O'Callaghan holds on | Bay of Plenty Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Bay of Plenty

Steve O'Callaghan's marathon fitness helped nab him a road race title on Saturday but the main talking point was wheezing along behind him.

With a smart new course at The Lakes subdivision in Tauriko, the Waikato-Bay of Plenty championships had a bit of life injected back into it, with boosted numbers and tight racing.

The senior men's race was no exception, with Rotorua's O'Callaghan pursued doggedly by a quartet of Tauranga Ramblers stars on the comeback trail.

Their fitness might not have been flash but Ben Ruthe, Craig Kirkwood, Gareth Hyett and Iain MacDonald at least got some decent match fitness under the belts ahead of the national teams race in Inglewood next month.

"It was great to see those guys all back and racing - it certainly lets you know you've been out there with the Ramblers back hunting you down," O'Callaghan said.

The 28-year-old finished the 10km course in 32mins 11secs, with Ruthe - who has barely laced his shoes in the last six months - beating back all manner of hurt to finish second in 32:53.

Kirkwood, who has moved into the multisport sphere in the past few years, was third in 33:03 and Hyett just 3secs back, returning from retirement after winning the national 1500m title last year.

MacDonald did well for fifth, despite straining his achilles tendon at the national cross country championships in Waikanae a fortnight ago.

O'Callaghan, who is preparing for next month's Legends off-road marathon in the Waitakere Ranges, was third in the regional road race on home turf last year but rated the new 2km course highly.

"It was tricky with the wind because it always felt like it was in your face, and the hill in the middle made it interesting, but overall I loved it. It wasn't the fastest course but it was awesome."

The senior men's pack was led out by Hamilton Hawk Cory Whiting, who paced himself superbly to win the M19 8km crown 26:13, from Tauranga Boys' College triathlete Patrick Burrows.

Ruthe, who looked dead and buried several times over the five laps, relied on every inch of muscle memory to get him through.

"I'm glad it was a fairly technical course - it meant I didn't have to think about how bad I was feeling!" the 30-year-old laughed.

The women's 10km race was won by Hamilton's Helen Rountree in 38:02, from Tracey Greenwood in 41:41.

The women's 5km race was far more competitive, however, with Katikati's Sally Gibbs, better known for her masters swimming exploits, continuing her vintage year with a win in the W45 division.

Gibbs recently won her agegroup at the cross country nationals, and proved too strong for Tauranga's Michelle Basson, finishing 14secs ahead in 18.22.

Hawks' 19-year-old Angela Simpson was third in 18:41, ahead of 16-year-old clubmate Olivia Ritchie, while Ramblers' Laurie Pugh was seventh in 19:49.

Gibbs has her work cut out for her with the upcoming road race team nationals, however.

"Michelle is moving house the same weekend so the hardest part will be convincing her to still come and race!" Gibbs said.

Results:

(The Lakes, Tauriko)

Senior men: (10km) Steven O'Callaghan (Lake City) 32:11 1, Ben Ruthe (Tauranga Ramblers) 32:53 2, Craig Kirkwood (Tauranga Ramblers) 33:03 3, Gareth Hyett (Tauranga Ramblers) 33:06 4, Iain McDonald (Tauranga Ramblers) 33:26 5, Wayne Guest (Matamata Harriers) 33:51 6, Richard Harris (Hawks) 34:31 7, Jason Steyn-Ross (Lake City) 38:31 8, Dennis De Monchy (Welcome Bay) 41:36 9, Shem Banbury (Tauranga) 42:11 10.

M35: Adrian Lysaght (Lake City) 36:37 1, John Bowe (Hawks) 36:42 2, Dean Willacy (Tauranga Ramblers) 37:20 3.

M40: Glenn Sexton (Hawks) 33:56 1, Andrew Wark (Hawks) 35:18 2, David Sharp (Hawks) 36:03 3.

M45: Bruce Edwards (Lake City) 37:09 1, Ken Keyte (Tauranga Ramblers) 37:34 2, Roger Creighton (Tauranga Ramblers) 39:01 3.

M50: Rodney Poulgrain (Thames Harriers) 38:35 1, Terry Furmage (Tauranga Ramblers) 39:11 2, Mike Smith Mount Maunganui 40:52 3.

M55: Gavin Smith (Tauranga Ramblers) 38:56 1, Stu Smith (Tauranga Ramblers) 40:15 2, Barry Watson (Tauranga Ramblers) 41:44 3.

M60: Trevor Ogilvie (Lake City) 36:33 1, Murray Clarkson (Tauranga Ramblers) 44:02 2, Tim Masters (Tauranga Ramblers) 45:42 3.

M65: Kerry Smith (Tauranga Ramblers) 49:38 1, Peter Vyver (Lake City) 51:10 2.

M75: Sid Pavett (Tauranga Ramblers) 49:03 1, Brian Smith (Hawks) 1:02:37 2.

Junior: (6km) Michael Sutton (Tauranga Ramblers) 20:34 1, Theunis Pieters (Hawks) 22:43 2, Ernst Visser Matamata 35:08 3.

M19: (8km) Cory Whiting (Hawks) 26:13 1, Patrick Burrows (Tauranga) 28:03 2, Cameron Hall (Hawks) 30:20 3.

B14: (3km)

Jacob Priddey (Hawks) 10:14 1, Javahn Kennedy (Tauranga) 10:53 2, Kayne McPhillips-Sharp (Hawks) 10:55 3.

Women:

Open: (10km) Helen Rountree (Hawks) 38:02 1, Tracey Greenwood (Hawks) 41:41 2, Toni Mills (Lake City) 55:33 3.

Women: (5km)

Sally Gibbs (Tauranga Ramblers) 18:22 W45 1, Michelle Basson (Tauranga Ramblers) 18:34 W35 2, Angela Simpson (Hawks) 18:41 W19 3, Olivia Ritchie (Hawks) 18:49 W16 4, Bridget Deverell (Hawks) 18:56 W40 5, Marion Millward (Hawks) 19:35 W50 6, Laurie Pugh (Tauranga Ramblers) 19:49 W35 7, Siobhan Griffiths (Lake City) 19:52 W35 8, Anne Bradley (Hawks) 19:56 W45 9, Dot Larsen (Hawks) 20:10 W45 10.

Girls: (3km)

Jessica Bitcheno (Tauranga Ramblers) 11:15 1, Lili Crombie (Aquinas College) 11:53 2, Aisling Bowden (Taupo Harriers) 12:02 3.

Juniors: (2km)

Isaiah Priddey (Hawks) 7:27 B10 1, Rebekah McCafferty (Tauranga Ramblers) 7:44 G12 2, Jeremy Shaw (Tauranga Ramblers) 7:49 B12 3, Olivia Hines (Tauranga Ramblers) 7:52 G12 4, Georja Kidd (Lake City) 7:58 G12 5.