Owairaka Athletics

Te Hāora Race Week!

Great running over the weekend in Sydney, Mt Maunganui and New Plymouth.
Entries close on Wednesday for Te Hāora! All the info and entry for external teams is here: https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/events-1/te-haora-2026

If you don’t want to run but would like to help out, come along and be a part of the team on the day. We will need help for set up from 10, at the registration desk from 12.30-1.30, marshalling during the race, on the sausage sizzle and at prize giving. Get in touch 😊

13 September (probably) Auckland Road Relays at Mt Smart. Register here to be in one of our teams (all grades – juniors, seniors and masters) https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/events-1/auckland-road-relays

SENIOR TRAINING THIS WEEK
Tuesday – 2k repeats (up to 40 minutes)
Meet at Lovelock Track 5.55pm. 10 Minute easy warm up and windsprints. Then out onto the streets. Up to 40 minutes of 2k repeats with 2 minutes standing recovery at the start / finish of the lap. Start around Marathon pace and gradually pick up pace to around Half Marathon pace if feeling good. https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/6762415372/

Thursday - Up to 25 x 400m
Meet at Lovelock track at 5.55pm. 10 minute easy warm up then wind sprints. Then up to 25 x 400m at around 1 hour pace. If they start to feel hard, skip one to get a proper recovery and adjust the pace. 5km runners do fewer but faster. Since folks will be finishing the laps at different times, adjust the 30” by a few secs if needed to try and run with people at a similar pace and get some groups forming. It's always better in a group.

RESULTS
New Zealand 10k Road Champs (New Plymouth)
Julian Ng 36:13 (3rd M50)

Mt Maunganui Half Marathon
Dan Coates 1:17:57

2026 Sydney Marathon
Kathleen Hudson 2:56:36
Brigid DURBAN BURGESS 3:14:29

TEN. DAYS. OUT. ⏳
In just 10 days, the clock starts ticking at Lovelock Track. How many laps can your teamcomplete in 60 continuous minutes?
👟 Sharp handoffs and quick pacing are the name of the game!
Have you locked in your runner order yet? Who's taking lap one?
⏰ September 5 | 2:00 PM
🔗 Register now: https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/events-1/te-haora-2026

FASTEST LAPS & FOOTY TICKETS: WHAT’S ON THE LINE AT TE HĀORA?

Running for fun and glory is great, and running for prizes is the icing on the cake.
Whether you’re a super speedster or a fun-loving sports fan, Te Hāora has some
pretty cool rewards waiting at the finish line on September 5!
What you can win at Te Hāora

⚡ FASTEST INDIVIDUAL LAP (MALE & FEMALE):
Auckland Marathon Entry! Auckland Marathon entries are up for grabs
for the fastest laps of the day. Upload your run to Strava straight away to
be in to claim your spot on the start line of Auckland’s premiere road race.
One all-out lap around the course could secure your marathon ticket!🎟💨

⚽ SPOT PRIZES:
Spot prizes will be handed out at the end, including Auckland FC tickets,
so hand in your race bib with your name written on the back!
🔥Plus, we've got those Senior Winter League points up for grabs too.
🏃 Register your relay team now — link in bio!
Massive shoutout to Jerym Brunton, Barfoot & Thompson Runaway Auckland Marathon presented by ASICS and Davis Food Ingredients for their support of Te Hāora.
https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/events-1/te-haora-2026

Training this week and lots of relay events to get involved in
Less than 2 weeks to Te Hāora on the 5th September. This is our biggest event of the year. If you've done it before, you know it's a great concept. So much fun. 60 minutes and the clock's counting down. How many 1.2k laps can your team of 3 or 4 complete? The baton needs to change hands every lap. See below for an entry link to get into one of our teams. It's also a critical time for our local winter season. 2 events left - and we're in 3rd place in the Winter League, but only 40 points down on 1st. Time to lace up and get involved in the relays.

COMING UP

Saturday 29 August - New Zealand 10k Road Champs, Lake Rotomanu, Taranaki https://athletics.org.nz/event/2026-nz-10km-road-championships/

Saturday 5 September - Te Hāora, Lovelock Track. All the info and entry for external teams is here: https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/events-1/te-haora-2026
If you're an Owai member and want to be in a team, register here: https://forms.gle/SzkZun4pMnpvhsqG8

13 September (probably) Auckland Road Relays at Mt Smart. Register here to be in one of our teams - https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/events-1/auckland-road-relays

Saturday 3 October - New Zealand Road Relay Champs, Halcombe, Wanganui-Manawatu. Join an Owai team here: https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/events-1/2026-nz-road-relays

SENIOR TRAINING THIS WEEK

Tuesday. 5.55pm Lovelock Track - 4 x 8 minutes
Ons at MP to HM pace.
2 minute jog / shuffle regroup to the start between.

Thursday. 5.55pm Lovelock Track - 8 mins / 6 x 2 mins / 8 mins
8 minutes at 1 hour pace.
Regroup and recovery - 2 minutes.
Then 6 x 2 mins at 5k pace.
1 min standing recovery between with no regroup.
2 minutes recovery
8 minutes at 1 hour pace.

All welcome to come and try out. Turn up, have a chat with one of our coaching team - Dion, Nick or Keith and get running. Once you have tried out a couple of times, it's time to join: https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/join

Garth Cunningham flying the Owairaka flag at the Moire Park Trail Race (mud run) this afternoon. What a star!

And they’re off!

Lightning Bolts ⚡️ ready to bolt – same course as the adults, but this time as a team relay through the muddy native bush!

🏃⏱ 60 MINUTES | ENDLESS LAPS | ONE LEGENDARY TRACK ⏱🏃
Te Hāora (The Hour) is back at the iconic Lovelock Track!
Gather your squad and test your limits in this 60-minute continuous relay. Run as many laps as you can across track, grass, and path before the final horn sounds.
🗓 Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
📍 Location: Lovelock Track (744 Sandringham Rd, Mt Roskill)
⏰ Start Time: 2:00 PM Sharp
🏆 On the Line: Senior Winter League points, team bragging rights, and the Fastest Individual Lap crown!
Whether you're aiming for club glory or bringing a crew for the fun and trackside vibes, lock in your team today.
🔗 Sign up now via the link in our bio!

Hey Team! We are looking for some awesome volunteers for our upcoming inclusive athletics event on Wednesday the 16th of September, in collaboration with Sport Auckland and our neighbours CASS. There will be a training session at 5:30pm on Monday the 24th of August. Sign up on our website if you are keen to get involved!

🥉Results from Road Champs... and what's coming up at Owai

Lots of big efforts on Sunday at the Road Champs. Hope you've all dried out. Remember, if you put in a full on race effort, don't forget to taper out of Sunday's race - run easy Monday or rest and ease into Tuesday's workout. A big thanks to Kathleen and Pippa for marshalling on Sunday in the rain 🌧️🌈

Good to see people from the wider training group joining up over the last few days. Here's the link if you still need to get on with this: https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/join

UPCOMING EVENTS
This Saturday - Moire Park Trail Race. It's a 3k open event for over 16s followed by a junior trail relay. Details (and to register to be in a junior team here: https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/events-1/massey-trail-relays-1

Saturday 29 August - New Zealand 10k Road Champs, Lake Rotomanu, Taranaki https://athletics.org.nz/event/2026-nz-10km-road-championships/

Saturday 5 September - Te Haora, Lovelock Track. Start getting your teams of 3 or 4 together. All the info and entry for external teams is here: https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/events-1/te-haora-2026
If you're an Owai member and want to be in a team, register here: https://forms.gle/SzkZun4pMnpvhsqG8

Saturday 3 October - New Zealand Road Relay Champs, Halcombe, Wanganui-Manawatu. Join an Owai team here: https://www.owairakaathletics.co.nz/events-1/2026-nz-road-relays

SENIOR TRAINING THIS WEEK
Tuesday - 5.55pm clubrooms
EASY - MEDIUM - MEDIUM FAST
40 minutes. 1/3 Easy, 1/3 Medium / 1/3 Medium-Fast; (Easy = 1 min / k slower than 5k pace) OR if not fully recovered from race efforts: 2/3 Easy; 1/3 Medium OR if you ran a full on race effort at the Auckland Champs and are not ready for a workout, then run easy, either with us or in your own time. Route: https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/6762415372

Thursday - 5.55pm clubrooms
Up to 10 x 3 mins (90 secs recovery)
Same session as last Thursday. Do the ons at HM-10k pace; In the offs, get back to the start and try to keep moving. If training for shorter distances, do the ons a little faster (10k-5k pace) and do fewer reps (4-6). It's better to start out slower on these and work into them. If you're not recovering (legs are still heavy after 90" recovery) then stop and call it a day or slow down.

RESULTS - Auckland Road Champs, 16/8/26 Bruce Pulman Park, Takanini
2km
Boys U8: Liam BENNETT 11:15
Boys U10: Luke PANNETT 8:1🥈
Girls U10: India KLUTS 9:38; Willow TIMMINS 9:40
Boys U12: Tommy RIMMER 8:11; Liam RIMMER 8:18
Girls U12: Addison KLUTS 8:16; Olivia YORK 8:29; Ruby BENNETT 9:12
3km
Boys U14: Ezra MONTAGUE 11:01; Henry YORK 12:04
Girls U14: Lilia KLUTS 11:41; Jessebelle NG 15:27; Sophia KIERNAN 16:30
4km
Men U16: Luca ASHFORD 14:53; Elliott KINGSTON 16:02; Joshua PARKINSON 16:35
Women U16: Grace PARKINSON 17:10
5k
Women 40: Emily HARVEY 19:52🥈
Women 50: Tanya HAMMOND 21:55🥈
Women 70: Liz HARDLEY 29:55 🥇
10km
Senior Men: Harvey WALSH 33:12; Anton WEATHERHEAD 33:32; James MARSH 35:06; Rohan KANAGASUNDARAM 35:38; Tharindu JAYASINGHE 38:24
Men 40: Richard HARRIS 35:31🥉; Mark MORRISSEY 36:31; Adam GALLAGHER 37:56
Men 45: Simon MACE 33:51🥇 ; Dion O'NEALE 37:40; Karl KALDERS 38:00; James RIMMER 41:53; Terence NG 57:08
Men 50: Nick MOORE 36:20🥇; Julian NG 36:45 🥉; Keith BURROWS 37:22; Andrew HARVEY 38:14; Anthony LO 41:33
Men 55: Daniel COATES 37:25 🥈; Robin MILLER 39:06 🥉
Men 60: Garth CUNNINGHAM 49:08
Men 65: David LOCKHART 48:03🥉