Lund smashes age-group records

Catherine Lund. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON
Catherine Lund. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON
Catherine Lund has continued to smash records on the track.

The 17-year-old stormed home to break the Otago 5000m women’s 17, 18, 19 and 20-year age-group records.

The Ariki runner finished in 16min 46.02sec to set a new time at the Athletics Otago interclub meeting at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday.

Lund broke her own 17, 18 and 19 age-bracket record of 16min 51.14sec that she set in Dunedin in October last year.

She broke a 14-year record in the women’s 20-year age group.

Lund broke Rachel Kingsford’s (Hill City-University) women’s 20-year age group record of 16min 49.38sec, set in 2009.

Lund, who ran alongside masters runner Oliver O’Sullivan for most of the event, battled through the heat and a headwind down the straight, running strong 81sec laps to start and finish the event.

It is good preparation for her as she works towards the national women’s under-20 5km race at the Dick Tayler National 10km Championships in Dunedin in January.

Noeline Burden also set an Otago record in the masters women 70-year age group record in the long jump, with her jump of 2.65m.

Athletics Otago will host its next senior interclub event on Saturday.