Relay runners take to the fields in strong numbers

Ariki’s Catherine Lund gets ahead during the Leith Country Relays. PHOTOS: SIMON HENDERSON

A cool, fresh day greeted participants in the Leith Harrier & Athletic Club’s 42nd Leith Country Relays and 5th Ponydale Challenge on Saturday, held at the Dunedin Branch Pony Club Grounds, Three Mile Hill.

The varied course across grassy but bumpy ground had competitors racing carefully around the 2km course.

Runners set off at the start of the 42nd Leith Country Relays on Saturday.

Overall winner in "The Canter" 4 x 2km race all grades mixed relay was the Hill City-University mixed social team of Jack McNeil, Christian Nita, Tessa Swinson and Timothy Dawbin, who completed the race in a time of 33min 40sec.

Overall winners in the "Long Trot" 4 x 900m relay Boys and Girls Under 14 category were the Ariki Boys U14 team of Taylor Martin, Sammy Walker and Hugh Walker, with a time of 16min.

Hill City-University’s Jack McNeil sets the pace during the 42nd Leith Country Relays.

In "The Gallop" 4 x 4km race, Leith Harrier & Athletic Club made a clean sweep of all three categories.

The MM35+ category was won by the Leith MM35+ team of Steven Morrison, Aaron Eyles, Richard Campbell and Nathan Shanks, with a time of 1hr 3min 6sec.

Hill City-University’s Leia Silby taps her fellow team member Cilla Dickinson to start her lap during the relays.

The open men’s category was won by the Leith SM1 team of Janus Staufenberg, Dan Hayman, Grayson Westgate and Liam Chesney, with a time of 56min 36sec.

The open women’s category was won by the Leith OW1 team of Kristy Eyles, Katie Smith, Margie Campbell and Mel Aitken, with a time of 1hr 11min 43sec.

Leith’s Gaya Gnanalingam nears the end of her lap during the Leith Country Relays.

Twenty-three people took part in the 5th Ponydale Challenge, a contest to run as many laps of the 2km course as possible in three hours.

Last year’s overall winner was Caversham athlete Ben Pigou, who completed 18 laps in 2 hours 56min 12sec.

This year, however, he had to settle for second place, as he was pipped at the post by Leith’s Nic Bathgate, who completed 19 laps in 2hr 56min 32sec, about four minutes ahead of Pigou.

The women’s record holder last year was Don Greig Racing Stables runner Emma Timmis, who completed 16 laps in 2hr 53min 39sec.