Remarks Road Run winner Andrew Town, pre race.
A strong field of courageous runners lined up on Saturday 23 August in Queenstown for the third annual Remarkables Access Road Mountain Race. The best thing of all about this low key race is it is a fundraising charity event for Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day, with these years race raising around $1000!
This course is not for the faint hearted, a relentless steep uphill slog of 13km with no respite at all and a total of nearly 1300mD+.
The race attracted around 50 runners and included a big international flavour with athletes from afar, including Germany, England, and quite a few from Australia.
Favourite for the event had to be local Queenstown athlete Roland Meyer with multiple podium results in a number of races over the years, including a 2nd placing at both the Kepler and the Abel Tasman events to name a couple.
There was a big prize on offer of an entry into the Coast to Coast mountain race if anyone could break world champion multi sporting legend Nathan Farve’s course record of, 1 hr 15min .
The race started and a small bunch of 5 runners established a lead from the remaining field. By the 4 km mark Andy Town had moved to the lead and there were a couple of young guys hanging on and then Roland Meyer was running in 4th
At the half way Town was out to a 400 metre lead, the field had become strung out and there were several large gaps opening up.
Conditions were perfect, although a little on the warm side.
By the finish Town was nearly a kilometre in front, Roland had caught the young guns and finished second ahead of Nick Cane from Wanaka.
The first two women were having a real battle, eventually Tanya Stone from Sydney edged out German lass Stef Gloeckner from Zerbst. Kath Morris from Devon, England was third.
Results (unofficial times)
1st Women Tanya Stone, from Sydney.
Men
1st Andy Town, Wanaka 1:22
2nd Roland Meyer, Queenstown 1:28
3rd Nick Cane, Wanaka 1:31
4th Cam McPherson, Melbourne 1:40
Women
1st Tanya Stone, Sydney 1:51
2nd Stef Gloeckner, Zerbst, Germany 1:52
3rd Kath Morris, , England 2:01
