Catherine Lund and Oliver O’Sullivan have locked away more national titles.
They won gold in the women’s under-20 and masters men’s events at the New Zealand cross-country championships in Taupo at the weekend.
Lund put on a master class in the women’s under-20 event, taking control of the 6km race in the first two laps to finish in 21min 54sec. The victory adds to the under-18 national title Lund won last year.
She crossed the line almost 1 minute ahead of Boh Ritchie (22min 42sec), of Waikato, and Zara Geddes (22min 50sec), of Otago, who picked up bronze.
Otago runners Becky de la Harpe (23min 59sec) and Eliza Rothery (26min 32sec) finished ninth and 19th respectively in the same race. Lund, Geddes, de la Harpe and Rothery combined to win silver in the women’s under-20 teams race.
O’Sullivan created his own piece of magic, charging home to retain the masters men’s 35-39 title by slicing nearly 30 seconds off his last year’s successful time to finish in 26min 48sec.
Matthew Bolter placed 12th in the men’s under-20 race, finishing the 8km event in 27min 10sec. Thomas White (27min 59sec) finished in 19th place.
Rocky Allan (21min 47sec) finished 27th in the men’s under-18 event and Brent Halley (35min 39sec) was seventh in the masters men’s 55-59 race.
Bolter, de la Harpe, White and Geddes teamed up to win the open community relay (non-championship) in 26min 27sec.
Allan, Rothery, Lund and Az Cabusao finished third with their time of 28min 38sec, followed by O’Sullivan, Halley, Russell Lund and Mark Geddes in fourth, clocking 30min 23sec.
