Goodwin pips Calder over 10km

Surprises were the order of the day in this year's Northland Road Running Championships, on Saturday.
LJ Hooker Whangarei athletes took gold and silver in the senior men's 10km race on the out-and-back Harris Rd course, but not in the order expected. Tim Goodwin, winner of the two-day marathon in June, powered ahead of Ian Calder, an Oceania age-group champion and last year's overall winner, in the final stages.
Pleased with his victory, Goodwin said his time of 34 minutes 41 seconds was a personal best (PB) by two minutes and it was also his first provincial title.
Calder's 34:45 was also a PB.
However some credit for the fast times must go to Mike Hardiman, an unregistered runner, who pushed the pace at the start, but dropped off towards the finish, finally taking third place in 35:19.
Whangarei's Ryan Slater, returning to competition after an injury, easily won gold in the men's under-20 event over 5 km.
Whangarei's Ethan Carter demonstrated sound tactical judgment, pulling off a stand-out performance in the men's under-17 race over 5km, in which he out-ran talented youngsters James Edwards, Whangarei, who finished second; Harry Linford, Hatea, third; Cam Shelley, Whangarei, fourth; and Travis Connelly, Whangarei, fifth.
"I sat behind Harry Linford until halfway because JJ [Edwards] went quite fast and I thought he was going to tire, but at halfway I realised he had kept going and I thought I would get out and catch up to him - I passed him with about a kilometre to go," Carter said.
Whangarei's Shayne Maxwell won the boys' under-14 title over 3km, recording a fast time of 11:39.
In the absence of Ady Ngawati, who had been predicted to dominate the senior women's 5km race, Hatea's Helen Smith surprised by taking gold, ahead of Mandy Fife - an unregistered runner - in second place.
Whangarei 13-year-old Imogen Hull ran up two grades and took gold over 5km in the women's under-20 grade as well as being the fastest woman overall.
Tayla Going ran strongly winning the women's under-17 title over 4km in 16:10.
With Hull competing in the under-20 grade instead of the under-14 grade, Kerikeri-based Megan de Klerk was expected to take the under-14 title. But de Klerk was a non-starter, leaving the title open for Amanda Still, of Whangarei, to win, ahead of Rachyl Edge and her older sister, Kelly Still.
Lakiesha Cummings, Hatea, ran impressively to win the girls' under-12 title.
Master Men's Overall (10km): Richard Blogg, Whangarei, 1; Greg Morris, Hatea, 2; John Kent, Hatea, 3; Chris Seeley, Whangarei, 4; Max Smith, Whangarei, 5; Neville Bassett, Hatea, 6.
Women: Estelle Tiller, Whangarei, 1; Janice Powell, Whangarei, 2; Judith Bradshaw, Hatea, 3; Jan Miller, Whangarei, 4; Lynda Going, Whangarei, 5; Annette Murray, Hatea, 6.