Jo Allison has taken out the Oceania Long Distance Championship in W21E in today’s event in tough sand-dune terrain in Woodhill Forest near Auckland. In a fluctuating race in which the top four were separated by just over a minute, she recovered from a mid-course mistake to edge out Susen Loesch (Germany) and Imogene Scott (New Zealand), with Krystal Neumann just behind. The win carries with it a place in this year’s World Championships long distance should she take it up.

The hosts did better in the men’s event and both sprints. Gene Beveridge led Matt Ogden home in the long, with Simon Uppill the best Australian in third, a place he also occupied in the sprint behind a different pair of locals (Ross Morrison and Cameron Tier). Scott was the lead Oceania runner in the women’s sprint, although the two fastest times were run by current Australian residents not eligible for the Oceania title, Charlotte Watson and Liis Johansen. Belinda Lawford and Natasha Key were tied for second Oceania.

The Australia-New Zealand Challenge is dead level after two days of individual competition and will come down to the middle distance on Monday. Australia edged out New Zealand 13 classes to 11 in the sprint, but that result was reversed in the long to leave it 24-24.

Competition continues with the relay tomorrow.

Results are available at the Oceania 2017 page.