Shaw Baton fastest teams and individuals

The Shaw Baton Relay was started as an Olympic Harriers club race in 1923, and became an annual Wellington interclub event in 1929. Since 1954 it has been run as the first interclub event of the year.

The venue has changed many times over its history, including Hataitai, Miramar, Newtown, Scots College, Karori Park, Rongotai, Johnsonville, Waitangirua, Porirua and Pauatahanui, with changes required to cope with the changing landscape of the city — mainly due to housing development, but also (in one case) due to the new airport at Rongotai.

• The Shaw Baton is now run at Battle Hill Farm Forest Park, and has been there since 1994 — longer than at any other venue.
• The event was not held in 2020.
• Electronic timing was introduced in 2021, with times measured to 0.1 second. 

Fastest times

These pages record the fastest teams and individuals on the Battle Hill course each year by grade. 

Fastest time notes:

• If two individuals have the same recorded fastest time then both individuals appear in this list, unless the times were both recorded on lap 1 in which case the first individual across the line is recorded. (Unless it was a dead heat!)
• Mixed grades are not included and individuals running out of grade are included in the grades in which they compete (for example, a master running in a senior/open team and recording the fastest masters time will not appear here).
• Times should not be compared between years due to varying conditions and slight changes in the course.