Record Six Miles By Greymouth Runner

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31222, 21 November 1966, Page 14

Record Six Miles By Greymouth Runner

A 21-year-old Greymouth carpenter, E. M. Gray, slashed 42.8 seconds off his Canterbury six-mile record at the inter-cluh athletics meeting at Rugby Park on Saturday.

In dropping the time to 28min 34.25ec, Gray claimed the first senior record of the season, making the run an impressive trial for the New Zealand crosscountry running selection at Wellington on December 3.

The performance was all the more heartening in view of the adverse circumstances. Overnight rain had taken a little of the sting from the track, and the grass was perhaps just a shade long. Gray arrived at the ground at 1.15 p.m. expecting a 2 p.m. start, only to find the race scheduled for 1.30 p.m., and he had a drastically reduced warmup. The greatest handicap however, was the stiff head-wind encountered in the back straight in each of the 24 laps. Bonus When Gray saw the conditions, particularly the wind, he considered he would be lucky to beat 29mtn SOsec. He was thrilled with the run. which came at “just the right time" for the build-up to the national harrier selection trial. The Canterbury three-mile champion, B. R. E. Jones (University) helped Gray by sharing the pace for the first three miles. Although a six-mile race was not part of Jones’s programme at this stage, he foresook his original intention of having a dab at a quarter-mlle to help Gray with his run. Shortly before the start the two agreed to share the burden of the pace-making and facing the wind for the first three miles by alternately taking two laps each. Strategy Effective This strategy was so effective that they raced through the half, way mark in 14min 12sec, easily the fastest three miles at the park this season. Soon after Gray was on his own. having made a break, with Jones holding on 50 yards back to gain his best time also with a 28min 53sec. The race was among the fast-

est run in the country. Although a little more than a minute outside the national record of 27mln 32.35ec set by M. G. Heiberg. Gray's time was better than any recorded for the New Zealand six-mile championship, the best of which is W. D. Baillie's 1964 time of 28min 37.25ec. Considering the early stage of the season the general standard was surprisingly good. And the next four men all qualified for the Canterbury Road Runner's Association A grade certificates. After an impressive 15 miles last week, W. K. Kennedy showed his versatility by heading

the rest of the field in 30min 26s ec. Other Qualifiers Others with A grade times were D. Greig Simin 13sec; T Preece, 31mln 35sec; and A Cock, who just qualified by equalling the standard of 31 mln 45sec. By finishing seventh a junior, K. O'Sullivan, qualified for the B grade certificate with a 32min 37sec. Twelve seconds back B. Brown was in the B grade category too. The other two finishers of the 12 starters. W. L. Hobbs and R. Hayes, were comfortably within the C grade standard of 36min with times of 33min 47sec and 34mm SSsec respectively.