Tyler wins Teddington race

Press, 29 March 1982, Page 19

Tyler wins Teddington race

Raewyn Tyler (Olympic) won the annual road race from Teddington to Diamond Harbour on Saturday, running from a handicap 3min behind the front markers. Two St Martins club members, Brynley Griffiths and Tom Smith, finished second and third.

K. Guthrie (Rovers) recorded the fastest time in the 11.4 km race of 38min 40s. but Canterbury’s top road runners competed in a special trial on a slightly different course of 11km which nevertheless took in the hills.

Tom Birnie, the national 5000 m and 10,000 m track champion won an exciting men’s trial in 34min 15s. In the women’s trial, a veteran (over 35), Margaret Walker (St Martins), led all the way to beat Anne-Marie Keown and Wendy Mollison (University), with the winner of the Nike Christchurch marathon, Christine Burden, fourth.

Birnie (New Brighton) stayed with the men’s bunch for the first 2.5 km before breaking away and burning off all rivals. Alan Thurlow (Olympic), a former national 10,000 m champion and winner of the recent Big M 10km road race in Christchurch, was second, followed by Tony Good (Olympic), who was having his first road race since winning the Manning marathon in Hamilton last year in a time just outside the Commonwealth Games qualifying time. Equal fourth were John Sheddan and his brother, Warren, both .of the Olympic club. Ashburton's Big M 10km road-race winner, Brian Kennelly (University), was next, with Chris Tobin (South Canterbury) sixth. Tobin had been expected to be among the top four after having finished second in the Canterbury 10,000 m championships, second in the Christchurch Big M

marathon, and having been the first New Zealander home in the Aorangi half marathon a week ago. He said after Saturday’s run that the first big hill. I.skm from the start, had “knocked the stuffing out of me.” However, he made up ground in the second half of the race.

The men stayed together in a big bunch for the first 2km along a flat section and up the first big hill. At the half-way mark, Birnie. Thurlow, and’ Good led in Indian file, with a 10m gap back to Kennelly, Warren, and John Sheddan and a bigger gap back to Rattray, followed by Brookes, Donaldson, Kevin O’Sullivan (University), Geoff Anderson (Timaru), Tobin, Grant McEwan (University), and Eddie Gray. By the Bkm mark, Birnie had made a slight break on Thurlow, while Good had lost contact with them and was joined by the Sheddans and

Kennelly, still running together. Tobin was coming through the field, picking them off one by one.

With 2km to run, Birnie had opened up a lead of ss, while Thurlow had 10s on Good, who flew downhill between B.skm and 9km to break away from the Sheddans and Kennelly. At this point, Good was 5s ahead of the Sheddans, while Tobin had come through for sixth place, 21s behind the Sheddans and Kennelley. In the women’s race, Margaret Walker opened up a lead from the start and was never caught, although she said both that she thought she might have gone too fast at the start and was “convinced" that she would be caught. She was 7s ahead at the half-way point and had doubled that margin by the finish. Keown and Mollision ran together until near the finish, when Keown broke away. At the half-way point.

Keown and Mollison were 10s ahead of Burden. Results: Handicap section- open: Tyler, net time 55:27, 1; Griffiths, 48:56. 2; Smith. 48:28, 3. Fastest men’s times: Guthrie, 38.40, 1; G. Eng (University), 39:32. 2; K. Whiteman (Olympic). 41:34. 3. Fastest women's times: L. Mead (Technical), 49:25, 1; C. Connor (University). 53:41, 2; P. Hogarth (Toe H). 54:58, 3. Fastest times, veteran men: D. O’Keefe (St Martins). 35.17, 1; J. Brownie (New Brighton), 40:48, 2; D. Cameron (Cashmere), 42:39, 1

Men’s trial— Birnie, 34:15, 1; Thurlow, 34:21, 2; Good, 34:35, 3; W. Sheddan and J. Sheddan, 34:41, equal 4; Kennelly, 34:44, 6; Tobin, 35:04, 7: B. Rattray (Christchurch), 35:22, 8; F. Brookes (Toe H), 35:44, 9; K. O'Sullivan (University), 35:53; 10; G. Donaldson (Christchurch), 36:15, 11; G. Anderson (Timaru), 36:24, 12.

Women.— Walker, 42:40, 1; Keown, 42:58. 2; Mollison, 43:06, 3; Burden, 43:38, 4; S. Harnett (New Brighton). 44:52, 5; A. Vermeulen (Christchurch). 45:02. 6.