Ringing in the champions of the 2023 Road Race

The sun stayed shining through a full day of action on the Ring Road, which in the weeks leading up to the event was meticulously measured to 2000 metres to meet World Athletics standards. The final certification from World Athletics was received only days before the circuit was due to become centre stage for participants.

Despite some concern over the 14-metre elevation leading up past Wharerata Hill, possibly leading to slower times, many athletes across a range of grades ended the day with personal bests.

The big winners of the day included Daniel Balchin, the only South Island competitor, and Sarah Drought, who took out the senior men’s and senior women’s 10km races respectively. The win makes it the third New Zealand Road title for Mr Balchin, having also won in 2016 and 2017, while Ms Drought got to enjoy another victory after last winning 11 years earlier.

Bachelor of Veterinary Science student George Varney managed to score the win for the fastest time up Wharerata Hill, one second faster than Mr Balchin. George was also part of the local Manawatū Wanganui team which filled fourth to seventh place to secure the teams title for the first time in the history of the Championship. Another member of the Massey whānau, Nelson Doolan, took out second place in the Under-20 men’s 8km.

The race-walking events were held on a separate 1000m course which included Riddet Road and Colombo Road. The overall race winner of the 20km event was Canterbury’s Laura Langley, with a winning time of one hour and 42 minutes.

Ms Langley, along with runner-up and Palmerston North local Arnika Nelson, men’s winner Alex Brown and Under-20 medallists Jonah Cropp and Lucas Martin, all achieved qualifying times for the next World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships which will be held in Antalya, Turkey in April 2024.

Centre Manager of the Athletics Waikato Bay of Plenty Board Dianne Rodger says the event couldn’t have gone better, especially given the wonderful weather.

“It was a great course and we received lots of positive comments from all age groups that competed for Waikato Bay of Plenty. A big thank you to Massey for hosting the Road Champs!”

Sport Advancement Manager Jacob Oram, who played a role in coordinating the Championships on campus, says it was a great opportunity to support a national sporting event.

“It was great to host the 2023 New Zealand Road Race Championships on our Manawatū campus and see all the participants get to enjoy our fantastic facilities. With beautiful weather, a good crowd and some competitive races, it was a really successful weekend.”