Large field expected

Press, 11 April 1977, Page 11

Large field expected

The first sub four-minute [miler, Dr Roger Bannister, 'once described the marathon as "the acme of athletic] [heroism."

• Yet the daunting challenge! [of the marathon has not pre-| [vented it from becoming the ; most popular event in New [I Zealand athletics, and nearly; double last year’s big field is' expected in the annual i Mount Hutt event today. Most of the runners will : use “The Press” Park-to-h Park fun run on May 1 as a l light recovery jog after )i [today’s 26-mile race, from ■ the slopes of Mount Hutt to the Ashburton Hotel. i The field is one of the: most diverse to contest this distance in Canterbury, with ; lunners from Auckland, 11-i maru, Greymouth. Dunedin, [ Gore, Invercargill, South j Africa, southern California., and two from Operation | Deep Freeze as well as from i the police, the R.N.Z.A.F.;I base at Wigram. and most: |clubs in Christchurch. The logical winner should [I [he the former marathon It champion of Canterbury, Ne[ville Reid, of the Olympic i club. j; However, he could be! strongly challenged by the i noted Ashburton runner, ii Cam McLennan, as well as t by Reid’s club-mate, Peter . McLauchlan, and by Robert I Knutzen, who has run both the South African “com- i rades" marathon of 54 miles, i and the 52^-mile London-)i to-Bnghton event. Veteran (over 40) runners [sure to be well up at the i

finish include the Canterbut 15-mile open track record holder, Ronnie Stevens; last [year’s fifth place-getter, lan Falvey (Timaru); and the

[Canterbury veteran maraIthon title-holder. Don Cam eron. About 30 men over 40 [have entered. i The youngest runner to [contest a New Zealand marathon. Michael Marquet. of the St Martins dub. should have no difficulty in [completing the distance, having handled 27-mile [training runs round the hills with ease. His father. Harry, will be well up in the veteran placings. I Many runners are hoping for a fast time, as there is a drop of about 1100 feet, HOStly m tlie fit<l six mil'-'-The oldest man in th<> race, John Drew, aged 61, who is usually rather pleased to get through a marathon in a little under [four hours, has had deflating news from the United [states. A boy aged seven !has recently run a marathon [there in 3hr 34min Msec. The event is again sponsored by the Mount Hutt Ski land Tourist Company, Ltd. The race is organised by the Ashburton Athletic club, (in conjunction with the Canterbury Road Runners Association, and will start at 10 a m. | Late entries will be accepted at the start, when all runners will receive an (invitation to start in “The 'Press” Park-to-Park fun-run starting at 9 a.m. from Sydenham Park on May 1.