SANTOS RUNS WITH SNELL

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31306, 28 February 1967, Page 19

SANTOS RUNS WITH SNELL

“The Press" Special Service

WELLINGTON.

New Zealand’s greatest track athlete, P. Snell, has been surprised by the tenacity of the country’s British Empire title fighter M. Santos.

Snell has been assisting Santos’s preparations for the title fight in Wellington next month, by running with him over a “killer” course in Auckland.

Their runs have included two journeys over a 16-mile course in the Waitakere Ranges which Snell rates as “the toughest available to distance runners in Auckland.”

Snell said in Wellington he did not expect Santos to last out their first 16 miles.

“The course is regarded as a bit of a killer,” he said. “I was surprised at his condition—he completed the run well.

“He was a little tired on the hills, and I admired his tenacity in keeping going. “The second time he did it, he was vastly improved.” Snell said that, while he did not know a lot about boxing, he felt that Santos would do well in the title fight. Santos had indicated in the

runs that he was a tough and determined athlete, Santos meets B. Grant for the British Empire lightweight title at the Wellington Town Hall on March 15.