We thought that spring was upon us, but the weather played a trick on the competitors and officials at the NZ Road Championships last weekend in Christchurch, with cold, windy and wet conditions challenging everyone. The weather made for some very tactical racing and close finishes which entertained the enthusiastic spectators at the Canterbury Agricultural Park. Construction is under way at the park to build the long awaited Christchurch all-weather track to replace the QEII Park track destroyed in the February 2011 earthquake.

Since our last issue one of the NZL team members at the World University Games in Taipei had a podium finish and Tom Walsh bought down the curtain on an outstanding season in Europe.

We're not far from the NZ Road Relay Championships back in Rotorua for 2017. It’s the biggest Athletics NZ championship event on the calendar and will determine to top road running clubs in the country. There are three more New Zealand Championship events in the six weeks following that.

In this issue of Athletics in Action we talk to the top all-round athlete in NZL Aaron Booth, we chat with Oli Chignell after his Athletics NZ cross country title and we catch up with Emerson Deverell for our “Five minutes with …” segment.

There's much more in this issue of Athletics in Action, so keep reading.
 

Oli Chignell fulfills promise to claim NZ title

After enjoying a memorable winter with U20 gold at the New Zealand Cross Country Championships and U20 Road Champs silver, Oli Chignell has emerged as a future star in the making. Steve Landells chats to the Dunedin teenager about his development in the sport and exciting prospects for the years to come.
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Jonathan Wyatt -
new WMRA president

Jonathan Wyatt, New Zealand’s legendary mountain runner, was recently elected as the fourth president of the World Mountain Running Association. Wyatt had a very successful mountain running career, winning the World Mountain Running Championships six times between 1998 and 2008, and also represented New Zealand in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens finishing 21st at the marathon. His interest in sport extends well beyond competition, and he is looking forward to serving in a major leadership role.
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Member Benefits

One of the advantages of belonging to an Athletics NZ affiliated club, and automatically becoming a member of Athletics NZ, is that you and your family can access the Athletics NZ Member Benefits programme. The programme can save you money on accommodation, rental cars, insurance, sports gear, sports medical products and more, just by being a member of your local athletics club. We feature some of our Member Benefits Partners below.
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Hertz Rentals

Planning a journey to an event soon or maybe a holiday? Does your group have rental vans sorted for Road Relay Champs or NZ Secondary Schools Champs yet? Remember that Athletics NZ members receive a 15% discount with Hertz.
Find out more 

Sports Distributors

To show their commitment to athletics, Sports Distributors are offering all Athletics New Zealand members 15% OFF selected athletics gear! Simply insert the promo code: ATHNZ15  when you are checking out. 
Get the good pricing here

Where to find what you need

We have so much information for members and fans, it can sometimes seem a little daunting, so here are some quick links:

• Athletics New Zealand website
• NZ Secondary Schools website
• NZ Children's Athletics website
• NZ Masters Athletics website
• Athletics NZ Event Calendar
• Athletics NZ Rankings & Records
• Athletics NZ News Section
• Athletics NZ Member Benefits
• Athletics NZ High Performance
• Athletics NZ Coaching
• Athletics NZ Officials
• Athletics NZ Club Toolbox

What's next?