TK Cowan 8km, 5km, 3km (Handicap Race), Sat 5 June 2021

Ocean Grove Domain Hall, 307 Tomahawk Road, Ocean Grove

An invitation was extended from Hill City-University to Leith Athletics to take part in this iconic event.

There were 8km, 5km and 3km options available.

For full results >> Leith Athletics Results 2021

For race report and results >> Hill City-University TK Cowan Race Report and Results

Leith Athletics would like to thank Hill City-University for a magnificently run event (59th running of this event) and next year promises to have more Leith athletes in attendance for the 60th running of this historic event. Marc Boulle was the sole Leith Athletics competitor this year having run it in 2019 in 58 minutes, then a dog altercation torpedoed his efforts in 2020, and this year he exacted some revenge on the tough course with a nice tempo run in 49 minutes 1 second – almost 10 minutes improvement on 2019, despite having to wait about 10 seconds for a golfer to tee off on the first hole.  This is a tough run and despite much of it being on the road, the pull up from the golf club rooms up the track to the top and then down into Tomahawk Beach with the short gnarly uphill and down the dune onto the beach before heading along the beach to Ocean Grove hill and the big steep dune path back into Tomahawk Road provided some tough off-road practice for the cross country races looming ahead.

Description of 8km Course: The 8km starts from the Ocean Grove Domain Hall and heads south along and up Tomahawk Road, crossing over at top into Tahuna Road then down Tahuna Road on left side, start running on walkway/cycleway at school pedestrian crossing, then turn right into the Chisholm Golf Club entrance at Lawyers Head Road, to the golf club parking area, and then north up the Lawyers Head Track through Golf Links to top of hill then down path to the left and back onto Tomahawk Road, keep right along grass path then turn right at Tomahawk Beach and onto beach, run along beach then up steep dune into Tomahawk Road again, turn right into Tomahawk road and then at intersection of Tomahawk Road and Centre Road, keep right down Tomahawk Road to the turnaround at the intersection of Southdale and Tomahawk Roads (Tautuku Fishing Club), then head back up Tomahawk Road to the intersection of Tomahawk Road and Centre Road, turn left keeping in Tomahawk Road, then head down the hill, then turn right into Oregon Street (which is actually a crescent) short uphill, then when Oregon Street meets Tomahawk Road again turn right and the finish is about 130m away at the Ocean Grove Domain Hall.  

22nd Leith Harbour Free 5/10km, 9am Course 2, Sunday 30 May 2021

For results and race info visit the Leith Harbour Free website.  

Athletics New Zealand 100 km Road Championships, Sunday 23 May 2021

Hagley Park, Christchurch

As part of the 15th Sri Chinmoy 100 km, 50 km Race & 100km Teams Race

Joe Cowie Memorial Club 5km Handicap Race, Forbury Park, Saturday 22 May 2021

Forbury Park Raceway, Victoria Street, Dunedin

See Map of Venue

Click here for Final Overall Results

Handicap format – 5 laps around the race course for 5km

Visit Leith Athletics Facebook for some great photos of the event

There was some exciting racing today at the Forbury Park Raceway with 30 athletes going for line honours and also fastest times in this iconic handicap race.  It used to be 3 miles but is now over the slightly longer metric distance of 5km.  The weather was sublime with sunny blue skies, little wind and cool conditions.  Excellent for racing.  Check our report below:

Lisa O’Donnell wins in fine style

Lisa O’Donnell won the Joe Cowie Memorial 5km Handicap race in fine style.  She started off go and kept a steady pace from the beginning of lap 2 after having initially sprinted out the blocks, so to speak.  Settling down to even laps after the first lap enabled her to hold out the fast finishing youngster Zac Baillie.  She crossed the line in 30:08.7 with Zac just over thirty seconds back in second place crossing the line in 30:41.0 (actual time 22:41.0) with his father Danny posting the same time. Fastest time went to Janus Staufenberg who finished 20th across the line with an actual time of 15:21.4.  Second fastest was Campbell Wright M18 who finished 19th across the line with an actual time of 16:30.8. Third fastest was Tadhg Ryan-Charleton SM who finished 14th across the line with an actual time of 16:32.0. Guest athlete from Hill City-University the M16 runner George Joseph Hellyer Hamilton finished 24th across the line putting up a fantastic show against his older peers by achieving 7th fastest time of 16:59.0.  The fastest female in the field was senior runner Lydia Pattillo who finished 15th across the line with an actual time of 20:49.1.  The soft wet sand in places made the going tough for some and times would not compare with times on a harder tarseal surface.  

Congratulations to all who competed. Thanks also to all the helpers, timekeepers, lap counters, photographers and anyone else who helped make this a great event.

Rotorua Marathon, Saturday 8 May 2021

This event has now been completed. For a full description of this event and results information, please click link above

MT Outdoors Southern Lakes Half Marathon and 10km, Saturday 1 May 2021

Wanaka, South Island

The provisional results are now available on their website

A number of Leith Athletes took part in this event.  

Leith Athletics Nic Bathgate won the half-marathon Open Men grade in a personal best time of 1 hour 12 minutes 10 seconds.  He finished second overall with Masters Men 40-49 runner Mark Paterson winning the race comfortably in 1:09:41.  Leith Athletics Meriam van Os finished 13th in the Open Women’s grade in a 3-minute personal best time of 1 hour 36 minutes 52 seconds (she was 86th overall).  Leith Athletics Joshua Smith also achieved a personal best finishing 13th in the Open Men grade in 1 hour 19 minutes 46 seconds (16th overall).  Leith Athletics Susan Craig improved on her recent half marathon time by about 6 minutes, finishing 12th in the Open Women 50-59 grade in 2 hours 5 minutes 22 seconds

In the 10km Leith Athletics Tadhg Ryan-Charleton ran a superb personal best of 32 minutes 45 seconds, an improvement of 15 seconds on his previous best time. He finished second overall and second in the Open Men grade.  Claire Reeves finished 22nd in the Open Women grade in 1 hour 2 minutes 2 seconds

21st Leith Harbour Free 5/10km, Course 1, 6pm, Thursday 29 April 2021

Start Kayak Club, corner Magnet and Neptune Streets, Dunedin
Results will be available on the LHF website

One Mile Race, 1.30pm, Sat 24 April 2021

Anderson’s Bay Inlet, Guthrie Pavilion

For full Leith results >> Road Results 2021

Full results will be posted here as soon as they are available to us  

Civil Service Harriers and Ariki Athletics kindly invited Leith Athletics to take part in their Lovelock Relay Trials held on a clockwise one mile loop around the Anderson’s Bay inlet starting just opposite Ariki Athletics clubrooms at Guthrie Pavilion.

We met at 1.30pm at the Guthrie Pavilion for the race which started around 2pm. 

The course consisted of a surface of gravel and sidewalk. This was great preparation for the Lovelock Relays (1500m relays) which takes place the following week on a grass surface at the University Oval and gave a good indication of fitness levels for this shorter faster type of running.  

Leith Athletics race report:

There was a stiff headwind out on the causeway which did not really impede the runners at all. The surrounding hills negated the wind effect on the remainder of the course.  It was great to see seven keen Leith athletes turning up to compete in this event.  Thanks to you all.

Simon Leaning had a fantastic race, holding out Ariki’s Bryce Saunders by a few seconds to win the race in 5 minutes 47 seconds.  Father and daughter team Mark O’Donnell and Caitlin O’Donnell ran together to finish 4th and 5th with equal times in 6 minutes 15 seconds as they crossed the line together.  Don Bate was the next Leith athlete finishing in 6th place in 6 minutes 17 seconds.  Next Leith runner was Christine Montgomery who finished 12th in 7 minutes 1 second.  Leith athletes Marc Boullé 17th in 8 minutes and Susan Craig 18th in 8 minutes 38 seconds were the final Leith athletes to finish.

Afterwards most of us enjoyed a pack run heading out towards Hancock Park and St Clair Beach with some returning to the club rooms for refreshments at various stages of the run.

Leith Athletics would like to say a “Big Thank You” to Civil Service Harriers and Ariki Athletics for the invite and the refreshments afterwards.  This was a most enjoyable event with 18 runners from all three clubs taking part.

ASB Christchurch Marathon, Saturday 11 April 2021, Christchurch

Christchurch Town Hall, Kilmore St, Christchurch

Leith Athletics had a number of athletes competing in this event. 

For results >> ASB Christchurch Marathon

Nic Bathgate ran the full marathon in a personal best of 2 hours 48 minutes 43 seconds at an average pace of 3 minutes 59 seconds per kilometre.  He finished 29th (of 473) overall, 27th male runner (of 362) and 18th (of 183) in the Men’s 18-34 age grade.  Also running the marathon was Gallien Chanalet-Quercy who ran the distance in 3 hours 18 minutes 20 seconds at an average pace of 4 minutes 41 seconds per kilometre.  He finished 33rd (of 99) in the Veteran Men’s 40-49 grade and 99 out of 477 overall.
Rachael McKinney had an excellent run in the half marathon finishing 15th (of 75) in the Women’s 50-59 age grade in 1 hour 53 minutes 10 seconds (average pace of 5 minutes 21 seconds per kilometre)
Susan Craig also had a very good run finishing the half marathon in position 30th (of 75) in the Women’s 50-59 age grade in 2 hour 13 minutes 29 seconds (average pace of 6 minutes 19 seconds per kilometre)
Tadhg Ryan-Charleton smashed a personal best in the 10km running the distance in 33 minutes 35 seconds – a massive PB of 25 seconds at an average pace of 3 minutes 21 seconds.  He finished 14th (of 794) overall, 13th (of 327) in the male runner grade and 10th (of 114) in the Open Male grade.

20th Leith Harbour Free 5/10km Course 2, 8am Sunday 21 March 2021

Start/Finish, Watercooled Sports, 9 Kitchener St, Dunedin

For results and more details visit the Leith Harbour Free website. 

19th Leith Harbour Free 5/10km, Course 1, Thursday, 25 February 2021

Start and finish corner of Neptune/Magnet Streets, Dunedin

For results and more details visit the Leith Harbour Free website. 

BRENDAN FOOT SUPERSITE ROUND THE BAYS, Sunday 21 February 2021

Wellington, New Zealand

Check website for full results and report >> Brendan Foot Supersite Round the Bays

Running in the 10km Bluebridge 10KM Run, Leith’s Tadhg Ryan Charleton finished 8th overall, 3rd in the Men’s 20-29 age grade and 7th male in a time of 36 minutes 6 seconds.  He said he was on 3:29 pace to 8km then he got stomach cramps!  So was unable to achieve a personal best over the distance, nevertheless it still was a great effort by Tadhg as we all know in running – we never know what we will feel like during a run, until we are there doing it.  Check Tadgh Ryan Charleton Split Times link

18th Leith Harbour Free 5/10km, 8am, Course 2, Sunday, 31 January 2021

Start and finish Kitchener St, Dunedin – next to Watercooled Sports

For more details visit the Leith Harbour Free website.  

48 Runners turned out for the 18th Leith Harbour Free from Watercooled Sports.

Luke Geddes (Open Men) and Kristy Eyles (Open Women) set new course records for the 5km in 18:23 and 10km in 42:22 respectively.
Thank you to marshals – Lisa O’Donnell, 2.5km and Gene Sanderson, 5km, turn arounds. 
Thank you to Sebastian Sole (Results/Timing), Marc Boullé (Timing and self-appointed annoying Health and Safety officer) , Mark O’Neill (Facebook), Chris Sole for all round organiser, starter and motivator and Gisela Sole for support, so thank you to all these people mentioned for all the work behind the scenes and on race day.  Thanks to the athletes and their supporters for their enthusiasm and commitment.