Trainer to 500 athletes

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33815, 11 April 1975, Page 10

Trainer to 500 athletes

Tile influence of the athletics coach. Arthur Lydiard. who rose to world fame as tile coach of Peter Snell, the double Olympic medal winner, is noyv spreading to runners of all gradings throughout New Zealand. Mr Lydiard. who paid a special visit to Canterbury last weekend to attend the inaugural opening of the newly constituted Rovers Club is now coaching more than 500 athletes by correspondence throughout both North and South Islands His influence has spread as far afield as the Chatham Islands and Rarotonga. Mr Lydiard, who yvas xnstru mental in guiding the Common-) wealth Gaines runner. Richard Taylor, to victory in the Games 10,000 metres, said he yvas now l coaching, by letter, boys down to the age of 10. One of these boys was jogging as far as 15 miles during weekend runs. Mr Lydiard said he was con-j vinced that not substantial! jogging mileage for young run-J tiers yvas harmful provided they j ran no further than they themselves wished to run. He is also coaching by mail a: 61-year-old veteran distance I runner who took sixth place in last Saturday's open New Brighton “50” mile race. He can be contacted by writing to Box 395. Auckland.