On the Track 1976-1978

Unfortunately this post is just boring text.

It's funny how your memory can shuffle events out of order over the years and I thought the next photos I intended to post were from my first year in the senior ranks on the track. However I did have a little diary I kept for 1979 which showed that the race actually occurred in that year.

So now I have sorted out the order of events in my head I thought I'd write them down so that things don't get twisted again.

1976-1977 Track Season

I had done some athletics at school competing in all manner of running events but also managed to represent Kapiti College at high jump (which was a pretty good effort considering how short I was). I looked at the caliber of athletes in various events and decided that my best bet for representing Wellington would be the steeplechase. Having been quite good at gymnastics at primary school and with my high jump abilities the steeplechase should have been a cinch. It was with this sort of confidence I approached the first water jump in my first attempt at the discipline. The water didn't look that wide so I thought I could clear it and keep my shoes dry so I got a good spring off the hurdle, cleared the water and nearly collapsed on the track from the impact on landing. Needless to say all the water jumps I've done subsequently have been more orthodox.

True to plan I was good enough to get selected for the Wellington team for the National Athletics Champs in Hamilton at the steeplechase. I was also selected for the 5000m (probably because I was going anyway). I didn't do particularly well in either race. In fact I was lapped by John Park and Dave Hatfield as they battled it out down the home straight in the 5000.

1977-1978 Track Season

I didn't really fancy the steeplechase that much and had another look at who was competing in what event on the track. In the 1500m I judged that I should, on my day, be able to beat pretty much anyone in the Wellington centre apart from Rod Dixon (Nelson being part of the Wellington centre in those days). I was encouraged in my thinking with a good performance of 1:58.5 over 800m a week before the Nationals in the previous season. However, my best performance over 1500 was only 4:08.

My main aim for the season was to break 4 minutes for the 1500, which seemed a tall order, but I chipped away at it, often having to make the pace myself in the notorious Newtown Park conditions. I finally got there at a league meeting in January with a time of 3:57.8 after which settled back and raced the races rather than pushing for good times.

It was a week or two before the Wellington Champs when I lined up for a race containing all the contenders for the title. I held on while Dan O'Connell and Noel Ingram set a pretty good pace and then blitzed both of them over the last 100m. The finishing kick surprised everyone, including myself.

Lining up for the Wellington Champs I thought I could win it. However, I knew (or thought I knew) what I was capable of and when Rex Dowding took off from the start and ran the first lap in 58 seconds I was left floundering in his wake. Noel Ingram had stuck closer to Rex and overtook him with just over a lap to go leaving me well behind. I overtook Rex and gained a lot on Noel over the last 300m but couldn't catch him. Still it was a good personal best of 3:53.6 (behind the winning time of 3:52.4) and a 15 second improvement over the season. Over the rest of my track career I would improve another 10 seconds.

Again I was selected for the Nationals but failed to progress past the heats.