Slip, slap, slop is usually associated with sunnier days, but today it was the sound of thousands of pairs of feet splashing their way to the finish in the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland marathon.
Image 1 of 13: Thumps up across the Harbour Bridge
The wet conditions made for tough going for all competitors, although it did help to keep some cool.
“I was thinking that I was glad I lubed up on a day like this [with chafing cream], and I hope everyone else did too,” said men’s marathon winner Daniel Jones of Wellington, making it the third on the bounce with a time of 2 hours, 21 minutes and 52 seconds. “It wasn’t windy – that was really nice. It was nice not to be blowing a gale, Wellington conditions probably would have been a 40 or 50kph wind, so that was great.”
Cantabrian Hannah Oldroyd ran to her second win in Aotearoa’s biggest running event in a shade under 2 hours and 50 minutes. “I haven’t raced well here since 2017 so while I know the course really well, I set off slowly knowing I wanted to enjoy the last 25km, unlike previous years,” she said. “I didn’t even have a warm-up because I didn’t want to get soaking wet, so the first half of the race was really my warm-up, and then I just ran – I was running for the beer.”
For most competitors, it wasn’t a win they were seeking, just the chance to cross the Harbour Bridge on foot, enjoy the camaraderie, raise some money for charity and, perhaps, beat their previous best whether it was the full 42km, the 21.1km for the half-marathon, the 11km John West traverse, the 5km dash, the kid’s marathon or the walking events.
And, afterwards, slip on some dry clothes, slop up some refreshment and slap down in a chair for a well-earned rest!
