A GREAT night and some great races!!! Click above to view a full set of results. (PDF - 55kb)

On Tuesday the 22nd of January 2013 Cooks Gardens came alive with over 170 competitors in action in both track & field events with a major focus on the mile events, a Men’s International Mile, Women’s International Mile plus Junior Men’s Mile supported by quality programme of track and field events.

A new NZ Record was set in the Womens W17 Pole Vault of 4.01m by Eliza McCartney of the Bay Cougars club in a special exhibition event arranged for the sponsors. With a warm summers evening in Wanganui it created a great atmosphere and was most impressive to be a part of her special moment.  

Nick Willis ran his 29th sub 4min mile in a time of 3m 58.09 to win the Balance Chartered Accountants Mens International Mile from Matthew Coloe of Australia in a time of 4m 07.43 followed home by Jonathan Jackson of Auckland City Athletics in 4m.17 and young Sam Petty of England in 4m 14.55.

Wanganui Olympian Lucy van Dalen won the ZM Womens International Mile in 4m 36.07 from Camille Buscombe of Hamilton in 4m 43.86 with Rosa Flanagan of Canterbury University third ina  time of 4m44.55 sec. The Collegiate Junior Mens Mile was won by Matthew Baxter of Egmont in 4m.12.25.       

Cooks Gardens is most famous for New Zealander Peter Snell breaking the World Mile Record on January 27th 1962 at 3 minutes 54.4 seconds. The Cooks Classic 2013 was Round 2 of the January Classic Series with the Sylvia Potts Meet in Hastings on Saturday 19th, Wanganui Classic Tuesday 22nd and the Wellington Classic Friday 25th.

Leading competitors from throughout New Zealand competed at the 2013 Cooks Classic and in 2012 five sub 4 minute miles were run. With a strong focus on youth development Wanganui Athletics continued the successful ‘Young Olympian Tour’ concept that has brought leading Juniors (under 20) on tour to Wanganui for the ‘Classic’ the past few years. Jan 22nd Cooks Gardens was a great place to be in pefect warm windless conditions. See you there in jan 2014 for annother great night at the Cooks.