Prince wins 50-mile race

Press, 3 April 1989, Page 25

Prince wins 50-mile race

It was third time lucky for Russell Prince (Sumner) on Saturday when he won the Run for Your Life Brighton 50-mile road running race in Christchurch. Prince had finished third in each of his last starts, last year and in 1987, but this time he paced himself better and was better prepared, resulting in not only a win over classy competition, but also a time of shr 23min 13s, which is the second fastest on the course in its 27-year history and the third fastest 50 mile run on the road or track in New Zealand. The race record is held by Roger Alcorn (5:18:09). As predicted, Jane Ross (Rover) also ran a fast time,

breaking the race record set by Helen Grant (Sumner) in 1987 of 6:34:29. Ross’s time was 6:27:46, the fastest by any woman in Australia or New Zealand. In many of the 27 years of the race Ross’s time would have been good enough for her to take the over-all title. Even as recently as 1975 the winning time, by the great Don Cameron, was only 6:38:58. Fifty-one starters, half of them running the distance for the first time, began outside the Run for Your Life shop in Brighton Mall at 7 a.m. as the sun rose over the sea to present a clear sunny day. Forty finished, with,the last of them being the oldest, John Drew, aged 75. His time

was 13hr 27min 355. It was his fourteenth ”50.” One who withdrew was Tony Good (Olympic), who set a cracking early pace. Good had had a cold last week, so wisely called it quits about half-way.

That left Prince in his usual role as pacemaker, with a four-minute lead over the rest of the field. But no-one could predict the outcome at the half-way stage, because in the field were at least six others capable of winning. They included Neville Mercer (Auckland), the winner of the Kia Toa 50 mile in February; the Brighton titleholder, Jeff Hill; the runner-up last year, Peter Jeromson (Wellington); the 1986 and 1987

winner, Don Mitchell; and a 2hr 31 min marathoner, Richard Were (Auckland). First to give chase was Mercer, but he could not close the gap. Mitchell fought a duel with Hill, alternating places until the Murray Aynsley hill, where he broke away and set off in pursuit of Prince. But Prince held on to win by Imin 435. Both men are building up for bigger things. Prince, better known for his exploits as a regular Coast-to-Coast triathlete will compete in the Western States 100 mile race in the United States in June, while Mitchell will compete in the Winfield Sydney to Melbourne next month. Mercer, too, has his sights on a

100 mile race, around Mount Ruapehu in November. Helen Grant, the former women’s record holder, let Ross set the early pace, hanging back and gambling that Ross might not be able to sustain the seven minute a mile pace she began at. But Ross hung on, and while Grant made some ground in the second half, the gap was too big and she had to settle for second, in what was still her best time from four starts. Averill West (Nelson) ran a good first-up time of 7:13:22, finishing strongly, while the only other woman in the race, Jenys Condon (Christchurch), finished in 9:27.40. It was her first ultra.