News

11 March 2024 • Junior Track & Field

Go Athletics Series

4 March 2024 • Events

McKinnon Shield #9

19 February 2024 • Events

McKinnon Shield 8

7 February 2024 • Events

Auckland T&F Championships

5 February 2024 • Junior Track & Field

Go! Series Day 1

22 January 2024 • Events

McKinnon Shield #7

16 January 2024 • Uncategorized

McKinnon Shield #6

9 January 2024 • Junior Track & Field

North Island Colgate Games

20 December 2023 • Announcement

Michael Hartshorne

18 December 2023 • Events

Daikin Night of 5s AUT Millennium Stadium

5 December 2023 • Events

McKinnon Shield Meeting #5

27 November 2023 • Uncategorized

Dick Quax Memorial Meeting

13 November 2023 • Events

Disability Sport Auckland Awards Dinner

3 November 2023 • Events

ACA Race Night Results

1 November 2023 • Events

McKinnon Shield Meet 28 October

30 October 2023 • Events

Athletics Auckland Marathon Champs

20 October 2023 • Announcement

World Athletics Rule Changes from 1st October 2023

16 October 2023 • Events

Auckland 10000m Championships

22 September 2023 • Uncategorized

Auckland Road Relay Champs & XCR Prize Giving

8 September 2023 • Announcement

Rodger Brickland – QSM for Services to Athletics

31 August 2023 • Events

Cross Country & Road Prize Giving

21 August 2023 • Events

Auckland Road Championships

28 July 2023 • Coaching

Aspire Cross Country Academy

26 July 2023 • Events

Long Bay GP4 Cross Country

20 July 2023 • Announcement

Mt Smart #2 Arena Now Open for Training

26 June 2023 • Events

Auckland Cross Country Championships

16 May 2023 • Announcement

Memorial Seat for Russ Hoggard

27 April 2023 • Announcement

Remembering Peter Booker

24 April 2023 • Events

ACA Southland Centennial Shield Relays

18 April 2023 • Uncategorized

Sports Shoes for Schools

13 March 2023 • Events

McKinnon Shield #9

22 February 2023 • Announcement

Auckland Team Selections to 2023 NZ T&F Champs Final

17 February 2023 • Events

NHB Children’s Ribbon Day

5 December 2022 • Junior Track & Field

Junior Ribbon Day Series

5 December 2022 • Events

McKinnon Shield Meeting #5

5 December 2022 • Announcement

Sir Murray Halberg ONZ, KNZM, MBE

28 November 2022 • Events

McKinnon Shield Meeting #4

23 November 2022 • Events

Dick Quax Memorial Meeting

16 November 2022 • Events

McKinnon Shield 3/Schools Competition 3

10 November 2022 • General

Research Project – Achilles Tendinopathy

2 November 2022 • Announcement

Inaugural Millie Sampson WU23 Invitational Mile

21 September 2022 • Coaching

2022 Summer Aspire Academy

14 September 2022 • Events

Auckland Road Relay Championships

13 September 2022 • Announcement

Athletics Auckland Junior Section Innovation Fund

6 September 2022 • Uncategorized

Inclusion Training Seminars

15 August 2022 • Events

CONGRATULATIONS ARCH

9 August 2022 • Events

INTERNATIONAL RESULTS

5 August 2022 • General

Auckland Athletes heading to U.S. College

2 August 2022 • Events

2022 Auckland -Road Team

27 June 2022 • Events

Auckland Cross Country Championships

16 June 2022 • General

“Give it your best Shot”

15 June 2022 • Coaching

ATHLETICS AUCKLAND EVENT CLINIC

15 June 2022 • Announcement

World Athletics Rule Book App

20 May 2022 • Events

Sports Shoes for Schools Initiative

13 May 2022 • Junior Track & Field

Junior Prize Giving Recipients

5 April 2022 • Announcement

Auckland Junior Prize Giving

17 March 2022 • General

Thermoregulation Study

10 March 2022 • Announcement

NZ Track and Field Championships

18 February 2022 • Announcement

Halberg Games 2022

10 February 2022 • Announcement

Auckland Track & Field Championships

23 December 2021 • Events

U16 & U18 North Island Interprovincials

22 December 2021 • Announcement

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from AAI

13 December 2021 • Announcement

Introducing Get Set Go at Home with Athletics NZ

7 December 2021 • Announcement

2022 Colgate Games to Go Ahead

22 November 2021 • Announcement

NCAA Div 1, Cross Country Championship Final

19 November 2021 • Announcement

McKinnon Shield 1

15 November 2021 • Announcement

Upcoming Officials Seminars

11 November 2021 • Announcement

Auckland 5000m Championships

8 November 2021 • Announcement

McKinnon Shield to start on Saturday 20th November

8 November 2021 • Announcement

Club Night and Centre Training Days

28 October 2021 • Events

2022 Colgate Games

25 October 2021 • Announcement

McKinnon Shield Event Grid 2021/22

7 October 2021 • Announcement

Mt Smart Stadium Re-Open for Training

6 October 2021 • Announcement

Auckland Road Championships Cancelled

4 October 2021 • Announcement

Event Update – 4th October 2021

17 September 2021 • Announcement

Auckland Race Walker Alana Barber Retires

3 September 2021 • Announcement

Covid 19 Lockdown Auckland

23 August 2021 • Announcement

A Guide to the Paralympics

23 August 2021 • Announcement

ACA Relays – A Covid-19 Exposure Site

10 August 2021 • Events

NZ Cross Country Championships – Dunedin

22 July 2021 • Coaching

Aspire Winter Track & Field Academy

14 July 2021 • General

Track & Field Officials of the Year

14 July 2021 • Coaching

Athletics NZ Coach The Coach Workshops

13 July 2021 • General

McKinnon Shield Presentation

12 July 2021 • Announcement

Athletics NZ weekly round up

15 June 2021 • General

GP 3 Incorporating Auckland Teams Race

3 June 2021 • Uncategorized

For an update on upcoming Coaching Courses

31 May 2021 • Announcement

Ronan Lee storms home to win #XC2021 Round 2

31 May 2021 • Announcement

Samoan Language Week

17 May 2021 • Announcement

Athletics Auckland Grand Prix Race Results

15 March 2021 • Announcement

Colgate Games 2022

5 March 2021 • Announcement

Athletics Auckland Junior Championships 2021

5 March 2021 • Announcement

McKinnon Shield 9 – Competition update

2 March 2021 • Announcement

Nationals update from Athletics New Zealand

28 February 2021 • Announcement

Athletics Auckland Weekly Review – 1st March 2021

27 February 2021 • Announcement

Athletics NZ Track & Field Championships – Postponed

27 February 2021 • Events

World Athletics Continental Tour – Auckland

22 February 2021 • Announcement

Athletics NZ Child Safety and Member Welfare Update

18 February 2021 • Announcement

Auckland Stadiums Alert Level 2 Guidelines

16 February 2021 • Announcement

Auckland Grade 7-14yrs Championships Postponed

12 February 2021 • Announcement

Porritt Classic 2021

2 February 2021 • General

Officials C Track Seminar

29 January 2021 • Events

Cooks Classic

29 January 2021 • Events

North Island U16 & U18 Interprovincials

28 January 2021 • Coaching

Sprint Relay Session at Mt Smart #2 Arena

26 January 2021 • Events

Auckland Team to NZ Track & Field Champs

25 January 2021 • Announcement

Athletics Auckland Championships – Entries closing

24 January 2021 • Announcement

Auckland Results – McKinnon Shield & Potts Classic

23 January 2021 • Announcement

Alana Barber sets new records at the Potts Classic

18 January 2021 • Announcement

Zoe Hobbs Record Breaking Run!

13 January 2021 • Announcement

Colgate Games Scholarships 2021

21 December 2020 • Announcement

NZ Schools Track & Field Selected Team

21 December 2020 • Announcement

Daikin Night of 5’s – Auckland Women lead the way

17 December 2020 • Announcement

Oceania Area Permit Preview- Night of 5’s

16 December 2020 • Announcement

Athletes Community Award Badge

9 December 2020 • Coaching

Athletics Auckland Junior Festival Meets

4 December 2020 • Announcement

Inter Provincial U16-U18 Auckland Team Named

20 November 2020 • Events

Oceania Athletics One Day Meetings 2020/21

18 November 2020 • General

Getting on with living – Julian Castle

4 November 2020 • Events

Ingrid Frost Completes 300 Marathons

27 October 2020 • Events

NZ Road Race Championships

22 September 2020 • Uncategorized

North Sport Academy Junior Coaching Coordinator Vacancy

14 September 2020 • Announcement

All events cancelled for September

11 September 2020 • Announcement

Mt Smart #2 Arena

4 September 2020 • Announcement

Athletics Auckland Road Relays Cancelled

28 July 2020 • Events

Inter Provincial U16-U18 Newsletter One

26 July 2020 • Announcement

Cross Country & Road

22 July 2020 • General

Keegan Pitcher – Para Athlete

22 July 2020 • General

Anna Steven – Para Athlete T64

1 July 2020 • General

Kaia Tupu-South

26 May 2020 • History

Flashback Thursday – 21st May 2020

14 May 2020 • History

Flashback Thursday – 14th May 2020

8 May 2020 • History

Flashback Thursday – 2nd April 2020

8 May 2020 • History

Flashback Thursday – 7th May 2020

21 April 2020 • Events

2020 Cross Country & Road Season

17 September 2021 • Announcement

Auckland Race Walker Alana Barber Retires

Commonwealth silver medal-winning race walker Alana Barber has formally announced her retirement from the sport.

The 34-year-old, who represented her country at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and set 14 New Zealand race walking records, has decided to move on and start the next chapter of her life.

“It was hard decision to make because athletics had been such a huge part of my life,” explains Alana.

“The biggest motivation for me as an athlete has been the curiosity of seeing how fast I could go. Particularly over the past few years I’ve pushed myself as hard as possible and searched for ways of improving. I’ve put everything out there, but hand on heart I feel like I have no more to give.

“I just felt having come to the end of the Olympic cycle, it is the right time to retire.”

Auckland-based Alana made her final competitive appearance when placing sixth in a 20km race walk in Alytus, Lithuania in June.

The daughter of Shirley Somervell, who finished seventh in the 800m and fifth for New Zealand in the 4x400m relay at the 1974 Commonwealth Games, Alana first tasted race walking at the age of nine.

She competed as a race walker for several years before taking up middle-distance running with Papakura AC and later Auckland City Athletics – where she reached 800m finals at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships.

Alana also won a Maadi Cup rowing medal but re-engaged with race walking at the age of 22 on the recommendation of her mum after picking up a knee injury running.

Having already learned the technique as a youngster she made rapid progress and within a year of returning to the sport she landed national silver and bronze medals in the 3000m track and 20km road championships, respectively.

Nonetheless despite her initial success she quickly plateaued and she adds: “After re-starting the sport at 22, it was a novelty. I got the hang of it really quickly, it was motivating to win races but then that wore off.”

Struggling to find that next step on her career development she relocated with Quentin Rew, the three-time New Zealand Olympic race walker, to live in England in 2012. With a modest 20km race walk best of 1:57 at the time – almost 25 minutes shy of an Olympic B qualifier – life as an international athlete seemed a million miles away for the athlete then aged in her mid-20s.

“To be an Olympian, I probably should have been showing more promise by the age of 25,” she adds with a laugh. “It was frustrating because I knew I could do better, I just needed the guidance and the patience.

“One of my first international competitions in Lugano, Switzerland in 2013, I was embarrassed by my time of 1:55 – despite it being a PB. A Portuguese Olympic coach at the post-race lunch asked me how I did and I mumbled ‘not that great one hour 55’. He replied with ‘Oooh, one hour 45 minutes that’s not good! Don’t worry you will have better races’.”

Working full-time as TV producer in Leeds at the time it was her good fortune to train with a group at the British National Centre for Race Walking based in the Northern English city. It was here she upped her mileage, worked on her strength and conditioning and in 2014 produced a dramatic overnight improvement.

Competing in a 20km race walk in York she decimated her previous best my more than nine minutes to record 1:43.46.

“Having that breakthrough shocked me,” she adds. “Progression sometimes is a funny thing.”

Leaving England she took the decision alongside Quentin to relocate to Melbourne to come under the guidance of Brent Vallance – who has coached a string of world-class race walkers.

The rapid improvements continued. In February 2015 she set a national 20km race walk record of 1:35:07 in Adelaide, before finishing a highly-respectable sixth in Taicang at the IAAF Race Walking Challenge. She qualified to compete at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing – where she massively exceeded expectations in the 20km race walk, finishing 18th courtesy of a New Zealand record of 1:33:20.

“I was so excited to be wearing the Black Singlet for the first time,” said Barber of competing in Beijing. “I was ranked last out of the 50 starters but ended up coming 18th. It was very hot, but it turned out I handled those extreme conditions really well.”

In December she capped a huge breakthrough year on the international stage by scalping a further 30 seconds from her national 20k race walking record in Melbourne.

The improvements continued in 2016. At the World Race Walking Team Championships in Rome, Alana trimmed a further two seconds from her national 20km race walk record and secured selection for the Rio Olympic Games.

Making her Olympic debut she finished 35th in the 20km race walk in Rio and added: “From the age of nine I had wanted to compete at an Olympics. All my dreams come true.”

In 2017 she showed great consistency placing tenth in the season-long Race Walking World Athletics Challenge before going on to enjoy the finest season of her career the following year.

She opened 2018 with a bang, setting a national 20km race walking record of 1:32:19 in Adelaide before two months later earning the biggest achievement of her career to win Commonwealth 20km race walk silver in Gold Coast.

With many predicting an Australian clean sweep of the podium – Alana executed a perfectly-judged race to finish second and earn a much cherished podium finish.

“It was great to be reunited with my British race walking friends whom I trained with in England and my Australian friends that I was race walking with at the that time.

“It was the highlight of my career, which was made all the more special because my family were there to witness it.”

The following month, Alana backed this up by setting another national 20km race walking record of 1:31:32 for 23rd at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Taicang.

In 2019 Alana continued to perform internationally, placing 27th in the savage heat and humidity at the Doha World Championships.

“It was the toughest conditions I’d ever competed in but it was real experience to try and push your body through that.

“One of my favourite memories of my career was being at the New Zealand pre-camp (pre 2019 World Championships) in Cyprus. It was such a fun experience.”

The arrival of the global pandemic made life tough for Alana. Separated from her Polish partner and coach, Damian Blocki for an 18-month period her ability to train and compete had been compromised.

This year she competed several times overseas – recording a best 20km race walk time of 1:32:40 in Hungary but she fell shy of the auto qualifying standard for Tokyo.

Alana, who is currently completing a psychology degree, intends to stay connected to the sport and coaches a group of junior race walkers in South Auckland.

The Race Walking Auckland athlete, who won seven New Zealand race walking titles in her career and who currently holds the national records for 20,000m walk (track) and 20km race walk road, looks back fondly at her career accomplishments.

“I’m really satisfied with what I achieved,” she says. “It was a dream come true to represent New Zealand and win a Commonwealth silver medal. I feel very fortunate to have travelled around the world, training with different groups learning about the variety of approaches to training. Using my experience from seeing how the best in the world train, I hope Damian and I can use our skills to help the next generation of athletes.”

Words: Steve Landells (Athletics New Zealand)