A runner at 91 doing 20 miles a week

Press, 23 April 1980, Page 14

A runner at 91 doing 20 miles a week

RUNNERS’ DIARY

By .

John Drew

While I was Coming down Dyers Pass R£ad in preparation for last Saturday’s New Brighton 50mile race after a longish run on the hills I spotted a dapper figure ahead. Drawing level with hint and taking a discreet glance at the alert wrinkle-free countenance beneath the impressive broad-brimmed hat 1 discovered it to be that of New Zealand’s oldest but by no means slowest runner — Eric Sharp t aged 92 next January. Having befen on a training jaunt of more’ than seven hours, and in rid hurry to set any personal records, I was pleased to fall into step with# such fascinating cofnpanv? Erit heeded no reminder that this year’s Pttfk-td-Park fun run is on May 4, and his training preparation has been up to schedule. This schedule, !•’ discovered, .Was a sourtd otife which many candidates , for “The Press” run could profitably adopt. Eric trains for four or five miles on alternate days, three or four tithes a week: “dr as’ many tirnes as I can fit in” because, he explained, “I have to do for myself. Monday is wash day so I don’t always train bri Mondays,” he said. He does about 20 miles a week. On the particular occasion when I riiet him, Eric was doitig what hfe. Usually does on Sundays — a hill walk ftbin his hbme in fieckferihahi to ‘'Victoria Park, from wherfe, after a leisurely cup of [tea, hfe Walks home again.! This outing, taken ift conjunction With a Washday respite oh Mondays,, forms a sound recovery break after the previous week’s training anti gives tithe for rbcUpefgtfdil arid improverneftt' for the next Week’s trairiittg. 1 “What a sound-idea,” I thought and pretty close to the suggested -Park-td-Park training offered in Runners’. Diary top. “Obviously Eric . dbesfrt rided any training suggestions,” I thought. Which is not surprising tls he h'As fun

every City-td-Surf and Park-to-Park fUn run since their incdptiorii Just thhft iSdnie friends whom I had riiet on the Gebbies’ classic Summit Road circuit some 10 miles or so earlier in the afternoon, overtook us arid stopped their car on the steep grade for a chat arid to ask if we needed any refreshments. Obviously Eric didn’t. He ’strode ori down the hill: arid briskly so that With a 300-rftdtre lead it Was clear that if I didn’t

soon run af|ter him he would: get to’the bottom of the' hill befcpe we could resume our conversation. Coniihg up behind I noticed his Weil designed, flat heeled shoes and also that he had atslight limp in hisUeft leg. No, it wasrt’t. a new injury: it wris tjust something to do Witm his knee how and agaiiL pfobably something to Ido with what happened# to hint when ltd was fotjfr years a prisoner in IGemiany during the 1914-118 War, he thought. < . It turned out ■■that Eric had not always- been a Chrsitchurch man. He was both in Britain, gnd came to Christchurch at the age, of 22 in 1911, shortly aN ter wards to rryurn to a soldier. Hfe ' didn’t .go to World War 11. “tOhe Was enough, thank ydu,” he said.' - ■ f ■". • ' He had ’resuniefl hii job in the clothing trade. Hfe did long marches Whdri a i prisoner hut apart from some , sdcepr after he was demobilised, Eric did* nd rdguiar sport until he-took Up lun running when dvfer i SO. “It’s

good fun and it helps keep trie fit,” he sad. The city fun run with thfe most fun of all will take place this Friday, Anzac Day. It is the fourth annual Anzac Day “Turkey Trot” from King Edward Barracks to the Artillery Memorial in Victoria Park and return, starting at 12.30 p.m. Eric Sharp’s many admirers would like to see him take part in the Ahzac run, especially as His weekly Sunday jaunt to Victoria Park provides conditioning for it. Oh/ May 4 Eric expects again to have - as his running companion the United club vdteran athlete, George Currie. Last year George prepared an analysis of Eric’s pace, cadence and all round performance and expects it to be well up to that of Eric’s last year’s Pafk-tb--Park standard, when scores of runners completed the 11 km course behind him. Many runners call tins run the most enjoyable of all the annual succession of community runs. AH the runner has to do is to decide and declare the time he or she esti--mates the journey will take. .. ' vi To wift a turkey — donated annually by the R.S.A. — the most successful runner has to come home in a time which is closest to that predicted. There are several minor prizes as wbll. But there , are no prizes for running fast: so you can choose a time and pace Which suits you best. There is no. age or time limit; the slowest performer has as g6bd an opportunity to take home a turkey as the fastest athlete. And there is ho entry fee. The only proviso is that all runners must surrender their watches to the face director in thd barracks befdfe the start. But let there be a word 6f caution — especially if you are not used to . regular training on the hills. Make sure you don’t fall for the temptation to run

down hill fast oh the return to King Edward Barracks. Down hill running is a prolific cause of knee damage as many trampers who carry packs down steep, back-country gradients know to their cost. Knee damage is, next to Achilles tendonitis, one of the most prevalent and most stubborn injuries to get rid of. Both can permanently cripple you. v" This year’s organising director of the run, fqf the Long Distance Rufiners’ club is a forrper serviceman who is also a well perfortried Maori distance runner. Alex Kaihau has successful finishing performances both ih , 26.2 mile marathons, ifi the New Brighton 50-miie race and in New Zealand’s toughest ultra-distartce event, the. annual Sitrion ana Lowther 100 km or the Banks Peninsula. This event ean prove a useful preparation for the big annual “The Press,” Park-to-Park event on May 4. Everyone finishing “The Press” Park-to-Park has a chance to win a lucky dip Air New Zealand trip for two to Sydney, to run “Sun” City-to-Suff. "the prize alsb includes . fbiir nights’ twiti aCco.mriiddatiori at the Koala Oxford Square,'Sydney.' Pafk-td-Pafk candidates now have a week dr so in which to polish up their preparation. Walkers who so Wish can increase their accufnulated weeks training time to, say, 220 minutes. Those who are introducing a little slow running into their schedule can try alternate funs and Walks of say 100 paces (make the coUrit bn alternate, footfalls). Runners can again slightly increase week’s schedule in a proportion similar to this: Day J, run or fun and walk 40 min; day 2, walk of fest; Day 3, run pr fun arid walk 35 min; Day 4, walk of rest; Day 5, fun of run arid walk 70 friiri. Make sure always to moderate your training to nothirig more thari a talking pace.