Canty marathon to Radcliffe

Press, 7 March 1983, Page 22

Canty marathon to Radcliffe

By

GLENN HASZARD

Victory was sweet for Mel Radcliffe (New Brighton) in the Canterbury marathon championship in Christchurch on Saturday.

It was his second marathon win in three weeks, but it was also sweet because it was the first day of his honeymoon. He married Nicola Johnson in Picton last Friday.

Radcliffe, the pre-race favourite after winning the Buller marathon at Westport, and with a best time of 2:19:38 in 1976 when he last won the Canterbury title, broke away from a bunch of four just after the half-way mark and raced away to win in a time of 2:31:43.

Mark Mitchell (Sumner) was second in 2:35:34 and the Timaru veteran; John Souter, third in 2:36:57. Vai Lindsay (Technical) retained her title in the women’s championship, held in conjunction, in a time of 3:15:30, with Chris Boulden (Q.E.) second, and a veteran, Mary Hawkins (St Martins), a close third.

The race attracted a field of 44, but 11 withdrew during the race, including two of the favoured runners, Rob Grant (Toe H) and Greg Harney (Ashburton), who were both prominent in the early part of the race. Two leading runners who had entered, Kevin Guthrie (Rovers) and Greg Clark (St Martins), did not start.

The race began in Kennedy’s Bush Road, Halswell, and by the skm mark Radcliffe was in a bunch of five which passed the mark in a slow 18 minutes. The others were Mitchell, Harney. Brian Gilmour (Greymouth), and Geoff Lienert (Timaru).

The first half of the out-and-back course was raced into a strong easterly wind, and Radcliffe was content to stay with the bunch rather than take the lead into the wind.

At the turn at McCormack’s Bay the bunch was still together, except that

Harney had dropped off and Souter was within striking distance. Radcliffe made his break going over a slight rise at Ferrymead.

“The wind blew a traffic officer’s motor-cycle over

and some of the runners in the bunch looked around to see what had happened. I took advantage of it and made a break,” said Radcliffe after the race.

Mitchell, whose previous best marathon was about 2:37 in the Nike in Christchurch in 1981, tried to go with Radcliffe but eased off when he realised that he could not maintain that pace all the way back to Halswell.

“I had to slow down or I wouldn’t have finished. I ran alone from then on, but I tried to keep Mel in sight in case he folded,” said Mitchell, aged 22. Gilmour maintained ■ third place on the way back, with Lienert fourth and Souter fifth. Souter, who last year won the New Brighton 80km race, the Symon and Lowther 100 km race, a track race over 100 km and a 2:35 Nike marathon, overtook Lienert

at 35km and overtook Gilmour soon after.

Tragedy struck for Gilmour and Lienert as Gilmour took a wrong turning with 2km to run and Lienert, chasing hard after him, followed. Both were disqualified by referee, Mr John Smart Jeff Hill (Anglican), with a best time of 2:41, was always well up in the field, and finished fourth, well clear of fifth-placed Stuart Payne (Methodist), who went under the magical three hour mark for the first time, in 2:56:27. His previous best was 3:15. Payne ran most of the way with Rob Harbison (Toe H), who had beaten him to win the D grade Canterbury 20km road championship two weeks ago. Harbison also ran a personal best, of 3:00:23, as did Gavin Neill (Christchurch, who finished sixth, between Payne and Harbison).

Barry Goodman (Timaru) was eleventh with a time of 3:02:16 in his first marathon, while two places behind was another Timaru man, Hugh Smith. Don Cameron (Cashmere) used the race as a training run, finishing in 3:09:46 for eighteenth place, and first over 50.

Vai Lindsay took an early lead in the women’s section and was never challenged. Chris Boulden moved into second place when she passed Mary Hawkins just before the half-way mark and managed to hold on as Hawkins closed the gap near the end to finish only a minute behind. Boulden had intended to

run a 3000 m track race at Queen Elizabeth II Park but when no women arrived at the track for the race she decided to run the marathon. Results— Men: Radcliffe, 2:31:43, 1: Mitchell, 2:35:34, 2; Souter, 2:36:57, 3 and first veteran; Hill, 2:50:27, 4; Payne, 2:56:27, 5; Neill, 2:56:51, 6; Harbison, 3:00:23, 7; R. Campbell (Christchurch), 3:00:41, 8; K. Wightman (Olympic), 3:00:49, 9; J. Spragg (Toe H), 3:01:01, 10; B. Goodman (Timaru), 3:02:16, 11; T. Oakley (Olympic), 3:03:17, 12 and second veteran; H. Smith (Timaru), 3:03:37, 13 and third veteran; B. Smith (St Martins), 3:05:36, 14; J. Sunderland (Olympic), 3:05:41, 15. Women: Lindsay, 3:15:30, 1; Boulden. 3:27:51, 2; Hawkins. 3:28:59, 3 and first veteran.