They say history never repeats. But at the Christchurch Airport Marathon today, the winners of the feature full marathon were an exact repeat of the same race two years ago.
In 2012 two vastly different runners on vastly different career paths stood on the podium at the prestigious Christchurch Airport Marathon. Sam Wreford was a runner on the rise, setting a personal best time of 2hrs 17min 30secs. But the women's winner that year, American-based Kiwi Liza Hunter-Galvan, was a former Olympian with a chequered career who won the Christchurch Airport Marathon for the third time.
Today, they won again. Hunter-Galvan for a record fifth time and Wreford in another personal best of 2hrs 16min 28secs.
Wreford came into the 2014 race as the firm favourite, but facing well-performed Australian Nathan Hartigan, 2013 national championship runner up Stephen Lett and recent Rotorua Marathon third place getter Tony Payne, he wasn't about to be complacent and stamped his authority on proceedings in the first 10km.
The Timaru runner had started the day hoping to challenge Tom Birnie's 29 year old race record of 2hrs 15min 12secs and had hoped the competition might lift them all to something special. But he stamped his authority so hard that he had only the half marathon leaders for company and when the two races parted ways Wreford found himself alone out front with 32km to go.
He hit halfway on pace for 2hrs 15min, but without a competitive spur his pace slipped away between 25km and 35km before he romped home to nab a new personal best time by just five seconds.
Ten minutes behind Wreford came Aucklanders Stephen Lett and Tony Payne, who had a race-long battle that dispatched Australian Nathan Hartigan before Lett got the final nod 41secs ahead of Payne in 2hrs 26min 35secs. In fourth place 58 year old Gavin Stevens missed the world 58 year age record by one minute. The former Olympic cyclist battled throughout the race with Hong Kong's Kwong Man Lau before beating him by 14 seconds in 2hrs 37min 34secs.
Winner Sam Wreford said the conditions were more a problem than the loneliness of the long distance runner. A minus 5-degree frost left a brilliant blue sky day, but also icy roads for the 8:30am start.
"I'm pleased with my run," he said after winning by 10min. "It's a PB, which is always good, but the roads were really slippery in places. I was worried about falling over at times. I think it probably cost me a minute."
The womens marathon couldn't have contrasted more, with the winner having to overcome an early leader and then commenting that the great spectator support kept her warm from start to finish.
In a carbon-copy of last year Australian-based Kiwi Victoria Beck made the early pace while Liza Hunter-Galvan ran her own race according to what time she thought she was capable.
Beck's early pace was such that she led the womens half marathon winners for the first eight kilometres, with the 31 year old former Dunedinite going through halfway in 1hr 19min.
"I was feeling pretty good," she said later, "so I was thinking maybe 2:40 might be there."
But as with last year, Hunter-Galvan's strength and experience saw her move to the front in the final 10km and eventually run away for a two minute win in 2hrs 43min 40secs. In third place Dunedin's Mel Aitken set a personal best time 2hrs 56min 55secs.
The repeat wins for Wreford and Hunter-Galvan is a continuation of two careers that are vastly different yet undeniably linked.
Wreford has been New Zealand's dominant marathoner in recent years, winning the country's three major marathons in Auckland, Christchurch and Rotorua. But as a late starter in regard to serious training, the 31 year old's career is very much on the rise.
Hunter-Galvan wore the silver fern at two Olympics, then sabotaged her career with a positive drug test in 2009, before returning purely for enjoyment that has led to four consecutive wins in the Christchurch Airport Marathon.
But both share a link in the coaches that led to their success. Hunter-Galvan was coached by the late Arthur Lydiard, who coached a string of Olympic medallists including Peter Snell, Murray Halberg, John Davies and Barry Magee. Today, Magee coaches Sam Wreford with the very same principles that took him to bronze in the marathon at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Hunter-Galvan can never say enough about Lydiard, who discovered her 30 years ago as a teenager in Auckland. Magee in turn can never say enough about Lydiard's influence on his running and life, because the coach was a father figure to Magee whose father had died young. Now, Wreford can never say enough about Magee's coaching and faith in his ability.
The 31 year old has had a tough last eight months with injury ruining his chances of a Commonwealth Games berth to Glasgow this year. So despite being pleased to put up a personal best time, he was quick to pass the credit to his coach.
"This win is as much for Barry as me," Wreford said on the finish line. "His coaching and his faith in me is the reason I'm here. So really this is for him."
Hunter-Galvan, who at age 44 recorded the fastest of her five Christchurch Airport Marathon wins, had someone else to thank. After punching the air and high-fiving the crowd through an emotional final 100m, she publically thanked Christchurch for re-booting her running.
The Texas-based mother of five started her marathon career with a win in Christchurch way back in 1999 and her win in 2011 was actually her first race back after the drug suspension. These days she runs for enjoyment first, racing Christchurch every year because it fits with her kids' school holidays and a chance to visit her parents.
This year's fifth win came just a month after failing to finish the Rotorua Marathon due to illness. "Christchurch just always seems to work for me," she said on the finish line. "I always feel loved here and I always run well here."
Wellington's Gabrielle O'Rourke must be feeling the Christchurch love too. The 47 year old Wellingtonian was one of New Zealand's top marathoners in the 1990s when she won the Christchurch half marathon twice (98,99) and the full marathon once (94). This year she copied Hunter-Galvan, who also won the full distance in 1999, to return 15 years later for a win in the women's half marathon. Although it wasn't without some controversy.
Christchurch's own Alexandra Williams, who was the surprise winner last year, set the early pace. But she was tracked closely by O'Rourke and Dunedin's Louisa Andrew. Andrew dropped off the pace shortly before halfway and O'Rourke made her move shortly after halfway. But not before the halfway mark created some confusion of its own.
Williams and O'Rourke were running among a large bunch of 20 men who accidentally turned around early. The two women turned with them and didn't realise their problem until their personal GPS watches showed just 20km at the finish line, instead of the half marathon distance of 21.1km. Meanwhile third place Andrew (and the rest of the field) had continued to the correct turn around point and eventually finished some five minutes behind.
Race referees consulted all runners affected and decided the five minutes back to third place indicated that O'Rourke and Williams would have been first and second regardless. So the end result stood, with O'Rourke winning her third Christchurch Airport Half Marathon ahead of Williams, Andrew and Christchurch's Sarah Gardiner and Shayna Innes.
The men's half marathon was without such controversy, but in an extremely close race it did throw up a surprise winner.
Pre-race talk was on whether Auckland's Malcolm Hicks could turn his sub-four minute mile speed into a half marathon win, or whether Auckland's Aaron Pulford and Australia's Brady Threlfall could climb up from third and fifth last year, or maybe Dunedin's Nathan Baxter could continue his run of form as New Zealand's fastest half marathoner so far this year. But no one talked about 26 year old Callan Moody, who a year previously had finished a well beaten 12th some three minutes behind the winners.
Indeed, as the Christchurch-based Dunedinite romped down the home straight he looked back several times as if he expected 10 runners to come romping past him at any second. As he chested the finish banner he cast his arms wide, poked out his tongue and shook his head with a radiant but almost unbelieving grin.
The 26 year old Cardiac Physiologist tucked in behind a tactical first 10km that saw a dozen contenders turn for home. But as the favourites started to wind up the pace, Moody found himself tagging along without any problem.
"With about 3km to go I decided to have a go myself," he said after winning in a three minute personal best of 66min 06secs.
Behind him five others finished within 50 seconds, with Hicks 13 seconds behind in second, followed by Baxter, Pulford, Threlfall and Caden Shields (Dun), while seventh place Ying Ren Mok set a Singapore national record of 67min 29secs.
"I lifted it a notch with 3km, and then again with about one and a half km to go and got away," explained Moody. "From there I was just running hard, hoping no one was going to come past me."
The surprised winner was still finding it hard to believe when he said, "I'm more of middle distance type guy; I don't really run many half marathons. But maybe I should be running more of them!"
Then he wondered out loud if the cold, icy conditions had been more to his advantage. "I love the cold," he grinned. "I'm from Dunedin, so I'm pretty used to running in cold like that."
More than 4000 runners and walkers from 12 countries handled the cool conditions admirably. Among other results, Matt Harris (Akld) and Rachel Kingsford (Chch) won the 10km with startling sprint finishes.
Harris, Peter Meffan (Dun) and Brett Smith (ChCh) turned into the home straight within a couple of seconds of each other, but Harris found another gear and won by five seconds in 30min 44secs.
Kingsford set the pace in the women's race but had 21 year old Flora Brocherie for company until the final kilometre when the 26 year old comfortably lifted the pace for an eight second win in 34min 52secs.
Organisers announced today that the 35th anniversary Christchurch Airport Marathon will return to the central city in 2015.
In 2010, prior to the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, the event had enjoyed its biggest ever entry of 5800 participants. The February 2011 earthquake almost forced organisers to cancel that year's event, but they staged it in Lincoln with six weeks notice and were pleased with a turn out of 3300 people.
"That was a big eye opener for us," says race director Chris Cox. "It illustrated how much this event means to the community."
In 2012 the race moved to Christchurch Airport, and more than 4000 participants have turned out for the past three years.
"I think the Marathon is a bit like Christchurch itself," says Cox. "We've had to rebuild."
"But we've been working with the Christchurch Airport and Christchurch City Council to get the event back to its traditional base in the central city and hopefully that'll see us return to record numbers."
"The world's best marathons are all events that showcase their city," said Cox. "That's all we've ever wanted to do and now in the rebuild that becomes even more important."
The 2015 35th anniversary Christchurch Airport Marathon is scheduled for Sunday 7th June. For full results for the 2014 Christchurch Airport Marathon see: www.christchurchmarathon.co.nz.
