Baillie On Schedule In 24-Hour Run

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31659, 20 April 1968, Page 15

Baillie On Schedule In 24-Hour Run

(From Our Own Reporter) AUCKLAND. The international marathon runner, W. D. Baillie, had made a good start in his attempt to break the world 24-hour record at the Alexandra Park Raceway.

The present record of 159 miles was set in England by the South African, W. Hayward. He began the run in the company of nearly 300 runners at 7 p.m. last evening on the floodlit raceway, which has a circuit of five-eighths of a mile, and had completed 25 miles by about 11 o’clock. The weather was good for the attempt, being mild with occasional light showers. “I’m right on my schedule time of eight-minute miles,” Baillie said. “I’m taking plenty of light nourishment at intervals, including soup and I’m feeling strong at this stage.” After helping to pace Baillie, dozens of runners are resting at intervals on the plush carpets of the raceway bar where they are spending the night. Among Baillie’s helpers are most of New Zealand’s top-

class runners, including P. G. Snell, M. G. Halberg, J. L. Davies, I. Keat, A. B. Magee, E. Maguire and R. A. Maddaford. Baillie is expected to complete his run at 7 o’clock tonight. His critical time would be between 3 a.m. and 5.30 a.m as he runs into the dawn—but it will be to the soft accompaniment of a string orchestra He has asked that some music be played over the raceway public address system to help boost his morale. “There’s only one snag,” said Mr W. G. Mudgway, a sports commentator. “We are next to the Green Lane Hospital here and so we’ll have to play the music very softly. “We’re lucky that Bill didn’t want any "with-it’ or beat music—he brought along his own Mantovani records. We have experimented enough to know what level to play them so that he can hear them on the track, but they won’t be. heard at the hospital.”