Colourful, competitive and up for a chat
Late Friday afternoons at the Grand will be less interesting and less controversial without Kevin Ross, who died last Thursday.
On arrival in Whanganui back in 1973, I heard a lot about Kevin and his successful career as a middledistance runner, coached outstandingly by the late Toby Bowyer.
This career included a six-year unbeaten run over 800m, 1500m and the mile, New Zealand Junior and senior titles, a New Zealand Junior 880 yard record, New Zealand representation at the Australian Championships in 1968 and at the Pacific Conference Games in Tokyo (1969).
Ross, along with Tony Polhill, Richard Tayler and Dick Quax set the world 4 x 1 mile record of 16m 04.8s at Mount Smart Stadium in February 1972. Ross won the mile at the opening of the Porritt Stadium in December 1970 (4:00.9) and won a notable victory in an international 800m in February 1972 winning from John Walker, Polhill and Jere van Dyk.
It was in 1977 that I first really met Ross when we shared management of the West Coast North Island team to what was the third edition of the New Zealand Colts Championships in Hawera, the second-last championships to be held on a grass track.
We roomed together in a small motel and, during the weekend, I learned much about his passion and knowledge of the sport which told so much more than reading about his impressive racing statistics.
I found he was not afraid to speak his mind about his beliefs and in no uncertain terms he told the then NZAA hierarchy where they were failing the sport.
We met frequently, usually as coaches of rival athletes. Ross began to carve out an impressive record. This continued in Wellington over many years as it became his base as a successful coach of distance runners from 800m to the marathon including cross- country and mountain running.
Ross, on his return to Whanganui, along with Russell Sears set up the Whanganui Sports Heritage Trust where he put his IT skills, athletics knowledge and passion for the sport to excellent use.
It also brought a group together weekly socially where discussion was lively, controversial but always interesting. A full obituary has appeared on the Athletics New Zealand website.
The Manawatu Whanganui Cross Country Championships hosted by the Wanganui Harrier Club will be held at Bason Botanic Gardens on Rapanui Rd, Westmere on Saturday with races starting at 12.30pm with the grades from under 9 upwards.
The venue is outstanding and will provide excellent racing and preparation for the major events that lie ahead including the New Zealand Championships in Dunedin on August 29 and New Zealand Schools a month later in Hawera on Saturday, September 19.
There is strong local interest in junior grades. New Zealand Schools representative George Lambert and Ben Conder finished first and second respectively at the Whanganui Collegiate Championships at the end of June but will run in different grades on Saturday.
Conder will compete in the under20 grade and Lambert in the under18s. They start together but the younger grade runs 6 kilometres (3 laps of the 2km circuit) and the older 8km.
Conder could face strong opposition from Luke Scott who became the fastest Parkrunner in
New Zealand clocking 14m 53s in Palmerston North in March.
The well-performed Andre Le Pine Day (Palmerston North ) and William Leong are also in the mix. George Lambert, who has only had the one race over 3 kilometres, could face stiff opposition from out of town athletes Nelson Doolan and Samuel
Stitchbury (fresh off a 5km Parkrun of 16m 24s)with Cameron Walker recently 3rd in the Hawke’s Bay Secondary Schools a likely starter.
Mackenzie Morgan, who finished 10th as a junior at New Zealand Schools last year and who set the fastest time at the Collegiate Championships, will be travelling from her Miramar, Wellington, home to compete on Saturday in the under 18 grade.
In a preview to Whanganui
Schools scheduled for August 17 on the Whanganui Collegiate Golf Course, she will face strong opposition from Nga Tawa athlete Emma Fergusson running for Moa and Collegiate teammate Josephine Perkins, who is still only 15.
The senior women’s race over 8km will start at 1pm with both the women’s under-18 and under-20 and masters grades.
Former NZ Schools International Tessa Webb who has been unable to return to her base in North Carolina at High Point University will be a strong favourite.
The men’s grades start together at 2.10pm and with Christian Conder going back to the US to complete his final year of study, it leaves the race open for Josh Paine, Luke Watts, Chris Lines and Jason Daws to fight it out.