s and Ingram on 15m 6s.
The fastest masters team was Papanui TocH in a record 1h 24m 17s. Richard Bennett was the fastest around the course in 15m 16s. University (Julieana Findlay, Alex Williams, Nicki McFadzien, Fiona Crombie) won the women's 4 x 5km in 1h 14m 39s, with Crombie running the fastest 5km in a record 17m 14s, McFadzien was on 18m 18s and Williams 19m 4s. Port Hills was the fastest in the masters women with 1h 25m 14s. Fiona Gilroy ran the fastest lap of 19m 50s. In the under 16 relays over a 2.5km lap Christchurch Avon won the boys with Ryan Batin the fastest lap with 8m 17s and Papanui TocH won the girls with the fastest lap going to Margot Gibson with 8m 53s.

AUCKLAND - 23 August 2009
Auckland Road Walking Championships, Ngataringa Bay
Tony Sargisson won the Auckland 10km road walking title in a time of 51m 4s, from Frank Smedley who won the masters title in 59m 51s.
Alana Barber won the women's 10km title in a personal best time of 55m 45s. Karen Davidson won the masters women title in 1h 7m 2s.
Matthew Holcroft won the junior men's 5km in 26m 58s and Maggie Bradley the junior women's 5km in 29m 33s.

WELLINGTON - 22 August 2009
Wellington Road Championships, Trentham
Tim Hodge won the senior men's 10km in 30m 37s from Rees Buck 31m 26s and Glenn Hughes 31m 27s.
Vicki Humphries won the open women 10km in 37m 7s from Gabby O'Rourke 37m 28s and Stephanie Mackenzie 37m 54s.
Grant McLean masters winner covering 10km 32m 31s. Anne Hare won the master women's 5km in 18m.
Ben Barry men 19 8km winner in 25m 54s. Nicole Mitchell took out the women's 19 5km in 18m 12s.
Peter Baillie won the 10km road walk in 54m 4s from Terri Grimmett 1h 1m 0s.

WELLINGTON
Long distance runner Bernie Portenski ran 60km to celebrate her 60th birthday last Wednesday.
Portenski ran from Miramar to Eastbourne and return in eight and a quarter hours, setting out at 6.30am and returning at 2.45pm.
The birthday girl and her friend and fellow runner Gabrielle O'Rourke dreamed up the run as a fitting celebration for someone who has run 106 marathons. Portenski is now looking to run 70km on her 70th birthday, something she says she has 10 years to prepare for.