Record Running In Wellington This Weekend

With cash, international trips and national titles up for grabs, record racing will be the order of the day for this Sunday’s Gazley Volkswagen Wellington Marathon.

More than 3500 runners and walkers from record 23 countries and all ends of New Zealand will line up at Wellington’s Sky Stadium on Sunday for the 36th Gazley Volkswagen Wellington Marathon event. Established in 1986, the event has been the regions premier marathon event for more than three decades and is one of New Zealand’s “big four” marathons, alongside Christchurch, Rotorua and Auckland, that are certified to international standard and belong to the World Marathon Majors circuit.

Following a tough covid period that saw the event postponed or cancelled four times in 2020 and 2021, entries have bounced back, with international participants coming from Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Estonia, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States. And some are among favourites in the feature half marathon and full marathon.

Defending Champions Chasing National Titles

This year’s half marathon event plays host to the Athletics New Zealand half marathon championship and the defending champions from last year’s wellington half marathon are back looking to add national titles to their name.

Among women, Wellington mum, Sarah Drought is the odds-on favourite. Drought has been in the form of her life in the past 12 months. She won last year’s Wellington half marathon in a record 1hr 17min 06secs, but recently ran much faster when winning the Christchurch half marathon in a best time of 1hr 13min 41secs. To claim her first national half marathon title in Wellington this year, Drought will need to watch for well-performed Aucklander, Katrina Andrew and Wellington Harriers clubmate Esther George.

The men’s half marathon title in Wellington is expected to produce a much tighter tussle. Favourites include defending Wellington half marathon champion, Michael Voss (Rotorua), and recent Christchurch Marathon winner, Daniel Balchin (Alexandra).

Both runners have enjoyed their best form over the past 12 months, with Balchin running a 2hr 15min marathon last year to win the national title and winning the recent Christchurch Marathon, while Voss went from his Wellington win last year to a standout sixth place at the prestigious Gold Coast half marathon in a best time of 1hr 04min 07secs. Voss has a faster best time over the half marathon, but Balchin is vastly better performed at national championships. The Alexandra runner has won every title from 5000m to the marathon, except for the half marathon. While Voss has yet to win a national senior title.

Both men, then, have ample motivation for the half marathon championship and their battle might threaten the race record of 1hr 06min 27secs set by Kenyan Kip Kemei in 2012. But head-to-head battles often cause casualties and chasing hard behind the favourites in the hope of cleaning up the mess will be Taupo’s up and coming Cullen Thorby and local standouts Seamus Kane and Malcolm Hodge. But everyone will also need to watch for internationals, Rainier Kravets from Estonia and Naoto Akiba from Japan. Kravets has twice finished fourth in Estonian national championship races, while Akiba has a half marathon best of 1hr 08min 27secs.

Japanese Favourites & Past Winners Among Full Marathoners

Japanese runners will also feature in the full marathon, with Kaito Iwasa and Taishiro Kawano. Iwasa, in particular, has a personal best time of 2hrs 19min that is faster than the Wellington marathon record of 2hrs 22min 43secs set by American Dan Lowry in 2017.

Keeping the visitors honest are Frenchman Arnaud Beterns and Wellington standout, Dougal Thorburn. Thorburn has previously won both the half marathon and full marathon in Wellington, so will have course knowledge on his side.

Another with course knowledge on their side will be Cambridge runner, Angela Handcock, who finished second over the classic 42.2k last year. She returns hoping to go one place better, but also to break the marathon’s magical three-hour mark for the first time.

Something for Everyone

Event Manager, Michael Jacques is pleased with the calibre of racing in this year’s Gazley Volkswagen Wellington Marathon. “We always try to put on a good show at the front of the race,” he says, “and this year I think we’ll see some race records in both the half marathon and full marathon.”

“But really this event is so much more than the top runners,” says Jacques. “We provide something for everyone from kids right through to first timers and weekend warriors.”

Jacques says it is great to see people like Wellington’s Des Young continuing his streak as the only person to have run every year of the event. Young is lining up in the 10k event, as is American running celebrity Katherine Switzer who is renowned for being the first woman to officially finish the famous Boston Marathon. Lower Hutt running celebrity, Mike Stewart, returns to attempt his 605th marathon finish while at the other end of the scale youngsters Dexter McCullagh (18 from New Plym) and Lucas Machado Gomes (14 from Wgtn) are lining up for their first marathon and half marathon.

Sunday’s Gazley Volkswagen Wellington Marathon kicks off on Sunday at Sky Stadium with the Full Marathon at 7:15am. The Half Marathon starts at 8:45am, the 10K at 9:15am and the Kid’s Magic Mile at 9:30am. Late entries can be made on Saturday at Gazley Volkswagen, 38 Kent Terrace in Wellington. For more information see www.wellingtonmarathon.kiwi.

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