Oakley beats Tanner in Auckland 5000m duel

Julian Oakley defied the conditions to edge training partner Sam Tanner in a compelling 5000m duel, setting a stunning race record at the Night of 5s athletics meet in Auckland.

Julian Oakley
Photo: Photosport

The Tauranga-based pair served up a captivating head-to-head showdown to provide a rousing climax to a soggy meet, with Oakley’s superior strength ultimately proving the difference as he won in a personal best 13min 29.74sec.

Tanner, the Commonwealth Games 1500m sixth-place getter, finished exactly three seconds adrift setting a new personal best by a massive 45 seconds.

New Zealand mountain running champion Cameron Avery (Christchurch Avon) finished third in 14:07.55 as eight of the first nine finishers bagged a PB.

“I thought I was in shape to run something pretty good,” Oakley said.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t the 1500m because I would have had no chance (on the last lap). I knew I was capable of a sub 13:30 I would like to go low 13:20, but it was how the race played out and I closed well.”

Tanner and Oakley have in recent weeks become training partners with Oakley saying: “It has been great to train together, I had been doing so much on my own it had been a grind. It has been quite humbling.”

Tanner added: “I had a great battle with Julian, and now he is my training partner it is going to be exciting. I just ran out of legs over that last 200m. My body is not quite used to that distance, but I felt pretty good most of the way, so I felt quite happy.”

Despite a limited preparation time over the past five months while carrying out Navy training, Anneke Grogan of North Harbour Bays won the women’s 5000m in 16:26.65.

The national 3000m steeplechase champion finished 1.99 clear of three-time national 800m gold medallist Katherine Camp of Canterbury.

– RNZ