Event Report: The Hard, The Tough and the Dirty

This will shock, amaze and inspire you - read on.

The club apologises that it could not get ready three new trophies. We will endeavour to get the trophies to the winners as soon as possible.

The nineteenth annual running of the Wayne Cretney memorial event resulted in some tired and I hope happy competitors on a wet winter's day in the Mikimiki Massey University farm of Riverside in the Wairarapa. It seems that we had real Cretney weather just to make it a little tougher because it may have been a little too flat, fast and easy going than normal.

In the tradition of the event, the longest and toughest leg was run last by all competitors involving technical erosion river flats, hilly rocky areas and some pines. I thought that the 2nd to last control was relatively easy and I made it more interesting by giving the control description 'Herbie the car' which was painted on the side of it. However, it seems that pressure and tiredness can do funny things, and that a few people got temporarily lost.

Having two course 1 runners finishing almost within 1 minute, three M50 within one minute and an incredible three M40 runners finishing within 10 seconds of each other is what this event is all about - trying to push the mind and body to the limit. Fastest runner was Duncan Morrison who run 5.8mins per km for over 13 kms showing the top M40s a clean pair of heels. Others of note were Tim Robertson's 6.6mins per km and Laura Robertson's 7.1mins per km over 10km. Graham Fortunes comment was apt when he asked his finish time and I said '59 dead' and he quipped 'Yeah, that's how I feel.'

These runs were even more unbelievable when you consider the following. If I had got my act together, I may have avoided the clash of this event with the New Zealand Secondary Schools held in Hamilton on the Friday and Saturday. However, the clash has caused a situation which has flabbergasted me. Several families actually competed in 3 events on the weekend - two in Hamilton on Friday and Saturday and then drove 6.5 hours overnight from Hamilton to Masterton to start on time at 10.00am. To the Morrisons, Robertsons, Turners, Highams and Goodwins my hat goes off to you.

Selectors take note - these youngsters are ones to watch for the future - and maybe one day in the JWOC or WOC they will benefit from the Cretney gut-busting events where they will be able to call upon those last reserves and ounces of energy to go onto glory.

The dedication and commitment of those who competed in the 3 events and the sacrifices of the parents I think is a wonderful tribute to Wayne - a competitor who loved the hard, the tough and the dirty.

And a thank you to all the other competitors who regularly keep coming back to make this a special event.