HARRIERS B. CURIE SETS RECORD IN RACE FROM KAIAPOI

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28371, 2 September 1957, Page 6

HARRIERS B. CURIE SETS RECORD IN RACE FROM KAIAPOI

Taking fastest time in the Kaia-poi-Christchurch road race on Saturday for the second year in succession, B. Curie (Olympic) broke Kerry Williams’s race record of 62min 26sec by Imin 39sec. After a disappointing run in the national t hampionships at Feilding, where he finished fiftieth. Curie surprised by breaking Williams’s record in the TemukaTimaru road race two weeks ago and his superlative run on Saturday showed that this was no chance effort

The individual winner of the race was A. Duncan (Methodist), who was rather liberally treated with a 24min start. Olympic won the teams’ race, assessed on the aggregate of a club’s four best net running times, by 85min 48sec, from Marist.

Olympic was also clearly superior in the three-man junior relay run over the same course, winning by nearly 2min from Christchurch A. The road walk, held for the first time this year, was won by the Wellington junior, G. Turner, off 12min, from the scratch man, H. Tetlow, also of Wellington. The six-lap women’s relay, also held for the first time on Saturday, was won comfortably by Ladies’ Pioneer. Conditions for the race were among the best ever enjoyed, and the competitors had the benefit of a moderate wind for most of the distance. It was disappointing that many of the 98 entrants, a record for the senior race, did not take their marks, but.even so a record number of 61 athletes completed the race.

The Start First away was L. C. Richards (Olympic), off 30min, and he had increased his lead over K. Smith (Presbyterian), who started two minutes later, by half a minute by the time the Waimakariri river was reached. C. C. Gordon (Presbyterian) was third at this stage, and Duncan was running easily ahead of J. Bettridge, who had moved through from the 21min mark, and L. R. Macdonald (Rover Scouts) (20min). At the Belfast school, Richards still held a minute lead on Duncan. McDonald and T. Hughes (Methodist) were teaming well now and made “up two minutes on Duncan but were still several places back. Duncan began speeding up then and took the lead within the next half-mile. A mile farther on, Duncan had gone away to a two-minute lead over Gordon, with Hughes and McDonald another 10 seconds away, followed by Bettridge and Richards. I. Clifford (Christchurch), 16min, was running well, and J. Parcell (Timaru Anglican), 15min, was also showing up. Although McDonald set out to close the gap, Duncan held on strongly and won by a minute from him, with Clifford coming through for third.

Back Markers* Task The magnitude of the task set the back markers was clearly shown by the performance of Curie, who, although he broke the race record, finished in twenty-first place. Curie had a very strong group in R. Stevens, C. F. Reece (both Olympic), and A. W. Richards (Technical) off a minute ahead of him and over the first four miles he gained only 18 seconds on them. He made an excellent run over the next four miles, including one mile at 4min 59sec, and was right behind the bunch just after the Styx railway bridge. The pressure was on over the next mile as first one and then another made a burst to break the bunch. Curie came through about Tuckers road and, after opening up a 50-yard break, drew steadily away. The improving standard of Canterbury’s junior runners was fully evident in the junior relay, where the first three teams beat the winning time of last year, and in the first lap J. Sinclair surprised by leading in R. Farmer (Olympic), who was sixth in the national title.

Farmer led from the start, but Sinclair moved through after two miles and beat him to the baton change at. Chaneys corner by 68 seconds. S. Payne put Olympic back in the lead on the next lap to St Bede’s College, coming in 450 yards ahead of D. Vaughan, who had brought Technical up from sixth place. D. Reece had no trouble holding Olympic’s lead over the final lap to the 'finish near the boatsheds in Rolleston avenue, with W. Kennedy putting Christchurch A into second place ahead of Technical. Results:—

Senior Individual (net running times given).—A. Duncan (Methodist), 24 npin handicap, 75min 23sec, 1; L. R. McDonald (Rover Scouts), 20min, 72min 23sec, 2; -I. Clifford (Christchurch), 16mln, 70min lOsec, 3; T. Hughes (Methodist), 20min, 74min 18sec, 4: J. Barrett (Methodist). 19min, 75min 15sec, 5; M. Eder (Christchurch), 16min, 72m in 19sec, 6; A. Bagley (Marist), 14min, 80min 55sec, 7; M. Field (Presbyterian), 18min, 75min 15sec, 8; L. Clark (Anglican), 26min, 84min ssec, 9; F. Sharp (Marist), lOmin, 78min 16sec, 10. Teams.—Olympic (B. Curie, 60min

47sec; C. F. Reece, 63min 2sec; R. Stevens, 63min 26sec; T. Preece, 66 min 29sec), 3hr 13min 44sec, 1; Marist (A. Bagley, 70min 55sec; F. Sharp, 68min Msec; P. Kelly, 74min; N. O’Sullivan, 6min 21sec), 4hr 39irMn 32sec. 2;. University (M. White, H. Corkin, P. May, L. Scott), 4hr 43 min 41sec, 3. Fastest Times.—B. Curie (Olympic, scr), fflmin 20sec, 1; C. F. Reece (Olympic, Imin), 63min 2sec, 2; R. Stevens (Olympic, Imin), 63min 26 sec, 3; D. Greig (Technical, smin), 64min 4sec, 4; A. W. Richards (Technical, Imin), 64min 6sec, 5; Junior Relay Olympic A (R. Farmer, S. Payne, D. Reece), 62mln 55sec, 1; Christchurch A (J. Williams, L. Muir, W. Kennedy), 64min 51sec, 2; Technical A (J. Eastmond, D. Vaughan, P. Watts), 65min 4sec, 3. Women’s Relay Ladies’ Pioneer A (F. Mcßeath, L. Abernethy, D. Gumi, J. Macdonald, H. Macdonald, M. Macdonald), 82min 29sec, 1; Anglican Ladies* (F. Perkins, B. Gordon, L. Bennetts, A. Kinzig, C. Ede, J. Ashenden), 86mln 13sec, 2: Ladies* Pioneer (P. Overton, A. Campbell, P. Gregg, L. Campbell, V. Snook, R. Macdonald), lOOmin 555ec,.3. Men’s Walk Individual (net times given).—G. Turner (Wellington), 12min handicap, Ihr 59min sseC, 1; H. Tetlow (Wellington), scr, lhr Simin 35sec, 2; D. Chatterton (Olympic), 6min, lhr 59min 55sec, 3. Fastest Time.—H. Tetlow, lhr 51 min 35sec.