Record Running in Wellington this Weekend

20 June 2012, 2:10PM
Femme

 With the biggest field and the fastest ever line up, record racing will be the order of the day at this weekend’s Armstrong Motor Group Wellington Marathon.

 Close to 5000 runners and walkers from 16 countries and all ends of New Zealand will line up at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium on Sunday for the 27th anniversary event.
Established in 1985 by the Wellington Marathon Clinic, for almost 20 years this race was a popular but modest mid-winter event attracting less than 1000 entrants. But a shift to Westpac Stadium and a scenic and fast waterfront route has seen the event grow by more than 400 percent.

Runners this year have come from Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Western Sahara, USA, Wales, England, Ireland, Taiwan, Singapore, Poland and the distance running mecca of Kenya.
Twenty one year old Kip Kemei had never run outside of Kenya prior to arriving in New Zealand four months ago. He has been unbeaten in New Zealand and will be looking to keep it that way when he lines up for the Half Marathon distance in Wellington.

All things being equal Kimei should produce the fastest half marathon ever seen in Wellington. But if the Kenyan fails to handle Wellington’s winter weather, top locals Tim Hodge and James Richardson will be waiting in the wings.

Among women, Dunedin-based Canadian, Anne-Marie Madden, is clear favourite and will be chasing the race record of 1hr 17min 49secs set by Nelson-based American Belinda Wimmer in 2008.

In the feature Full Marathon event, five-time winner Grant McLean returns looking for a sixth title. But he faces Christchurch’s Rick Godfrey and another former winner in Wellington’s Daniel Clendon.

It was Clendon (36) who broke Grant McLean’s run of five consecutive victories in 2010. The 44 year old McLean still holds the course record at 2hrs 31min 38secs, but Godfrey is looking for a sub-2hr 30min performance so the race for line honours could produce a new course record. If the 51 year old Godfrey does break 2:30 he would be one of the fastest for his age in the world.

The women’s Full Marathon record is also likely to go, with Auckland’s Lesley Turner-Hall and Australian policewoman Sara Burgess both having best times several minutes faster than the race record of 3hrs 57secs set by Wellington’s Lotty Turnidge in 2009.

But win or lose, the person mostly likely to shine on Sunday is Christcjhurch private investigater Kerry Faas. A year ago Faas was favourite for the half marathon but the week before the race he was involved in a head-on car collision. The Armstrong Motor Group event is his first race following the year long recovery and while he doesn’t expect to set records or step on podiums, he has predicted a time of 1hr 25min that would see him among the top 10 veterans.

“It’s pretty inspiring to see someone like Kerry lining up so soon after a life threatening incident,” says Sally Anderson. “It shows us what running means to people, and that we can all achieve goals we might have thought beyond us. That’s one of the reasons we organise this event.”

Sunday’s Armstrong Motor Group Wellington Marathon kicks off at 6:30am with the Full Marathon Walk. The Full Marathon Run at 7:30pm, the Half Marathon Run and Walk 9:00am, the 10K Run and Walk at 9:15am, and the Kid’s Magic Mile at 9:25am. Late entries will be taken at Armstrong Motor Group on Cambridge Terrace on Friday and Saturday. For more information see www.wellingtonmarathon.co.nz.

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