New Brighton 50 Winner Has Run 20,000 Miles In Training

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31339, 8 April 1967, Page 11

New Brighton 50 Winner Has Run 20,000 Miles In Training

'THE 24-year-old self-train-r ed Christchurch long distance runner, Roger Alcorn, is on the threshold of a career as an international competitor. He will make his debut in this testing field in the annual 52-mile Lon-don-to-Brighton road running classic on September 30—one of the- rewards for winning the recent New Brighton 50—and could concievably blossom into a world class marathon runner before long. But these prospects are no more than just rewards for the effort he has put into his chosen sport. Since he be-

corn, who could be regarded as the quiet man of Canterbury athletics, has covered 20,000 recorded miles on the road. And in the last two-and-a-half years since he realised he had the potential to reach the top, he has ground out 10,000 miles in training. This figure would have been even greater had his schedules not been upset earlier this year. And it does not take into account the considerable number of miles covered in races. At the height of the season Alcorn regularly covers more than 100 miles a week

plained. “It becomes a way of life. You know you have to go for a run after work and you just go.” In less than six months time Alcorn faces his greatest challenge in the English classic of 52 miles, 710 yards. One of his biggest problems will be preparing for the race during the New Zealand winter, for it seems unlikely that he will be able to go over long before the race to get acclimatised. He is not quite sure how he will go about this yet, but in the next few weeks he plans to ease up his training considerably until be has fully re-

In England he feels reasonably sure that he will be able to improve on his best time for 50 miles, already in world class. The world record for 50 miles, set by the Englishman, A. Phillips, at shr 12min 40sec in October last year is only 17min 20sec outside Alcorn’s best However? the Englishman had ideal conditions. His run was made in a special attempt at the Walton-on-Thames track, while Alcorn’s was achieved running on rough New Zealand roads in the 1966 New Brighton 50. Last year’s winner of the London-toßrighton race was another Englishman, B. Gomersall, who covered the distance in shr 33min. , It was his fourth consecutive win. He will be the man to beat in September. The record stands at tor 25min 26sec. He has also won the Comrades’ Marathon in. South Africa." Other leading contenders Alcorn will find himself running against will include T. Malone (Scotland) and T. Corbett (U.SA.). there will also be a relatively large number of former winners and runners-up competing. This season Alcorn has reached a number of personal milestones and there is every indication that his improvement will continue.. He has recorded his best times for the half mile, mile, three miles, six miles, 15 miles, 20 miles and marathon and his second best over 10 miles and 50 miles. His times of 2min 4sec for the half and 4min 27sec for the mile, achieved without any speed work whatsoever, have convinced him that he may have a future in shorter distances. “I am sure I can run a better marathon than I have done, but I would like to get down to the shorter races,” he said. . He feels that with proper preparation he could dip 15 ' to 20sec off his mile time ; and that he could acquit; himself fairly well in events ■ of about three miles. “I I would like to have a season I on the track,” he com-: mented. His one regret this sea-' son is that he did not con- i test the New Zealand mara- i then championship. | “I could not afford to go ; at the time but when 1 1 heard the time (D. C.) Me- I Kenzie won the title in (2hr ! 21min 50sec) I was kicking | myself.” ; On the same day, Alcorn ; won a 20-mdle race in Christ- ■ church in the outstanding I time of Ihr 51min 55sec, ; about 7min ahead of his ; nearest challenger. And he < felt so fresh at the end of ' it that-he was sure he could I have continued on and cov-; ered the marathon distance ; in less than 2hr 28min. But the bespectacled ! Methodist runner has no I real cause for complaint; This season he has bad five ; firsts, five seconds and two ■ thirds from 12 starts—a I highly commendable record. I Four of these races were ; won in record time. Alcorn is almost entirely < self-trained, his main empha-! sis being placed on high; mileages. He occasionally ; seeks advice from Mr W. A. Kennedy, but most of his training schedules are his own. This week-end Alcorn leaves Christchurch to take up a position with the New Zealand Forestry Products research section in Tokoroe. His loss will be felt by Canterbury road runners, but there promises to be mounting interest in his progress both at home and abroad. If he makes a name for himself on the International scene, they will be content in the knowledge that it was here that he received his grounding and that by their efforts in raising money to send him to England they gave him his big chance to prove himself.