Half Marathon Hub Weekly: Results, Training & What’s Coming Up | 3 August 2026
Welcome to the Half Marathon Hub Weekly, your Monday round-up of what’s happening across the New Zealand half marathon scene.
Each week, we’ll look back at the weekend’s racing, celebrate some of the performances from around the country, catch up on the latest training advice published on www.HalfMarathonTraining.co.nz, and look ahead to the half marathons coming up next weekend.
Whether you’re building towards your first 21.1km, chasing a PB, or simply enjoy following the New Zealand running scene, this is your weekly place to keep up with half marathon running around the country.
🏁 Weekend Half Marathon Results
There was plenty of half marathon action around New Zealand over the weekend, with racing at the Taupō Half Marathon, South Island Half Marathon and Tāmaki River Half Marathon.
Taupō Half Marathon
The Taupō Half Marathon produced some quick racing at the front of the field.
Men
- Michael Voss – 1:07:56
- Casey Thorby – 1:08:44
- Louis Young – 1:13:12
Women
- Charlotte Burgess – 1:18:31
- Amelia Lythe – 1:22:11
- Kathleen Hudson – 1:25:50
Qwik Kiwi Highlight
A special congratulations goes to Fritha Linklater, who achieved her goal of breaking the two-hour barrier.
Fritha finished in 1:58:10, comfortably getting underneath that important milestone. Even better, she produced a well-controlled race, keeping things measured through the earlier kilometres before finishing strongly.
Breaking two hours is a significant milestone for many recreational half marathon runners, and it’s fantastic to see the training come together when it matters on race day. Congratulations, Fritha!
South Island Half Marathon
There was more strong racing at the South Island Half Marathon, with Simon Cromarty taking the men’s victory and Lily Aynsley leading the women’s field home.
Men
- Simon Cromarty – 1:10:48
- Hayden Zervos – 1:13:35
- Liam Jones – 1:13:45
Women
- Lily Aynsley – 1:24:18
- Natasha Waddell – 1:26:20
- Alicia Yee – 1:27:36
Tāmaki River Half Marathon
The Tāmaki River Half Marathon saw a particularly close contest in the women’s race, with just five seconds separating the first two finishers.
Men
- Hayden Joyce – 1:17:09
- Tom Iwan – 1:17:56
- Lucas Osborne – 1:19:21
Women
- Katherine Reardon – 1:31:01
- Meiyen Toh – 1:31:06
- Joanne Wainwright – 1:31:38
Congratulations to everyone who completed a half marathon over the weekend.
The podium results naturally grab attention, but the New Zealand half marathon scene is made up of runners with vastly different goals — from competing for an overall win to chasing a PB, breaking two hours, completing a first half marathon or simply getting back to the finish line.
Those are all performances worth celebrating, and that’s something we’ll continue to recognise each week in the Half Marathon Hub Weekly.
📚 New This Week on Half Marathon Training
We’ve also started building the training library at www.HalfMarathonTraining.co.nz, with two useful resources published for runners preparing for their next half marathon.
🏔️ Workout of the Week: 4 × 4min Hill Reps
Our first Workout of the Week is a challenging but highly effective hill session: 4 × 4-minute Hill Reps.
Hill repetitions are a great way to develop running strength and aerobic power while encouraging good running technique. This session is particularly useful during the Early Quality phase of a half marathon training programme.
The workout includes a progressive warm-up, four four-minute efforts at Level V with approximately four minutes of easy jogging back down the hill between repetitions, followed by a cool-down and dedicated stretching.
Read the full workout and learn how to incorporate it into your half marathon training:
Workout of the Week: 4 × 4min Hill Reps
🏃 12 Long Run Tips Every Half Marathon Runner Should Know
The long run is one of the most important sessions in any half marathon programme, but simply running further every weekend isn’t necessarily the best way to improve.
Our latest training article covers 12 practical long-run tips to help you get more from this key session.
It includes advice on pacing your long runs at Level II, building duration gradually, fitting the long run around your target race day, incorporating stride-outs, practising your fuelling and making sure recovery is part of the training process.
If your next half marathon is approaching, this is a useful checklist for making sure your long runs are actually preparing you for race day.
Read: 12 Long Run Tips Every Half Marathon Runner Should Know
🏃 Auckland Half Marathon Training Starts Next Week
Training for the Auckland Half Marathon? Our dedicated 12-week Auckland training plans begin on Monday, 10 August, giving you a structured programme designed to take you right through to race day.
All five levels are available through Hub+, so you can choose a programme that matches your current running ability, experience and goals:
- Auckland • Starter • 12 Weeks – for newer half marathon runners looking to build confidently towards the finish line.
- Auckland • Builder • 12 Weeks – for runners ready to add more structure and consistency to their training.
- Auckland • Improver • 12 Weeks – for established runners looking to improve their half marathon performance.
- Auckland • Performance • 12 Weeks – for experienced runners targeting a strong race and a faster finishing time.
- Auckland • Elite • 12 Weeks – our highest-level programme for highly trained runners looking to maximise their performance.
Each programme is built around three to five key runs each week, with an optional extra run, along with dedicated stretching sessions to support recovery and consistency. Optional strength training can also be added for runners wanting to complement their running programme.
The big advantage of starting on 10 August is simple: the entire 12-week programme is timed specifically around the Auckland Half Marathon. Rather than following a generic half marathon plan and trying to make the dates fit, your training builds towards Auckland from day one.
If Auckland is your goal race, this is the week to choose your level and get ready to start.
Join Hub+
Get access to the complete range of Auckland 12-week training plans through Hub+ and start your Auckland Half Marathon build on Monday, 10 August.
📅 Coming Up This Weekend
There are four half marathon opportunities around New Zealand this coming weekend, with a mixture of road and trail racing.
Meridian Hydro Half Marathon – Te Anau
The Meridian Hydro Half Marathon provides one of this weekend’s opportunities to cover 21.1km.
If you’re racing, this week isn’t about squeezing in any last-minute fitness. The work has already been done. Keep the legs moving, reduce your overall training load and arrive at the start line fresh and ready to race.
Auckland Trail Run & Walk: Riverhead Forest
For runners looking for something away from the road, the Auckland Trail Run & Walk at Riverhead Forest offers a very different half marathon challenge.
Trail half marathons shouldn’t be approached purely by road-race pace. Terrain, elevation, surface conditions and technical sections can all influence your speed, so managing effort becomes particularly important.
Canterbury Winter Trail Run Series 4: Inverary Station
South Island trail runners have another opportunity with Race 4 of the Canterbury Winter Trail Run Series at Inverary Station.
Again, the terrain means effort rather than kilometre pace should guide much of your race. Be prepared for the conditions, respect the course and don’t burn too much energy early trying to maintain a predetermined road-running pace.
Sri Chinmoy Auckland Series: Race 6
Auckland runners also have Race 6 of the Sri Chinmoy Auckland Series, which includes a half marathon distance.
For anyone racing this weekend, the goal over the next few days should be simple: maintain your rhythm, freshen the legs and avoid trying to gain fitness at the last minute.
🎯 Training for an Upcoming Half Marathon?
With major New Zealand half marathons including Auckland and Queenstown approaching, now is the time to make sure your training has some structure behind it.
www.HalfMarathonTraining.co.nz is being developed as a dedicated resource for New Zealand half marathon runners, bringing together training advice, workouts, race guides and structured training options for runners of different abilities.
Over the coming weeks, you’ll see more race-specific resources added to the site as we build towards some of the biggest half marathons on the New Zealand calendar.
➡️ What’s Coming Next?
We’ll be back next Monday with another Half Marathon Hub Weekly, including results from this weekend’s four half marathons, the latest articles and workouts from www.HalfMarathonTraining.co.nz, and a look ahead at the next races on the New Zealand calendar.
If you’re racing this weekend, good luck. Race smart, control the early kilometres and give yourself the opportunity to finish strongly.
And if you’ve recently completed a New Zealand half marathon, congratulations — enjoy the recovery before deciding what challenge comes next.
