Home advantage could give O'Callaghan third | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

ATHLETICS

Local runner Steven O'Callaghan will provide the Lake City Athletic Club's challenge at the top of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Road Race Championships in Rotorua tomorrow.

O'Callaghan will have the chance to secure his third Waikato-Bay of Plenty Athletics title in just four months.

He holds the marathon and cross-country titles and is considered to be a great chance for a triple this weekend.

O'Callaghan ran a quick time at the Matamata team relay last weekend to show he's coming back fresh and fast after a short break, according to Lake City club captain Chris Corney.

"I reckon Steven will be looking for a time around 31 minutes," said Corney, who will be racing in the masters 45-plus age group, where Hamilton City Hawks' Tony Olsen is said to be the man to chase.

O'Callaghan combined with Sjors Corporaal, Sam Osborne, Ben McHale and Richard Harris to win the Matamata relay senior men's grade by four minutes from Hamilton City Hawks with Lake City's B team (Andy Twiddy, Tony Broadhead, Hamish Worboys, Jason Steyn-Ross and Liam Walsh) finishing third.

Tomorrow, Lake City Athletic Club expects to have close to 40 athletes out for the various events which will take place on a 2km (1km out and 1km back) course which is flat and should be fast.

It starts and finishes near the Waipa mountainbike carpark on Waipa Mill Rd.

This is the second time the local club has hosted these championships.

In 1996 they were held on a course based in Fenton Park.

As has become a tradition in recent years, age groups are combined with grades separated in the final results.

Entries are still coming, with many top athletes leaving their decision to enter until the day.

Top Rotorua woman runner Sarah Biss isn't expected to line up as the New Zealand representative leaves tomorrow night to take part in the World Mountain Running Championships in Italy alongside Melissa Moon and Jonathan Wyatt.

The women's race could be quite close, with former Rotorua runner Johanna Ottosson and Hamilton's Tracey Greenwood two of the early entries.

Meanwhile, Lake City fielded six teams at the 39th Matamata road relay, coming away with two wins, a second, a third, plus fourth and fifth placings.

Winning teams were the senior men's team and in the Masters B grade, the club's Masters B team of Eric Cawte, Logan Marten, Duncan Smith, Campbell Horn and Craig Jones.

 In the same section the club's third Masters team was 5th.

The Club's top Masters men's team of Lawrence Oldershaw, Chris Corney, Trevor Ogilvie, Bruce Edwards and Dave Cronshaw were second to Hamilton City Hawks.

The sole female team wearing Lake City colours placed fourth in their section behind Hamilton City Hawks, Tauranga Ramblers and Hawks No 2 team.

Lake City's team of Siobhan Griffiths, Sian Bremner and Stephanie and Charlotte Pearson were 23 seconds behind in third place.