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The 2009 edition of the Napier Harrier Club's Memorial Road Race took a very similar course to last years race. Raced annually to commemorate four young club members who were tragically killed in a car crash while returning from the Wairoa to Gisborne Relay in 1967, the course covers a circuit including Puketitiri Road, Puketapu and Omaranui Road. Eric Speakman lead the solo runners from the start, but once again suffered in the heat of Omaranui Rd, but managed to hold on for the victory, this year from a solid performing Niall McCormack and Eric Phimister. With most of the solo runners treating the event as a trainging run leading into next weekend's National Road Relays in Christchurch, and with the glorious weather on Saturday, the times were predictably slow this year with Speakman's winning time of 1:44:27 almost 30 minutes outside Rex Wilson's 1985 race record of 1:14:47. McCormack's 1:49:44 for second was enough to win him the sealed handicap trophy by 3:39 from Mark Speakman, with Phimister third.
The 4 x 6km relay was won from the gun by the team of John Craven, Frank Busch, Kim Creagh and James Bell. Craven got the team off to a great start, running fastest over the opening leg and handing a 2:26 lead over to Busch who proceeded to put another minute on the chasing pack. Creagh maintained the 3:30 advantage over leg three, despite a storming run from Havelock North High School's Ryan Calder which brought his team through from fifth to second. Brendan Speakman knocked out the fastest time on the closing leg but could only take 1 minute out of James Bell's lead, bringing his team back into second spot.
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