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MOUNTAIN RUNNING

Records tumble as guns conquer Kauri Run

Tuesday 25 November 2008, 10:17AM

By Triple Crown series

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Ben Kauri
Ben Kauri Credit: Triple Crown series
Hanny Kauri
Hanny Kauri Credit: Triple Crown series

COROMANDEL

Tasmanian Hanny Allston stunned the women’s field – and most of the men – with a record-breaking run in the 32km Great Cranleigh Kauri Run on the Coromandel Peninsula yesterday.

The 22-year-old, who has been studying in Auckland for the past year, broke the previous course record by an incredible 15mins, with only the top three men’s runners ahead of her on the course in the second round of the North Island Triple Crown series.

Allston has plenty of off-road pedigree – she won both the junior and senior titles at the 2006 world orienteering championships – but switched to the road this year and promptly won the Rotorua Marathon.
Last week she added the New Zealand half-marathon crown in Kerikeri, and yesterday’s win, in 2h 42m 11s, was the perfect way to end her stint in New Zealand.

“I finish my studies on Tuesday and fly back out to Australia on Wednesday so it’s a really exciting way to finish off what’s been a wonderful year in New Zealand,” Allston said.

“I have been pretty tired this week and was almost at a point of not knowing if I’d run. But it was a great opportunity to come to a beautiful place and to meet new people - I was just out there enjoying it and came way with fourth – I’m stoked.”

As expected, Tauranga’s Ben Ruthe took the men’s title and he also shaved 19 seconds off the course record, finishing in 2h 27m 50s.

Ruthe opened up a healthy lead along the initial 2km stretch along Waikawau Beach, but took a wrong turn soon after and by the time he got back on track was in 20th place.

Once he hit the front again, however, there was little anyone could do to peg him back. He emulated his win in the Auckland Marathon four weeks ago and in the first event of the series, the 18.5km Toi’s Challenge in Whakatane. Only a rugged 21.5km venture around the slopes of Mt Ruapehu in the series-ending The Goat in a fortnight stands in his way of a clean sweep.
Teenager Daniel Jones (Whakatane) again showed his prodigious ability, finishing second only four minutes adrift of Ruthe, while Hamilton’s Kerry Suter was 10mins off the lead in third, just ahead of the flying Allston.
There was also a record in the shorter 13km race, where former Coast to Coast podium finisher Tim Grammar (Auckland) crossed in 1:05:17.

Results:
Men: Ben Ruthe (Tauranga) 2hrs 27mins 50secs (record) 1, Daniel Jones (Whakatane) 2:31:57 2, Kerry SUter (Hamilton) 2:37:59 3, Mark McKeown (Tauranga) 2:42:59 4, Colin Earwaker (Rotorua) 2:44:28 5, Glenn Sexton (Te Awamutu) 2:47:08 6, Graeme Pearson (Rotorua) 2:48:08 7, James Bradshaw (Auckland) 2:54:42 8, Neil Parkinson (Hamilton) 2:57:08 9, Peter Blair (Auckland) 3:02:24 10.

Women: Hanny Allston (Australia) 2:42:11 (record) 1, Oksana Isavnina (Rotorua) 3:09:46 2, Tracey Greenwood (Hamilton) 3:23:01 3, Anna Heap (Rotorua) 3:23:49 4, Dawn Tuffery (Te Awamutu) 2:25:08.
13km: Men: Tim Grammar (Auckland) 1:05:17 (record) 1, Tom Reynolds (Wauimauku) 1:05:48 2, Hamish Barker (Pauanui) 1:06:25 3.

Women: Kirsten Milne (Te Awamutu) 1:11:29 1, Melissa Cosgrove (Te Awamutu) 1:17:02 2, Anna Fischer (Auckland) 1:17:15 3.

For more information about the Triple Crown series, 


www.whakatane.com 
www.arcevents.co.nz/kaurirun/
www.thegoat.co.nz