Alice Mason took out the ASB Auckland Marathon women's race. Photo / Supplied
Alice Mason took out the ASB Auckland Marathon women's race. Photo / Supplied
Tauranga athlete Alice Mason has won the 2020 ASB Auckland Marathon women's title, blitzing her rivals.
Conditions were near perfect as the close to 14,000 competitors took the start line just before 6am yesterday, with the wheelchair athletes going first, followed by marathoners.
On the back of a year of lows, not least the impacts of Covid-19, this was a day of celebration for the thousands of Kiwis who took to the Auckland streets.
This including many whose every step helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars who competed as part of the Charity Superstar Programme.
Mason, a three-time defending New Zealand champion, also had a lot to celebrate too.
"I had to run by feel I guess, keeping some other runners in sight and I managed to see my coach Craig Kirkwood and my partner showing up in a few places on their bikes, which was good," she said.
"I haven't raced here before, the first 15 or 16k is undulating, but after that, it was pretty nice running."
Mason finished in 2 hours, 43m and 33s - a resounding 6 minutes and 6 seconds ahead of former winner Hannah Oldroyd (Christchurch/GBR) and Margie Campbell from Dunedin.
Wellington's Daniel Jones takes out the 2020 Auckland Marathon men's race. Photo / Supplied
Wellington runner Daniel Jones capped off the "interesting" year to win for the first time in Auckland in the men's race.
The 30-year-old headed to Kenya earlier this year for a five-week training camp which thanks to the global pandemic turned into a five-month stay at altitude.
The Wellington Scottish runner put that work to good use as he broke first Michael Voss (Rotorua) and then Fabe Downs (Auckland) to win by almost five minutes.
Jones finished runner-up at the ASB Auckland Marathon in 2018 and was delighted to go one better today.
"It is a pity we don't have the Aussies and other internationals here – for obvious reasons, but it is amazing to come back from that second place and get that win, it is pretty sweet," he said.
"Obviously we are one of the lucky countries where racing is under way. It's awesome to see so many people out here taking advantage of that, it is an awesome turnout. I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say it is just good to be breathing hard again.
"I have been doing a bit of shorter distance training with some shorter races over the past month. It was Michael [Voss] and Fabe and I having a good battle over the first 15 to 20k, with a few spurts here and there and then it was basically whoever could hold on, and I maintained that pace a little bit better."
2020 Round the Bays winner Fabe Downs finished strongly to take second place while Hiro Tanimoto (Wellington/Japan) repeated his 2016 effort to finish third of a tiring Voss.
In the Barfoot & Thompson Half Marathon, it was Tokyo bound Olympian Camille Buscomb (Cambridge) who took out the women's race while Cameron Graves (Auckland) smashed his way to a new race record of 1:05:24 in winning the men's.
Full results can be viewed at www.aucklandmarathon.co.nz.
