Graves and Cross Hoping for Hometown Glory at the Auckland Marathon
A mix of experienced campaigners and up-and-comers highlight the elite field at Sunday’s Auckland Marathon, with the event celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Auckland’s Cameron Graves will take on this year’s ASB Marathon after storming around the 2020 Barfoot & Thompson Half Marathon to a new course record on his way to claiming the title. This time around he’ll step up to the marathon in what will be his debut over the 42.2km distance.
Graves says stepping up to the marathon distance was spurred on by the desire to pull on the Black Singlet and represent New Zealand on the world stage.
“I stepped up to the marathon purely because it’s an Olympic distance event, they don’t offer the half marathon at the Commonwealth Games or World Championships or the Olympics and that’s my dream and what I need to take me to the world stage and running against the world’s best,” said Graves.
Both the Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championships take place this year and for Graves, the ASB Auckland Marathon represents his one and only chance to run a marathon in New Zealand and have a shot at the Commonwealth Games qualification draft standard before the timeframe cut-off of 24 January –the day after the ASB Auckland Marathon.
Graves explains what he needs to achieve this weekend to be in with a chance of boarding the plane to Birmingham in July.
“For the Commonwealth Games there’s an A and B standard, and there’s also a draft standard, and a draft standard essentially means if you get that time before the 24th of January, which is 2:14, you’re on the draft list and then you’re eligible to go for the actual time,” said Graves.
If Graves manages to secure the required Commonwealth Games draft standard time of 2:14, he will in turn break the 15-year-old Auckland Marathon men’s course record of 2:17:43 set in 2006 by Dale Warrander.
“I’m aiming to run a sub 2:14 but because the course is quite difficult coming out of Devonport and that’s like a four-minute course record kind of thing, it would be pretty out there, but that’s what I’m going for anyway,” said Graves. “That’s my ultimate outcome for the day.”
Whether the record tumbles this weekend or not, Graves says he feels in great shape after 18 months of uninterrupted training and is excited to finally race for the first time since October 2020.
“I think it's going to be a celebration of the Auckland running community as we're finally able to get out there, run with big groups and run an actual race instead of just running these solo time trials which we've all been doing over the past 18 months,” said Graves. “So yeah, I'm super excited, very happy to have that opportunity to get out there again and be part of the community, part of why I love running.”
For Graves, who is Auckland born and bred, the idea of winning his debut marathon in his hometown makes the occasion extra special.
“It would mean the world really, I've got all my family and friends here and got a lot of supporters that are going to be out along the course to cheer me on so I want to do it for them, want to do it for myself, but yeah it would just be a big celebration of the training I've done over the past 18 months toward this,” said Graves.
Daniel Jones (Wellington) returns after claiming victory in the 2020 ASB Auckland Marathon and is in fine form to retain his crown. Last weekend Jones made it four successive Kepler Challenge wins, backing up a successful 2021 that saw him take the Christchurch Marathon and Hawke’s Bay Marathon titles.
Lining up alongside Graves and Jones in the men’s ASB Marathon is the versatile Jono Jackson (Auckland), current New Zealand Mountain Running Champion and two-time ASB Auckland Marathon runner-up, and Nathan Tse (Wellington) who debuted over the 42.2km distance at the 2020 ASB Auckland Marathon, finishing in sixth. Tse also finished second at the 2021 Hawke’s Bay Half Marathon.
In the women’s ASB Marathon, former winner Lisa Cross (Auckland) will be a strong contender to take the title once again.
Cross says she’s in great shape and has been loving her training.
“I’d say probably the best I’ve ever felt, I’ve had a really solid training block and I’ve enjoyed it as well,” said Cross.
Though not putting any pressure on herself to win, Cross heads into the race with the fastest marathon PB (2:41:56) of the elite women’s field and is hoping she can shave some time off that personal record which she set back in 2011 in winning the Auckland Marathon.
“To beat my time, just for me it would be just quite a good achievement because it’s 10 years on and I’m married and two kids later as well, so just to prove that having kids doesn’t necessarily slow you down, you can still keep trucking on,” said Cross.
“I'm curious to see how I go, the training's been different this time around but I kind of go out with no expectations and anything's a bonus type thing, but yeah I feel like I'm fit and well so looking forward to it.”
Cross will face stiff competition from 2020 runner up, Hannah Oldroyd (Canterbury). Originally from England but now living in Christchurch, Oldroyd is also a previous ASB Auckland Marathon winner having claimed the title in 2017.
Maddie Dillon (Auckland) and Ali Campbell (Wellington) are two ASB Auckland Marathon first timers hoping to make an impact on debut. Dillon was third in the 2021 Auckland Waterfront Half Marathon and second in the 2020 Luxmore Grunt, while Campbell, who returned to New Zealand last year after living in the UK, has posted a 2:55 marathon PB at the 2019 London Marathon.
In the Barfoot & Thompson Half Marathon, Auckland’s Karen Donaldson-Barron and Wellington’s Esther George will go head-to-head for the title.
George’s 1:20:06 PB was recorded when she finished fourth at the 2021 Christchurch Half Marathon while Donaldson-Barron has a previous Barfoot & Thompson Half Marathon top three finish to her name. Her half marathon PB is 1:22:34 from her win at the 2019 Kerikeri Half Marathon.
There is a youthful look to the men’s Barfoot & Thompson Half Marathon elite race, with 22-year-old Christopher Dryden (Canterbury) to take on 17-year-old Casey Thorby (Bay of Plenty).
Dryden is a former New Zealand U20 10,000m champion and a national cross country bronze medallist. He finished fourth in the 2021 Christchurch Half Marathon with a PB 1:05:49.
Teenager Casey Thorby is set to complete his debut elite half marathon race. Thorby is one to watch for the future and already boasts a half marathon PB of 1:10, finishing in the top five at the 2020 Barfoot & Thompson Half Marathon.
ASB Auckland Marathon Elites
Men’s ASB Marathon
Bib #1 – Daniel Jones – Wellington
2 – Cameron Graves – Auckland
4 – Nathan Tse – Wellington
5 – Jonathon Jackson – Auckland
Women’s ASB Marathon
8 – Hannah Oldroyd – Canterbury
9 – Lisa Cross – Auckland
10 – Ali Campbell – Wellington
11 – Maddie Dillon – Auckland
Women’s Barfoot & Thompson Half Marathon
13 – Esther George – Wellington
14 – Karen Donaldson-Barron – Auckland
Men’s Barfoot & Thompson Half Marathon
17 – Casey Thorby – Bay of Plenty
18 – Christopher Dryden – Canterbury
