Strong road field

Press, 22 September 1984, Page 76

Strong road field

The clash between three of New Zealand’s top women runners will be the highlight of the Canterbury road running championships at Clarkville today. The favourite for the Bkm race will be the New Zealand marathon representative at the Los Anngeles Olympics, Mary O’Connor (University), having her first scratch race since returning home three weeks ago. O’Connor competed in the championship last year

when not recovered from illness and finished sixth, but she has run well enough in her two relay races in the last three weeks to show that she is ready to take the title.

The others in the strong line-up are the national women’s champion, AnneMarie Tweedie (University) and Sara Harnett (New Brighton), who won the provincial title last year and finished fifth in the nationals.

Other top runners in the women’s field of 52 include Mary Warne, Chris Burden and Lyn Tipper (University), Vai Lindsay (Technical), Margaret Walker and Anne Kennedy (Christchurch), Pam Riley and Colleen Bardsley (Sumner). Chris Tobin (Timaru) should win the man’s 16km race. He has been in devastating form in recent weeks. Only a handful of Christchurch runners are capable of matching him. They are Don Greig (New Brighton), who was runnerup to Tom Birnie (New

Brighton) last year, Bruce Rattray (Christchurch), Tony Good, (Olympic), Neil Lowsley and Allan Sinclair (New Brighton). Greymouth’s Eddie Gray should also be among the leaders. Jim Macdonald (Olympic) will defend his veteran, men’s 12km title, and his stiffest opposition may come from his brother, John, and from Christchurch’s Bill Kennedy. Neither raced in the championships last year. Lyn Epps (New Brighton), who was third in the veteran women’s Bkm race last year, has shown enough improvement to be capable of winning the title this year. The titleholder, Pru Taylor (University), has not entered.

Shane Watts (St Martins) won the junior Bkm title last year but may struggle to beat New Brighton’s Richard Ayson this year. Other possible contenders are Kerry Faas (Avon) and John Gilbert, from New Brighton. © The Mount Cook Line women’s half marathon will be held on October 28 at Tai Tapu. The race, which usually attracts a field of between 150 and 300, will be held on

a Sunday for the first time, because the organisers feel that more women will want to run on that day. The major spot prize this year is a trip to Rotorua with two nights stay at the Kingsgate Hyatt Hotel. Entries close on October 20.