Mike Gowing took the opportunity in the absence of Ian Calder, the Northland Cross-Country Champion, to score an impressive victory in Athletics Whangarei's road-race on Saturday, winning by a massive 3min 7sec.
Calder was competing in the Oceania Games, in Tahiti, where he is contesting the 800 metres, 1500 metres and
half-marathon.
Saturday's race started in Douglas Street and included a 2.35km circuit around Western Hills Drive and Russell Road, with runners choosing whether to complete one, two, three or four circuits.
Despite Gowing's performance, it was the stride-for-stride battle between Chris Seeley and Fred Needham that enthralled spectators, as they covered the 9.4km locked together, with neither being able to gain ascendancy.
Needham repeatedly attempted to make a break on Seeley in the last lap. "I tried to put the hammer down three times in the last lap and drop him - I tried to get away going into Russell Road - then up the steep hill, - then ... down the bottom of the hill - and we came around that corner [70 metres from the finish] and I favoured my chances," Needham said. And he out-sprinted a tiring Seeley in the final straight, taking second place overall, in 38:42.
Seeley - who is training for triathlons and had completed a 3km swim earlier in the day - had to settle for third overall, in 38:50.
"There was nothing left - it was the repetitions and the pool that took the edge off me," Seeley said. But "I was pleased with the day."
Max Smith took fourth place over four laps, in 41:18, with Jim Kettlewell taking fifth, in 42:04.
Hard-running Janice Powell, the sole women's competitor racing over four laps, finished in 45:26, ahead of 68-year-old Tony Langton, in 48:54, and Rob Griffin - the Northland Masters' 65-69 years Cross-country Champion - in 52:48.
Jack Dempster - who competes in the boys' under-14 grade - showed his potential, coming home first over one lap, in a fast 10:54, ahead of Toby Barach, in 12:45.
In the girls and women's one-lap race, Nicki Kelman finished strongly in 14:17, heading off Chrissie Kelman, who recorded 14:27, with Polly Barach following in 15:14, ahead of Leanne Cowsill, in 15:53.
Travis Connelly showed he is continuing to improve under Lindsay McKendrick's coaching, taking first place over two laps, in 19:55, well clear of Wayne Kelman's 24:55 for second and Morris Gray's 28:30 for third.
