The Napier Harrier Club brought their 2000 season to a close on Saturday with the running of the annual Memorial Road Race around the back streets of Taradale. The event is held each year to commemorate four of the club�s members, Ron Gibbons, Robbie Kingi, Bill Hughes and John Dolbel who were killed in a car accident while returning from the old Napier to Wairoa Road Relay on September 23, 1967.

This year it was the club's newly crowned Road Race Champion, Craig Mathers who led the field home in a time of 1 hour 29 minutes and 42 seconds. It was a good finish to the season for Mathers who has been trying to crack the 90 minute mark for the event for last few years and now looks ready to push on to good finish in the upcoming Napier Half. Second home was veteran Darryl Strachan, just 53 seconds behind with a big gap back to Peter Gillies in third.

Mathers led the race from start to finish and although Strachan was close behind at the line, Mathers always appeared to have the race under control. Having said that the race between these two at the Napier Half looks an interesting prospect.

Peter Gillies ran in third place for the whole race, out by himself in no-mans land with Mathers and Strachan too far ahead to see and no one close enough behind to give him any worries. Still, it was an excellent �training run� and good results given the hot and windy conditions.

Eric Phimister and John Craven looked like they were either going to have a ding dong battle or a training run together. Sometimes it was hard to tell with Craven running away from Phimister up the hills (no surprise there) but then almost appearing to wait for Phimister to catch him. There was what appeared to be a decisive break just after half way, but the huge gap that had developed between the two was caused by Phimister taking (apparently) a pit stop at the Puketapu Pub. (He may have popped in for a quick pint!).

However, by the time the pair reached the line they were together again and crossed at exactly the same time.

The associate 4 person relay was won by Team Speakman in a time of 1:45:57. Eric Speakman gave the team a commanding lead at the end of the first leg which was never surrendered although it was eaten into over the next two legs. Stephen Lindsay was the second Team runner to make the changeover, comfortably ahead of Adele Marsh and Cheryl Simpson.

Mark Speakman ran leg 2 for Team Speakman but Leo Pearce running for Cheryl Simpson�s Team took close to a minute out of him and passed Steve Dent (Team Marsh), and Clive Hooper (Team Lindsay) in the process. Duncan Kerr (Team Simpson) then took back second spot from Team Marsh runner Gina Finlayson and proceded to make big in-roads into Team Speakman�s lead as their runner, Paul Drake (Uncle Paul) struggled to come to terms with the different type of fitness required for racing on the road rather than playing soccer! The lead was held however, and Brendan Speakman ran a fine last leg for Team Speakman to lead them home to a comfortable victory.

Meanwhile Andrew Spence had run Team Lindsay through to third place at the last changeover and handed over to Trish Cummins who slowly but surely picked up Aleesha Heywood and moved passed to take second place for her team. Heywood was left looking over her shoulder as Jason Weeks quickly moved up behind her for Team Simpson, failing to catch her by the smallest of margins, finishing just 1 second behind.