WITH THE HARRIERS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 249, 20 October 1937, Page 4

WITH THE HARRIERS

SEASON’S END APPROACHES

IBy

“Jog-Trot.”)

Harriers will realise with mixed feelings of relief and regret that the 1937 season i.s rapidly approaching its close, and for the Wanganui Club in particular it lias been strenuous but pleasurable.

Members of the Wanganui Harrier Club travelled to the Rangitikei district to compete in the annual Bulls-to-Marton road race on Saturday, a distance of 10 miles. This marks the close of the season for the Marton Club, and the last trip away for members of the Wanganui Club.

F. Hill ran a race “out of the Lox” to win off the scratch mark, and break the record previously held by C. D. Weller, New Zealand harrier champion. It was only a few weeks ago that Hill competed in the Wangaehu road race held by the Wanganui Club and broke also the record for the course in That he has improved out of sight is very obvious and if he spells up during the offseason should be a runner to be reckoned with next year. His effort on Saturday is worthy of commendation.

Penberthy, of the Wanganui Club, was second. He was fully extended to hold the lead he gained on D. Smith. Over the last mile he was like a kite in the wind, and at the finish could hardly stand. He has run some good races this season, but this is the lirst trophy he has won. Training with the relay team has improved him considerably, and no doubt was responsible for his success on Saturday.

This race is always a hard one and a runner not finishing the course has good excuse. On Saturday the heat worried the competitors, and the surface of the road caused feet to blister and swell. Last year the race was won by L. Dromgoole, captain of the Wanganui Club.

Training for the relay race to be held next Monday is proceeding steadily, and the A team is shaping really well. G. Bills i.s the fittest man in the team and is showing a good deal of spirit. On one evening last week he ran a mile on the outside in 4min. 45sec., quite a good performance for a runner who has been training over long distances for some time.

It is expected that the Wanganui Club will enter three teams in the Labour Day event, a procedure never before embarked upon. Although the second B team has a negligible chance of winning the event the experience younger members will gain will be invaluable.

It is expected that the record for the course will be broken this year, as in place of gravelly and rough-sur-faced roads there is a tar-sealed surface all the way. The record for the distance is held bv the Wanganui Club.

The Wanganui Club holds the W. L. Young Cup for the A grade event which was won by them two years ago and defended last year. It is expected that the Scottish and Marton Clubs will provide the bulk of the opposition this year. La>. year the Scottish Club, who were expected to

be the chief contenders for the trophy finished well back after one of theii team members injured a foot. This year the Scottish Club, with the addition of A. Bourgeois, late of Wanganui, are a stronger combination than ever, and it will take a solid team to show them the way to Cook’s Gardens. Marton Club in many quarters are looked upon as prospective winners and it i.s granted that their chances of lifting the trophy are good. At the national harrier championships held at Timaru some weeks ago the Marton Club provided the majority of the men who formed the West Coast team, and the fact that they finished third in the teams event in the face of the strongest opposition the Dominion could otfer serves to demonstrate their true capabilities. It is true that that race was across country, but even on the road the red singlets go well and it is their team work that paves the way to their successes. • • • • The Wanganui A team is weak—far weaker than it has been for years past—but despite that fact the runners of the local club are facing up to the task of defending the coveted cup in no uncertain manner and every man in the team will give of his best to uphold the honour of the blue black and gold. Three men out of the team made a big difference and j the matter cannot be passed over lightly. Weller, New Zealand champion, was a solid mainstay, Bourgeois was of inestimable value, and Bevege, twice member of the winning team, was another whose support paved the way to victory. These men are gone and their loss is only too obvious.

Beside being one of the chief harrier events in the North Island it is looked upon as a social function of importance. A large number of runners from various centres are to be in Wanganui during the week-end and the local club does its utmost in entertaining the visitors. The majority are to be billeted at the Aramoho motor camp, and a more suitable site could not be imagined.

The national harrier championships for 1938 have been allocated to New Plymouth. When it was announced that the championships had been given to the West Coast Centre it was hoped by many in Wanganui that the centre would allocate the event to this city. The national championships were held here in 1933.

The season which is now drawing to a close has been a long and strenuous one. Members of the Wanganui Club have travelled to Marton on three occasions, to Palmerston North, Dannevirke, Masterton and Napier, and in all have travelled more than 1000 miles in the season. The harrier season for the Wanganui Club is a long I one, and the majority of members are 'not sorry when they hang up their I shoes for the summer months.