Record run at Tai Tapu by Mary O’Connor

Press, 26 November 1979, Page 3

Record run at Tai Tapu by Mary O’Connor

By JOHN DREW The New Zealand international cross-country representative, Mary O’Connor, gave a splendid display of pace and power to win the third annual Edmonds Tang all women’s half-marathon of 13.1 miles at Tai Tapu on Saturday evening. Her time of 1:19.01, broke by nearly two minutes the race record set by the noted international New Zealand marathon athlete, Bev Shingles, who recently startled New Zealand by her fine win in the Los Angeles women’s marathon when she beat some of the best American women runners. Margaret Walker (St Martins) showed that she is one of the most promising of Canterbury’s new crop of women marathoners to take (second. She finished looking (in command of the situation I9sec ahead of Christine Burden (University) a formidable opponent with a growing list of improved performances. Ann Rigg (St Martins) a young mother who has recently turned to distance running, produced one of the day’s best runs to take fourth in front of a well performed rival, Rosemary (Meggett (Toe H). Of 44 starters only one pulled out. The event was organised by the Long Distance Runners Club of New

Zealand. More than half of the runners were mothers who had taken up the sport after the birth of their children. Mary O’Connor took off right from the start with obvious determination to take the record and cleared out from the field at a pace which showed her versatility and international class. She wasted no time at the well-organised series of feed and sponge stations along the route. Even when she struck a bad patch of stitch nearing half-way and troubled with hot conditions on parts of the course which forced her off the pace, she picked up with renewed power. Over the final fifth of the race, often consulting her watch for a check on time, she ran as strongly as ever. When in sight of the finish and clearly well within the record she turned on a 200 m surge of power which astonished the spectators. Results: M. O’Connor (University), 1:19.01, 1; M. Walker (St Martins), 1:27.30, 2; C. Burden (University), 1:27.49, 3; A. Rigg (St Martins) 1:39.39 4: R. Meggett (Toe H). 1:33.26. 5; S. Taylor (St Martins). 1:34.50, 6; C. Eddington (Olympic). 1:39. 36. 7; T. Elliott (Technical). 1:41.34, 8; B. Tweedie (Christchurch), 1:41.51, 9; D. Rhode (Y.W.C.A.) 10.