NZ rep clears out to take trail race

New Zealand mountain running representative James Coubrough outclassed his rivals in the Jumbo Holdsworth trail race on Saturday.
One of several late entries in the 138-strong field, Coubrough, from Wellington, didn't threaten the race record of 2h 16min 5s he set in 2008 but his 2h 22m 29s saw him finish more than 35 minutes ahead of Paul Bird, who took out the veteran men's title with his time of 2h 57m 58s.
The next three fastest entrants, Al Cross, Bill Thomson and Kelly Holland, were veterans as well and so was the quickest of the women over the 24km course, Billie Marshall, of Wellington, who clocked 3h 22min 59s. She had just less than 11 minutes to spare over Aubrey Begley, of Christchurch, who won the open women's section in 3h 33min 52s.
The McGrudden brothers, from Wellington, were expected to dominate the Hooper Loop event over 12km and they did so, Sean repeating last year's success in a time of 57min 16s and Martin runner-up in exactly one hour. Laura Rhymer was the first woman home in 69min 25s.
Results:
JUMBO HOLDSWORTH
Open men: James Coubrough 2.22.29, Doug McLeod 3.03.58.Deamian Clarke 3.08.41, Justin Bangma 3.08.46, Terry Blackburn 3.10.37, Nathaneal Cressey 3.18.11.
Open women: Aubrey Begley 3.33.52, Michelle Van Looy 3.51.03, Susannah Sharpe 4.35.06, Sophie Hodgins 4.40.11, Fiona Shearer 4.40.20, Jenny Smith 4.50.29.
Veteran men: Paul Bird 2.57.58, Al Cross 2.59.07, Bill Thomson 3.00.33, Kelly Holland 3.01.38, Colin Rolfe 3.04.44, Paul Helm 3.09.07.
Veteran women: Billie Marshall 3.22.29, Julie Gordon 3.55.54, Katrina Rodasavljevic 4.00.57, Jenny Visser 4.23.31, Leanne Dawson 4.28.50, Debbie Mansfield 4.35.26.
HOOPER LOOP
Open men: Sean McGrudden 57.16, Martin McGrudden 1.00.00, Dean Ford 1.00.30, Matthew Berg 1.09.17, Ian Harrison 1.15.05, Alistair Helm 1.23.14.
Open women: Laura Rhymer 1.09.25, Miranda Robinson 1.16.57, Kim Owen 1.23.51, Andrea Speir 1.28.40, Rachel Halfpenny 1.29.54, Ariana Blackwood 1.32.07.
Veteran men: Gavin Graham 1.03.00, Paul Stevens 1.05.25, Conrad McCaffrey 1.13.23, Tim Matthews 1.14.32, Derek Cressey 1.19.12, Murray Parker 1.25.51.
Veteran women: Ann Kendon 1.22.55, Clare Helm 1.25.42, Gillian Vincent 1.26.51, Rosalind Cressey 1.29.20, Frankie Spite 1.32.06, Leah Finlayson 1.35.28.