City marathon’s new date, new records?
Marathon runner Alice Mason knows Christchurch’s flat, fast streets well.
The Rotorua doctor has won the half and full distance in the city, most recently at Queens Birthday weekend in June 2019 when freezing cold wind and rain possibly cost her the 39-year-old race record of Japanese Olympian Naenai Sasaki (2hr
35min in 1982).
Mason ran 2hrs 39min that day, which was the fastest by a New Zealander at home since 2005 when Shireen Crumpton won Christchurch in 2hrs 37min.
With the event having been switched to April and being staged tomorrow the weather will be kinder and Mason is chasing a sub-2:35 time and her fifth consecutive national title. However, Auck-Alice land’s Kelly Parlane will be hovering close by if the favourite should falter.
Mason could also be eyeing the national qualification standards for the Tokyo Olympics which sits at 2hr 29min
30sec, if all went well, in a race which doubles as the national championship.
The men’s race shapes as the best marathon in New Zealand since the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
The favourite is undoubtedly former multisporter and mountain runner, Daniel Jones, who since taking to marathons full-time has got his best time down to 2hrs 16min. The Wellingtonian has won every major marathon in the country except Christchurch, but it’s the time as much as the title that he’ll be chasing and Tom Birnie’s 1985 race record of 2:15.12 may be under threat.
Jones will need to be on his best form, however. He’ll be chased hard by Wellington Scottish clubmate, Nick Horspool, who has a best of 2hrs 18min.
Locals will be watching for fast-rising Cantabrian, Andy Good, another former national mountain running champion who recently won the Buller Half Marathon in a fast 1hr 05min, which is faster than Jones’ or Horspool’s best over the half distance. Behind them former national champion Blair McWhirter (Chch) and Queenstown’s Nick Sunseri are tipped to pick up the pieces if any of the favourites bite of more than their body can chew.
‘‘New Zealand’s best do their fastest running overseas these days, so if there is any sort of upside to Covid it is seeing so many of them lining up at home again,’’ said race director Chris Cox.
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The upside for the ASB Christchurch Marathon itself is that it can go ahead at all. Caught in the middle of New Zealand’s lockdown last winter, the event was cancelled for the first time in its 40 years.
‘‘It’s been a tough year,’’ says Cox. ‘‘Financially it has left the event very exposed, but ASB stood beside us and the year off gave us some time to rethink what we do and plan for the future.’’
‘‘The result is a return to our preferred route for the first time since the earthquakes, and the shift from Queens Birthday Weekend to mid-April should see more settled weather.’’
Both of these things will hopefully see us start rebuilding to the record participation we enjoyed prior to the earthquakes (5800 in 2010).’’
More than 4000 runners and walkers from around New Zealand will line up for the event at the Christchurch Town Hall tomorrow.