Annual relay taking to Taranaki roads again
In just 11 years, the Taranaki Steelformers Around the Mountain Relay has become an iconic Taranaki event.
It always attracts hundreds of competitors from outside the region to swell the total entry numbers to more than 2000 every year, which is something of which event director Selwyn Brown is justifiably proud.
‘‘It’s all about people and having fun,’’ he says modestly. But there’s no doubt the organisational skills of Selwyn and his wife Gayle Brown have turned the event into an experience which huge numbers of people want to repeat year after year.
The relay will be held on Friday, November 3, and Saturday, November 4, with the start and finish at New Plymouth’s TSB Stadium. And, once again, there are some fantastic prizes to be shared among the competitors.
While it’s predominantly a fun event for runners and walkers, there will also be a strong field of endurance athletes vying for the top prizes of $1000 each to the first man and woman home.
These athletes, both the 50-milers who start from Omuturangi Rd at 6.00am on the Saturday and the 100-milers who start from Kent Rd on the Friday night at
5.00pm and finishing from 9.00am to
7.00pm on Saturday wear the blue 7000 series of numbers, Brown points out.
‘‘So if you are out on the course give them some encouragement to press on to the finish.’’
But you don’t have to be the fastest to be among the big winners in the relay. This year’s major prize is a trip for two to Hawaii, including four nights’ accommodation, flying Hawaiian Airlines and organised by World Travellers New Plymouth.
And in the words of those ads, but wait, there’s more.
There are trophies galore. There’s the Sport Taranaki School Trophy awarded to the first school running team to finish.
There are trophies in the business house section to the first walking team home.
There’s a prize for the first team to finish.
A team buffet prize from Genghy’s Mongolian Buffet Restaurant for the Best-dressed Team and the Best