Youth triumphed over experience when 22-year-old Chris Honnis crossed the line ahead of the flying 50-year-old Ian Calder, to win the Northland road championships at Waipu on Saturday.
Honnis, who has been studying forestry at Canterbury University for the past three years, was a surprise last-minute entry in the race, finishing
in 35 minutes 18 seconds, a handy 24 seconds ahead of Calder on the flat out-and-back course.
The younger runner took an early lead and looked comfortable throughout the 10km course and few watching would have guessed it was his comeback race after injury.
"It was my first run in 12 months after I broke my leg in a snow-boarding accident," Honnis said.
He found the Waipu course to his liking, particularly the kilometre markers the organisers had put in place.
Calder, recently returned from the Oceania Masters Championships where he won the Over-50 half marathon, was well clear of Mike Gowing, who finished third overall. Gowing ran conservatively in the early stages and only just headed off Richard Blogg by two seconds at the finish.
Fred Needham, the Auckland O-60 cross-country champion, ran determinedly to finish fifth overall and win his grade, while a very fit Tony Langton belied his 65 years, to finish eighth overall and first in the O-65 age group.
New Zealand Duathlon champion Katherine Anton dominated the women's 5km race, winning in the excellent time of 17:22. Behind Anton, masters runners' Pamela Latter and Janice Powell were separated by just 20 seconds at the finish, with both recording fast times for their grade.
Ryan Smith, the 1997 Rod Dixon Mile winner, triumphed over the well-performed Dylan French and Cameron Trass in the Mens Under-20 grade.
Travis Connelly wasn't satisfied with winning the U-15 Boys grade, where he headed off the hard-running Donald Ross, but also ran up a grade and won the U-17 grade as well.
