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Wellington’s own Jonathan Wyatt and Kate McIllroy gave huge crowds in the Capital reason to cheer when they totally dominated the World Mountain Running Trophy, held in Wellington today.
Wellington once again illustrated that it is New Zealand’s event capital. On a warm but blustery day more than 10,000 people turned out to cheer their hometown favourites to world titles.
Lower Hutt’s Jonathan Wyatt lived up to his billing as the best mountain runner in history by winning his fifth World Mountain Running Trophy. But Kate McIlloy took the world’s best women by surprise wi8th an equally dominant display.
Run over the steep slopes of the inner city Mount Victoria, the spectacular venue was a hit with spectators and competitors alike. Both the start/finish area on Oriental Parade and the summit of Mt Victoria saw crowds five deep. “It was amazing,” said Wyatt after becoming the first person to win five world titles.
“On Mt Victoria the crowds were wall to wall. It was great having so many people screaming just for you.”
Wyatt certainly screamed around the course, following eager Aussie Scott McTaggart for the first kilometre of the 13.3k course before hitting the front halfway up Mt Victoria for the first time.
The day before at the pre-race media conference Wyatt had talked of the race being won on the last lap by the person who had spread their effort best. But in the practise he dared the world’s best to chase him, opening up a 25sec lead by the summit that he extended to 45secs after the first lap. Over the summit for the second time his lead was 70secs and despite being only halfway done, the race was won.
Finishing though a tunnel of thousands of fellow Wellingtonians, Wyatt crossed the line in 53min 23secs. The clock ticked for another 2min and 12secs before Italy’s Gabriele Abate came through to claim silver.
As expected Italy dominated the teams competition, with Abate in second, Davide Chico third, Marco Gaiardo – the only runner to try and stay close to Wyatt early on – fourth, and Emanuele Manzi eighth.
Behind Wyatt the New Zealand team rallied well, with Auckland’s Dale Warrander confirming his controversial selection with a sixth place in what was his first ever mountain race. After Warrander came Wellingtonians Ben Revell and Mike Wakelin in 31st and 37th, which was enough to give the Kiwis second in the team competition.
This matched New Zealand’s previous best men’s team effort from the 2000 World Trophy. But for Italy it was the 20th World Trophy team title. “We came here to retain our team trophy for Italy, so we are happy,” said Emanuele Manzi after the race. “But we were also very glad for the support of the people. They were generous in supporting Italian runners when their own runner was winning the race.”
The crowd support was the highlights of the world title event. Earlier in the day Russia’s Juylia Mochalova retained her junior women’s title from 2004 despite only just making it to the start line in time.
After flight delays and missed connections the Russian team only landed in Wellington at 11:30pm the previous night. After customs and finding their accommodation Mochalova had only three hours sleep. She had no food, had not seen the course, didn’t even know where the race started and only arrived with 1min until start time. But it didn’t matter.
With out any warm up the 18-year-old Russian schoolgirl went straight to he front of the field and proceeded to run away with her second junior title. Slovenia’s Mateja Kosovelj, third in this race last year, gave chase but every time she came within striking distance the Russian would accelerate away.
Eventually Mochalova floated home with a comfortable 10secs in hand, clocking 21min 50secs for the 4.7k distance. “I am very happy,” she said through an interpreter. “I arrive only late, so I take it easy on the uphill then run the downhills very fast. I am happy to win, but I am happy that I could be here. It was a very beautiful course and the people very nice. I only arrive a few hours ago but New Zealand very beautiful country.”
Turkey also left Wellington’s World Mountain Running Trophy raving about the Capital City. Hulya Ongun was a surprise third in the junior women’s race, leading Turkey to third in the team race behind Slovenia and Russia. But it was Turkey’s junior men who provided the biggest surprise when Vedat Gunen lead his team to victory in both the individual and team titles.
Gunen and Mexico’s Juan Carlos Carera, two of the youngest runners in the junior field, broke away late in the first lap. Carera tried to drop the Turk on the long climb back up Mt Victoria, but Gunen struck hard over the summit and romped away to a 32secs win.
Behind them Italian twins Martin and Bernard DeMatteis filled third and fifth and with compatriot Diego Scaffidi-Ingiona in eighth they thought they had won the team title. But Turkey pipped them by three points thanks to Ahmet Arslan and Fahri Tunctan in fourth and seventh.
After several minor medals in recent years, this was Turkey’s first-ever individual and team titles. “This is a great day for Turkey,” said Gunen through an interpreter. “I am very happy to win, but for our country it is even more important. Next year Turkey host the world mountain running and we hope to win many more medals.
Gunan also waxed lyrical over the Capital City crowds. “All week we have been very welcomed here. It is a beautiful county and the people very friendly. We invite you all to Turkey for next year.”
One runner who has probably already booked a ticket for Turkey is Wellington’s Kate McIlroy. The 24 year old has been the dominant runner on the domestic scene this winter, and race favourite Melissa Moon even picked her as the runner to watch. But no one could have predicted the way in which McIlroy decimated the world best female mountain runners.
This race was meant to be about fellow Wellingtonian and 2001 and 2003 world trophy winner Melissa Moon. Although, in a race with four former world trophy winners and several medallists, there were close to a dozen women capable of talking out the top honour. But McIlroy paid no respect to any of them.
Admittedly she did initially follow the early pace, for perhaps 400m, until the start of the first assent of Mt Victoria where she opened up the gas and never looked back. The first time over the summit she hand 45secs in hand. Spectators wondered aloud if she wasn’t being overambitious. But after the first lap of the 9k course she was an amazing 1min 36secs ahead.
Behind her came pre-race favourites Melissa Moon (NZ), Tracey Brindley (Scot) and Anna Pichrtova (Czech). Many expected them to hunt her down on the second lap, but McIllroy extended her lead, and a new star was born.
The crowd were going crazy for the new girl on the block. Over the summit for the last time and then down the home straight the commentators were drowned out by chants of “Kiwi, Kiwi, Kiwi.”
In the end McIlroy romped home with 2min 02scs in hand over Brindley and Pichrtova. “That was too much,” said the new world champion. “I just ran how I felt. The crowds were amazing. It was great.”
Three minutes and 41secs behind McIlroy Melissa Moon struggled home for a solid seventh behind Mary Wilkinson (Eng), Isabelle Guillot (Fra) and Vittoria Salvini (Ita), who led Italy to the team title for the second year in a row.
Melissa Moon, the former two-time world champ, suffered for recent interruptions to her training after illness and injury. But she refused to offer any excuse, saying, “Kate was amazing. It was her day.”
“I can’t use that as an excuses,” said Moon. “It’s all just part of running. It’s a tough sport. You suck it up, set some new goals and come back determined to do better.”
The New Zealand women may well come back more determined after narrowly missing a medal, even a win perhaps, in the team competition. Led by McIlloy and Moon they finished fifth, but only in count back after tying for points with Czech Republic (3rd) and England (4th). The mid-race collapse of Dunedin’s Anna Frost, currently ranked seventh in the world, and a heavy fall to Sarah Devoy on the last lap may have denied them second, if not first.
But with two world champions, no one was disappointed in the Capital city today. As Jonathan Wyatt said, “Normally we have to travel to the other side of the world. I was just good to race a world championship at home.”
For further details see: www.mountainrunning.org.nz
source Athletics New Zealand |
