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Press, 15 May 1981, Page 24

This stylised figure of a runner inside a circle, will mark the course for the inaugural Nike City of Christchurch International Marathon which will start and finish at Queen Elizabeth II Park on May 31. Previous plans to repaint the green broken line, marked on the road when the 1974 Commonwealth Games marathon was held over the same course, were abandoned on the advice of Mr Brian Neill, the operations engineer with the Traffic Department of the Christchurch City Council. Traffic tends to move away from lines marked on the road and a line a metre out from the curb might cause traffic problems. The course, which has a turn-around point near Christchurch Airport, passes through areas controlled by four councils — Christchurch City, Riccarton Borough, Paparua County and Waimairi

County. All four have given their approval for the stylised runner as a course marker.

The figure, drawn by Trace Hodgson, a member of the art department of “The Press,” will measure about half a metre in diameter and will probably be green. The frequency of X the marking will vary, depending on the number of changes of direction on any part of the course.

More than 1900 entries had been receivedfor the marathon when entries closed on Sunday, said one of the organisers, Mr Rod Rutherford, yesterday, yesterday. However, they still had to be processed before a final figure could be arrived at

More than 400 people would be needed to man the course. Many people had offered their help but more were needed, Mr Rutherford said.