TOP VETERAN ATHLETES TO RACE IN N.Z. High standards expected in Chch international contest

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33253, 16 June 1973, Page 4

TOP VETERAN ATHLETES TO RACE IN N.Z. High standards expected in Chch international contest

As more and more of Canterbury's leading athletes reach or approach the age of 40, the veterans’ grade is becoming a force to be reckoned with.

At least a third of the 100 or so starters in last Saturday’s inter-club Holloway Memorial race were veterans.

Over the longer distances. including the marathon of 26 miles 385 yards this age-group contains most of Canterbury’s best. Nevertheless, Canterbury veterans seem sure to face a major shake-up at the big international veterans’ athletic meeting here at Commonwealth Games time. This was made clear when Australia’s "king" of veteran track runers. Wai Sheppard, flew over from Melbourne last week-end.

Sheppard, aged 53. set records for runners more than 50 years old in the 800 and 1500 metres at the international veteran meeting at London’s Crystal Palace last year.

Accompanied by a Melbourne travel agent. Mr C. Muskens, Sheppard came here to complete Games ticketing arrangements and accommodation bookings for some 200 Australian visitors who will make up the Australian athletes party for the veteran international meeting to be held on January 21, 22 and 23. They inspected the Com-

monwealth Games stadium and pool building with Mr P. G. Burke, the Air New Zealand Games ticketing officer, and Canterbury veteran athletes, including

Chief Superintendent G. Tait, commander of the Canterbury Police district. A hard-faced but quick to smile Australian, Sheppard was modest about his own achievements. But the figures he quoted of veteran athletes’ times overseas brought thoughtful expressions to the faces of local runners.

Some of these performances would test Canterbury's best in all-comer’s events.

A sample of times achieved by runners more than 40 .years old is:— 100 metres: T. Baker (40), 10.7 sec. 400 metres: D. Stolpe (47), 51.7 sec. Marathon: A. Walsham (44), 2hr 24min 59sec. Sheppard said the fifth world championships for veterans, held at Cologne, in Germany, after the Munich Olympics, attracted runners from 35 countries. When the former Olympic champion, Baker, streaked through for his 10.7 sec 100 metres run, he pulled up chuckling: “I am sure delighted with that. I wouldn’t trade that run for any of my Olympic medals.”

That is the attitude of many older runners, explained Sheppard. “They get an enormous amount of enjoyment out of it and look so young and fit.” Sheppard himself (at 52) ran 2min 3sec for the 800 metres at the Crystal Palace veterans’ meeting last year and 4min 20sec for the 1500 metres to set a world record in the class II (50 to 60) age group. In the marathon at Cologne for runners more than 50, E. Ostbye (Sweden) won with a time of 2hr 25min 19sec.

Perhaps one of the most though provoking performances was that of the marathon run in class D (over 70) at Cologne. F. Tempel (aged 72) recorded 3hr 19min 25sec.

Sheppard explained that the introduction of track running for veterans overseas (ages 35 and over) had been highly successful. “It bridges the gap for athletes who might otherwise retire and enables them to stay fit for years,” he said. All the times quoted by Sheppard are currently published in the well-produced magazine of the Association of Veteran Athletes. The magazine, titled “Veteris,” covers veteran running in Australia, Canada and New Zealand and also in North America, where more than 10,000 athletes are registered in the veteran or masters category.

The visitors said they considered the Games building and facilities were “magnificent.” Sheppard said that veteran runners from the United Kingdom and the United States as well as from Australia would be in Christchurch for the veterans meeting. There would even be one from Nauru, he said.