NO TURNING BACK BY FORMER HURDLER A tough season ahead for New Zealand 800m champion

Press, 16 September 1976, Page 25

NO TURNING BACK BY FORMER HURDLER A tough season ahead for New Zealand 800m champion

Bv

ROD DEW

When Rendell Mclntosh crossed the finishing line at the head of the field in the New Zealand 800 metres championship final at Auckland earlier this year, he provided one of the major surprises of the season. Now he is faced with the daunting prospect of defending a title he did not expect to win over a distance which is still an experimental one for him.

The 24-year-old Christchurch athlete, who hails from the tiny Mid-Canter-bury farming community of Hinds, was previously recognised as a 400 metres hurdler. He won the New Zealand junior title in this event in 1971 and the following year claimed the senior title for the first time.

He represented New Zealand at the Christchurch Commonwealth Games in 1974 as a hurdler and the following season regained the national title. At that stage, he decided to retire from hurdling — largely because of the lack of opposition and incentive provided by this event.

Occasional previous outings over 800 metres had indicated to him that he might have a future so it was this event he decided to specialise in. Last season was his first as a specialist 800 metres runner and he finished it as the New Zealand champion. “I didn’t expect to do so well last year,” Mclntosh said. “It was an experimental year for me and I was just feeling my way. The coming season will also be an experimental one. There are a number of aspects of my training and racing which I am still working on.”

This winter, the High School Old Boys representative has been averaging

betw’een 60 and 65 miles a W’eek in training on the road. “I would have liked to have done more but it was difficult to find the time. I am becoming very involved in my work and this has been taking precedence over athletics. But I am still very pleased with what I have done.”

Mclntosh, a sales representative for Air New Zealand, has also been competing for New Brighton in cross-country on a social level. He fully appreciates that the season ahead will be a tough one and recognises that he will have to improve further if he is to stay the No 1 in New Zealand. He is very pleased that the main strength of middle diseance running is in Canterbury. The prospect of racing against such accomplished performers as Bruce Hunter, who is a former national 800 metres champion, Trevor Cochrane, Brian Rhodes, Andrew Stark and Warren Shedden he finds most appealing. This group could well be strengthened by the inclusion of Alan Gilmour, a Commonwealth Games 800 metres representative, who is planning a comeback after recovering from a serious leg injury.

“It is an ideal situation,” said Mclntosh. “All

the competition is going to be in Canterbury so there will be no real need to travel.” He realises that New Zealand’s Olympic 1500 metres champion, John Walker, might be back in the 800 metres field in the coming season but this is simply another attraction of the distance.

“I would rather go hard and get beaten, knowing that I had done my best,

than go back to hurdling.” Mclntosh’s best time last season was Imin 49.55ec in the national final. He wants to reduce this to Imin 48sec or even faster this summer. He has set the New Zealand Games and the defence of his national crown as his first priorities.

However, he is looking further ahead as well. He would very much like to represent New Zealand at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Canada and feels that he will have “to get down to Imin 45sec” to stand a chance of selection. This, he considers, is not beyond him. Also this season, Mclntosh hopes to “try a few more 1500 s.” His coach, Mr Paul Davies, would like him to try the 3000 metres steeplechase, an event for which he seems mirably suited. But Mclntosh admits he is still rather doubtful about this. “It seems to tie in quite well but I think I will

leave it alone at the moment.”

This season Mclntosh wants to improve his speed and try out Walker’s system of strength work. His training will be done at smin mile pace and he will do very little speed work before big races. Last. season, Mclntosh only won one major event over 800 metres — and that was the national final. He is not at all worried about being beaten as he experiments in the early part of the season. “If I go through the season and lose every race, I won’t worry about it. I know that I can come out at the nationals and produce my best.”