The National Pacific Insurance (NPI) Cross Country contest at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum estate on Saturday was a hot and hairy affair. And the racing was sizzling too in the men’s 6km race, for second place.
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Hairy in that it was slippery in parts of the course, and there was real danger of someone losing their hair in a tumble fall.
There was at least one of those falls and several near misses in the race.
The nicely planned course around the estate with a dog’s tail extension 230 m up the RLS trail was made rather slippery from the 20cm downpour of much needed rainfall overnight.
An alternate course was available too but in the end the decision was made to race the original course.
The rain too having dampened the spirit of some from racing but that did not deter the serious runners from making an attack on the three loop course. At the sound of the air horn, nicely blown by NPI General Manager Dennis Wellborn, it was all on – in the race for second.
Let me get the race winner out of the way for the real racing that went on.
Steve Nimarota for the second time in consecutive races took control of this one too.
He led from the start and was not challenged for the lead. He is beautiful to watch, big long strides and balanced motion and a tall straight back with his head in the right place. All that comes from having loads of energy and not being challenged. And he was not to the finish – a slow time for the 19 year old at 32mins 39secs for hm.
Now, the real racing – for second. It was a bunch of three, the usual order of two and three with Sam Nimarota and Shane Taivai Paulo of Fagali’i in previous races was disturbed with the insertion of new runner Aaron Stone.
Stone, at 37yrs has 16yrs up on the two locals, and though new to us, he is not new to running.
He ran a good tactical race and stayed close in the hunt with the two youngsters. The three stayed close, toe-to-toe in the first two laps and by the third and final lap, if not long before, Stone had the measure of the two runners who are not used to being pushed, for second.
Finishing third behind Stone was Sam Nimarota and Paulo fell way back to finish fourth.
The rest of the field fell in behind the top four in usual order although with one surprising finisher in an unusual placing.
Darren Young, who usually cuts the tape in our running events finished fifth today. There is a good reason for that – Young had only just finished a 120km bike ride to Lalomanu and back to Apia minutes before taking his place in the starting line. His fellow-rider, Daniel Afoa, also ran but did not complete the run.
The next race in the National Pacific Insurance Series is the Run-Swim event at Saoluafata Village next Saturday.
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