Club News

This is the final Athletics Wellington team selection for the New Zealand Cross Country champs in Taupo at the end of July (updated 21 July 2023). Olympic members in bold - well done team!

MENS GRADES

MU18:

• Ben Brunner
• Connor Kemp
• Max Poland
• Luca Evett

MU20:

• Max Doherty
• Josh Jordan
• Ryan Mackay
• Connor Chesney
• William Larkin
• Jacob Kilmister
• Shawn Peng

SM

• Joel Carman
• Liam Chesney
• Seamus Kane
• Thomas Strawbridge
• Max Karamanolis
• Hiro Tanimoto
• MaxTaylor

M35:

• Alvig Busa
• Jamie Duncan
• Brian Garmonsway
• Dan Clendon
• Stephen Day
• Josh Campbell
• James Richardson
• Alisdair Saunders

M50:

• Graeme Butcher
• Darren Gordon
• Willie Gunn
• Craig Holden
• Graeme Morrison
• Graeme Stevens
• Peter Stevens

M65:

• Tony Price

WOMENS GRADES

WU18:

• Scarlett Anderson
• Lulu Davies
• Poppy Healy
• Kate McHardy
• Amy McHardy

WU20:

• Abby Carver
• Lucy Jurke
• Eliza Squire
• Phoebe Squire

SW:

• Sarah Drought
• Saskia Cosgrove Drayton
• Maia Flint
• Esther George
• Raine Milne

W35:

• Lindsay Barwick
• Hannah Buglass-Deveraux
• Sally McGrandle
• Natalie Hardaker
• Ayesha Shafi
• Emily Solsberg

W50:

• Andrea Harris
• Victoria Humphries
• Jan Shepherd
• Michelle Van Looy
• Belinda Walker
• Heather Walker

The start of the harrier season is just about here!

Saturday 1 April

On Saturday 1 April is our Open Day for new and returning members. Join us at our clubrooms for a run or walk and afternoon tea (please bring a plate) with a coffee or beer afterwards. We will split into groups for our 'pack runs'. We are planning on having a number of groups depending on numbers, each with a different pace and runnng time:

• walkers
• shorter run for new runners (time dependent on what people are comfortable with)
• medium pace / less hills (about 45 mins)
• fast pace / more hills (60 mins+)

Meet at the clubrooms at 1:45 for a 2pm departure.

The following week is Easter when we will meet for an Easter themed pack run. Then on 15 April  is our first race: the 2km Maiden and Perston club races at Grenada North Park. There will be four races: two for the younger kids, the Maiden (2km cross country for those who have never won a race before) and the Perston Memorial (2km cross country - same course as the Maiden, but for those who have won a race before).

The races are followed by an afternoon tea back at the clubrooms - please bring a plate.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

If you are a new member and can't make it on Saturday you are more than welcome to join us another day. 

Waiora is now a Community Sports Bank drop-off location. The Community Sports Bank is a Wellington-wide initiative championed by the Wellington City Mission, providing free sport/play gear, for everyone to be more active. It connects directly with communities where there is a need.

If you have sports/play gear that needs a new home, our bin (big yellow bin in the foyer) is ready to receive it. We thank you in advance for your donations and generosity. 

Any good quality used and new sports gear is gratefully received (mouth guards excluded). For example:

• Racquets
• Boxing gear
• Bats
• Mitts
• Balls
• Generic sports clothes
• Sports shoes
• Skipping Ropes
• Play Gear

 

With the shortest day recently put behind us the next biggest event in the winter calendar is the traditional club assault on the North Island champs in Taupō. A large group of enthusiastic club runners made the trip up, with most of those seen wandering around the lake city behaving themselves for the most part (with perhaps some interesting takes on carbo loading enjoyed by some the night before).

Race day dawned chilly but perfectly clear with Rob leading a small crew getting our club tent up early thus cunningly grabbing a commanding position on the hill overlooking the start/finish chute. The young ones got the day rolling mid-morning with the senior races following as the day heated up. Taupō put on an absolute stunning winter’s day with nary a cloud in the sky or a breath of wind to bother those sweating it out on the nicely manicured and well set out undulating course.

Olympic was well represented across all the grades and that meant there were plenty of chances to cheer on the black singlet as the day unfolded and it was good to see ex-club president Mark Handley, and familiar face Craig Walker out there running the course, even if not in club colours. While we as a club had some outstanding results throughout the day, our real strength was in having so many people on the course of all abilities giving it their best, with each and every one racking up crucial points towards the top club trophy.

While our Masters runners were strong in most grades (as we have been in previous years), it was really nice to see the club have top results in the Senior men and Senior women races with Deborah Lynch and Toby Gaulter flying the flag high. Toby had by far the performance of the day with a commanding win in the blue ribbon Senior men’s event. I can’t recall any Olympic runner having won this race in the past and it was great to be there to see club history made.
Prizegiving was, as usual, quite delayed but as the sun went slowly down it was worth the wait as a steady troupe of Olympic runners made their way to the front. The big one for us was of course the top club trophy and while Pakuranga made a fight if it, we amassed the most points and took home the Big Cup once again, our tenth time as the best the North Island has to offer. A fantastic result!

An all-hands-in pack up and it was off to get changed for the club dinner which was at the local Cossie club. Much food, wine and merriment followed which was made all the better by the All Blacks doing their bit and winning the test match for us as we enjoyed the afterglow of a day well spent. There were plenty of tired bodies hitting the sack that night, although as usual, a large group got up early the next morning for a spectacular run along the river to prove that runners are just as crazy as most people think they are. Let’s all do it again next year anyone? Eleven-time winners does have a nice ring to it :-)

A big thank you must go to Andrea and Brian who organised much of the trip, entries and accommodation, Barry for picking up and dropping off the van plus his driving, Rob, Sharon and Adrian for bringing up and setting up so much of the club gear, the Olympic Committee, and of course most importantly all of you who made the journey and contributed to another great and successful trip! Runners, supporters, organisers and coaches you all made a difference, thank you! Kia kaha, let’s go Olympic!

Olympic Harrier Club Elite athlete, Will Anthony, backed up his selection in the U20, 3000m, 5000m Oceania Championships in Mackay, Queensland 7-11 June with selection in the U20 Worlds Team, 3000m in Cali, Columbia Aug 1-6.  

This is an amazing achievement.  WIll will be following club mate, Toby Gualter, taking up a running scholarship in the States following the World Champs.