Dorne Cup

Place Name Time   Boys 12 13 Hogan GREEN 9.34 23 Andre SMITH 10.08 24 Eric SPEAKMAN 10.09 64 Brendan SPEAKMAN 11.38   Girls 12 26 Dianna BEST 13.07   Boys 14 1 Stefan SMITH 8.51 10 Andrew PROSSER 9.25 19 Ian CLARK 10.02 40 Hayden SCHOFER 10.48 54 Aaron CORNY 11.25   Girls 14 3 Laura SMITH 9.46 10 Alana HAMBLETON 10.58   Boys 16 6 Kane GREEN 15.04   Girls 16 1 Kristy EDMONDSON 15.08 3 Annika EDMONDSON 15.58 9 Sonya CLARK 17.04 11 Claire MCGETTIGAN 17.19   Senior Men 24 Chris CORNEY 27.28 40 Craig MATHERS 28.34 45 Mark SPEAKMAN 29.15   Vet Men 6 John HAMBLETON 28.19 45 Wayne SMITH 32.29 46 Paul MCGETTIGAN 32.42   Vet Women 9 Sheila SMIDT 27.18   Teams B14 Napier 1st B12 Napier 2nd G16 Napier 2nd Overall Napier 5th Sneaking away from work early on Friday is always an enjoyable thing to do but when it is done with the anticipation of a good race coming up in the weekend it is even better. So it was on Friday 9, as I headed home to finish packing for the club trip to the Dorne Cup Cross Country Races in Upper Hutt. Grab the kids and head for the club, to find just about everyone is there already and raring to go! Only one small problem and that is Arthur is not there (Has to be a small problem if it involves Arthur!). Turns out he had left a message on an answer phone somewhere that he wasn't able to come but no-one got the message. Never mind, we left without him anyway. Now, travelling to wellington is no big deal, but it is a very long trip on a bus and with the number of kids on board there was the possibility for mayhem. But the kids were fantastic, entertaining themselves and keeping pretty much out of trouble. A quick stop in Woodville saw the local 4 Square double his usual Friday night takings and the bus gain weight by the sum total of about 20 kids worth of junk food (and Forest's chocolate bars and cheese). Back on the bus and it is starting to get quite cold. The driver tells us he later found a big hole under the dash that was letting in the cold air and the poor heaters couldn't keep up. On through the Wairarapa and up to the Rimataka's and the weather is starting to get a bit iffy. Very cold now , but as we head down the other side and just about into Upper Hutt, Brendan tells me that it is nice and warm on his side of the bus as there is heater under his seat!! We successfully find the Trentham Harrier Club's rooms and unload the bus. A quick cup of coffee, set up the bedding and off for a good nights sleep... Yeah right! 20 kids going to sleep when you ask them to? Well it was quite entertaining for a while listening to them doing things that I never ever ever did when I was a kid. (Just a couple of weeks ago of course!) Never mind, sleep was finally accomplished and the morning rolled around about 5 minutes later. Cold wet Upper Hutt greeted us, and our first look at the Trentham Memorial Park where the races are held. Looks a bit muddy, we'll go and have a look after breakfast. By the time we had eaten, the weather was starting to clear and the local juniors were out playing soccer just outside. It was quite pleasant out on the deck drinking coffee and watching the soccer. Smithy took the youngsters out to have a look at the course and they came back with reports that it wasn't too bad under foot apart from a couple of places where there was water lying around and mud underneath. Nothing too bad though. The races might be alright after all. On to the races. First up was McGoo in his walk. He hammered out from the start immediately taking the lead but by the first corner, about 200 meters from the start Leon McPhillips had joined him. They disappeared off around the rugby fields and by the time they reappeared Leon had the lead but McGoo was not letting him walk away that easily, chasing hard all the way until they disappeared from sight again. We eagerly awaited their return and soon Leon came around the corner. It seems McGoo had decided to let Leon go as there was now quite a gap, but there was also a huge gap back between McGoo and third. That was how they finished, with McGoo showing the youngsters that just because we are from Napier doesn't mean we cant compete. Way to go McGoo! Next up was the vet men. Hambo wasn't going to run but had gotten caught up in the atmosphere of the moment and was testing the idea of running barefoot, but the amount of gravel roads on the course meant that this was always going to be painful. Next the idea of road shoes but with the ground the way it was he wasn't all that keen on that either. So he borrowed Kane Green's spikes and wore them. And a great run he had too. The weather had started to turn a little overcast at this stage but it was still quite pleasant spectating as Hambo appeared on the main field opposite the clubrooms in third place! Back in the middle of the pack McGoo was doubling up and doing a pretty good job of it, and a little further adrift Smithy was loping along as though on a training run. Into the second lap Hambo had dropped to 6th, McGoo was holding steady but Smithy was beginning to make his charge. The thought of a walker beating him may have been his inspiration, but he made an excellent run throught the field to finish 45th, and dragged McGoo through to 46th on his way. Back at the front of the field, Hambo had held onto his sixth spot - and he wasn't even going to run! Sheila was our only representative in the vet women's race. I didn't catch up with her result but only Sheila could get across the mud the way she does - little short strides and lifting her feet only 1 inch above the ground! I'll let you know her placing as soon as I find out. Over the next hour or so the weather, to put it bluntly, turned to shit! By the time the under 12/14 boys and girls race started we had horizontal rain, freezing temperatures, and mud for the entire course to contend with! Absolutely attrocious conditions - Great Fun!?! Anyway, the kids were so anxious to get out of it that they ran out of their skins. Not a one of them had a bad run. And leading everyone home - that is everyone! - was Stefan Smith. A brilliant display of power running in such testing conditions saw him lead virtually from start to finish. there were a couple of locals who thought they might be able to stick with him but he soon showed them! Great runs were not shown only by the winner though with Andrew Prosser coming home 10th in what later gained him a 'runner of the day award'. The first of our under 12's was next in 13th place overall Hogan Green. Laura Smidt ran her legs off to finish 15th overall and 3rd girl, Ian Clark 19th, two more outstanding performances form under 12's Andre Smith 23rd and Eric Speakman 24th, battling eachother all the way to the line. Hayden Schofer was next to cross the line in 40th place with Alana Hambleton not far behind 42nd, Aaron Corney came through in 54th with little Brendan Speakman (who must have just about been blown off the course!) home in 64th. Last of the Napier runners, but by no means last overall was new member Diana Best in 109th. A huge field of really competitive kids. Great to watch and made all the more enjoyable by the way our younsters represented our club. And to bring home three medals from the race was even better. Congratulations to you all but especially to Stefan Smith - 1st overall, Hogan Green - 3rd under 12 boy and Laura Smidt - 3rd under 14 girl. Well, we barely relaxed from that treat when the boys and girls under 16 races started. Now, I wsa trying to do a warm up (in minus 10 degrees C - yeah right) so I missed much of this race but manage to see Kane Green running at the head of the field and the sisters Edmundson toward the head of the girls field. So it wasn't till after the race that I discovered the fantastic news that not only had Kristy Edmundson won the girls race but sister Annika had come third! To top it off Sonya Clark ws 6th and Claire McGettigan 7th. Now the final results aren't out yet but if these placings are correct, we must have won the teams event here as well! And all the girls are under 16!! Brilliant. Not to be outdone Kane ran one of his best races to finish 12th overall. So the precedent was set, we in the Senior mens race had some act to follow. Unfortunately we could not match the brilliance of our younger counterparts in so far as medals were concerned but we certainly flew the flag. Chris Corney ran strongly over what is probably too short a distance for him to dominate, to finish 24th. Craig Mathers put on a great display of water skiing crossed with ice skating, running barefoot to finish 39th. Hambo later thanked him for saving his biggest fall for right in front of where he was spectating. I ran perhaps a little too consertatively early on but was pretty pleased with my run overall, coming home in 45th. But boy did I have fun! I haven't enjoyed a cross country race that much since the mudbath in Gisborne about three years ago. So, a quick trip over to the showers (to discover that only 2 out of 4 were working) to get warmed up and catch up on the gossip. A few beers and back into the bus for the long trip home, a trip which was made all the more enjoyable for the happy feelings of satisfaction on the bus (and perhaps the beers and plentiful toilet stops). All in all this was a great trip for the club and a huge success, not just in terms of precious metal brought home by our youngsters but also in the development of our club. As I have mentioned full results are not out yet but I would be surprised if there aren't a few team medals coming our way as well. To everyone who came down and raced - great effort - well done.