For the second year in a row, the Taieri Harriers youth team provided club supporters with an emphatic victory in the 4x1500m Lovelock Relay held at University Oval No 2 ground on Saturday.
The team did not have the race all its way, having to work hard to counter a determined bid from the Ariki team.
It was a near picture-perfect autumn day as Sam Gouverneur took off and dominated the first leg.
When he tagged team-mate Jacob Grainger, Taieri had a clear 80m margin and. Jacob consolidated this lead through his four laps. It looked as though the Taieri team was going to run away with the event. It was then the turn of Louis Governeur, standing in at the last moment for an injured Felix McDonald. Louis gave it all, but on the third lap, a determined run from the Ariki runner ensured his team was back in the race at the change-over.
Step up Cameron Gardiner, a talented 800m and 1500m runner, who stuck with the opposing runner and then pounced at the 200m mark, sprinting clear to a decisive victory.
Individual lap times: Sam 4min 53sec, Jacob 4min 56sec, Lou 5min 21sec, Cameron 4min 54sec.
Taieri also had a team taking part in the social/mixed grade. Veteran Mike Weddell, in his first competitive outing for some time, recorded a solid 6min 30sec on the opening leg and Wendy Paterson turned in a gritty 6min 39sec effort on the second leg. Mike Dooley held his ground on the third lap, recording 6min 29sec and Graham Murphy lifted the tempo on the last leg, finishing with a flourish in 5min 18sec, the fifth fastest lap time in the grade.
The remainder of the club members continued the momentum of the previous weekly runs, the faster runners running 18km from Mosgiel into Dunedin to watch the relay. Not to be outdone, the medium-paced group completed 12km from the Caledonian to St Leonards and return on the West Harbour cycleway.
The run/walk this Saturday, May 14, will be held from the clubrooms, Memorial Park at 1 pm.
Groups to suit all abilities. Mid-week runs, Tuesday and Thursday, 5.30pm from the same venue.
Inquiries Rob 484-7556.
