Multisport: Vet repeats win in pet event

Jayden Gibson, Finn Fraser and Tassilo Eisenmann from Kerikeri High School won the Jock Hodgson Memorial Trophy for the Missionary Trail multisport junior team event.

Dargaville vet Graeme Ewenson has won the Craigs Northern Crossing multisport event for the second year running with a time of just over five hours for the 109km coast-to-coast route.

Founded by Kerikeri Rotary four years ago, the race takes competitors by foot, bike and kayak from Omapere on the west coast to Kerikeri Basin on the east.

While the number of athletes contesting the full distance last Saturday was well down on last year, that was more than offset by a large number of contestants - 128 from a total field of 207 - opting for the middle-distance Missionary Trail course.

The crossing raised about $8000 for community projects across Northland.

Ewenson, who only took up multisport a few years ago, finished in 5h 3m 44s. Chris Walls of Okaihau won the male duathlon in 3h 29m 3s with Hinerangi Waikai of Kaitaia taking the female duathlon line honours in 5h 37m 27s.

The 51km Missionary Trail bike and run event started at Okaihau with a 13km mountain bike leg along the Pou Herenga Tai cycleway, joining the main Northern Crossing route at Kaikohe. As with the longer coast-to-coast course, athletes could opt out of the kayaking leg to turn it into a duathlon.

Organiser Owen Smith said the addition of the Missionary Trail had made the event more attractive to locals.

"We have a core group of top-flight athletes who relish the challenge of the coast-to-coast Northern Crossing, but we wanted to make the challenge of the event a little more do-able for the average Northlander and I think we've achieved this," he said.

A new event this year was an 8km fun run, the Settlers' Run/Walk.

More winners

Team multisport: Dave Green, Dale Simkin and John Sanderson, Kerikeri, 4h 57m 12s (second year in a row, new course record). Team duathlon: Peter Foote and Teri Robinson, Kerikeri, 3h 56m 19s. Missionary Trail male individual multisport: Geoff Dunn, Kerikeri, 2h 47m 13s (second year in a row); female: Estelle Plowright, Whangarei, 3h 9m 17s (new course record). Missionary Trail male duathlon: Jeff Couchman, Okaihau, 2h 13m 37s; female: Catherine Semenoff-Murray, Kaitaia, 2h 14m 32s. Missionary Trail team multisport: Chris Fewtrell, Tim Hunter, Tess Tayler and Tony Del Beth-Hudson, Kerikeri, 2h 34m 42s. Missionary Trail team duathlon: Ed Firth and Mark Forsythe, Whangarei, 3h 56m 19s. Missionary Trail junior team multisport: Jayden Gibson, Finn Fraser and Tassilo Eisenmann, Kerikeri High School; junior team duathlon: Adam Lee, Hamish Palmer and Grace Morrison, also Kerikeri High. Settlers Run/Walk male: Hamish Fleetwood, Kerikeri, 38m 55s; female: Alison Weinstock, Whangarei, 48m 15s.