Women on the jog

Press, 25 February 1980, Page 6

Women on the jog

Sy

Genevieve Forde

. Close on 150 women joggers and potential joggers gathered inside the Armagh Street entrance to Hagley Park in perfect weather yesterday morning for the second annual women’s “fur run.”

The run, organised by the Y.W.C.A., attracted one man. He ran wi-th his daughter, Kate Nathan, who, at the age of five, was the young, est to complete the course.

There were two jogs; a long one of Bkm for the professionals and a “short” one of 3.6 km for the more sedentary.

The short jog had four invited “joggers” from -the news media and politics — Jocelyn Johnston, of. the “Christchurch Star” and Pauline Turnbull, of Radio Avon, who were last seen heading into the distance along Harper Avenue at a respectable pace; the writer, who came second-last in an unknown - time; and, best known by far, a Christchurch City Councillor, Mol-

lie Clark, who is also running for Mayor. The short jog was run at a gentle pace which was still considerably faster than that of Colin Croft walking back to his mark.

Mrs Clark, wearing white

shorts and a white T-shir-i emblazoned with “Mollie Clark for Mayor” in red across the' chest, showed a compact style, finishing the course comfortably in an unofficial time of 25:2.4 sec. “I would have done the Bkm run except that I have to go to another function afterwards,” «aid Mrs Clark. One of her daughters, Jacinta, and a daughter-in-law, Louise, also took part in the jog. Mrs Clark said that she jogged “for the sheer joy of if,” daily between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.

“Nothing competitive,” she said. “I run with my little transistor round my wrist listening to music and documentaries. So many women are bashful about getting out and showing a bit of leg and huffing and

puffing. If -they knew it wasn’t competitive and how enjoyable it can be I’m sure more would take it up.” Also in the field were at least two grandmothers, one of whom has taken up jogging because she has arthritis of the knees. Mrs Joyce Russell, "a grandmother nine ■times over,” was jogging with her friend, Mrs Fran Gardner, also a grandmother, who jogs “because she likes it.”

Both women said they had a secondary reason — “getting rid of Christmas fat.” “I like women like that,” commented another jogger, Vonnie Alexander, aged 49, a secretarial tutor at the Christchurch Polytechnic. Vonnie is a reluctant jogger — she took it up because of disgust at her own physical laziness.