Paige Dobson, 14, claimed victory at the Hawke’s Bay Marathon women’s 10km race.
Paige Dobson, 14, claimed victory at the Hawke’s Bay Marathon women’s 10km race.
Napier Girls’ High School student Paige Dobson is still a few years away from drinking the wine she won after clinching an impressive victory at the Hawke’s Bay Marathon women’s 10km race.
At just 14 years old, the talented Hawke’s Bay teen beat second-place runner Kat Morganand third-placegetter Lauren Gowland with a time of 38.5 minutes, making her the youngest local first-place winner in the competition’s history.
Despite having “stitch the whole time”, the long-distance and cross-country runner powered through with the goal of beating her previous 10km time, eventually ending up on the podium, much to her surprise.
“I was just hoping to get a better time, really; I wasn’t expecting a place,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.
Coach Tony Snell with Paige Dobson. Photo / Paul Taylor
A love of school cross-country eventually blossomed into a budding athletics career for Dobson, helped by Hawke’s Bay coach Tony Snell and her time spent representing Napier Girls’ High.
“She ran her first 10km when she was 11 and absolutely loved it. The whole vibe and celebration of all things running just roped her in,” proud mum Wendy Dobson said.
The following year, when she was 12, Dobson came second overall in the women’s 10km.
“This year, she was just aiming to improve her previous time, enjoy the course and atmosphere, and was completely surprised when she won.”
Dobson said she “didn’t really look back” during the race, focusing on the task at hand. She was very appreciative of her family, who sprinted from stop to stop to watch her run.
“We are always so proud of Paige. She works hard at what she does and puts in the effort, so it’s always rewarding to see her achieve what she sets out to do,” Wendy Dobson said.
Despite not being able to drink the prize wine or fit into the winner’s T-shirt, Dobson said she was looking forward to using her $60 ASICS voucher, possibly for a pair of new running shoes.
In terms of her next big event, she’s already lacing up for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships in Christchurch next month.
Almost 5500 runners finished one of four distances at the 2024 Hawke’s Bay Marathon, tackling the ASICS Marathon, La Roche Posay Half Marathon, 10km and Kennedy Park Resort Kids Run.
Dobson wasn’t the only local victor, with Havelock North’s Claire Hammett winning the women’s half marathon.
There were plenty of other tight races between out-of-towners as well.
The start of the 2024 Hawke’s Bay Marathon. Photo / Connull Lang
In the women’s full marathon, Ingrid Cree edged out Debbie Donald by the narrowest margins.
Michael Voss secured the men’s full marathon victory with a time of 2:25:25, almost 10 minutes clear of Hamish Elliott, with James Fletcher just behind in third.
The men’s half marathon was also a nail-biting race, with Cameron Graves emerging as the victor, just three seconds ahead of Jack Moody. Ben George Gatting secured a respectable third place.
The men’s 10km title was claimed by Matthew Arnold, ahead of Michael Sinclair and Jayden Austin.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
