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New Zealand 10,000m champion, Nicole Cope of Auckland, will attempt to add the New Zealand half marathon title in Huntly on Sunday.
Cope has experienced the half marathon distance in a different and more difficult way in the past, coming after a swim and cycle, in the New Zealand half ironman championship.
In 2000 and 2003 Cope won the New Zealand half ironman championship and for three years in a row from 1998, she won the national duathlon title.
Wellington's Sarah Christie, winner of the Auckland half marathon last October in 1h 14m 59s, and national half marathon champion in 2000 and 2001, will provide plenty of competition. Also up with a chance of a top three placing is Jo Burkett from Auckland, third in the New Zealand 5000m championship in Wanganui in March.
Kim Hogarth of Palmerston North heads the men's field in the 25th anniversary of the Huntly half marathon.
Hogarth, winner of the New Zealand 3000m steeplechase title for the past three years, comes into the race after a tough outing in the Rotorua marathon where he finished a creditable second.
In the hunt will be the Salad brothers from Hamilton, Ahmed and Shafat. In the 2003 Huntly race Ahmed was fourth and Shafat finished tenth in last year's event.
Tom Mayo, who represented England at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, finishing eighth in the 1500m final, will be competing. However Mayo, who competes for Bays Cougars, will not be eligible for the title.
Hamilton City Hawks' Craig Barrett, who holds the Huntly walk record of 1h 30m 1s, will be competing as part of his preparations for the world championships in Helsinki in August.
A total of 1400 have entered in the half marathon with 900 entered in the associated 10km run. With late entries it is expected that 2600, 1000 more than last year, will participate.
The half marathon starts from the Lake Hakanoa Reserve at 10.30am with the 10km starting at 11.10am.
source Athletics New Zealand
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