13 make Wharfedale run

Press, 4 January 1978, Page 3

13 make Wharfedale run

A record number of 13 distance athletes on Monday completed the run of about 29 miles from Oxford through rough, steep bushcountry over the Wharfedale Pass to Lees Valley,

organised annually by Long Distance Runners’ Club.

Some of them, including five Canterbury marathon representatives, described the 15 mile bush section as probably the hardest crosscountry run in New Zealand. The party left Oxford Domain shortly after 9 a.m. and cut in-country near Coopers Creek. In the shady forest sections of the pass runners found themselves in some of the most beautiful, unspoiled bush in the South Island. During the final few miles of open country conditions were tryingly hot. One local farmer tried tc dissuade the party from attempting the trip. “You would never get through; not even a horse could get through there,” he told them. For a lot of the way it had the charactertisics of an obstacle course; and the farmer’s pessimistic forecast seemed, at times to the runners, scarcely exaggerated. In many places an ill--definied, steeply-shelving bush track was criss-crossed

; with fallen tree trunks, and countless exposed roots, : fragmented rocks, and sapI ling spikes were all highly testing to the runners’ i agility. Quite often what there was

of the track disappeared abruptly at the brink of

slides into rocky creek beds, too steep to negotiate without hauling on tree branches. At these points, and in places where the track often terminated in rocks and outcrops, it was impassable to horses. There were steep places where the track disappeared altogether in masses of dense scrub, and more than one group of runners lost the way. In its roughest sections the track often narrowed to as little as half a metre where it skirted almost vertical drops. Between the countless dips and hollows, outcrops of overgrowth, twists and turns, and violently changing steepness of grade, were some relatively undulating stretches where the runners could make fast time. The runners wore roadrunning shoes and shorts, and most wore no tops because of the heat. But in each group there were light back-packs with fluids and light provisions

and some extra clothing in case of emergency or a violent deterioration in the weather. Some took turns in carrying the packs.

Although it was in no way a race, Clarrie Reece, Peter McLauchlan, and Tony Buckley made fastest time and added a further five miles for good measure on the Lees Valley road to score a total of about 34 miles.

Because of the roughness of the track the run was equivalent to a much longer distance.

Afterwards Tony Buckley said: “After running that lot, the New Brighton 50 would be a push-over.”

Major Brian Dilger and Major Alby Kiwi, with his Labrador-Alsatian dog, came through well, and so did the first woman to run the pass, Susan Young, of the New Brighton club. She ran with Major Kiwi and completed the distance with ease.

One of the best performances was that of Malcolm Campbell, an Oxford farmer who is a member of the Olympic club. He was on a scheduled morning run of eight miles, but when he encountered the runners on their way to Coopers Creek he decided to join them, and proved one of the fittest on the journey.

Glenn Haszard, who has completed a number of 50mile races, found the journey no problem. With Malcolm Campbell he went ahead, finishing in good time.

Don Cameron, chairman of the Long Distance Runners’ Club, who initiated the run, and his St Martins clubmates, Harry Marquet and Phil Seaman, came through with plenty of strength to spare. They were among six veteran (over 40) runners to make the trip. John Drew, (veterans) who at 64, is the oldest man to complete the journey, finished fresh. Rod Rutherford, who stayed with Drew at the rear of the field, had continued training after his good run in the recent Symon and Lowther 100 km event and he handled the journey comfortably. Both as a group adventure and because of the challenging conditions and the success socially of the trip, the runners said it was one of the most enjoyable and exciting they had done.

The next event on the Long Distance Runners’ Club’s programme is the Hope River social training run of about 28 miles, starting from the Hope River Bridge on the Lewis Pass road at 9 a.m. on Sunday, February 5.