RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30998, 2 March 1966, Page 32

RANDOM REMINDER

THE WAY OF IT

Some are born great, and others have greatness thrust upon them: a toofamiiiar phrase, perhaps, but it rather fits the circumstances surrounding the appearance of two of the competitors in the recent Canterbury marathon championship. These fellows were fit, of that there was no doubt. But they were not marathon runners. They specialised in cross-country events, over distances of about six miles, which is probably regarded as cissy stuff by the genuine marathon men. And these two were training for the crosscountry season. They went out together, and they looked magnificent—all whipcord and steel and speed. On* week-end they decided

they had been building up their training sufficiently to make an especial effort, and they agreed they would run from St. Albans to the Summit road. There, it was arranged, their wives would meet them in a car, and bring them home. They set off cheerfully, running smoothly, over the flat and up the hill. They jogged along until they came to the Rapaki track; but there were no wives, no car. They decided to part, to run along the Summit road in opposite directions in search of their transport. Which, at the time was sitting, through a grave misunderstanding, at the bottom of the track at the Lyttelton side. Which explained why each runner kept on going.

and ultimately descended the hill again, and set off on the long trek to St. Albans. They reached horn* all right, and had time, before the women arrived, to compare notes. They decided that they had run a marathon distance or more, they felt fine so why shouldn’t they go in for th* marathon championship? It would be nice to be able to say they were first equal, In record time. But they weren't. Some young gentleman from the West Coast treated the whol* thing like a half-mile race, rather unfairly. But thetr marathon run showed what could be done. It just seemed to us that it was a pretty tiring way of teaching your wife to be on time for an appointment.