Christchurch boys to run in U.S.

Press, 22 June 1989, Page 42

Christchurch boys to run in U.S.

A squad of 12 athletes from Christchurch Boys’ High School will tour the United States in the summer school holidays. They will be led by their running coach for the last three years, Ms Christine Todd.

The school's senior team won the six-boy national inter-secondary school crosscountry championship at Whakatane last week-end. The team members were

Penn Trevella (7th), Paul Spinks (18th), Kevin Taylor (35th), Paul Caughlan (41st), Simon O’Carroll (42nd), and Nic Cullen (47th). They will be joined on the tour by some other senior boys and some junior runners. Ms Todd said that the boys had been fund-raising for 18 months for the trip and had been well supported by parents. Each Sunday morning the parents have transported the boys to the starting point

for two-hour runs on the Port Hills.

The win at Whakatane came after a third placing last year, but before that there had never been such success. Ms Todd is herself an accomplished runner, still ranked in the top 20 women’s marathon times in New Zealand. Her best time was 2hr 42s set in 1982 in Christchurch. She still holds some road records and last summer was the women’s road

running points champion. She has represented Canterbury at cross country and road running.

She says that the boys have been on what she calls a good Lydiard programme of training, with two long runs a week and solid training on the other days.

The squad will spend about a month in California, racing against other schools and in

open competition in their age groups. She hopes that by gaining international competition the boys will not drop out of the sport when they leave school. She has also accepted a request by some who will leave school at the end of this year to continue coaching them.

The boys are continuing to raise money for their trip and Ms Todd is now seeking sponsorship to help finance the venture.