A NEW ZEALAND WALKER

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 235, 27 June 1908, Page 5

A NEW ZEALAND WALKER

winsraces at'hom;- * v: '/' IT TEI-EGKAPn—raESB ASSOCIATION—COPi'itIQUi tendon, June 25. A. E. M. Rowlands;' a' New Zealahder, has won several walking races iii England. Ho covered two miles in 14min. 14sec. at the Stadium, which has beon built at Shepherd's Bush for the Olympic Games. ROWLANDS, LARNER, AND KERR, AND THEIRiTIMES. For some years Rowlands, who' resided at Christchurch, was the most-successful amateur walker in the Dominion. In 1007 he won both tho one mile and three mile walks at tho Australasian amateur championships; At tho New Zoaland amateur championships in the same year ho woii tho one mile walk iu 6miu. 46 2-ssec., and the threo mile walk in 22inin., 51scc. G. E. Lamer, the holder of tho world's amateur record, covered two" miles in 13min. 11 2-ssec. at Manchester in 1904. It will also bo interesting to note that H. Kerr, who. will represent New Zealand in tho amatour walking contests at the forthcoming- Olympic Games, traversed the distance in 13miu. 47 2-ssec. at Dunedin, on January 1, 1904. . It is claimed that the. stadium is the finest sports arena in the world. It is expected to accommodate 70,000 spectators in-the-ordinary way, of whom 17,000 will be under cover. The total cost was about ,£00,000; Tho arena, which is oblong in shape with rounded edges, is about 700 feet long and 300 broad. Surrounding' it is a running track of threo laps to a mile—tho same size as the track at tho famous old Lillie Bridge ground—and encircling that' again is a cyolo- track, three-eighths of a mile in circumference, or 2 2-3 laps to the mile. Cut out of the turf on tho far side of the ground is a swimming bath 109 yards long, at which a special diving board will be erected 55 feot feot in height. Special attention has been paid to the running track, which has been settling down wonderfully well, and is declared to ha one of the fastest in the country, while tho cycle track is on tho mcst up-to-date linos.