Athletics: Morrisey runs away with 30km trail event

Jane Tayler and her Jack Russell dog Benjamin in the 10km fun run/walk.

The old sporting adage that preparation is crucial to success was disproved at the fourth annual Smith Sports Shoes Tauranga Trail Run on Sunday.

Chris Morrisey decided to enter the 30km event through the spectacular scenery of the TECT All Terrain Park only 20 minutes before the race began. But the experienced Tauranga distance runner looked like he had trained for it all week as he cruised away to win the race in 2.15.00.

"I only found out about it today and was going to go for a long run anyway, so I thought I would come out and support the event," he said.

"I wanted to just run my own pace and I got away in the first lap."

Russell Lake, who won in 2012, had to settle for second place in 2.17.10, with Rob Bathgate third (2.18.24).

Fran Mortell (2.49.07) kicked away in the second lap to win the main women's race with ease from Anna Barrett (2.54.42) in second and Carla Moriarty (3.16.53) third. Barrett had a reasonable excuse in that she competed strongly in the Steelman Ironmaiden multisport event held at Waiuku on Saturday.

Scott Furness, who organises the event to raise funds for the Tauranga Boys' College cross-country team, was pleased to have again attracted more than 300 competitors despite competition from other events on the day.

He says changes made to the longer courses enhanced the experience for the runners and walkers through the native bush.

"We have taken out some sections of gravel road and managed to loop back and put in some extra off-road sections which we think makes the course better and more attractive.

"People are here to do a trail run not a run on gravel roads."

He was particularly pleased the numbers for the Bay of Plenty Times-sponsored 5k family run continue to grow every year.

"We have really pushed the family side of it with the 5k race where you can turn up and run with your kids.

"That's the area where we see the event growing.

"We want to get that as our main event because we don't think we can compete with the run in the Coromandel or the half marathon in Rotorua.

"That's not our target market.

"We want to get parents out with their kids, to come out for a day and experience the park and do something together."