Jack Moody and Hannah Berry have crowned themselves New Zealand’s National Champions over the Middle Distance at the famous Tauranga Half triathlon: Moody won the race in a new course record and for Berry it was the fourth time she has won the race.
In the men’s race, a nice battle between Moody and compatriot Mike Phillips ensued, which was not decided until the run. Both men were immediately well in front during the swim and then together they completed the bike leg in less than two hours. Moody then ran the half marathon in 1:10 and with his finish time of 3:37:33, he took not only the national title, but also the course record. Phillips came up considerably short during the run, finishing 7:20 minutes behind. Another four minutes later, third place was for Scott Harpham.
In the women’s race, there was no holding back for Berry. With Fenella Langridge, however, she faced a tough opponent and it was the British athlete who took the lead during the swim. Yet Berry followed shortly and during the bike, everything turned around: Langridge could not keep up with Berry and so the Kiwi solo took the lead. Also during the run, Langridge had no answer again and Berry was able to run to her fourth victory in a time of 4:08:30. Samantha Kingsford was second in 4:16:20 and Hannah Knighton, who was third in 4:19:03, also passed Langridge. The British athlete fell just outside the podium with a fourth place (4:22:41).
