Lorraine Moller unofficial world champion
NZPA London New Zealand’s Lorraine Moller yesterday became the unofficial world women’s marathon champion after winning the Avon International marathon in London.
The 24-year-old Putaruru runner beat a powerful field in a personal best time of I two hours 35 minutes and II seconds in only her third marathon.
Immediately after, the former Commonwealth Games 800 m track runner . was looking forward to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles where the women’s
marathon seems likely to be run for the first time. “If they have a marathon there, that would be the most fantastic thing,” Miss Moller said. “I’d really be all out for that.” Only Norway’s Grete Waitz — the only woman ever to run the marathon in less than two and a half hours — was missing from the line-up of the Western world’s top female distance runners. I Ranked eleventh in the’ world and seeded seventh ini the race, Miss Moller beat! the second-placed Nancy! Conz, of the United States,! by almost a minute with] Canada’s third-placed Linda; Staudt about 90 seconds] back to finish in 2:37:39. ■ Tired but enthusiastic! about her win, which knocked two minutes off her previous best time of 2:37:36, Miss Moller said that her race plan had consisted mainly of hope. ! “I really just wanted to be| sure I hung on for about the; first 15km; just to stay with the pace,” she said. ! “But it’s harder to keep to, a definite plan when there are no men to follow and L found myself at the front] quite a lot earlier than I intended,” Miss Moller said. “I was really running . scared towards the end,” she] said. “It’s easily the hardest marathon I have had, I knew the others, weren’t far| behind and I just had to try] and hang together and concentrate.” I The last three kilometres were “really hard,” Miss] Moller said, but as she ran | down the crowd-lined streets; towards the finish line at, the historic Guildhall in the] city of London it was. obvious she would not be passed. The race, sanctioned by the International Amateur Athletics Federation as an unofficial "world championship,” attracted about 220 runners.
New Zealand’s Gillian Drake (Auckland) failed to finish the race after passing the 20km mark in 1:16:24.
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Press, 5 August 1980, Page 30
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379Lorraine Moller unofficial world champion Press, 5 August 1980, Page 30
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