Northland's runners aren't miles behind big cities' best

Thunder and lightning heralded the defeat of Northland's top secondary-school milers by athletes from Auckland and Christchurch, in the Rod Dixon Miles.
The storm struck as runners warmed-up for the miles at Otamatea High in Maungaturoto on Saturday, but had cleared before the starter's gun.
Margot Gibson, running in Christchurch Avon colours, and Georgie Grbec, from Diocesan School in Auckland, began cautiously, with Rangitoto College's Haley Williams and Kerikeri High School's Melissa Simpson and Whangarei Girls' High School's Tayla Going holding the pace for the first lap.
"I wanted to see what other people were doing and how they were going to run the race," Gibson said afterwards.
Gibson and Grbec - who will represent New Zealand in the secondary schools world cross-country championships in Slovakia next year - showed their class as the race progressed. Gibson increased the tempo to move smoothly ahead and Grbec following three metres back, while Simpson, Williams and Going gradually drifted off the pace.
Grbec looked strong throughout the four laps, but Gibson had plenty in reserve, finally gliding down the straight to win gold three seconds ahead of Grbec, with Simpson a further 15s back in third place - as well as taking the trophy home for first Northlander in the race.
In the boys mile Cameron Graves, from Rangitoto College, shot to the front with Mt Roskill Grammar's Tadele Tekle-Haimanot - last year's titleholder - shadowing him.
"I knew Tadele was in there and he's a pretty good runner, and I wasn't sure of my chances so I went out hard," Graves said afterwards.
Auckland University's Ryan Smith - the recordholder running by invitation - Rangitoto College's Josh Tattley and Nelson Smith battled to stay close.
At the bell for the final lap, Haimanot burst past the tall, long-striding Graves grabbing a metre's lead and looking every bit a winner, but Graves rallied again along the back straight, finding the speed to hold off Haimanot's challenge and take the title.
Smith secured third ahead of Tattley in fourth, with Nelson Smith fifth, and Auckland Grammar's James Watt, sixth, while Younger, finishing strongly in seventh place, took the trophy as the first runner from the North.
All finishers  received a certificate signed by Rod Dixon.