By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
NELSON, NEW ZEALAND (14-Dec) — Neil Gourley’s trip to New Zealand had an inauspicious start. When he arrived at the international airport in Auckland on Wednesday he realized too late that he had forgotten that he had a banana in his luggage. New Zealand’s notoriously strict bio-security laws dictate that travelers cannot bring any fresh fruits or vegetables into the country.
“As soon as I saw the dog I knew what was happening,” said Gourley referring to the specially trained beagles the New Zealand border authorities use detect fresh tofood. “The dog went straight for it.”
Gourley, 29, who was en route to the new elite road mile which took place here tonight, part of The Spectacle running festival, paid the mandatory NZD 400 fine (USD 230) after the offending fruit was disposed of and went on his way.
“At first I thought they were kidding,” he lamented.
But the Scotsman’s luck would soon change for the better. In tonight’s race –run on a certified, two-lap course in the Nelson city center– Gourley timed his kick to perfection. He not only covered an early kick by New Zealand’s Sam Tanner, but also caught Australia’s Georgia Griffith who, along with the other elite women, had been given a 32-second head start. His winning time of 4:03.10 was the fastest ever recorded on New Zealand soil in a record-eligible road mile.
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“Sam made a huge move,” Gourley told Race Results Weekly. “His legs were turning over, and to be honest, I couldn’t live with him. I just had to stay patient and hope that my top-end speed was going to get me by him.”
It did, but only just. Tanner, who made his move coming out of the final turn of the 750-meter circuit, finished just 1/10th of a second behind in 4:03.20, and just 8/100ths of a second ahead of Griffith.
“I knew that I’m short and Neil’s tall, so the way to get a jump on him was to accelerate through the corner,” Tanner explained. “And, I just accelerated pretty hard through the corner and I think I got a gap on him. But I showed my lack of training in the last 50, I guess.”
As the overall winner, Gourley pocketed NZD 10,000 (USD 5762) in prize money, more than enough to cover the fine he paid at the airport. Tanner collected NZD 6000, and Griffiths came away with NZD 7000.
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“I was just going as fast as I could, hoping that the downhill on the front, finish line straight would help a little bit,” said Griffiths, who ran 4:35.97. “I could hear the crowd getting pretty loud, and knew the guys were coming up on me. I saw the finish line and I was getting close. I was hoping I’d be able to hold them off, but they just got me on the line.”
Brian Fay of Ireland was the third male finisher (4:04.31), and Sarah Billings of Australia (4:39.60) and Sophie O’Sullivan of Ireland (4:42.73) finished second and third, respectively, in the women’s division.
Tonight’s race capped over 24 hours of racing here which included trail races up to 100 miles, a 5-K, and a series of relays for both children and adults. The Spectacle was the brainchild of New Zealand 1500m Olympian Julian Matthews who grew up here. Looking equal parts exhausted and elated after the race, he could hardly believe that he and his partner, Annika Pfitzinger, had pulled the event off.
“I’m lost for words,” Matthews told Race Results Weekly, shaking his head. “I’m in a bit of a dream state at the moment.”
