Run of success for Whangarei harrier teams

LJ Hooker Athletics Whangarei teams   completed a double, winning  the men's and women's Northland Road Relay titles at Waipu.
Hatea Harriers' four-lap relay was open to all, but incorporated Athletics Northland's Road Relay Championships, open only to Northland clubs affiliated with Athletics New Zealand.
While Whangarei's women crossed the line first in their section, the men's team was left in the wake of three Takapuna teams, who were more intent on training than racing.
"We had three teams of two people in each team (instead of four) and decided we would do a good training run of two laps each," Takapuna runner Stephen Lett said.
Although outclassed, the Whangarei men's team included three masters - two in the 50-54 age group - and a junior runner, while Takapuna's runners were aged 20-30.
With Takapuna's teams ineligible to claim a Northland title, it was left to hard-running Chris Seeley who finished fourth overall - to bring the Whangarei men home for gold in the title race.
While pleased with his performance, Seeley praised the efforts of  teammates - Ian Calder, Ryan Slater and Richard Blogg - for their part in winning the title.
"I was pleased with the team effort and pleased to contribute."
Hatea - Steve Trass, Cameron Trass, Colin Smith and Neville Bassett -  was second  in the Northland men's title.
Meanwhile Hatea's women tracked Whangarei's Janice Powell, Tayla Going, Estelle Tiller and Christine Fraser from start to finish, looking as though they might be able to mount a challenge on the third lap, where Bronwyn Dyer clawed back 23 seconds.
But on the last lap, Eryn Lovell's gallant effort to catch the more experienced Fraser was unsuccessful, when she drew on her reserves and increased Whangarei's margin over Hatea by seven seconds.
Hatea's Elaine McIhinney, Judith Bradshaw, Dyer and Lovell were second.
Takapuna's Lett -  twice winner of the Kerikeri half-marathon - ran the fastest 6.1km lap in 19 minutes 10 seconds, while his club-mate Andrew Kilding was second fastest in 20:06.
Among the women, Helen Kilding, who ran two laps, took both fastest and second-fastest times in 24:49 and 25:18,  while Fraser nailed the third-fastest time, in 26:10.