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SEPTEMBER 25, 2025
Running costs boom By Mary Anne Gill
Waipā event organisers say they’re being forced to rethink traditional routes, shifting away from public roads and footpaths to avoid escalating traffic management costs. The latest example is the Cambridge Harriers and Athletic Club, which hosted its popular half marathon on Sunday using a flat, two-lap route that was almost entirely off-road. Despite the changes, traffic management still cost $6800 - half the previous amount - thanks to the support of club stalwarts and volunteers, said race organiser Rob Archibald. “The previous course had some potential hazards,” Archibald said. “Runners wanted a fast course - and they got it.” Whakatāne’s Chris Lines won the half marathon in 1:11:52, while Cambridge’s Jenny Gater claimed victory in the quarter marathon with a time of 41:19 - beating all male entrants. The old course ran through lowuse traffic routes – the mainly flat Flume, Aspin, and Maungakawa roads north and east of the town starting and finishing at Cambridge High School. The new less hazardous course passed through the Town Belt and along some shared footpaths in St Kilda, starting and finishing at Tom Voyle Park. It had only four major road crossings and half marathoners went around the course twice. While the new route sacrificed some scenic charm, it allowed the club to retain profits - supporting
Off they go: Johnny Zhang (449) and Nicolas Kury (452) head off in the Cambridge Half Marathon with from left Jenny Gater (402), Rory Fennessy (883), Richard Conyngham (894), Rob Townsend (521), Jacob Taylor (898), Mel O’Brien (436) and Mike Woodd (891). Photo: Michael Jeans.
young athletes like Cambridge High School’s Bronwen ReesJones, 18, who is competing in the World Mountain Running Championships in Spain this weekend. Events Collective director Janette Douglas, who organises several Waipā events, said delivering sustainable events was becoming increasingly challenging as
organisers juggled entry fees and commercial opportunities against rising essential costs like traffic management. ”Recent legislative changes enabling councils to adopt a riskbased model give organisers the chance to create fit-for-purpose responses to risk,” she said. Both Archibald and Douglas say they want their events to be safe.
“We can’t afford to have any accidents. We don’t want an issue with cars and people,” he said. “At the heart of every event, our priority is ensuring participants, volunteers, and the public return home safely - but this comes at a cost,” said Douglas. “For community events, the challenge is even greater, with pressure to keep entry fees low
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and fewer volunteers available, increasing the workload on organisers.” Lake Karāpiro Domain site manager Liz Stolwyk said events like the North Island secondary school cycling championships on roads around Maungatautari had faced increasing road management costs. Continued on page 2
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