Limbering up for the Park-to-park run

Press, 29 April 1978, Page 2

Limbering up for the Park-to-park run

Runners from the R.N.Z . A . F . base at Wigram, who completed the recent Mount Hutt marathon, are shown limbering up during a training run yesterday in preparation for “The Press” Park-to-park event on May 7.

Some of the biggest groups in this event, besides those from big industrial organisations, seem likely to come from the Armed Services.

Both the Army and the Air Force plan to send in substantial entries for the Park-to-park run, to be held at 9.30 a.m. on May 7. Among the R.N.Z.A.F. contingent will be most of

the athletes who completed this year’s Mount Hutt marathon, from Mount Hutt to Ashburton, on April 15. In the last two years or so, the R.N.Z.A.F. base at Wigram has built up a record of marathon participation probably unsurpassed by any service centre in New Zealand. In that period, 36 runners from Wigram have completed a total of 50 marathons, and on six occasions a time of 3hr has been bettered. From the way entries have been pouring in, the Park-to-park run organisers estimate that more than double last year’s

number of runners will take part. All this week, staff at “The Press” have been under pressure to process entries and by today will have sent out acknowledgements and fun run numbers to all who have sent postal entries. Because of the difficulty in processing postal entries in time, the organisers- now ask that from today all entries be lodged at the office of “The Press” in Cathedral Square. Candidates for the run are reminded not to mislay their run numbers, as these entitle each runner who completes the course

to have a chance of winning the Air New Zealand free trip to Sydney and four days free accommodation at the Koala Motel, Oxford Square, to take part in the Sydney City-to-Surf run in August.

When runners reach the finish of the Park-to-park run at Sydenham Park, they must exchange their numbered run card for a certificate of achievement. The run card will then be placed in a barrel. After the barrel is rolled, a card will be withdrawn. The card-owner will, on answering a simple question about Air New Zealands Pacific services, be declared the winner of the trip to Sydney. In the meantime, the Christchurch City Council’s

parks and recreation department has invited all Park-to-park candidates and the public generally to take part in an “Autumn Stretch” event tomorrow at 9 a.m. as a warm-up outing for May 7.

This fun run will start from the Beatty Street entrance to the South Brighton Domain. The route will include a run along the sand beach to the sound shell at New Brighton and back to the domain through the reserves bordering the Avon River.

The distance is about Bkm. Many athletes who normally have long training runs on Sunday mornings are expected to take in this event, as part of their Sunday training.