Athletics
Ben Winder was in fine form when race three of the Trust House-sponsored cross-country series was held on the Massey University research farm at Mikimiki on Sunday, with the continuing fine weather proving to be a bonus for runners and spectators alike.
The course crossed from the northern side of the Mikimiki road to the southern side, by way of the road bridge, and included sections of flat paddock, a short hill climb and forested descent, with some technical sections of rocky ground. Most of the courses followed an out-and-back format with varying numbers of laps in the middle section to make up the distances. The full course distance was 6km.
Winder was fastest over the longer course, making it three out of three wins in the series. It was the closest of the three finishes, however. Michael Macklin pushed hard and managed to keep within a minute of his time of 22min 45s. Barrie Joslin takes over from Steve Brown as competition leader, having secured maximum handicap points in this race.
B grade action was again dominated by the impressive form of Sam Andrews-Paul, who finished nearly a full two minutes ahead of the opposition. Tim Mathews slowly moved away from the rest of the chasing pack to take second place, while Jochen Martens, in his first race in New Zealand, managed to take third place in this grade, despite the terrain being vastly different to his native Amsterdam!