Hellemans wins ski run

Press, 30 June 1982, Page 27

Hellemans wins ski run

John Heliemans. a former water polo representative for the Netherlands, continued his assaulQon other sports when the won the inaugural Steinie Run Ski race at Mt Hutt on Sunday. Judith Scott won the women's section after the leader for most of the way. Carolyn East, failed to ski through the gates on the first of two ski runs on the lower slopes of Mt Hutt.

• Second in the men’s section was Sidney Rob Campbell, of Huntsbury, who was third to the top in the running section, and went past Chris Cox, of Christchurch. to finish runner-up. Cox. a well-performed runner though not registered with a harrier club, failed to handle the icy skiing conditions, and finished fifth. Dave Gardner of Timaru. one of South Canterburv's leading

athletes, was fourth to the top in the running section and finished third overall.

The importance of the ski-ing leg of the novel race was indicated by the performance of Gil Coles, another notable South Canterbury athlete. He was sixth to the top in the 11.8 km run from the toll gate to the top car park, but slipped back to sixteenth place in the field of 35 because he could not handle the ski-ing section.

Heliemans. aged 29. a Christchurch doctor, took Tip running when working in Blenheim where there was no opportunity to piay water polo. Since moving to Christchurch he has earned a reputation as a strong uphill runner.

He won the Canterbury Road Running Committees Soleares Hili race last year and again earlier this year, then broke a nine-year-old’record for the first lap of the Port Hills relay, taking 25Vz minutes to run from Tennyson Street in Beckenham to the Sign of the Kiwi. In December last year he won the King of the Mountains running race from the Sign of the Takahe to Sugarloaf and return, missing Roger Robinson’s record by 20 seconds, then won the inaugural Boulder Bav Classic 16km race at Sumner, beating such notable Canterbury runners as Gavin Donaldson. Brenton Jovce and Frank Brookes. He was the first New Zealander to finish in the inaugural national biathlon (skm beach run and 800 m surf swim) Men: Heliemans 1 hour 14 minutes 23 seconds, 1: Campbell 1:18.01, 2; D. Gardner 1:18.41. 3; S. Sandblom 1:19.10, 4; C. Cox 1:20.00, 5; G. Chaplin (Methven) 1:25.18, 6; P. Farrow 1:25.49. 7; C. Thompson (Methven) 1:27.58. 8. Women (5.6 km run plus double ski): J. Scott 1:11.12, 1. C. East 1:19.51. 2; A. Chinn 1:34.55 3. Veteran men: E. Saxby 1.-30.14, 1: W. Hood 1:41.44. 2; R. Svme 1:48.45. 3.