Kuegler shatters marathon record at the Speight's West Coaster

On Saturday 14th November, Auckland multisporter James Kuegler shattered the Speight’s West Coaster record. His time of 4:49:47 was over thirty minutes quicker than the previous record set in 2008. At the finish line, an exhausted Kuegler said that the key to his race was “being efficient throughout the race, enjoying the stunning scenery, and gritting my teeth on the big hills.”

Described by some as ‘a journey of self-actualisation,’ The Speight’s West Coaster is the last event on the 2009 calendar for Auckland based event management company total sport (www.totalsport.co.nz). Starting at Bethels Beach on Auckland West Coast, the event is possibly New Zealand’s most scenic road, trail and coastal running event. With a distance for all levels of fitness, adventure and enthusiasm (42km Marathon, 28km, 18km, or 10km) the West Coaster is a must-do for all off-road enthusiasts.

Other winning times included Miriam Ellis, 6:24:57 womens marathon, Julia Cree, 4:19:19 women’s 28km, Jason Benniman, 3:40:34 men’s 28km, Meredith Baker, 2:01:01 women’s 18km, Andy Hughes, 2:02:01 men’s 18km, Michelle Horn, 51:56 women’s 10km, Zebedee Stone, 45:26 men’s 10km.

Kuegler is a rising star on the multisport and running scene. In the last two months he finished 5th at the Auckland Marathon with a personal best time of 2:37:53, 4th at the Lydiard Legend Marathon, and as part of Team Discover Health (Tim Wilding, Aaron Strong, and Gordon Walker) defended his winning teams title at Opotiki’s Motu Challenge, where Kuegler recorded the fastest run time. Impressive achievements for a 22 year old.

Kuegler is sponsored by bioSPORT®, a state-of-the-art biomechanical physiotherapy and sports conditioning practice in Auckland's CBD (www.biosport.co.nz). bioSPORT’s Principal Biomechanist Greg Pain commented that James is in fine form. “He has come a long way this year and we are exceptionally proud of him. We have spent many hours getting his running technique as efficient as possible, video-analysing, learning how to activate key muscles and building efficiency and strength in that all-important pelvic and leg musculature. We are with him as he continues to improve and achieve great results.”