It was a cold and windy day at the Lovelock Classic athletics meeting in Timaru on Saturday January 11, but Te Kura o Tititea Mount Aspiring College (MAC) student Phoebe Laker powered ahead to win the Women’s Open 400m race by a wide margin of about 20m.

Phoebe’s time of 56.20s was just 0.04s outside her personal best. 

“It was a staggeringly good run in the challenging conditions,” Aspiring Athletes Club (AAC) senior coach Michael Beable told the Wānaka App.

Phoebe finished 3.4 seconds ahead of second-place getter Esme Reid, whom she beat by just 0.04s during her second National Women’s U16 400m title in March 2024.

Her time at Lovelock ranks Phoebe third nationally across all women’s grades for 2025, Michael said.

“Under better conditions she could have been up to a second faster.”

The cool weather was a factor in the results; it was below 16C and windy, which affected race times for events of one lap and more, making it difficult for athletes to set personal bests in these longer races, he said.

The sprinters in the shorter events, on the other hand, thrived with the wind at their backs, producing some impressively quick times.

Cody Armstrong (18), fresh out of MAC, won the Men’s Open C Grade 100m in a rapid 11.00s, setting a personal best by 0.29s. However, the wind (2.9m/s) exceeded the allowable 2m/s limit.

Cody Armstrong winning the men’s 100m in a tight finish.

Jackson Rogers, now based in Christchurch for his fourth year at Lincoln College and competing for perhaps his last time for local club, won the Men’s Open 200m in 21.30s (which would have been a PB by 0.06s except for the wind being over the legal limit). 

Other AAC athletes at Timaru included Ryan Young, who placed fifth in the Men’s Long Jump after experiencing runup issues; Georgie Bruce, who ran a season-best of 13.20s to finish third in the Women’s B Grade 100m, and also placed second in the B Grade 200m; and Cameron Armstrong (younger brother of Cody), who placed sixth in the Men’s D Grade 100m with a PB of 12.00s (though not wind-legal), as well as 12th in the Long Jump.

The athletes have returned to some intense summer training sessions as they prepare for upcoming major meetings, including the Athletics Otago championships mid-February.

Phoebe, Ryan, Jackson, and others will look to compete at one or more classic meetings in the North Island, including the Capital Classic in Wellington on January 29.

PHOTOS: Supplied