Olympic 16km race to Fay Cook

Press, 22 October 1984, Page 16

Olympic 16km race to Fay Cook

Fay Cook (St Martins) won the annual Olympic 16km handicap road running race at Tai Tapu on Saturday. She' began from 17min behind the front-markers and after trailing Brian Halpin (Christchurch) in the first half of the race with strong nor’-wester crosswinds, turned with the wind behind her into Old Tai Tapu Road and passed Halpin with skm to go. She beat him in by Imin Is, while Murray Newman (United) was closing on Halpin but was not quite able to catch him. Both Cook and Halpin, who is 51, are in their first year of racing. Cook finished the Adidas half marathon last June and ran in the Canterbury senior women’s road championship, finishing in 44min 10s, last month. After Newman came two fast finishers in Phillip Ot-

ton (St Martins) and Colin Dowie (North Canterbury). Roslyn Burt (St Martins) gave her club a boost by being second woman to finish, taking sixth place overall, and being at the finish to watch her husband, Colin, take second fastest time. The fastest time went to Canterbury representative Kevin Barnes (Christchurch), who only a week ago competed in' the national road championships in Christchurch. Barnes started from 41 minutes behind go and had to run a solo race.

The closest duel was between Burt and another Canterbury representative, Jeff Hill (Anglican), who both started from 39 minutes behind go. Hill, who is preparing for the annual DB Great Westland marathon on December 1, opened up a gap on Burt at the half-way turn but in the last four kilometres

Burt closed the gap, then outsprinted Hill in the last 400 m, beating him by three seconds. Pam Riley (Sumner) took fastest time for the women with 66min 51s, well down on the race record of 62min ’ 2s held by Anna Vermeulen (Christchurch), while Shirley Clark (Christchurch) took ■■ fastest time for veteran women with a time of 71min 15s and Peter Watts ' (St Martins) was fastest veteran man with 57min. Results:— Handicap. — Fay Cook, net time 1:12:53, 1; Halpin, 1:14:0, 2; Newman, 1:2:20, 3; Otton, 1:1:42, 4; Dowie, 57:0, 5; Roslyn Burt, 1:11:9, 6. Fastest times. — Men: Barnes, 52:58, 1; Burt, 54:40, 2; Hill, 54:43, 3. Women: Riley, ' 66:51, 1; A. Dahl (Christchurch), 67:51, 2. Veteran women: Clarke, 71:15, 1; B. Knife (Christchurch), 1:14:34,2. Veteran men: Watts, 57:0,1; D. Cameron (St Martins), 59:33, 2.