Main street race mad dash attracts hundreds
While there was a break in the wet weather for yesterday’s mad dash down New Plymouth’s Devon St, the cooler weather might have provided some relief to the runners who had a sprint to the finishing line on their minds.
More than 220 people registered to take part in the 1.6km Devon Mile, which started and finished at the city’s landmark clock tower.
The race down Devon St to Gover St, and back again, was the final leg of a weekend of running events in Taranaki called the Coastal Five.
The first person to sprint across the line was Kalib Guy, of Manaia, in South Taranaki, who was chuffed with the result, but completely out of puff too.
When he got his breath back, he said he used to run track, so short distance races suited his style.
Guy said the Devon Mile was the only event in the Coastal Five he registered for, but he had taken part in the Nexans fun run at Bell Block earlier that morning.
His reward for the win? Sleep, Guy said.
With a newborn child in the house, the 25-year-old hoped to get his head down for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon.
The Coastal Five began on Saturday with a half-marathon, followed by a 5km run around Pukekura Park and then a 4.5km cross-country leg at Lake Mangamahoe.
Yesterday was more leisurely by comparison, with a 10km climb at Pukeiti, before the Devon Mile rounded out the event.
Kate Atkinson, of New Plymouth, braved the conditions to join the 150-strong crowd who turned up to watch the Devon Mile race.
‘‘I just thought it would be fun to watch.’’
She said her sister took part in the half-marathon, and she hoped to support family friends taking part in the mile race too, albeit from the sidelines.
Masterton’s Tracey Lupton was there to cheer on her partner.
She said she had planned to do the Devon Mile as well, but a squash injury left her wearing a moon boot and relying on crutches to get around instead, much to her disappointment
The inaugural Coastal Five took place in 2021, and 382 people took part. This year, entries almost doubled, with close to 600 received.