Top field promises close 50-mile run
A championship field will contest the Brighton Pier international 50-mile race around the perimeter of Christchurch suburbs today.
The Australian 50-mile record holder, Tom Gillis, will contest the race, so will the 50-mile champion of Victoria, Don Keyssecker. They have been invited by the Long Distance Runners’ Club of New Zealand, which is combining with the Canterbury Road Runners’ Association to conduct the event, the longest singlestage road race in New Zealand.
The race will have added International flavour with the entry’ of Peter Cant, who has performed well in the South African 54-mile “comrades marathon” from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Among the top New Zealand runners will be John
Hughes, an Auckland policeman.
He has outclassed Max Telford, beating his record; from Auckland to Hamilton by half an hour and has also broken the New Zealand | and all-comers record for, I the 100-mile track race, in (which he beat Ziggie Bauer. Two former winners, the holder of the veteran record for the 1380 miles from Bluff to Cape Reinga. Don Cameron, and last year’s title holder, Stewart Hill (Technical), will run as will Merv Austin (St Martins) and David Kennedy (Marl-1 ! borough), either of whom i could cause an upset. I Wayne Rouse and his St | Martins club-mate, Peter Watts, are also likely to be well up in the placings. The defending champion, Stewart Hill, will be out to repeat his effort, in spite of his comment that they had
ito bring two jokers over from Australia to take my (title this year.” The oldest man to run in ! the event will be Dale Fin'chant. aged 67, (Leith, Otago), who performed well in the Mount Hutt marathon I three weeks ago. I Major Alby Kiwi (Burn;!ham), will be running his I first race since he successful(ly completed his 1380-mile I run from Bluff to Cape Reinga to raise funds for the (Memorial War Museum. The only woman entrant (will be the Canterbury I marathon title-holder. Susan Young (New Brighton), j The race will start from ; the Brighton Pier mall at 7 la.m. The first runners are 'expected to arrive back at ‘the New Brighton shopping ‘mall about 12.30 p.m. I The New Zealand record for the event is 5h 18min (set by Roger Alcorn.
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Press, 15 April 1978, Page 56
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380Top field promises close 50-mile run Press, 15 April 1978, Page 56
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