CHALLENGE CONTESTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19881, 7 March 1939, Page 14

CHALLENGE CONTESTS

PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES THURSDAY’S PROSPECTS In a recent training run Fred Cox, one of the Gisborne Sports Club’s leading distance runners, covered six miles 56yds. in 35min., an average of smin. 50sec. a mile. This performance is of special interest in view of “Iron Man” Cox’s forthcoming attempt on the 12-mile record established by H. J. McLeod on February 23. McLeod averaged Gmin. 7 2-3 sec. per mile in his marathon and the possibility of Cox eclipsing this effort has aroused much interest amongst followers of professional athletics. Cox will make his attempt on Thursday and in order to create a record he will have to cover the distance in less than lhr. 13min. 32sec., which was the time set up by McLeod. An outstanding mile race should be witnessed also on Thursday night as a result of challenges made by several of the club’s star runners. H. J. McLeod, who won the New Zealand amateur shield for the mile outright, being thrice winner of the mile race, is to meet Tommy Trengrove, Poverty Bay distance champion, in a challenge race. Martin Leigh, an exPoverty Bay champion, who showed a return to form last week, has challenged both McLeod and Trengrove, and now J. Foster, late of Timaru, who is known to be a classy runner, has challenged the trio.

Another attraction for the same evening will be an attempt by Robbie Thomson to break the half-mile cycle record.