Gutsy race by Campbell

Press, 23 February 1987, Page 24

Gutsy race by Campbell

NZPA Luton John Campbell, ignored by the selectors for the New Zealand team to compete at the world cross-country championships in Poland, ran a gutsy race to finish twelfth in the English championships at Luton on Saturday. In a last ditch attempt to prove his form to the selectors, Campbell ran a superb race, working his way from twenty-fifth place at the end of the first lap in one of the best fields compiled in years at the 100th English championships. He missed finishing in the top 10 by 2 seconds. Campbell’s time of 48min 28s was nearly min down on London’s Dave Clarke who reclaimed the national title he won at Leeds in 1982. A happy, but frustrated, Campbell said afterwards: "That will not get recognised back home. But on that performance I would finish in the first 50 at the world championships.”

The Kiwi runner has been unbeaten in the Kent cress country league al! winter. He finished thirteenth in the New York marathon and has just returned to his Kent club, Dartford Harriers, after winning the Philippines marathon but was not included in the New Zealand team because he did not compete in the trials at home.

He said: “I keep wondering if I can be as good as what I am running but after today I am convinced I am a lot better than I think I am.”

Campbell will now run the Los Angeles marathon on March 1 then plans to return to New Zealand to "prove myself’ to the selectors in the Rotorua marathon on May 1 followed by the Christchurch marathon in June. However, should the selectors have a change of mind he is keen to come back to Europe to compete at Warsaw on March 22. “I would love to ran for New Zealand in Poland.”