Defending Champions Challenged In Christchurch

With the best field seen at a national championship for several years, the women’s half marathon takes centre stage at this weekend’s Christchurch Airport Marathon.

In a race of champions, defending champion Lydia O’Donnell will face last year’s full marathon winner, two former national champions, a handful of former junior stars and a former Australian marathon champion.

With several national titles over all distances in recent years, the 25-year-old O’Donnell is the most be-medalled in the field. But she isn’t the fastest. The best half marathon time belongs to Cambridge runner Rowan Torckler, who clocked 1hr 14min 01secs back in 2008. The 31-year-old took some time away from the sport after that and has only come back to the top level in the last 18 months. Last year she won the Wellington half marathon, was a close second at the Auckland half marathon and earlier this year clocked a fast 1hr 15min to win the Huntly half marathon ahead of training partner and rival this week, Alice Mason.

Mason is also on the start line in Christchurch. The 28-year-old doctor won the full distance on debut in last year’s Christchurch Airport Marathon and with a 1hr 15min best over the half distance is without doubt a contender. Lydia O’Donnell’s best time came in winning the national title in Christchurch last year in 1hr 14min 40secs. She actually finished second in that race, behind Australian Milly Clarke, who was not eligible for the New Zealand title.

Clarke was down to race in Christchurch again this Sunday, but withdrew after being selected to Australia’s Olympic marathon team. But there will be another standout Australian in 47 year-old super-mum, Julie Norney. She ran 1hr 19min at the Gold Coast half marathon last year, but won’t even be the favourite for veteran honours in Christchurch. New Zealand’s own super-vet, 53-year-old Sally Gibbs won the national half marathon and full marathon titles as recently as 2014 and clocked 1hr 18min for fifth in Christchurch last year.

At the other end of the age spectrum, three former junior stars are expected to keep the experienced campaigners honest. Hamilton’s Olivia Ritchie and Auckland’s Olivia Burne have cut their teeth on American university scholarships, while fellow Aucklander Esther Keown has already won a world title.

In 2008 Keown (Akld) won the world secondary school cross country title. Ritchie ((Ham) recently won the Hawke’s Bay half marathon and has a strong distance running pedigree from her mother, Kiwi Olympic marathoner Marguerite Ritchie. Burne (Akld) has a 1hr 17min best time from her third place in last year’s Auckland half marathon and a comfortable win in the Auckland cross country grand prix last weekend tags her the most likely of the three to shine.

Dunedin’s Hannah Miller, a well-performed runner on the national circuit, also added interest with a late entry and will be a top-5 contender.

Race director, Chris Cox, is thrilled to see the women’s national title race take top billing.

“We work hard to make the Christchurch Airport Marathon New Zealand’s premier road race,” says Cox. “Runners like Lydia O’Donnell, Alice Mason and Sally Gibbs acknowledge this by returning. But it’s great to see young guns like Olivia Burne and Esther Keown and Olivia Ritche stepping up to challenge the established stars.”

Starting at 8:00am on Sunday, the new-look Christchurch Airport Marathon will start and finish in Cathedral Square and take in Hagley Park and the Avon River. As well as the feature full marathon and half marathon distances, there is a 10k option and the Kids’ Mara’Fun over either 1k or 2k or 3k.

For more information and to make a late entry, visit: www.christchurchmarathon.co.nz.

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