Hi all,

Many of you will have received my email from last week advising you of an Ekiden marathon race walking relay. I can now confirm the details of the event. If you are interested in competing please let me know, also if you know of other athletes who may be interested then please pass this email onto them. The relay is NOT limited to just race walkers, so any free style walkers are also welcome.

New Zealand Race walking Association - Inaugural National Teams Relay Championship
(Hosted by Wellington Scottish Athletics)
 
Sat/Sun 26/27 May 2007 at Trentham (Upper Hutt)
Race on Sunday - starts 9:30 "B" Division & 10am "A" Division with a number of activities on the Saturday (details to be advised later)

The Championship Event will consist of an Ekiden Relay (marathon distance split into six legs of 7.195k, 5k, 7.5k, 10k, 7.5k, & 5k.) There will be two Divisions -

·       "A" Division - For Race walking Teams - fully judged to IAAF Rules
·       "B" Division - For Free-style walkers that must not lose contact i.e. bent knees (if necessary) but NO Jogging or Creeping.

·       Composite Teams - Groups of Walkers that may include Walkers from any Team in the "A" Div. or "B" Div. who wish to walk a second time. This is a good way of getting some extra walking for those that are keen to do so. Rules as for "B" Division.

"A" Division - All Team members MUST be either members of the NZRWA or Athletics NZ Registered Athletes AND be members of the Club. Where an Area (Waikato/BOP, Hawke Bay/Gisborne, Nelson, etc) may not have a Club that can enter a Team, an "Area" Team will be acceptable - OR when an Area (Centre) already has a Club Team entered, another Team made up of Walkers from any Clubs in the Area that cannot enter a full Team may join and enter an "Area" (Centre). An Example of this would be - say, Auckland had "Bays-Cougar" Club entered as a Team; an "Auckland" Team made up of Walkers from any Club may also enter as well.
 
"B" Division" - Teams may be made up of any Walker belonging to a Club, Centre, Walking Group or Group of friends. Examples could be -
Taranaki Race walkers - (Club Team)
Nelson - (Centre Team
Walk for Health - (Walking Group)
Walk Ys - (Group of friends that do "special events - Taupo Relay, etc)
 
Composite Teams - Anyone can walk in these Teams including Walkers that have already walked in either of the "A" or "B" Division. Example of a Composite Team might be - Three Walkers that arrive without a Team that get together with three Walkers from other Teams - just for a bit of fun. These Teams are not eligible for Trophies.
 
Get in touch NOW to join in this interesting Walking initiative - register your interest and we will send you all the information as it comes available.

Contacts:  

Bart Jones (04) 4773 746 - (027) 608 6111           David Lonsdale (04) 977 8990 - (021) 149 6283  
email: bart.jones@...                                 email: thelonsdales@...
 
Full information - including activities on the Saturday, full race details, Accommodation and meals, etc will be available shortly with the official Entry Form.

Kind Regards

David Sim | Business Intelligence Analyst | BI Team | TOWER New Zealand
Level 3, 22 Fanshawe Street, PO Box 90347, Auckland, 1010
Telephone +64 9 369 2121 | Cell +64 027 3311840 | Fax +64 9 985 5001
Email David.Sim@...
www.tower.co.nz