With one week to go until the National Road Relay Champs, Saturday's club run was the last chance to haggle over lap running orders and check up on the general state of health and fitness. Fortunately there were no late changes required and everybody seemed happy with the lap they had been allocated.

The whole senior club headed off on a mystery run led by Gordon Clarke - in fact so mysterious that at times even Gordon didn't seem to be sure where we were headed. The youngsters took off up Mt Victoria, while the experienced (masters) made a more conservative start while their bodies creaked into action. A regroup at the top and then a flashy descent, a cruise around the waterfront and another regroup near the railway station.

Across to the Botanic Garden and another regroup before a spectacular trot past the tulips. Somehow the group fragmented as the route became less defined, but with runners appearing from several different directions, the Kelburn regroup amazingly had us all accounted for again. A loop down Aro Street gave the relay downhill runners a chance to test their skills. By this time the group was beginning to stretch out over quite a bit of territory. The frisky youngsters were starting to find the return journey a bit testing, while a loop past the Scottish clubrooms encouraged the senior men to put on a bit of a spurt. Eventually everybody reported back to the clubrooms, invigorated by a solid 80 minute workout.

Meanwhile the club's junior runners continue to score outstanding results in local and national competitions. In the Wellington Secondary School Road Champs, Kieron McDonald won the year 9 boys race and Jess Paton the girls U16. Barbara Roy and Nathan Barrett continued their irrepressible form taking out the senior titles. In the annual NZ Primary and Intermediate Schools Cross Country Champs, Kelsey Forman took silver in the girls year 6 event, while Noah Billingsley and Nick Lucie-Smith scored golds in the boys year 6 and year 8 races respectively.


Tony.