Bayard Ran To Get Home Early

Press, Volume C, Issue 29518, 20 May 1961, Page 5

Bayard Ran To Get Home Early

SEVENTEEN - YEAR - OLD Allan Bayard has already given notice he will be the man to beat for the Canterbury junior crosscountry running title this season. The present title, holder. Bayard has recorded performances in th? opening two inter-club runs that put him among even the best seniors of the province, and with him in its team. Anglican should have a first-class chance of retaining the teams’ event also.

In the opening inter-club run of the season, Bayard gained fourth fastest lap time in the University Club’s Hagley steeplechase relay, a meritorious accomplishment when competing for this honour against mature seniors. Further evidence of Bayard's ability is given bj’ the actual times. The former Canterbury harrier champion and present six mile title holder. John Macdonald, recorded llmin. 46sec. for the circuit of about two miles and a quarter around South Hagley Park and Bayard’s time, only six seconds slower than this, was the best by a junior. In the recent Port Hills relay conducted by the Marist Club, Bayard gave further evidence of his fitness by being the only junior to gain fastest time over any of the five laps. This was on the second longest section of 5.3 miles, indicating that Bayard has stamina as well as speed. On this occasion Bayard’s time of 28min. ssec. was 41sec. better than that of the second man, C. Wood. This lap, also, was only one

on which Olympic club runners failed to gain the fastest time. It is unfortunate for Canterbury that Baynrd’s birthday falls on July 21. this preventing him, by only a few weeks, from being eligible for the national junior titles again next year.

Now a process worker for a stove manufacturing company, Bayard first became interested in harriers while at the Christchurch Technical College. It was almost a streak of laziness that led Bayard into harriers. In his first year at the college he played hockey, but finding that those who took crosscountry running for their sport finished earlier, he decided in the second year that this was the sport for him.

How true this was, has been proved by his sub-

sequent performances. It was ndt long before a friend per. suaded him to have a run with Anglican, and with regular training and competition his progress was rapid. In comparision with moat current theories on training, the mileage covered by Bayard is a meagre one, for he trains usually three days a wee*, mainly in Hagley Park where he runs about six miles, while once a week he joins a group with a keen Anglican senior, Cliff Ogle, for a longer run to the Takahe or the Kiwi. Although Bayard has competed on the track, he has not taken summer athletics very seriously. This year he was away for the junior championships but showed something of his ability by taking third place in the senior 3000-metre steeplechase championship. Next summer he plans giving the track running more attention, concentrating on the one and two miles.

Apart from his athletics, Bayard takes a keen interest in music, being a drummer in the City of Christchurch "Highland Pipe Band, and he is now learning the guitar. He is an enthusiastic follower also of motor-racing.