Leah Nelson after she agreed to ‘re-marry’ her husband Maurice Nelson. Photo Agustin de la Parra Photography

The sun shone down on the 808 women, men and children who participated in one of the many races this past Saturday, as the 26th annual Wharf2Wharf took place. The races ranged from five to 25 kilometres with the Kids Dash and a treasure hunt, including the choice to either walk or run the distance.
Winners of the original 25 kilometre long run from Orapiu Wharf to Matiatia were Tom Moyes, Auckland, with a time of 1:33 and Joanna Ottosson, Rotorua, on 1:51. That same distance took at least 3:16 when walked, which is the men’s gold-medallist Richard Wedekind’s time. The female equivalent was Andrea Cole with 3:32.
The Wharf2Wharf race also came with a surprise for former island resident Leah Nelson, who at Matiatia was asked by her kneeling husband to ‘marry him again’. Maurice Nelson, a former teacher at Waiheke Primary, presented her with a ring when he crossed the finish line after the 12 kilometre walk with three of their four children.
Leah has breast cancer and is under
going chemotherapy. To raise money in support of her, friends and family dressed up in pink and walked the
Wharf2Wharf.
Though the island was well represented in the medals with winners ranging from Orapiu over Palm Beach and Rocky Bay to Surfdale, participants came from all over the world. In the men’s 12 kilometre run, silver-medallist Christian Lokucjewski came from Buenos Aires, Argentina and from Esbjerg in Denmark came bronze-medallist Tue Friis Tørsleff. •  Emma Haas

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