Canterbury Marathon Should Be Close Race

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30057, 15 February 1963, Page 5

Canterbury Marathon Should Be Close Race

Sports enthusiasts will be able to see some of New Zealand’s finest distance runners racing for 26 miles through city and suburban streets when the Canterbury marathon championships are decided tomorrow afternoon. Recognised as the toughest of all athletic events, the race this year has attracted the biggest field ever to contest a provincial marathon in New Zealand.

Many of the competitors have run thousands of miles in training. This seasdm the standard of distance running in Canterbury is probably the highest in the history of the event, and very keen competition is expected tomorrow.

The race will start at 4 p.m. from Rugby Park. The course leads down Sherborne street to Bealey avenue, Avonside drive, Linwood avenue, St. Johns street, and Ferry road, and along Richardson terrace beside the river to the Princess Margaret Hospital. From there the runners will return along the base of Cashmere to Heathcote and across the Ferry road bridge, along Humphreys drive to Linwood avenue, thence following the outward course to finish at Rugby Park. This course provides ideal vantage points for spectators. The runners will reach Bealey avenue about 4.10 p.m. and an excellent view of the field will be available before it becomes strung out. The leaders will be at the Linwood avenue traffic lights about 4.25 p.m. and at the Opawa shopping area about 4.40 p.m., and will pass the Princess Margaret Hospital about 5 o’clock. The leaders should cross the Ferry road bridge about 5.45 p.m. and be fighting it out in the critical stages along Linwood avenue from about 6 p.m. The leading runners will probably take about two hours and a half. There should be a fine view of the race along Bealey avenue about 6.15 p.m before the runners turn into Sherborne street. Can Be Ordeal Even for the most highly trained this race can prove an ordeal. The fittest marathon men often reckon on a recovery period of some weeks before another race, and the pounding at high speeds on hard roads can cause soreness which is relieved only by some days of jogging. Even in mild weather marathon runners can experience extreme thirst. Arrangements are made for refreshments at “feeding stations,” where drinks and sponges are available. These are on trestles at the side of the road manned by attendants set up at fixed intervals at 10, 13. 16. 19. 22, and 25 miles.

Runners frequently find they lose body heat after 15 miles or so. Because of this the weather towards the end of a race can considerably affect times. A cold northeast breeze can prove a severe handicap to runners near the end of the Canterbury marathon. The weaither factor and many others contribute to the uncertainty which helps to preserve the attraction and challenge of the marathon event.

Tomorrow's race will be controlled for the Canterbury centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletics Association by the Canterbury

Road Runners’ Association, which is noted for its efficiency in organising tire race.

Each runner is entitled to an attendant who may ride behind him, but race conditions include strict regulations on pace making and riding too close. The marathon is largely a test of time and tactics as well as strength and stamina, and timekeepers call the times for all runners at five, 10, 15. and 20 miles. Sustained Pace For the first 20 miles of tomorrow’s race the leading runners will be moving at a pace which most men could not sustain tor more than a few hundred yards, but marathon runners know that after 20 miles it is often a brutal slogging match requiring “built-in’* stamina of

a degree unequalled in any other contest, ft is doubtful if participants in any other sport—be it mountaineering. road walking, or distance running—require the strength and stamina of the marathon man. Comparisons of training methods, however, seem to indicate that the amount of time available in preparation is a large factor in deciding whether the marathon man can run the race without massive distress. The top Japanese runners showed this was possible when they completed the McCredy international marathon at Auckland last October without any sign of distress. The winner, T. Nakao, ran the final mile in 4min 30sec, a tame which has won some provniicial male titles. The Japanese runners had trained all day every day for five months. In tomorrow’s event the Canterbury Road Runners' Association will award A grade certificates to all who run in 2hr 45min or better and B grade certificates to all who finish in Shr 12min or better. In addition, the Canterbury centre will give certificates to ail who finish. Tomorrow’s race will be controlled by Mr F. Stevens as race manager appointed by the Road Runners* Association.