The annual battle for harrier club supremacy takes place this Saturday with the staging of the 36th New Zealand Road Relay Championships in Nelson. The event is the largest on the Athletics New Zealand championship calendar. University of Canterbury have dominated the senior relays over recent years, winning the men for the last five years and the women the last three. Three of last year’s men’s team Alex Fowler, Brett Tingay and Andrew Davidson have returned to help the Varsity mates make it six in a row. They are backed by two ju...

 Athletics New Zealand has appointed Graham Seatter to the new position of Black Singlet Convenor. The purpose of the part-time role is to ensure the implementation Athletics New Zealand’s team selection philosophies and policies for Black Singlet events. The Convenor will also head the selection panel for all Black Singlet teams. Black Singlet events are Olympic and Commonwealth Games, IAAF World Championship events for senior, junior and youth levels and the IAAF World Indoor championships. Seatter will oversee the top level of tea...

Disgraced drug cheat Nadzeya Ostapchuk has returned her tainted Olympic gold medal and it will be presented to London 2012 champion Valerie Adams in a public ceremony at The Cloud in downtown Auckland next Wednesday night. Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae will be the man to put the medal around Adams' neck in what is the first-ever Olympic gold ceremony on New Zealand soil. The New Zealand Olympic Committee confirmed the ceremony has been added to a pre-existing function already scheduled at The Cloud, worked in conjunction with sponsor AN...

In what is an exciting and progressive shift for the sport, the new structure of the national office will strongly focus on the delivery of a new community athletics plan. The plan targets  club development, coach and officials development and participation opportunities, especially for young people and recreational runners and walkers.  For the first time, the office will feature staff members with specific responsibilities in club development and officials’ development, with time being spent directly with clubs on&n...

Edwin Kaitany of Kenya continued his winning way around New Zealand with victory in the New Zealand senior men’s road running championship race. Kaitany led out after 6km and went on unchallenged to record 30m 20s for the 10km. With Kaitany unable to take the title Tim Hodge of Wellington in second collected his first national title with a time of 30m 45s. Evan Cooper of Wellington claimed the silver medal in a close finish with Peter Meffan of Otago. 21 year old Kaitany said that he preferred the solid surface of the road compared to th...

Results: Men: Senior 10,000m: Edwin Kaitany (Kenya) 30m 20s 1, Tim Hodge (Wgtn) 30m 45s 2, Evan Cooper (Wgtn) 30m 56s 3, Peter Meffan (Otago) 31m 2s 4, Steven O’Callaghan (WaikBoP) 31m 17s 5, Ben Barry (Wgtn) 31m 26s 6. Teams: Wellington 1, Auckland 2. Masters 10,000m: 35-39: Simon Mardon (Tasman) 32m 31s 1, Johan Van Hoovels (Akld) 33m 38s 2, Dave Parsons (Wgtn) 33m 55s 3. Teams: Wellington 1, Auckland 2, Tasman 3. 40-44: Graeme Taylor (Tasman) 32m 32s 1, Todd Stevens (Wgtn) 33m 54s 2, Sasha Daniels (Akld) 34m 4s 3. 45-49: Robb...

Nick Willis ran his last track race of the season in Padua, Italy overnight with an 800m at the International Meeting there.  The race was won by Jeff Riseley of the Melbourne Track Club in 1:46.38 with Willis finishing in 8th place in 1:48.19. The Padua meeting, combined with the Minnesota Mile next week provides a low-key finish to Willis' 2012 season. 1 4I 23 RISELEY Jeffrey 1986 M  AUS AUSTRALIA 1:46.38 2 8I 34 AL-GARNI Mohamad 1992 M  QAT QATAR (PB) 1:46.63 3 3E 26 BENEDETTI Giordano 1989 M  ITA ITALY 1:46.76  ...

The New Zealand team awoke to sunshine with snow on the surrounding hills on the day of the World Mountain Running Championships in Ponte di Legno, Italy. After two days of rain and some snowfall near the finish area the cool but dry weather conditions suited the kiwi athletes. Ryan Mcalister from Wellington was the first New Zealand runner to compete and even though he competed for the first time he arrived in 14th position.  A great result in a very competitive field won by Michael Cherop from Uganda with 71 runners in the race. After s...

Nick Willis has confirmed that the conclusion to his 2012 season will include an 800m in Padova, Italy this weekend, followed by a Road Mile in Minnesota next week. The City of Padova Inernational Meeting is on Sunday 2nd September with the Minnesota Mile in Duluth, Minnesota scheduled for Sunday 9th September. These events are a relatively low-key end to a 2012 season which has seen Willis smash the New Zealand and Oceania 1500m record in Monaco and narrowly miss setting a new National 1000m record in Linz. Padova 800m Start List   RISELE...

Sam Wreford will be seeking a unique double when he lines up for the New Zealand road running title in Wellington on Saturday. Wreford won the national cross country crown four weeks ago in Hamilton and if he also captures the road title he will join a select group who have achieved the double in the same season. Kevin Ryan came away with the two titles in 1974, Rex Wilson in 1984, Ken Moloney in 1986, Peter Renner in 1987 and Phil Costley claimed the two titles in 2002 and 2004. Wreford was impressive winning the&...