Stroke & Stride Starts Season with a Bang

One of the biggest fields ever took to the start line at St. Heliers Bay for the 500-meter swim/5k run race, race director Craig Browne reports. Now in its 15th season, Stroke & Stride offers prize money for individual races and a Grand Prix prize purse for the best performances over the eight-race season.

Among the women, despite the relatively short distance of the opening swim, Samantha Warriner was able to open up a 10-second gap to the rest of the field, including Debbie Tanner, Kirsty Whiting, Rebecca Spence, Vanessa Palmer, Anna Elvery, Nicole Cope, Carmel Hanly and Marisa Carter.

"The usual flat and fast 5 kilometer run had a nasty bite this week with a dogleg down onto the soft sand of Kohimarama Beach when running on the way out and then again on the return," Browne said. "Once they'd cleared this little obstacle and as they rounded the point coming back into view, it was Samantha Warriner extending her lead and with a kilometer to go looking assured of victory."

Warriner has been putting in the long miles lately in preparation for her title defense at the Auckland Marathon two weeks ago. She ran a 2:43 and finished a strong second. Behind Warriner, Cope used her legspeed to move into second, with Hanly third.

There was one notable absence in the men's race, and that was Brent Foster, undisputed king of the swim/run discipline and a series champion many times over. Instead of the familiar Fozzie leading the bunch through the buoys, youngster Clark Ellice took them through—but no one was able to open much of an advantage as "literally a dozen men ran up the beach and into transition within seconds of the lead," Browne said.

Only two previous Stroke & Stride winners were on the start line—James Elvery and Ellice. "Into the final kilometers it was apparent that one of this pair would be adding one more Stroke & Stride victory to their CV as they separated themselves from the other runners," Browne said. "At the line it was Clark Ellice with a comfortable advantage taking the win with an outstanding wire-to-wire performance." Elvery was second, with Liam Scopes third.

The next race is Thursday, November 24 over the 750m/4k distance. There's lots more here.