Stark quits champs

Press, 10 August 1985, Page 15

Stark quits champs

Andrew Stark (Christchurch) has withdrawn from the Canterbury team for the national cross country championships in Invercargill, and will share the backmark in the annual Governors Bay to Lyttelton 10km road race today. Off 15 minutes behind the front-markers, with Stark, will be Mel Radcliffe (Bascik New Brighton), who was also a member of the Canterbury cross country team, Olympic’s Tony Good and Dave Macdonald, and Radcliffe’s clubmate, Wayne Longley. The race has attracted a

field of 261 men. Another 186 will compete in the separate veteran men’s race. The backmarkers for this are John Macdonald and Keith Whiteman (Olympic) and Dennis O’Keefe (Christchurch). Mary Warne (University), who has not competed in cross country events, will start from the backmark of 21 minutes in the senior women’s race, one minute behind Anna Warren (Christchurch). Warne was second fastest last year when Anne-Marie Tweedie set a new record of 35 mins 435. Warren (nee Vermeulen)

held the old record of 35:56. Warne’s time last year was 35:54. Times are usually dependant on conditions, and last year the conditions were favourable, with a tail wind. Prue Taylor (University), the Canterbury veteran women’s road champion and runner-up in the recent cross country championship, will start from the backmark in the veteran women’s race, off 18 minutes, giving a two minute start to Chris Boulden (Q.E.). The races start in the Governors Bay school grounds and finish at Lyttelton.