The Press Flagpole Race Report

If you looked hard (I mean real hard) in yesterdays Press you would have eyed the below race report form Saturdays Flagpole race.-

"MOUNTAIN RUNNING

Over 300 runners were on the start line at Flagpole Farm, behind Whitecliffs Domain in the Malvern Hills, on Saturday morning for the annual mountain running race.

Newcomer Grant Guise, who lives at Castle Hill Village and is a relative unknown in the mountain running scene in Canterbury, won the open men's title ahead of previous champion Jacob Roberts and last year's winner Kerry Faass. Guise and Roberts ran togeather for much of the 21km circuit and it was not until the last 5km that the former made his move, finishing in 1hr 28mins 29 sec and just 25 seconds clear of Roberts.

Athletes run 5kms up a steep vehicle track to the summit of Flagpole Hill, descending down the western side into the Selwyn River, running down the Selwyn River Gorge, crossing the river 12 times and completing the 21km circuit back at Flagpole Farm where they start.

Fiona Gilroy was a clear winner in the open woman's race, finishing more than three minutes ahead of second-placed Karen Muller.

Results:

Open Mean: Grant Guise 1:28:29 1, Jacob Roberts 1:28:53 2, Kerry Faass 1:33:44 3.

Open Woman: Fiona Gilroy 1:52:09 1, Karen Muller 1:55:47 2, Jane Harper 1:56:25 3. "

Its pretty cool to see a little local mountain running race like this making it to print as you hardly ever see any running, let alone mountain running (out side of the Keepler I guess) in the news paper. Now if we can just get some ski mountaineering in the paper.........