Dravitski heads home big marathon field for New York trip

Press, 7 June 1982, Page 13

Dravitski heads home big marathon field for New York trip

By

GLENN HASZARD

Gerald Dravitski (New Plymouth) won a trip to New York by coming home at the head of a field of more than 1000 runners in the 1982 Nike City of Christchurch marathon yesterday in 2hr 18min 04sec to beat the title-holder, Steve Denholm (Wellington), by Imin 16sec.

Nanae Sasaki, of Japan, set a new all-Japan record to win the women’s section in an international-class time of 2hr 35min., while Roger Robinson (Wellington) won the veteran's section to finish eighth in the whole field.

Miss Sasaki was far too good for last year’s women’s winner, Christine Burden Christchurch), but Mrs Burden improved on her best time and her New Zealand ranking in beating another leading New Zealander. Mary Belsey (Auckland).

The race was run in cool temperatures, fluctuating between 7deg C and Bdeg, with a cool, southerly wind. Most runners wore T-shirts under their singlets and many wore gloves and woollen hats.

The marathon, held in conjunction with a halfmarathon. drew a field of more than 1000 runners. Many of the slower halfmarathon runners were still on the return to Queen Elizabeth II stadium as Dravitski raced past them, having run twice as far. Two of the leading contenders in the open section, Tony Good (Christchurch) and John Dixon (Nelson) withdrew.

Barry Thompson (Hawke’s Bay), who had beaten Dravitski in the Wiri marathon last November when he recorded a time of 2:17:15, looked a big danger for most of the race but could not respond when Dravitski forced the pace after leaving Hagley Park on the return journey at the 30km mark.

Thompson was passed by the fast-finishing Denholm with only 400 m to run. then by a former Sedley Wells marathon winner. Colin Hicks (Christchurch), with only 150 m to the finish. Denholm’s time was 2:19:20, Hicks’s 2:19:35, and Thompson’s. 2:19:41. Bruce Blair (Manurewa) was fifth after sharing the lead until the half-way mark. The draining effects of three other marathons this year showed as he slowed gradually over the final stages.

Good, with a 2:15:50 marathon at his last attempt when he beat Dravitski in the Manning marathon, was first out of the stadium, then dropped back to eleventh and never really looked in con-

tention. Thompson. Blair, and Dixon made a break on the filed at skm and by 7km had opened a gap of 20m on Denholm and Allan Wallace (Wellington) running in a bunch with Hicks, Dennis Patchett (Marlborough), Mel Radcliffe (Christchurch), and Bruce Hunter (Christchurch). Dravitski, worried about Good, was in behind the bunch with Good off the pace. Next came Roger Robinson and another veteran. Eric Hunter (Christchurch), with Dave Askin (Southland) and Dave Gardner (Timaru). Between Bkm and 10km Dravitski decided to leave Good as the front bunch looked a bigger danger. He went ahead of Denholm and the others in the bunch and caught Thompston, Blair, and Dixon by 10km which they passed in 32min 17sec, running at smin 11 sec pace, which would give them a 2:16 finish.

Good had caught the main bunch and was chasing the front four at 10km, going through in 32:30. Thirty-two seconds behind Denholm's group came Dan McHugh (Rovers), with a gap of 43sec to Ken Duxbury (Australia) and another minute back to Robinson’s bunch, which had been joined bv another lead-

ing veteran, Bill Raimond (Australia) and Chris Morey (Wellington). Nanae Sasaki went through skm in 18:08, or exactly smin 50sec pace a mile and on a target of 2hr 33min. At 10km she was still on target at 36:02, on a mile rate of smin 48.

At 20km. just before the turn at Christchurch Airport. Thompson. Blair, Dravitski, and Dixon went through in 1:05:15, running at a mile pace of smin 15sec, with Denholm. Hicks. Patchett, Wallace, and Radcliffe passing in 1:05:59 and Good starting to drift 6sec behind. Robinson went through 20km in 1:08:22 and Miss Sasaki in 1.12:57, running at an even pace. Mary Belsey passed 20km in 1:17:04, with Mrs Burden in 1:17:52, running at 6min 18sec a mile pace.

Blair looked tired as the leading four approaced the turn with a cold, southerly wind on their left shoulders. He dropped off the bunch as they tuned for home and Thompson and Dixon forced the pace down Memorial Avenue.

Then a dramatic turn came at 29km in Hagley Park as Dixon sudenly seized up, gripping his hamstring muscles. He said he was feeling good when the hamstrings suddenly went tight,

forcing him out. This lefl Thompson and Dravitski tt fight for the lead, anc Dravtiski wasted no time ir putting on the pressure. At 31km he forced the pace, and Thompson had tc let him go, hoping he might come back later in the race. By 33km Dravitski had a break of 13sec on Thompson, with Blair Imin 31 behind Thompson and Hicks and Denholm 21sec behind Blair. Denholm and Hicks dropped Patchett, then Radcliffe, as they set out after Blair. Dravitski went through 35km in 1:53:30, Thompson in 1:53:57, Blair in 1:55:37, Denholm and Hicks in 1:55:40, Radcliffe in 1:55:55, and Patchett in 1:56:27. Next came Askin in 1:57:06, with Wallace in 1:58:07, Robinson in 1:59:30, and Bruce Hunter in 1:59:30. The positions changed little in the last 7km. Dravitski had 'almost completed the last 400 m of The Queen Elizabeth II Park track when Thompson entered the stadium. Only five metres behind him was Denholm. Denholm went past Thompson in front of the big crowd in the stadium stand as Hicks came into the stadium. To shouts of “Come on Colin” from the home crowd, Hicks surged past Thompson with 150 m to rim to take third Drize. Blair held on for

fifth. He said afterwards that he had suffered from a virus in the last fortnight but had felt good until half-way. Radcliffe finished sixth, and Patchett seventh, in a personal best time of 2:23:25, about lOmin better than his previous best. Robinson, who has run a 2:18:40 marathon in Canada, passed Askin with Ikm to go to finish eighth. He said afterwards that he had not been able to do sufficient training to run up to his best. He ran steadily, but said he went with Askin in the middle stage of the race to try to bum off Eric Hunter and Raimond, his main veteran rivals. Miss Sasaki, who improved on her personal best time by smin, ran at an average smin 54sec mile pace throughout, covering the fist half in a slightly faster time than the second. Mrs Burden, who won the women's section of the Nike City of Christchurch marathon last year, was thrilled with her time, Imin 35sec faster than her personal best set in the race last year. “I took off like a demon at half-way and caught Mary (Belsey) at 25km. It took sb much but of me to catch her that I stayed with her for a while to recover, then broke away in Hagley Park," said Mrs Burden. Miss Belsey also ran a personal best in 2:46:53. Her previous best was 2:49:22 when she finished second in the women’s section of the Wiri marathon in Auckland last November.

Results of marathon G. Dravitski (New Plymouth), 2:18:04. 1; S. Denholm (Wellington). 2:19:20. 2: C. Hicks (Canterbury). 2:19:35, 3; B. Thompson (Hawke’s Bay). 2:19:41, 4; B. Blair (Auckland). 2:20:30, 5; M. Radcliffe (Canterbury). 2:21:17, 6; D. Patchett (Marlborough). 2:23:25, 7: R. Robison (Wellington). 2:24:32, 8 and fist veteran; D. Askin (Southland), 2:25:44. 9; K. Duxbury (Australia). 2:2628, 10; C. Morey (Wellington). 2:26:34. 11; A. Wallace (Wellington). 2:27:01, 12; D. McHugh (Canterbury),

2:28:12, 13: D. Gardner (Timaru). 2:29:04, 14: B. Hunter (Canterbury), 2:29:16, 15: M. . Buist (Otago), 2:29:49. 16; A. Dennis (Westport). 2:29:57. 18; G. Bendrev (Auckland). 2:30:04. 19: W. Kennedy (Canterbury), 2:30:56, 19 and second veteran: P. Crosbv (Otago). 2:31:02. 20: R. Whittle. 2:31:39. 21; D. Bendell (Welling-

ton). 2:31:40. 22: J. Stubbs. 2:32:15. 23; J. L. Harris, 2:32:33. 24. Women: N. Sasaki (Japan). 2:35:00,1; C. Burden (Canterbury). 2:43:00, 2: M. Belsey (Auckland), 2:46:53. 3; P. Burn (New Plymouth). 2:50:08. 4: A. Rigg (Canterbury). 2:56:58. 5; V. Smith 2:58:45. 6.