Course For National Harriers Modified

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30512, 6 August 1964, Page 6

Course For National Harriers Modified

Th* course {or the national harrier championships at Ashley on Saturday has been changed from that used {or the Canterbury championships and the Jane Patterson races. The course has been modified to give tour complete laps tot the senior race of seven miles and a halt instead ot the {ormer three laps and a halt. The Canterbury cross-country running management committee announced this after talcing a report on the matter in committee.

A re-appraisal ot the course had shown a better course could be obtained by slightly shortening the original circuit to provide tour full laps for the race.

One hundred and forty runners have been entered for the men’s championships and women's inter-provincial race. The 24 entries for the women’s contest is a record number With athletes from six of the nine centres entered. The first of the 121 visiting competitors to arrive will be members of the Waikato team, who will arrive by air early tomorrow afternoon. Remits Canterbury will support Auckland and Northland proposals for an official national championship for women. This was approved when considering remits, which will be dealt with at a meeting of centre delegates on Friday evening. If approved, the remits will be recommendations to the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association.

Support will be given also to a recommendation to lengthen the distance ot junior championships from three miles and one-eighth to five miles. This follows the lengthening of the senior race this year from six miies and a quarter to seven miles and a half.

Miss A. Kennedy was appointed captain of the Canterbury women’s team for the championships. The two emergencies for the women’s team, Misses D. Dikey and K. Mac-

kenzle, will be Invited to compete in the race. Medical Tests Dr. R. G. Stephens of the Pathology Department of Christchurch Hospital has been appointed by the Canterbury Sports Medicine Association as its official representative at the championships. A letter was received asking co-operation of leading athletes to make themselves available for medical tests on the Sunday mqrning. Representative ribbons and bars were presented by the president (Mr G. H. Farmer) to Christchurch members of the Canterbury senior and junior teams competing In the national championships.