Timaru Harrier Club Inc.

Timaru Round the Gorges Relay

The Timaru Round the Gorges Relay was first held in 1987, after the Timaru to Waimate Relay needed to be moved off State Highway No.1 as the road was getting too busy and too dangerous to run on, with this year (2009) being the 23rd year that the Relay has been held

Alister Lester, Bob Cunningham & Russell McKenzie have run the most laps in the Relay - 16 laps, with Craig Hayman & Toni Smith closing the gap this year now having run 13 times in the Relay

Most Laps Run
16 Bob Cunningham, Alister Lester, Russell McKenzie
14 Angus Dellow
13 Neil Bruhn, Craig Hayman, Mark Peters, Toni Smith, Roger Tackney
12 Steve Adams, Andrea Wreford
11 Graeme Fraser, Steve Stringer
10 Sharon Clarkson, Michael Fox


Only 3 club members have run every lap of the relay - Alister Lester, Russell McKenzie and Craig Hayman. Alister has the fastest total time for the Relay (his fastest times for each of the 8 laps added together) with a time of 3 hours 53 minutes 17 seconds

Russell's best times for the 8 laps add up to 4:11:06 and Craig's add up to 4:23:48 - (this year the fastest Timaru Harrier Club team ran a time of 4:18:38)

Alister's Best Lap Times
Lap 1 32:08 1991
Lap 2 28:12 1987
Lap 3 26:18 1992
Lap 4 38:59 1990
Lap 5 21:29 1994
Lap 6 25:20 1988
Lap 7 29:11 1993
Lap 8 31:40 1989
 
Total Time 3:53:17  


In the first year of the Round the Gorges Relay, the Timaru team of Kevin Guthrie, Alister Lester, Colin Tobin, Chris Tobin, Steve Adams, Mark Peters, John Souter & Steve Stringer ran a time of 3 hours 39 minutes 43 seconds to finish 2nd in the A grade and this is still the fastest time ever recorded by a local club (Aorangi, Ashburton, Timaru or Waimate)

Over the 23 years of the Relay, several club members have held lap records - with the only remaining records (especially after the 2007 Athletics New Zealand Road Relay Championships) belonging to Chris Tobin - who still holds the Open Men's records on lap 4 (10.8km 33:14 - set in 1987) and lap 6 (7.7km 22:35 - set in 1990)


The club has so far entered 69 teams in the 23 years of the Relay, with 144 club members having taken part in the Relay and they have run a total of 559 individual laps (some members have filled in for other teams). The 10 best times recorded by club members for each lap are listed below


Fastest Laps - Men
Lap 1 - 8.4 km   Lap 5 - 6.0 km
1 26:27 Kevin Guthrie 1987   1 20:38 Steve Adams 1989
2 29:00 Mark Peters 1988   2 21:14 Bob Cunningham MM 1996
3 29:01 Steve Stringer MM 2002   3 21:16 Russell McKenzie MM 1991
4 29:02 Gavin Bell M19 1989   4 21:25 Steve Adams 1988
5 29:13 Bob Cunningham 1990   5= 21:29 Steve Adams 1990
6 29:17 Bob Cunningham 1991       Alister Lester MM 1994
7 29:20 Bob Cunningham 1992   7 21:32 Chris Tobin MM 1995
8 29:24 Bob Cunningham 1989   8 21:36 Peter Ryan 1992
9 30:01 Chris Peters M19 1987   9 21:40 Steve Stringer MM 2003
10 30:40 Mark Peters 1993   10 21:44 Steve Adams 1987
 
Lap 2 - 8.3 km   Lap 6 - 7.7 km
1 25:35 Chris Tobin 1988   1 22:35 Chris Tobin 1990
2 28:12 Alister Lester 1987   2 23:29 Chris Tobin 1994
3 28:34 Glen Lundie M19 1990   3 25:13 Daryl Charteris M19 1989
4 28:40 Bob Cunningham 1993   4 25:20 Alister Lester 1988
5 28:56 Bob Cunningham 1994   5 25:32 Joseph Crichton M19 1987
6 29:02 Keegan Pullar M19 2009   6 25:43 Steve Adams 1991
7 29:16 Peter Ryan 1991   7 26:10 Mark Peters 1987
8 29:25 Mark Peters 1992   8 27:03 Russell McKenzie MM 1992
9 29:38 Glen Lundie M19 1989   9 27:09 Robin Lester 1988
10 29:41 Chris Peters 1989   10 27:20 Bruce Adams MM 1989
 
Lap 3 - 7.3 km   Lap 7 - 7.6 km
1 25:33 Colin Tobin 1987   1 25:02 Sam Wreford 2008
2 25:38 Gavin Bell M19 1988   2 25:46 Steve Stringer 1989
3 26:14 Mark Peters 1989   3 26:21 Mark Peters 1990
4 26:18 Alister Lester 1992   4 26:31 Kevin Guthrie 1991
5 26:32 Sam Wreford M19 1998   5 26:56 John Souter MM 1987
6 26:49 Robin Clarkson 1988   6 27:13 Colin Tobin MM 1992
7 27:02 Russell McKenzie 1990   7 27:37 Murray Stratford 1988
8 27:22 Roger Tackney M19 1989   8 28:46 Robin Clarkson 1989
9 27:25 Sam Morland M19 2005   9 28:48 Russell McKenzie 1988
10 27:47 Glen Lundie M19 1991   10 28:54 Roger Tackney 2004
 
Lap 4 - 10.8 km   Lap 8 - 9.4 km
1 33:14 Chris Tobin 1987   1 28:17 Chris Tobin 1992
2 33:21 Chris Tobin 1989   2 29:13 Sam Wreford 2003
3 36:42 Steve Stringer 1991   3 31:18 Chris Peters M19 1988
4 36:53 Kevin Guthrie 1988   4 31:27 Steve Stringer 1987
5 38:14 Steve Stringer 1992   5 31:28 Steve Stringer 1998
6 38:19 Sam Wreford 2004   6 31:33 Sam Wreford M19 2000
7 38:23 Steve Stringer 1997   7 31:37 Mark Peters 1991
8 38:39 Steve Stringer 1994   8 31:40 Alister Lester 1989
9 38:59 Alister Lester 1990   9 32:26 Sam Wreford M19 1999
10 39:19 Reon Park 1995   10= 32:30 Robin Clarkson 1987
              Murray Stratford 1989



Fastest Laps - Women
Lap 1 - 8.4 km   Lap 5 - 6.0 km
1 34:31 Toni Smith MW 2000   1 25:00 Louise Wynn 1989
2 36:11 Toni Smith MW 2008   2 25:03 Toni Smith MW 2007
3 36:26 Toni Smith MW 2004   3 29:39 Myrtle Rough MW 1998
4 36:28 Judy Hay MW 1989   4 29:51 Nellie Hewson MW 1987
5 39:30 Leana Claydon 1993   5 29:54 Leanne Allnutt MW 2006
6 41:42 Dawn Callander 1990   6 30:00 Tammy Mitchell W19 2005
7 42:02 Rachel Styles 1995   7= 30:34 Sharon Clarkson 1988
8 42:38 Andrea Wreford MW 1997       Raewyn Dale W19 1990
9 46:48 Joanne Fraser 1996   9 31:35 Judy Hay MW 1995
          10 31:56 Susan Breen 1992
 
Lap 2 - 8.3 km   Lap 6 - 7.7 km
1 35:47 Judy Hay MW 1988   1 30:34 Louise Wynn 1992
2 37:13 Judy Hay MW 1987   2 34:29 Andrea Wreford MW 2002
3 37:30 Judy Hay MW 1991   3 34:59 Nellie Hewson MW 1988
4 39:59 Debbie Palmer 1989   4 36:29 Beth O'Loughlin MW 2001
5 40:18 Andrea Wreford MW 1999   5 36:47 Myrtle Rough MW 2005
6 41:20 Myrtle Rough MW 2001   6 37:30 Sharon Clarkson 1990
7 41:42 Debbie Palmer 1990   7 37:35 Myrtle Rough MW 2000
8 42:00 Andrea Wreford MW 2005   8 37:41 Sharon Clarkson 1989
9 42:28 Andrea Wreford MW 2006   9 37:59 Sharon Clarkson 1987
10 43:12 Jenny Fletcher MW 1995   10 38:19 Andrea Wreford MW 1996
 
Lap 3 - 7.3 km   Lap 7 - 7.6 km
1 30:56 Toni Smith MW 2006   1 30:58 Toni Smith MW 1998
2 32:52 Stephanie Payne 2005   2 31:40 Toni Smith MW 2003
3 34:47 Andrea Wreford MW 1998   3 32:25 Toni Smith MW 1999
4 35:06 Rebecca Dryland 2008   4 33:08 Stephanie Payne 2006
5 35:09 Andrea Wreford MW 2000   5 36:14 Louise Wynn 1996
6 35:53 Nellie Hewson MW 1990   6 36:56 Louise Wynn MW 1997
7 36:33 Beth O'Loughlin MW 2002   7 37:41 Debra Chase 2004
8 36:51 Myrtle Rough MW 2004   8 37:51 Alice Baker W19 2001
9 36:59 Andrea Wreford MW 2009   9 37:59 Myrtle Rough MW 2003
10 38:00 Myrtle Rough MW 2002   10 38:48 Susan Breen 1994
 
Lap 4 - 10.8 km   Lap 8 - 9.4 km
1 45:23 Toni Smith MW 2001   1 37:02 Toni Smith MW 2005
2 46:00 Toni Smith MW 2002   2 39:42 Louise Wynn 1993
3 49:11 Toni Smith MW 1997   3 40:22 Judy Hay MW 1990
4 51:16 Louise Wynn 1990   4 41:09 Inga Dirkzwager 2002
5 51:20 Judy Hay MW 1993   5 41:36 Andrea Wreford MW 2001
6 54:39 Alison Batchelor 1996   6 42:10 Alice Baker 2008
7 1:01:01 Jenny Hallett MW 1995   7 42:45 Nellie Hewson MW 1989
          8 43:27 Andrea Wreford MW 2004
          9 43:40 Andrea Wreford MW 2003
          10 44:32 Nicola Rooney W19 2009