Postponement fails to dampen enthusiasm for Three Peaks race

ATHLETICS

A POSTPONEMENT has certainly not hurt the Three Peaks Mountain Race.

A record field will run the race tomorrow morning, the event having been postponed from March after Covid19 hit.

The event has received 400 entries, nearly double past entries and an extra 100 from before it was postponed.

Included in that are 90 people running the new ultradistance event — a 52km loop as opposed to the regular 26km one.

Event organiser Steve Tripp said the race had done more to promote itself this year.

He felt that had been the main driver behind the increased entry numbers.

However, he also acknowledged the ultra distance would have attracted a few extras as well.

He was excited for that race, which takes the runners off on an extended loop from the top of Flagstaff, before joining back up with the rest of the race at the top of Swampy Summit.

They will then climb Mount Cargill, before finishing at Chingford Park.

The ultra event begins the day, at 6am, and Tripp expected the first of those runners to emerge at the finish line at about 11.30am.

‘‘It’s going to be awesome,’’ he said.

‘‘The people doing the ultra will have a really good day.

‘‘It’s going to be sunny which will help, but there’s been a lot of rain so it’ll be muddy as well.

‘‘It’s just a really gorgeous route. I can’t go on about that enough.

‘‘You’re getting into some really wild terrain without leaving the city.’’

He said the event had taken a lot of planning and even if a swift move back to Covid19 Alert Level 2 was to happen, the race would be able to go ahead.

Among the contenders for the ultra distance would be Tom Spencer, Thomas Hadley, Grant Guise and Chris

Bisley in the men’s race and Sharon Lequeux in the women’s.

In the 26km race, Hamish Elliott is the favourite to defend his men’s title, while Ailsa Rollinson and Anna Frost will contend strongly for the women’s title.

The Athletics Otago track and field season will also begin today at the Caledonian Ground.