Running Is In The Power Family

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28888, 7 May 1959, Page 12

Running Is In The Power Family

JJecause of Jim Power’s great love of running, it is little wonder that he was the one who broke Ces Matthews’s Interschool mile record of 4min 29.45ec, which had survived since 1932. Although Power took 2.6 sec off the record, the time was not his best; but it must be considered thoroughly satisfactory, as it was done in almost a lone run at the end of a drawn-out season. Power’s keenness and something of his ability for running were apparent at the tender age of five, when his mother sometimes had to stop him from running around the outside of a 30-acre barley paddock on their farm, near Southbrook, '“or he might have overdone things.” That was in 1946, the year in which his oldest brother, Denis, took up competitive harriers after finding that when playing Rugby he usually finished . up in the casualty ward. Three other of Jim’s brothers then followed in Denis’s footsteps and entered into competitive athletics, all showing more than average ability. Family Races In that year, 1946, the six brothers arranged handicap races among themselves over about a mile and a half course on the road near their parents’ farm. Because of his age, Jim naturally gained the longest handicap and the half-mile start, not an oversubstantial one for such a youngster, was usually sufficient to gain him first place.

Canterbury has produced some outstanding distance runners over the years and in more recent times it has had the leading junior distance runners in New Zealand but Jim Power may yet be the best of them all. Born on March 18, 1941, he still has another full track season as a junior and with the experience gained during the last season, his first in inter-club competition,

he can be expected to improve considerably on his best time of 4min 21.2 sec for the mile. , His first real experience of athletics was >gained at St. Bede’s College, where he is in the sixth form. In the school’s junior cross-country when he was 13, he gained second place, and he is now senior record holder. In 1955 he was second in the junior mile in the school sports, being beaten by J. Thompson by about a foot in the record time of smin Isec. No Race Notwithstanding his obvious ability Jim failed to make the inter-school sports that year because there was no mile race for his age group and, as each school is limited to one competitor an event, he missed out in the half-mile, for which Thompson was chosen. When a district club was formed at Rangiora in the 195758 season, Jim Power attended the club’s evening meetings towards the end of the season to help keep fit for the inter-school sports. Soon after, he took part in his first inter-club harrier race, the Kennett Cup, gaining second place in the junior section and during the last season entered into regular competition in the Canterbury inter-club events at Rugby Park. In the last season Jim has been helped in his training by Father B. Ryan, of St. Bede’s and Mr R. F. Young, of Rangiora. Training Although he continued in interclub harrier events throughout last season, Jim was playing Rugby for his school during the week in the third XV. He found the two did not mix well, however. The Rugby training was not tough enough to condition him for top-line harrier competition, and he usually fitted in further runs on his own on the country roads near his home on most evenings. Rugby knocks prevented him, also, from getting the best from his harrier running and this year he has decided to concentrate his efforts on crosscountry running.

Athletic ability appears to be inherent in the family for Denis

represented Canterbury at harriers for four years, both as a junior and senior, but he did not compete during the summer for that was the busy time on the farm. Pat, now 26, was a promising harrier in the colts’ (under 16) grade and was a Canterbury junior representative on the track but with a younger brother Bede (23) he dropped out of the sport largely because of the transport problem when Denis gave up competition. Record Bede competed in> the intersecondary school sports at the age of 13 and broke the St. Bede’s junior cross-country record set by Pat. When still only 15 he was second in the Canterbury under--17 mile title and ran in the colts’ harrier events for the Christ-

church club but on leaving school turned to Rugby as his main sport. Although a competitor in school athletic events, another brother Maurice was mainly interested in Rugby and cricket, and a fifth brother, Raymond, is a keen tramper.

Jim appears to be endowed with a natural stamina, for unlike most of the leading distance runners of present times, he has not yet resorted to running fantastic mileages in his training, which during the winter usually ranges from three to six miles at varying speeds. Although his rugged style has caused some casual observers to under-rate his ability, his opponents have found him both determined and fast, for he has shown he can win by making his own running or biding his time in the field.