Exciting Akaroa relay won by Brighton

Press, 13 September 1976, Page 17

Exciting Akaroa relay won by Brighton

The big 50 mile Sign of the Takahe to Akaroa race on Saturday lived up to all the highest traditions of excitement and fierce competition which make it the blue ribbon event of winter relay running in New Zealand. The favourite, New Brighton, was the winner. Without the services of its top runner, Tony Good, who went lame the day before, it turned on a fine display of consistent team performance for its deserved victory. It took 4 hours 12min 7sec. There was a record entry of 496 runners. University also put up a fine team display to take second, only 2J minutes behind New Brighton, with Olympic an unexpected third. Greymouth was the fourth A grade team home. Every lap was closely contested and only about two minutes or less difference in time decided most of the major placings—notably close margins in a race of 50 miles. New Brighton also scored a first In the B grade section in a close tussle with Technical, which was second. University was third. University veterans ran outstandingly in a fierce tussle with New Brighton, which they beat by only Imin 42sec. More than 100 veteran (over 40) athletes, competed, a record number for any open event in New Zealand. Toe H put up perhaps the finest performance of the day to take the C grade by a substantial margin of more than eight minutes ahead of the favourite, Te Kura. Toe H also achieved the distinction of being the first club to beat an A grade team across the finishing line—a feat in which their last leg runner, Colin Hicks made an outstanding contribution. The grades ran from a staggered start. There was a record number of women competitors and an all women team, the first to compete in the race, was entered by the Olympic Club. It did not come last, beating both a Technical and a Christchurch harrier club team. Besides being a major test for most of Canterbury’s top athletes the race also proved a social occasion for scores of runners and tneir family groups from 16 different registered clubs. There was a charming scene in the grounds of the Church of the Epiphany of Gebbies Valley when members of the parish guild served tea and cakes to more than 100 runners and their friends—an annual service they have performed for more than 25 years. At every baton change scores of family groups and supporters made a social occasion of it with S ionic refreshments and more tan a thousand runners, their friends and supporters, were in Akaroa to see the finish. Several husbands and wives ran in different teams and on more than one occasion husbands and wives were matched for time on the same lap. In the first lap Pauline WoolAthletics.—Four Russian Olympic athletes, three coaches and the chairman of the National Sports Committee have been awarded the Order of Lenin in connection with the Montreal Olympic Games, Tass news agency said.

man running for Olympic and her husband running for Toe H fought out the finish. Pauline was behind at the top of the Kiwi hill but made up ground for a close second at the baton change. The Hamilton family of Greymouth, father (Jim) and son (Duncan), set a record for the first father and son combination to run in an A grade team in the Akaroa.

Olympic was without its top runner, the international John Sheddan, who had to withdraw because of an injury earlier in the week. But John Macdonald, aged 40, responded magnificently to this emergency by taking fastest time on lap one. But the Canterbury crosscountry champion, Don Greig, ran the most outstanding lap of the race to put New Brighton in the lead at the second baton change—a position which it kept to the finish. All the New Brighton runners performed with consistent strength throughout the race. Next to Greig the most outstanding performer was probably David Thomas.

He was called in at the last minute to replace the injured) Tony Good. He took fastest time on lap seven against the acknowledged specialist, Alan Warne, of University whom he beat by two seconds. It was a busy day for Thomas, who also co-ordinated the large results sheet after the race.

Olympic, although it rallied courageously, was much disadvantaged by the loss of John Sheddan. It was second until lap seven, when Alan Warne took over in second place for University. After that the positions did no! change as Brent Rollo (New Brighton), Peter McLauchlan (Olympic), and Kevin O’Sullivan (University), hammered out the last lap with only lOsec separat Ing them. Race positions frequently fluctuated" as did the weather. Cold driving mist on the first lap reduced visibility to about 15m Although the weather became warmer in the middle stages, head winds, especially on the ; long fifth lap proved very trying, i And runners had to face bitterlv; cold conditions on the baton ■ change for lap seven at the Hill Top. Results:

A grade.—New Brighton (R Sharpe, D. Greig, G. Rollo, T. Ellis. M. Radcliffe. W. Swords, D Thomas, B. Rollo). 4:12:07. 1; University (O. Hesp, P. Bodger, B. Kennelly, G. Merchant, B. Taylor. B. Rhodes. A. Warne. K. O’Sullivan), 4:12:07, 2; Olympic (J. K. MacDonald, W. Sheddan, J. Argue. K. Fagan, J. D. Macdonald. R Stevens. H. Reid, P. McLauchlan). 4:15:04, 3; Greymouth, 4:28:00, 4. B grade.—New Brighton, 4:25:09. 1; Technical. 4:26:31. 2; University. 4:27:24, 3; Chrlst-chur-h, 4:27:28, 4; United, 4:31:44. 5-

C grade.—Toe H, 4:31:02, 1; Te Kura, 4:39:34. 2; University, 4:41:11. 3; New Brighton, 4:44:50. 4; Presbyterian, 4:48:05, 5. Veterans.—University. 5:0:44. 1; New Brighton, 5:02:26. 2; Olympic, 5:24:17, 3; Christchurch, 5:33:13, 4; New Brighton, 5:42:01. 5.

Fastest laps.—Lap 1: J. K. Macdonald (Olympic), 30:05. 1; I. Milne (St Martins), 31:08. 2; R Sharpe (New Brighton), 31:13 3. Lap 2: D. Greig (New Brighton), 31:18, 1; E. Gray (Greymouth), 31:49. 2; F. Brookes (Technical); 32:46, 3. Lap 3: J. Argue (Olympic), 31:16, 1; G. Rollo (New Brighton), 31:41, 2; B, Kennelly (University), 31:47, 3. Lap 4: G.

Merchant (University), 30:31, 1; T. Ellis (New Brighton), 30:32. 2; K. Fagan (Olympic). 31:20, 3. Lap 5: K. Hamilton (Technical', 33:15, 1; J. D. Macdonald (Olympic), 35:38, 2; D. Askin (United), 35:39, 3. Lap 6: B. Rhodes (University), 27:36, 1; W. Swords (New Brighton), 27:55, 2; R Stevens (Olympic), 28:40, 3. Lap 7: D Thomas (New Brighton!, 28:31, 1: A, Warne (University). 28:33 . 2; N. Reid (Olympic), 29:10, 3 Lap 8: A. Gavlgan (United) 33:14 1; C. Hicks (Toe Hl. 33:21. 2:’ C McLennan -'shbu'-to,, -a-r