Polio victim hops marathons

Press, 26 March 1980, Page 12

Polio victim hops marathons

RUNNERS’

by

John Drew

This year, • the fourth since “The Press” inaugurated its first Park-to-Park fun run, the proceeds will go to one specific charitable objective. The money will help to establish a recreation and information centre for the physically disabled at 108 Wordsworth Street, being developed under the direction of Mr Mike Carney, co-ordinator of recreation for the disabled at the central Y.M.C.A.

It’s appropriate, there- ■ fore, that emphasis in this year’s Park-to-Park will centre not just on the able-bodied. The full course for the Park-to-Park is traditionally from Sydenham Park and follows a route round Hagley Park and back to the starting point. But, to ensure that less abled-bodied persons, who may not be able to run, can still enjoy the fun of the Park-to-Park, the organising committee is looking at a number of short routes including the. optional choice of circuits round Sydenham Park.

Entrants who can’t run because of age or disability, or who can’t walk very well, will, regardless of how slow they go, receive just as good incentives as other participants.

Anyone who may feel diffident about entering the Park-to-Park, or a modified form of it, can find encouragement from the long-distance exploits of a severely disabled American polio victim. He is famous among the many New Zealanders, including scores from Christchurch, who were among the 7000 in the last huge annual Honolulu 23.2-mile marathon.

Since the age of six Roberto Deuriarte, the holder of a masters degree from Stanford University, has been handicapped by a right leg withered by polio

to not much more than the thickness of a broomstick.

The crippling disease left him paralysed on the right side from the waist down. He had to wear an iron brace on his 'waist and leg. Then came along a Californian pathologist. Dr Tom Bassler, who told him, that with proper

training it was possible to run a 26.2-mile marathon. Roberto threw away his iron brace and began to train.

His right leg is useless so he let.rned to hop on his strong left and to use his broomstick leg as a prop. When I met Roberto in Honolulu I could not believe that he could complete a marathon. But, by constant training, his good leg, is now as well muscled as that of an All Black five-eighth. Covering the marathon distance is an ordeal enough with two sound legs. Roberto’s courage in tackling it with virtually one leg is almost impossible to appreciate. He said; “I was so nervous it took me about three years before I got enough nerve to give running a serious try.” He used to train on the back roads and sugar cane plantations for fear he might fall.

He managed 22 miles

out of 26 in his first marathon at Hilo. “My small leg simply gave out and ii took me quite a long time before I could get myself mentally and physically prepared for another race." When he ran his first complete marathon — the Peak-to-Peak at Boulder in Colorado — the organisers gave him a case of beer for coming last. He said it was a gruelling climb, starting at 6300 ft. to reach the 14,000 ft summit. It took him nearly 10 hours of hopping.

When I ran with Roberto and his wife Debby, on his third marathon in Honolulu there were many scores of runners who finished behind us.

He completed his tenth 26.2-mile marathon when he ran with some 500 others in the annual marathon round the Hawaiian Island of Maui on March 9.

He is now training for his eleventh marathon in Honolulu on December 7, when more than 500 New Zealand marathoners are expected to take part. Large tour parties are already filling in Canterbury for the race.

Ab 1 e-bodied persons who feel like balking on . the idea of training for the Park-to-Park can therefore take inspiration from Roberto’s example. He is training about 1500 miles a year, the physical equivalent of several times that distance because of his disablement. You have about five weeks in which to prepare for the Park-to-Park oh May 4. If you are a candidate for walking try something like this for the week:

Day 1, walk lOmin; day 3, walk lOmin; day 5, walk 20min; total for week 40min.

Runners can try something like the following,

or according to their capability. Day 1, walk and run, or run 15min; day 2. walk briskly 20min; day 3, walk and run or run 15min; day' 4. walk briskly 20min; day 5. walk and run or run 30min; day 6, walk or rest: day 7, walk or rest. Make sure you train only at a pace which enables you to talk freely with your training companions. Wail for about two hours after a large meal before training. Walking after a meal can do you good. This afternoon the R.N.Z.A.F. will hold its third annual “Spitfire to Harvard” 11km run, starting from outside the Brevet Club in Memorial Avenue at 3.15 p.m. About 300 men and women are expected to take part, including some from the Army and the police. The ran finishes at the Wigram Airbase where handsome certificates will be awarded to all finishers. On Friday entries close for New Zealand’s biggest

marathon, the Fletcher af Rotorua on April 26. On Sunday the Long Distance Runners’ Club hold their annual “Surf-to-Surf” run from the Waimairi Surf Club to the Taylor’s Mistake Surf Club starting at. 9 a.m. On Saturday and Sunday the New Zealand veteran track and field championships will be held at Queen Elizabeth II Park. On April 2 Carpinter, director of the department of physical edu- I cation at the University of i Canterbury, will give a 1 talk at the meeting of the !. Canterbury branch of the L Royal Society on “Sports • Laboratories and, Physical « Fitness” in Room E 8 of J. the university engineering j, school, starting at 8 p.m. On April 12 most of the’ registered clubs in Canten ' bury will hold their open- ■ ing days for the 1980 win«< ter road and cross-country; season. On April 20 the Sumner | Round Table will hold its'| annual fun ran from Sy- [ denham Park to Sumnen I!