ATHLETICS - Davies to join world-class field in Berlin marathon

Northland runner Mary Davies' selection to represent New Zealand in the Marathon World Cup in Berlin in August sees her emerge as one of the country's top-rated marathon runners.
A delighted Davies received the good news by phone on Sunday during at visit to her grandmother's home at One Tree Point.
Along with Davies, Shireen Crumpton and Fiona Docherty - triathlete Bevan Docherty's sister - will also run at the Berlin event, while Michael Aish will represent New Zealand in the men's world championship marathon.
Davies, who is based in the US, broke the qualifying standard in April in her first competitive marathon, when she finished eighth in the prestigious Vienna event, in 2h 42m 39s.
She had planned to break the qualifying standard but as a rookie over the distance was uncertain.
"The first one is hard because you don't know if your body can make it - you don't want to go out too fast because you want to have enough to finish," she said. Davies burst onto the local running scene seven years ago as a 19-year-old, shortly after coming under the guidance of coach Ian Babe.
Just three months later she won gold in the New Zealand under-20 women's road championships and, in the same year, bronze in the senior women's race.
In 2003, Davies was selected to represent New Zealand in the Ekiden Relays, in South Korea, and the World Cross Country Championships, in Belgium.
And in the same year, she showed her potential over longer distances with a record-breaking win in the Kerikeri half marathon, in 1h 15m 19s - a record which still stands.
In 2004, selected to compete in the World University Games in Turkey, Davies won bronze in a gruelling 10,000m, run in a scorching 43C.
By August 2004, Davies had become well known as a runner with huge potential. She was awarded an athletics' scholarship to Oklahoma State University, where she continued competing with considerable success in 5000m, steeplechase and cross country races.
While completing her studies, Davies met Gabriel Sawakuchi, a young Brazilian studying towards a PhD. Since graduating, they have married and continued to live in Houston, where Sawakuchi is completing his post-doctorate research on proton therapies to combat cancer.
Back in New Zealand for a few weeks, the pair intend to settle here in the future, but finding a suitable position for Sawakuchi may determine just when they return.