Preview New Zealand Road Championships

Sam Wreford of Canterbury could well be the surprise package at the New Zealand road running championships to be staged at Spencer Park in Christchurch on Saturday.

In his first race in six months last Saturday Wreford broke the last lap record in the annual Timaru Round the Gorges Relay. Wreford now steps up to the national road champs and the senior men’s 10km. Last year in Dunedin Wreford went close to clinching the title, after a close battle with Kim Hogarth. Over the final lap Hogarth had the strength when it counted and he went on to head in Wreford by eight seconds in 30m 3s.

A natural marathon runner Wreford, who won the national junior road title in 2002, has been sidelined with injuries but given a clear run on Saturday he will make it a tough race for the gold medal.

Wreford will be up against three times previous road champion Phil Costley of Canterbury, Canterbury’s Luke Hurring, Brett Tingay and Hayden McLaren, Stephen Lett of Auckland, Stefan Smith of Wellington and Dougal Thorburn of Otago.

Tingay, third last year, was second in the Canterbury title with Costley third. Hurring won the Clyde to Alexandra 10km road race, McLaren a 3m 57.78s miler has returned from a stint on an American athletic scholarship, Lett was second in the Auckland championship, Smith is the Wellington champion and Thorburn was a surprise third at the national cross country.

The first six in the senior women’s race last year have returned with defending champion Fiona Crombie of Canterbury the favourite to make it two years in a row in both the cross country and road. Rachel Kingsford of Otago second last year, Kellie Palmer of Canterbury third, Kirsty Morris of Otago fourth, Gabrielle O’Rourke of Wellington fifth and Lisa Robertson of Auckland sixth should once again make it a close race. Add to these the 2008 champion Shireen Crumpton of Otago, under 18 champion in 1994 and under 20 champion in 1995 and 1996 Sarah Biss of Waikato Bay of Plenty, Tina Harris of Wellington, Penny Peskett of Auckland and the W19 cross country champion and W19 road champion last year Danielle Trevis of Auckland and the pace will be on right from the start.

Richard Bennett of Canterbury will be going for his fifth outright victory in the master men’s 10km. His record has been 31m 52s in Christchurch in 2006, 32m 3s in Auckland in 2007, 31m 56s in Hamilton in 2008 and 31m 32s in Dunedin last year.

Gabrielle O’Rourke will have already raced in the master women’s 5km prior to starting in the senior women. O’Rourke in the 40-44 age group will be seeking an outright victory to add to the clear win at the cross country championships in Waikanae last month. Rachel Penney of Auckland and Tracy Crossley of Canterbury should battle out the 35-39 age group.

Jonathan Jackson of Auckland is the defending champion in the M19 and will face strong challenges from fellow Aucklander Cameron Graves, Cory Whiting of Waikato Bay of Plenty, Shaun Burgess of Southland, Alex Fowler of Canterbury and John Schreuder of Otago.

The women’s 19 5km has brought together the leading three runners in the country at the moment, Rebekah Greene of Otago, Nicki McFadzien of Canterbury and Anna-Lisa Uttley of Otago. Georgie Grgec of Auckland and Christina Taylor of Southland should also be in the leading group from the start.

Matt Baxter of Taranaki should add the M16 road title to the cross country title won last month.

Lydia Marshall of Canterbury, Margot Gibson of Canterbury, Mikayla Nielsen of Waikato Bay of Plenty and Ashleigh Williams of Auckland are the leading runners in the W16 5km.

Kate Newitt of Canterbury should win the senior women’s 10km race walk with the senior men’s 10km walk going to Mike Parker of Auckland.

The 12 event programme starts with the 5 and 10km walks at 9.30am, with the senior men and senior women 10km at 2.35pm