Activities started promptly at 4.30pm for the season opener. The children’s section will operate every Monday from 4.30pm at Cooks Gardens.
New athletes should aim to be there by 4.15pm. The Senior Club, with events for athletes from Year 7 through all grades to Master, will be run on Tuesdays from 6.45pm.
There will be an additional coaching session for the older Monday children on Thursdays.
Jonathan Maples, New Zealand 400m hurdle representative at the Oceania Championships in June, predictably won the opening event of the new season on Tuesday evening.
What was less predictable was his impressive personal best of 10.80s for the 100m in cool conditions.
It helped that the gnarly southwesterly wind earlier in the day was replaced an hour before the 7pm start by a favourable light easterly home straight tailwind.
Half an hour later Maples was given further encouragement of his early season form with an impressive 400m, stopping the clock at 48.80s for another personal best and his first one lap in under 49s.
Added to the fact that he won the race by nearly 8s, and therefore without strong competition, provided early season confirmation that, although he is in the early phase of preparation, his training is going well. His major events are not until the start of 2025; however, he is scheduled to run at all three Regional Athletic League meetings in November (November 2 in Hastings, November 9 in Palmerston North and November 23 in Wellington).
Under 20 Whanganui High School sprinter Damian Hodgson should also be encouraged with his start to the season.
He finished second to Maples over the 100m in 11.56s, won his preferred 300m in 37.62s and added a 100m hurdle win.
The mixed 1500m provided a clear indication that track and field caters for athletes of all ages. Oliver Jones, fresh from a parkrun (5km) personal best on Saturday, won the race in 4m 25.36s, paying the price of an over-optimistic early pace.
Year 9 Sean Frieslar was next home. Year 11 New Zealand under 16 steeplechase medal winner Hannah Byam was the first female home in fifth place, only a second below her 5m 20s early season target.
The field had two athletes not yet at secondary school - James Macpherson and Aidan Billing, a World and New Zealand Masters record holder Sally Gibbs and fellow Masters athlete Peter Jones among the 12 starters.
In the field, New Zealand Schools bronze junior long jump medal winner Auguz Thongskul should be pleased with his early winning jump of 5.90m, backed up with a 5.87m effort.
New Zealand representative at the Oceania Championships Juliet McKinlay won the female long jump with a 5.06m effort. McKinlay also won the shot with 9.81m from newcomer Amelina Staske (9.29m). McKinlay ran against the boys over 100m hurdles and looked good, faltering only over the final flights.
Under 16 New Zealand 300m hurdles medal winner Grace Fannin had a run over 80m hurdles, winning with a personal best of 14.10s which will provide encouragement in her preparation for the 300m hurdles at December’s New Zealand Secondary Schools.
Similarly, James McGregor, also a medal winner in the 300m hurdles, stepped down to the 100m hurdles, finishing second to Hodgson.
Fannin had a terrific battle with Tilly Darke over 400m while McGregor finished second to Hodgson in the 300m.
The Athletics Club can reflect on a successful first week with great numbers for the revitalised Children’s Club and some new faces at the Senior Club, along with some highly encouraging first-up performances from established athletes among the nearly 100 recorded results.
