Hastings Harrier Club's, Richard Potts and Andrea Williams both had convincing victories in their respective races at Saturday's Hastings Steeples, held at the Hawkes Bay Showgrounds.
Potts, showed no signs of the illness that prevented him from racing the national mountain running champs a week earlier, clearing away from the field on the first of four laps, winning the 6000 metre event in a time of 19:25. Potts' nearest rival was team-mate Matthew Holder, carrying a slight injury from a fall in the mountain running champs, 24 seconds adrift. Josh
Barber, Hastings, finished strongly for third, from Palmerston North's Jim Jones and the Napier trio of Craig Mathers, Chris Corney and Kevin Fisher. This set up the host team for victory in the four-person teams competition, with Iain Murray the other counting team member for Hastings. In the same race Eric Phimister, Napier, headed Hastings' Dan Haddock for the veteran men's title.
Williams was the most convincing winner of the day, in the senior women's 4500 metre event. In a race that had a combined start with the veteran women, men under 20 and men under 18, Williams was fifth over all and more than a minute clear of team-mate Marg Raddich. Hayley Sherborne, choosing to run the longer race, against the older competition, than the junior 3000
metre event, finished third, giving Hastings a clean sweep of the placings.
Diedre Nieuwland and Claire Bernard had a close battle in the veteran women's garde, with Neiuwland winning by only a second. Neville Smith and Michael Newton gave Hastings a winning double in the mens under 20 and under 18 grades. Smith lead from the start, beating team-mate and top junior triathlete Callum Millward. Newton crossed the line third, taking
the under 18 event from Palmerston North visitor, Callum McConachy.
The most exciting finish of the day came in the combined women's under 14, under 16 and under 18 race. There were three different leaders in the last 300 metres of the race. Under 14, Laura Smidt, Napier surged past her older rivals to take the lead, only to be over-taken by club-mate Annika Edmondson. In a fierce sprint finish Cara Webber, Hastings, battled with Edmondson, over taking her only metres before the line to win the under 18 women's event by a second, with Smidt crossing the line third. Sonya Clark, Napier, was fourth across the line, winning the under 16 girls grade.
Kane Green, Napier, won the boys under 16, 3000 metre event from Scott Nichol, Hastings. Hogan Green won the under 14 boys event by over a minute. Ben Barry, Hastings and Aleesha Heywood, Napier easily won the boys and girls 1500 metre races.
Report courtesy of
Hastings Harriers United | 
