Athletics: Sydney times just beyond reach

By Terry Maddaford

They missed the big one - tickets to the marathons at next year's Sydney Olympics - but Phil Costley and Gabrielle O'Rourke can at least drive around in a flash car for a year while pondering the one that got away.

Costley is no stranger to driving one of the sponsor's cars - he travelled from Cape Reinga to Bluff following his win in the 1997 BMW Auckland Marathon - but the Napier Boys' High School teacher still rides his bike to work.

Fading over the latter stages of yesterday's race, Costley, chasing the Olympic target of 2h 13m was only just outside the target at half distance despite an early-race botch-up which saw him and pacemaker Allan Carman run off course before being sent back to the waterfront.

But he faded over the last few kilometres to record 2h 17m 43s - 3m 40s outside his two-year-old record but still comfortably under the 2h 19m needed to win the use of a sponsored car.

"I just did not have it on the day," said 29-year-old Costley, who added the New Zealand marathon title to the 3000m steeplechase he won on the track, the national half marathon title and the New Zealand road championship crown already won this year.

Carman was still with Costley at 30km and hung on well to take second in 2h 21m 03s - 10s ahead of Queenstown's Chris Dagg. Allan Sinclair, with the leaders early, faded to fourth - two minutes ahead of Peter Handcock.

While Costley was happy with his run despite missing his target, O'Rourke was happy just to finish.

"That was horrible," said O'Rourke after her 2h 38m 47s victory. "My calf muscles were sore all the way. They were really tight and I had real doubts whether I would finish.

"I wanted to run between 2h 36m - 2h 38m so I wasn't too far away from that," said O'Rourke after she had run away from 1998 Commonwealth Games representative Lee-Ann McPhillips. "It was a bit windy on the way back."

McPhillips, feeling ill from the start, said the race was her 10th and last marathon.

"My heart is not in it," said 35-year-old McPhillips. "I have been running well over shorter distances so I'm gearing up for a good track season."

Robbie Johnston scored his fourth win in the half marathon, but was outside the 1h 05m 45s record he ran last year, in clearing out to beat Mark Hutchinson by a minute.

The women's half marathon was a battle royal before Wellington's Sarah Christie edged away to beat Maree Bunce and Melissa Moon in 1h 15m 32s - more than a minute outside the record set a year ago by Nyla Carroll.

Gavin Foulsham broke through for his first win in the wheelchair marathon in the second-best winning time but a minute and a half away from the 47m 46s record set last year by Ben Lucas.