Sjors Corporaal and Annika Smail began the North Island Triple Crown trail running series where they left off from last year, winning today’s 18km Toi’s Challenge event in Whakatane.
The pair showed their twin wins in last year’s The Goat run around Mt Ruapehu – the final event in the series – was no fluke with comfortable wins today.
 |
 |
| Annika Smail (Photo: Triple Crown Media) |
Sjors Corporaal (Photo: Triple Crown Media) |
Corporaal, a 32-year-old dairy farmer from Galatea, arrived at the start line freshly shaven of his distinctive bushy beard and hair.
He kept in touch with Hamilton’s Kerry Suter over the first half of the course into Ohope, then galloped away over the final hills to win by more than 2mins.
Corporaal took more than 12mins off his time at this event last year, when he finished 13th, stopping the clock in 1:17:56.
Suter was a comfortable second in 1:19:59, while Tauranga’s Iain MacDonald was third, just ahead of an incredible performance from Rotorua 53-year-old Colin Earwaker, who shattered his own masters record by nearly 2mins to finish in 1:25:58.
Rotorua’s Smail, better known for her exploits on a mountain bike, also unleashed her running prowess in a slick second half of the event, pulling ahead of Whakatane local Karen Hanlen to win the women’s race in 1:37:30. Hanlen was 1min 15secs back with Tauranga’s Jill Fuller third in 1:42:17.
Corporaal and Smail have just a six-day turnaround before the next event in the series - the Great Cranleigh Kauri Run on the Coromandel Peninsula.
The Great Cranleigh Kauri Run is the longest of the three events at 32km (with a shorter 13km option). It takes runners from the white sands of Waikawau Beach up and across the spine of the Coromandel Peninsula into Coromandel township, through stunning native bush and forest.
The Goat Alpine Adventure Run, meanwhile, is an awe-inspiring 21km trail run around the flanks of Mt Ruapehu, set amongst sub-alpine tussock in the world-renowned Tongariro National Park, taking runners from the Whakapapa to Turoa ski-fields.
Results From Today's Race
Men
| 1. | Sjors Corporaal | Galatea | 1hr 17min 56sec |
| 2. | Kerry Suter | Hamilton | 1:19:59 |
| 3. | Iain MacDonald | Tauranga | 1:25:23 |
| 4. | Colin Earwaker | Rotorua | 1:25:58 |
| 5. | Sam Clark | Onepu | 1:27:07 |
| 6. | Glenn Sexton | Hamilton | 1:28:25 |
| 7. | Shay Williamson | Whakatane | 1:29:20 |
| 8. | Tuenis Schoneveld | Whakatane | 1:29:48 |
| 9. | William Doney | Whakatane | 1:30.14 |
| 10. | Thomas Reynolds | Waimauku | 1:30:18 |
Women
| 1. | Annika Smail | Rotorua | 1:37:30 |
| 2. | Karen Hanlen | Whakatane | 1:38:45 |
| 3. | Jill Fuller | Tauranga | 1:42:17 |
| 4. | Dawn Tuffery | Hamilton | 1:44:51 |
| 5. | Michelle Walker | Rotorua | 1:47:12 |
