Record bid by Quax?

Press, 3 January 1980, Page 3

Record bid by Quax?

NZPA Washington I Distance runner Dick Quax Said in Washington ‘yesterday that he might consider an attempt at the 'world 10.000 m record in Auckland at the end of this month.

Quax, interviewed after he had failed by only 3.2 s to better the world’s . best time for the . 15!000m said that his immediate aim on his return to New Zealand would be the Choysa marathon in Auckland next month, but he might also consider a 16,000 m attempt. In the 15,000 m event, Quax led "the field throughout on the Stanford University track at Palo Alto, California, and finished in -43 minutes dead, 32s outside the previous mark set by Jost Hermens, of . the Netherlands, in 1976. ■ The International Amateur Athletics Federation does not recognise the distance for

official world record purposes, and it was the first time Quax had run it. “I had to run it all bv my.self and I just wasn’t able to push myself as hard as I would have liked.” Quax said after the race. “I wasn’t unhappy about the run. It was just one of those things.” Ironically, it was not until: after the race that Quax realised that if he had continued for slightly more than a lap he could have broken the world 10-mile record, which is also held bj' Hermens. ‘‘lt did not occur to me until I had stopped,” Quax said. Quax took a 10m lead after the first lap and went on unchallenged to cross the line a lap in. front of Matti Filhoma, of Finland, who clocked 43min 595. An American marathon •runner, Bob Hodge, finished third, clipping 30s off the official United States record; for the distance. Quax, who celebrated his! thirty-second birthday on] Tuesday, said that he might! run a 3000 m or one mile! race at an indoor meeting ini Washington tomorrow before! returning to New Zealand.