Former Auckland Marathon Champions Aim for Repeat Success

New Zealand’s top road runners are gearing up to tackle the 2024 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Marathon presented by ASICS this Sunday, with the marathon field highlighted by four former champions.

The women’s race will likely feature a head-to-head battle between two-time winners Lisa Cross and Hannah Oldroyd. Should either be crowned champion on Sunday, they would become the first woman since Bernie Portenski in 1998 to claim a hattrick of Auckland Marathon titles.

Oldroyd is often a dominant force when she lines up on a marathon start line. In addition to her two Auckland Marathon titles in 2017 and 2022, the Christchurch-based British runner has four Queenstown Marathon titles to her name.

Hometown hope Cross secured her first Auckland Marathon win in 2011 and her second 10 years later in 2021, and the Aucklander will line up this weekend for a shot at her third title.

“This race will always hold a special place in my heart. It set an unbeatable high for me in 2011 when I won my debut marathon and days later rode a race winner on Melbourne Cup day on my favourite horse at the time,” said Cross. “Auckland is home for me and that helps with my success here. I get to sleep in my own bed the night before and live life as normal right up until race day.”

If Cross manages to secure a hattrick of Auckland Marathon titles on Sunday, it will be an impressive feat for the 41-year-old who broke her back in May.

“I thought I’d done my pelvic stress fracture again so was onto it really quickly. I had the Oceania 5km champs in Fiji in early June so I needed to find out quickly whether I could race or not and fortunately I was diagnosed within a week so I could start treating it,” she said. “I’m currently leasing a machine off a friend (a treatment called Pulsed Electromagnetic Therapy) and I believe that rapidly sped up the healing process and I was pain free within about three weeks as opposed to the usual eight weeks. And because it was the L2 and not a loading bone I could keep up training with cycling and a gentle return to running.

“The Auckland Marathon was always in the back of my mind after the half marathon last year, but I didn’t commit to do it until about three weeks ago. I’ve had an extremely good training block and apart from breaking my back in May, which set me back maybe two weeks, I have been relatively well and consistent in all aspects of my racing and training. I do question slightly my preparation for the distance but sometimes less is more.”

Cross, who has the chance to add a third Auckland Marathon title to the three Auckland Half Marathon titles she has also won, says her main ambition for race day is to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy running alongside the more than 17,000 others who have registered for the event.

“It’d be pretty cool to win the marathon three times as well. But at the same time winning isn’t everything, I’m just grateful that I have the capacity to even attempt the distance, and I hope that everyone has a safe run and enjoys the thrill of just getting out there and getting it done,” said Cross.

Lisa Cross is hoping to add a hattrick of Auckland Marathon titles to the three Auckland Half Marathon titles she holds.

Ingrid Cree, who finished second to Oldroyd in 2022, will likely be the leading challenger of the women in the marathon field who don’t have an Auckland Marathon title to their name. Cree knows what it takes to win over 42.2km, having secured a three-peat of wins at the Hawke’s Bay Marathon in May.

“It’s always hard juggling the kids, work and training, but I’ve managed to get another few big weeks of training in after the Sydney Marathon in Septembe r [where she placed 13th female],” said Cree.

“The first half of the Auckland Marathon course is quite hilly, and I think I will be able to attack it better this time. I love running over the Harbour Bridge. The course offers a good variety, but you can’t beat the finish line vibes,” she said. “To win any marathon is an honour and an incredible feeling, but I’ll be super happy to make it on to the podium this year.”

In the men’s marathon, 2023 champion Daniel Balchin will line up as favourite to secure back-to-back Auckland Marathon titles but will come up against another former champion in the shape of Oska Baynes, with the 2016 Auckland Marathon champion likely to feature strongly throughout the race.

Last year’s win was a satisfying result for Balchin after finishing a close runner-up in 2022.

“I’m entering race week with a solid block of training and feeling fit. I’m looking forward to taking on the marathon distance at Auckland,” said Balchin. “On one hand I’ll be competing against the competition and on the other I’ll be competing against the marathon distance itself. You can only do what you can do on the day but if I’m able to execute a good race I’ll be satisfied. Winning again would be a bonus.”

Despite heading into the race as the defending champion, Balchin is taking nothing for granted and like Cross, is eager to enjoy racing through the streets of New Zealand’s biggest city.

“I take each bigger race I compete in as its own challenge. I enjoy competing against the top competition that this event attracts which provides the motivation,” he said. “The atmosphere of the big city marathon is a highlight. There is support across the entire race which helps you push on through when the going gets tough. The scenic Harbour Bridge crossing during the sunrise is unique to this race, which I enjoy.”

Hoping to give Balchin and Baynes a run for his money is Aucklander Cam Graves. Despite winning the 2021 Auckland Half Marathon title, the marathon crown remains elusive. It’s a title Graves is desperate to win, but the 32-year-old admits 2024 may not be the year after picking up a recent calf strain.

“This year’s build has been a short one for me, it’s been a turbulent ride with pockets of solid training followed by weeks of no running at all due to injury and life. Seven weeks ago, I made the call to go all in and see what shape I could get myself into come race day. I’ve trained hard and pushed the mileage up reasonably quickly in an attempt to get race fit quickly,” said Graves.

“I placed second on my first attempt here in 2022, so there’s only one way to improve on that. Winning races in your hometown is always rewarding, especially with friends and family watching on and cheering you the entire way. This year I’ll be targeting getting on the podium, so any improvement on that will be a plus,” he said.

“I’ve raced the Auckland Marathon event seven times, six in the half and once in the full distance. This is my hometown, so I always feel like I have to represent the 09! I do a lot of my training around Devonport as well as Tamaki Drive so I’m super familiar with the course, it’s an incredibly scenic run made even better being able to run over the Harbour Bridge. I’m looking forward to getting out there and being a part of the running community as a whole on Sunday. The Auckland running scene has blown up over the past couple of years, and it’s cool seeing runners debut on this course and hearing their training and race day stories at the finish line.”

Another strong contender in the men’s marathon is Rotorua’s Michael Voss. The 27-year-old has won his hometown marathon on three occasions, and also tasted victory at the 2021 Auckland Half Marathon.

Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Marathon Elite Field (as of Wednesday 30 October)
Women
1 - Ingrid Cree (Wellington)
2 - Karen Donaldson-Barron (Auckland)
3 - Amanda Waldron (Napier)
5 - Brigid Dennehy (Auckland)
6 - Katherine Camp (Christchurch)
7 - Lisa Cross (Auckland)
18 - Hannah Oldroyd (Christchurch)
19 - Bethany Bromfield (Auckland)

Men
8 - Oska Baynes (Christchurch)
9 - Cullern Thorby (Rotorua)
10 - Daniel Balchin (Alexandra)
11 - Rodwyn Isaacs (Auckland)
12 - Cam Graves (Auckland)
13 - Joel Bickers (Auckland)
14 - Simon Cochrane (Hamilton)
15 - Ollie Palmer (Wellington)
16 - Jono Wilkins (Auckland)
17 - Michael Voss (Rotorua)

The Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Marathon begins at 6:00am on Sunday, while runners in the Garmin Half Marathon start their day at 6:50am.

In the half marathon, Camille French and Julian Oakley will line up as hot favourites in the women’s and men’s elite races respectively. French is a four-time winner of the women’s Auckland Half Marathon and two-time Olympian racing her first event since the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, while Oakley is the 2022 men’s Auckland Half Marathon champion.

Garmin Half Marathon Elite Field

Womens

• Camille French
• Anneke Arlidge
• Sarah Gardner
• Amelia Lythe
• Alexandra Hawke
• Maisie Kilner
• Caitlin Peers
• Alyx Day
• Samantha Phillips
• Kelly Parlane
• Olivia Cummings
• Jasmine Finney
• Katrina Andrew

Mens

• Julian Oakley
• Casey Thorby
• Matt Smith
• MikeRobinson
• Simon Cromarty
• Russell Dessaix-Chin
• Simon Mace
• Michael Whittaker
• Caden Shields