Record Racing Predicted at Harbour Capital Marathon

Almost 4000 people will line up at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium this weekend for the annual Shoe Clinic Harbour Capital Marathon, among them two world champions shaping up for a rare head to head battle on home soil.

On Sunday runners and walkers from Australia, Canada, USA, UK, Hong Kong, Mexico, Chile, Germany and all ends of New Zealand will line up for the scenic tour of Wellington’s harbour bays. With entries still flowing in, organisers are expecting close to 4000 starters spread over the Full Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k events, plus almost 200 children aged four to 12 in the new Kid’s Magic Mile.

This is a continuation of the events reputation as New Zealand’s fastest-growing running event. Established in 1985 by the Wellington Marathon Clinic, for almost 20 years this race was a popular mid-winter goal attracting around 1000 entrants. But five years ago a shift from the Overseas Terminal to the popular Westpac Stadium saw an overnight growth that shows no signs of slowing down.

The fairer sex is expected to dominate this year, with more than 55 percent of entries from women and the eldest entrant also being a woman. In 1934 Noelene Barnett was just six days old when James Reed was born. That makes the Mrs Barnett, from Paraparaumu and entered in the 10K Walk, the eldest entrant in the 2008 event. But Mr Reed, from Stratford, might perhaps win the age stakes because the 73 year old is entered in the Full Marathon Walk.

Top billing, however, is definitely with the women. The women’s half marathon will take centre stage on Sunday when Wellington’s former world mountain running champions, Kate McIlroy and Melissa Moon, will have a rare head to head battle.

The first and second placegetters from last year, veterans Gabrielle O’Rourke and Vicki Humphries, will also be on the line and both illustrated good form last weekend when Humphries beat O’Rourke to win the Dorne Cup cross country race. Christchurch runner Julia Grant is also expected to stand out, but all eyes will be on the two former world mountain running champions.

The 37-year-old Moon is giving more than a decade to McIlroy, but has far more experience at the longer distances and rarely runs a bad race. Yet all eyes will be on McIlroy, who represented New Zealand at the last Commonwealth Games and is using the Shoe Clinic Harbour Capital Half Marathon as part of a rebuilding exercise after injury ruined her bid to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

The men’s half marathon is expected to be more clear cut, with recent Dorne Cup cross country winner Glenn Hughes the favourite. Others expected to show out include Hughes’ Wellington Scottish teammate, Stephen Day, but his stiffest competition is likely to be the clock. Hughes, who is using the Shoe Clinic Harbour Capital Half Marathon to prepare for September’s world mountain running championship in Switzerland, is expected to challenge the course record of 1hr 11min 4secs set by former New Zealand mountain running rep, Mike Wakelin, in 2004.

In the Full Marathon race the focus will be on Wellington Scottish’ Grant McLean and his bid to win a fourth title here over the classic 42.2k distance. McLean has won every Shoe Clinic Harbour Capital Marathon since the full distance was introduced to the event in 2005 and set the course record of 2hrs 31min 38secs in 2006.

This year the recently turned 40 year old has the chance to take both the overall and veteran categories, a feat not seen in a major New Zealand marathon since 2000 when Ashburton’s Allan Sinclair won Christchurch’s SBS Marathon as age 46. But McLean will be watching an entry from another top veteran in Christchurch’s Sander Kriek, who has a best marathon time similar to the 2hrs 38min that McLean clocked for his 2007 victory.

The women’s Full Marathon is also likely to go the way of a defending champion, providing she can shake off a persistent injury. In 2007 New Plymouth’s Tania Smellie won the Shoe Clinic Harbour Capital Full Marathon in record time after recovering from an injury that forced her to withdraw from the SBS Marathon in Christchurch. This year an injury kept her out of the Christchurch race and she is hopeful of lining up in Wellington again.

Sunday’s event 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 new Kid’s Magic Mile at 9:25am. Entries are still open. See www.harbourcapital.org.nz.