Athletics New Zealand Media Release - 28 September 2009

WAIPU
Takapuna Harriers make it a clean sweep in the annual Waipu Relays, which incorporated the Northland Road Relay Championships, taking the first three placings in the 4 x 6.1km event. Stephen Lett ran the fastest 6.1km lap in 19m 29s and Helen Kilding was the fastest in the women with 24m 49s. Athletics Whangarei won the men and women's Northland road relay titles.

AUCKLAND
Jono Jackson followed up his victory three weeks ago in the men's 19 New Zealand road championship in Dunedin with a win in the Auckland 10,000m championship.
Raced at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday evening, in difficult windy conditions, Jackson ran most of the distance in second place behind Jonny McKee, in the combined grades race.
Over the final 600m Jackson lifted his pace and out kicked McKee in the final straight to record a time of 31m 53.4s for the junior title. McKee in second collected the senior title in 31m 56.1s.
McKee was third in last season's Auckland 5000m championship and on the road was second in the 2008 Huntly half marathon and at this year's Christchurch half marathon was seventh.
Gracie Keown won the women's title in 40m 4.2s.

PALMERSTON NORTH
Renowned New Zealand athletic official Allan Cherry of Taihape was made a Life Member of the Palmerston North Athletic and Harrier Club. The first time a non-member of the Club has been made a Life Member.
In proposing Allan Cherry for Life Membership, Alan Adamson said that for more than forty years Allan Cherry regularly travelled to Palmerston North and other areas to officiate at athletic meetings. Palmerston North has established itself as a venue athletes like to compete at because of the efficient manner in which meetings are conducted. Allan Cherry plays a big role in this. He is always one of the first appointments that organisers make as field referee, safe in the knowledge that with Allan in charge this area will run smoothly.
One of Oceania’s leading officials Allan is held in the highest regard by both officials and athletes alike. Something never more aptly demonstrated than at last years Colgate Games in Wanganui when the club’s medal winning children insisted that Mr Cherry join them for their victory photo.

NELSON
The Phil Costley shield, the symbol of Primary and Intermediate Schools’ Cross Country supremacy, was won by Canterbury, at Saxton Field, Nelson on Thursday. Over 340 Year 5 to 8 school children from Canterbury, Tasman and Wellington took part in wintry conditions on a slippery and wet course. Wellington, who had shared the shield with Canterbury at Upper Hutt in 2008, had five individual gold medallists but Canterbury had wins in seven out of the eight teams’ events and three races where they had the first four runners across the line. The race of the day was the Year 8 Boys’ race where Tasman’s Joshua Barry was trying to achieve his third consecutive Inter-Regional title but he was outsprinted by well-performed Colgate Games medallist, Fletcher Greaves of Wellington. Noah Billingsley of Wellington became the first runner to achieve three Inter-Regional titles in a row when he won the Year 7 Boys’ race. The Shield and medals were presented by Harry Dixon, a triple New Zealand Junior running champion last year and son of race organiser, Dave Dixon, of Nelson.

BRUCE McCOMB BATTLES ON
Bruce McComb should reach Christchurch on Thursday in his run from Cape Reinga to Bluff. He slept while crossing Cook Strait last Wednesday, but quickly resumed his running on reaching Picton, immediately running 10km.

NEWS FROM MELANIE CLELAND
Melanie Cleland and Edwin Henshaw became engaged last week. Cleland had a good run of racing in the two weeks leading up to the engagement, finishing second in 11m 9s over two miles in the Hurricane Festival in Tulsa and in the Missouri State Classic in Springfield on September 19 was second over 5km in 17m 25.4s, which led her to being named Conference USA cross country runner of the week.