National Cross Country Trial 1983

Just after the start. Dan O'Connell leads Barry Ellis and Tom Birnie

In 1982 and 1983 the selection of the New Zealand team to contest the World Cross Country Champs was based on a trial held in the Wellington area, supposedly central for everyone in the country. In 1982 it was over my least favourite course at Trentham Memorial Park and although I contested it I didn't run well. One person who did unexpectedly well in that race (probably to everyone but himself) was Barry Ellis. We hadn't heard of him before but there he was up with the leaders and gaining selection for New Zealand.

Later in the year at the Wairoa to Gisborne Relay I lined up with Dallas McCallum against Barry for the first lap. Both of us were determined to beat him and, from memory, we did. I think Dallas may have come out on top again that day.

After our trip to Rarotonga and party at Tauranga on the way home I got to know Barry quite well and he came and stayed with me for the 1983 trial which was held at Queen Elizabeth Park.

I've always had goals in my running which shift as one is achieved. By 1983 I had two goals. One was to break four minutes for the mile and the other was to represent New Zealand. With the quality of track runners around at the time I really couldn't see myself gaining representative honours there but thought the cross country should be manageable. Also the course was over my favourite stomping ground so, although it was in the midst of the track season, I thought my fitness should be good enough to get me into a position to challenge the selectors.

However, being the height of summer, the course was baked hard and mindful of the way my legs responded to the hard track the previous year, I elected to run in spikes.

The pace from the start was furious and, although I was up with the leading bunch which included Rex Wilson, Gary Palmer, Tom Birnie, Paul Ballinger and Euan Robertson, I was really struggling and not feeling at all free in the legs. Not long after that I decided to pull the plug, deciding there was no way I could keep up that pace for another eight kilometres. I was admonished after the race for this by Rex Wilson who said they deliberately ran fast at the start to sort the men from the boys, then slowed down. Obviously I was one of the boys. Looking at the times run I can see that Rex spoke the truth. His winning time of 38:47 was more than a minute slower than what I had run in the Wellington Champs, over the same course, the previous year (mind you with the pace it started at you'd expect that).

Barry didn't manage to make it this time but he ran his guts out. One enduring memory I have is of going out on a run the next day and Barry saying he felt like a shell. I'd relate to that feeling later in the year.

At least Alan finished the race.