Skaters hit airport runway for St John’s Club River City Tour Speed Skating event

Local skater Tazia Parker (left) finishing strong at Whanganui Airport runway. Photo/ Claire McIlhatton

The 15th annual St John’s Club River City Tour Speed Skating event was held on November 23 and 24 in what was a well-supported contest, with more than 50 skaters attending from Auckland to Timaru.

Stages 1 and 2 kicked off early on Saturday morning at Jubilee Stadium, arguably the best indoor skating venue in the country. Flying 100m laps helped determine the pecking order, so grades could be adjusted to ensure the best racing was had over the weekend.

The local club is fortunate to have the support of the Whanganui Airport, which let the skaters on to the runway between 1.15pm and 4pm to race the next three stages of the tour on the resurfaced Whanganui Airport apron and runway.

In more favourable conditions than last year, the skaters battled hard on a fast, flat surface that provided tough but exciting racing.

The race distances ranged from 100m sprints to long-distance races, providing something for everyone.

The airport runway provides some interesting and exciting racing as it enables left and right corners to be incorporated into the races.

As speedskaters generally always turn left in races, adding right-hand turns provides another layer of complexity and fun.

Stages 6 and 7 were held at the Mitre 10 Mega carpark after closing at 6pm and any skaters not tired from battling it out at the airport were left feeling so after the long stage 6 races. Mitre 10 has supported Wanganui Speed for many years, allowing them to use their carpark after hours to train.

Stages 8 and 9 were completed at Jubilee Stadium on Sunday morning, along with the special stages where skaters compete for donated prizes.

St John’s Club president Royce Tunbridge was there to hand out the prizes to the placegetters and winners. The St John’s Club is the River City Tours' main sponsor and has been for 15 years.

Whanganui skater Andrew Jones had an overall win in the men’s premier grade, taking it out from fellow Whanganui up-and-coming skater Micky Zhang, who has made big strides this year.

In the premier ladies grade, Whanganui skater Tazia Parker was dominant against good-quality opposition from around the country, with Georgia Hurley, from Valley Inline, second and Katie McIlhatton, from Palmerston North, third.

With plenty of entries from masters skaters, great racing was had with Paul Cleeves' late entry proving worthwhile as he narrowly took the title from Mellissa Allen for a Whanganui one-two finish. There were also good performances by Crystal Denbee, Scott Morpeth and Johnmen Zhang.

The Valentine family of Joshua, Gabriella and Caleb all skated on Sunday only, adding another high-quality dimension to each of their respective grades.

Juvenile girls skater Keira Harris prevailed in a close competition and new skater Payton Koubaridis got some valuable skating experience as she placed 4.

Sister Mila also competed for the first time, picking up second in the primary girls' grade, beating out teammate Mackenzie Allen who finished third.

Whanganui had new skaters Leon Perr winning the novice grade with fellow new skaters Lexie Sim, Jessica Classens and daughter Kelby Smith showing the local club has plenty of skating talent coming through.

Next up for the Whanganui Speed Skating team will be the National Champs being held in Palmerston North (road) at Memorial Park on December 30 and 31.

Then they will be in action at Whanganui’s Jubilee Stadium (flat track) from January 1-3, 2025. The national event will culminate with the 42km marathon at Feilding’s Manfeild race circuit on Sunday, January 4.