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EZ 1961 

The Emil Zatopek 10,000 metres is one of the longest, continually run, track distance races in the world.

Inaugurated in 1961 as the 10,000 metres championship of the Victorian Marathon Club, ‘the Zatopek’ had its 50th running last year and now, in 2011, its 50th birthday.

The men’s Zatopek has been staged annually since. The Zatopek has only one peer when it comes to non-national championship 10,000 metre track races: Kobe, in Japan, has staged a men’s 10,000 at the Hyogo Relays every year since 1952.

These days, the Zatopek is commonly host to the national title and is always a key component of selection for Australian teams to Olympic, and Commonwealth, Games and world championships.

The only tangible reward to the winner, however, is a rudimentary trophy made out of a red-gum railway sleeper. Geoff Warren, one of the early VMC members designed it and Les Perry, a foundation member, described it as “solid, tough and durable, as appropriate to such an event, and to perpetuate the name and contribution to world and Olympic sport by this greatest of all distance runners.”

Percy Cerutty, Les Perry, Bert Gardiner, Gordon Stanley, Bob Prentice, Fred Lester – the men who founded the VMC were men of stubborn endurance. The Zatopek:10, the race they named in honour of their hero, Emil Zatopek, has proven to be as tough and resilient as its founders.

50 years ago: the first ‘Zatopek’, 18 December, 1961

The first of Ron Clarke’s five Zatopek wins was not what the world would come to know as a typical Ron Clarke race. The future world record breaker trailed Tony Cook throughout the second half of the race before his final sprint took him to the lead 50 metres from the finish and a narrow win, 30 minutes 36 seconds to 30:38.

Trevor Vincent was third in 30:56.

From little things . . . . Within three years, Clarke was the world record holder – setting his record in the 1963 Zatopek race – and an Olympic bronze medallist; Vincent was the Commonwealth Games 3000 metres steeplechase gold medallist and a 1964 Olympian; and Cook was eighth in the 1964 Olympic 10,000 final.

All of which must have been some consolation to Bruce Russell of Mentone, who finished fourth in the first Zatopek race. At least he could say it took three good ‘uns to beat him.

40 years ago: the 1971 Zatopek, 20 December

The 1971 Zatopek:10 was held at Melbourne University track. Rarely has the old motto, a healthy mind in a healthy body, been more apt.

World marathon record holder Derek Clayton pulled out two laps into the race with a calf injury. He failed the ‘healthy body’ test.

First across the line was Tony Benson, but he was neither a financial member of the Victorian Marathon Club, nor had he put his entry in on time. He definitely failed the ‘healthy mind’ criterion.

So the race went to Tony Williams, who had finished 17 seconds behind Benson’s 29 minutes 29 seconds. Trevor Vincent was second and Arch Sansonetti, who was also a talented cyclist, third.

Clayton tore round the first lap in 64 seconds before feeling a tightening in his left calf and stopping.

“Blast it . . . Oh, blast. It’s the story of my life. Here we go again,” Clayton was quoted. The second bit may be accurate – Clayton sustained numerous injuries as he punished his body with heavy training loads - but thinking of the feisty and straight-talking Clayton “blast, oh blast” may have been tidied up a touch.

Benson went on to make the 1972 Olympic team. His other consolation is that he may be the most talented distance athlete in Australian history never to win the Zatopek. The other claimant for that distinction would possibly be Chris Wardlaw, a 1976 Olympic 10,000 finalist. Interestingly, both Benson (Barcelona 1992) and Wardlaw (Sydney 2000) were Olympic head coaches.

Williams went on to win several Victorian, and one national, title at 5000 metres.

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Tickets have today gone on-sale for the 2012 Australian Athletics Tour, including a $12.28 offer for the IAAF World Challenge Melbourne in recognition of Sally Pearson’s (Qld) gold-medal winning time.

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MONACO — Jamaican sprint icon Usain Bolt and Australia's Sally Pearson, the world 100m hurdles champion, were named athletes of the year by athletics' governing body the IAAF here Saturday.

Bolt, the Olympic 100 metres champion, wins the award for the third time after being honoured in 2008 and 2009.

This year the 25-year-old notably retained his 200m crown at the world championships in Daegu where he also helped Jamaica defend the 4x100m relay in a new world record time of 37.04sec.

In South Korea Bolt, however, squandered his chance to defend his world 100m crown when he was disqualified from the final for a false start, allowing compatriot Yohan Blake to succeed him.

It was in Daegu that Pearson, 25, produced the fourth fastest time in history, and the fastest in 19 years, for the women's hurdles event which she dominated in a time of 12.21sec.

She becomes the first athlete from Oceania to be honoured as such by the IAAF since the awards were introduced in 1988.

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This year you had a crack at your first European track season, what did you learn from that experience?

 

First thing is that "Speeclous" spread on bread is one of the tastiest things ever (thanks to Malcolm Hicks for introducing me) and also that I'm really lucky to get to spend 3months per year is such an incredible/diverse place. Another thing is that next year will be better to travel with a group of like minded athletes rather than by myself, as its just more fun with all the banter that way!

 

How would you rate your European season overall? Did you achieve the goals you set leading in?

 

In retrospect it was a bit of disaster and I was quite disappointed with it...I ran no faster over there than I had in some races in NZ (sometimes on my own even) and that was very frustrating. Though looking back I probably overcooked it a bit in training before leaving NZ, which led to blips along the way in terms of sickness/injury once I arrived in Europe. But whatever, I will work to turn that around for next time.

What did you do once you arrived back in NZ - did you take a break at all?

 

First thing was to give my coach (piloneeee) a lot of crap about the warriors making the grand final (it was a bitter week for the old bastard). Nah really I basically had fun for a few weeks (lots of Madden playing with Shane Rhode on the PS3) and then got into some running again in time for the NZRR. Amazingly I also got a job and am due to continue my studies over summer school as well (bit of catching up to do). Injury prevention and all the tiny things like regular massage/nutrition/good health etc have been a big focus as well too so that when I start the hard yards I am not waiting to break down again.

 

What is the plan for the upcoming season? Do you have any specific races planned out?

 

Will race a bit of domestic stuff (mostly 800m/1500m) and then head over to aussie in Feb/Mar for a couple of the bigger 1500's they have on over there.

 

What is training looking like for you at the moment?

Going terrible but I'm only just getting back into it so pretty relaxed about it for now.

 

Do you have any training partners right now? Where are your local stomping grounds?

 

I usually am hitting the hills around Cornwall Park and also drive out to Woodhills forest for most of my longer runs. The Auckland Domain is workout central for me and also go to the Millenium Institute alot for the gym/pool/alter-g sessions (i.e. recovery central!) I do most of my training on my own but hope to start getting out a bit more with Reid hunter, alex parlane, and aaron jackson as they're good positive guys to be around

 

Chris Pilone coaches you, do you have much input into your day-to-day training?

 

I'm lucky if Pilone actually makes it to a session, rather than getting lost or fiddling with his bloody bikes he loves to ride so much! I feel I'm pretty smart in myself as a runner so don't really need him there all the time. So he gives me a long leash and we go over things when need be. Mostly though we talk about things unrelated to running such as the obvious match-fixing going on between Aussie/South Africa in the test match at the moment!!!

Hayden trains in the New Balance 890. Check them out in the NB shop.

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NEW YORK - Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya captured the men's title at the New York City Marathon on Sunday in course-record time, while Firehiwote Dado of Ethiopia claimed the women's crown.

Mutai, who set the Boston Marathon record earlier this year, finished in a time of two hours, five minutes and six seconds, surpassing the previous mark of 2:07:43 set by Tesfaye Jifar of Ethiopia in 2001.

"The race was not easy.," said Mutai. " Although I won, it was not easy. The course was tough."

In April, Mutai set the course-record in Boston, finishing in two hours, three minutes and two seconds.

Fellow Kenyan Emmaunel Mutai (no relation) was the runner-up for the second straight year, finishing in 2:06:28, while Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia took third with a time of 2:07:14.

"The race was more or less very good for me," said Kebede. "It's a new race for me. I've never run here before, and the course has a lot of uphills and downhills, which is also good for me. So I believe it went well."

Defending title winner Gebre Gebremariam finished fourth at 2:08:00.

Dado, a three-time Rome Marathon champion, captured the women's title in comeback fashion, overtaking Ethiopian Buzunesh Deba to finish in a time of 2:23:15 in her New York Marathon debut.

"I'm very happy," said Dado. "It was a very good race. It was a tough race, and I didn't expect this result. But I'm very happy to have won New York."

Deba, who lives in the Bronx and is the fastest-ever female New York marathoner, hit the wire in a time of 2:23:19.

The top American man on Sunday was 2009 champion Meb Keflezighi of California, who placed sixth with as time of 2:09:13.

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Here I am once again writing about my last few months of training…..still no PB’s, no records, no major goals achieved. (Well not on the running scene anyway!) … but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

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From Sam Maxwell Sports Management

 

Australian marathon runner Lisa Weightman has attained an Olympic qualifying time and a twelfth place finish at today’s BMW Frankfurt Marathon.

 

While her time of 2:29:23 is shy of her personal best of 2:28:48 which she set in winning the 2010 Nagano International Marathon, it is well under the 2:32:00 mark set by Athletics Australia for qualification for next year’s London Olympics.

 

In a strong international field, Weightman ran conservatively in the first half of the race, crossing in 1:13:20.

 

Although a significant time away from training in the first five months of the year due to injury contributed to a slower second half split, the time was still Weightman’s second fastest of her career.

 

Having spent the last few months training at altitude in Boulder, Colorado, Weightman said that she was looking forward to returning home to Australia to begin preparations for 2012.

 

“Now that I am getting fit again, I want to move forward,” Weightman said.

 

“This year before I got injured we had a lot of plans to tackle two marathons, do some other road races and really catapult to the next stage.

 

“However because of the injuries it obviously didn’t happen, so I am very grateful for the opportunity to get the qualifying time under my belt in a short and intense preparation.”

 

Weightman’s success is the second time in as many weeks an Australian has posted an Olympic “A” marathon time, with fellow Dick Telford-trained athlete Michael Shelley recording 2:11:23 at the Amsterdam Marathon on 16 October.

 

Pending confirmation from the selection panel, Weightman’s appearance at London next year will be her second Olympic Games after Beijing in 2008

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You guys are off to Louisville for Conference this weekend, can you guys emulate the All Blacks and win while doing it the hard way?

The guys and I are really looking forward to this weekend. We’re expecting it to be just as much of a nail bitter as the AB’s had over the Frogs (Editors note: The Runner’s Tribe does not take responsibility for Mathews racial comments regarding the sovereign state of France). However, we do have a few Kiwi’s in our way, with the boys at Providence running awesome this year, but we’re looking forward to the showdown. The Big East is such a big deal for both the team and the coaching staff and this is the first time in a decade we have had a legitimate chance at taking home the title. So we’ll take it anyway we have to run it (be it ugly or not).

Typically you have finished the money-end of each season as Villanova’s no.1 guy both on and off the course, are you starting to find some form?

This year definitely hasn’t gone according to plan. I’ve really come to realize how big of a toll stress can play on a runner. Unfortunately this is part and parcel with being a student athlete at such an academically rigorous school. It has been a combination of a few things that we think (my coaches and I) has left me pretty drained. Things are turning around for the better, and after a great summer and an even better opener at the Mainline Invite I know the form is there. It’s really great to have a team of studs who have stepped up and kept us competitive while a few of the guys get back on track.

Two years ago your team was 11th in the country and you were All-American, yet last year you didn’t quite match the same success. What happened?

Last year was one of those years where things didn’t seem to click across the board, which is a tough thing to swallow on the back of such a good season the year before. We had a few injuries and illnesses take down some of our top guys early, but again we had guys step up to keep the momentum rolling. In fact I would say that a lot of guys left the season on a high note. We really got up and had a stella run at regional’s (considering the circumstances) placing second behind a very good Princeton team. NCAA’s was always going to be tough running against such a high caliber field especially when things aren’t going exactly to plan. We ended up 23rd which is honestly where we were probably expected to fall.

Your team mates Matt Gibney and Keith Capecci are both running well this season and will be huge factors at Conference, who do you think would win in a mud-wrestling fight between those two?

To your first point: The boys are really leading the charge out there this season! It’s great to see Gibney showing us distance boys how it’s done, and Keith being a Bawse as usual.

Now to the meat of your question: That’s a huge call. You have two large Alpha males squaring off. This thing is definitely going late into the 12th. If I’m going to go with my gut I’d have to go with Keith. Having had experience with the big guy in the ring I can say first hand that he knows how to get the job done. However if you’ve ever seen the Gibinator with 100 to go you know he won’t go down without a fight. I say Keith gets it in a choke out- give or take some hair pulling.

I heard that you are engaged to be married, is that true?

Mathew declined to offer a legitimate response to this question obviously due to the seriousness of the situation. We at The Runner’s Tribe wish him all the best.

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•     Celia Sullohern (Distance, Cross-Country)
•     Eliza Curnow (800m/1500m)
•     Johnny Rayner (800m)

Celia Sullohern (NSW)

• Born: 05/07/1992
• Coach: Scott Westcott
• Personal Best's: 
  • 3000m - 9:30.26
  • 5000m - 16:14.47 (mix)
  • 6km CC - 20:02
• Major Achievements:
  • 21st - 2011 World Junior Cross Country Championships
  • 1st - 2011 World Junior Cross Country Trials
  • 1st - 2011 Australian Junior Cross Country Championships
  • 1st - 2011 NSW Cross Country Championships (U/20)
  • 1st - 2011 NSW Short Course Cross Country Championships (U/20)
  • 2nd - 2010 Australian All Schools Cross Country Championships
  • 2nd - 2010 Australian Junior and Youth Championships (3000m)
  • 3rd - 2010 Oceania Cross Country Championships

There is no doubt that Sullohern is an athlete on the rise, with her crowning moment coming at the 2011 World Junior Cross Country Championships. Only 10 Australian junior women have ever placed in the top-20 at the World Championships, so Sullohern's 21st placing was an outstanding result.

Sullohern has recently moved out of home to attend University in Newcastle (Bachelor of Physotherapy), and is now 100% focussed on a running career. Although she has raced sparingly on the track in the past, Sullohern will attempt to set PB's over 3000m and 5000m over the coming domestic season.

Overall Sullohern is a very talented athlete with a great future over the distance events, both on the track and in Cross Country events. Look out for even more big performances from the 19 year-old over the coming 12 months!

Eliza Curnow (VIC)

• Born: 03/03/1992
• Coach: Bruce Sriven
• Personal Bests:
  • 800m - 2.04.83
  • 1500m - 4.25.56
• Major Achievements:
  • 1st - 2011 Australian Junior Championships (800m)
  • 2nd - 2011 Australian Junior Championships (1500m)
  • 3rd - 2010 Australian Junior Championships (800m)
  • 3rd - 2010 Australian Junior Championships (1500m)
  • 2nd - 2009 Australian All-Schools Championships (800m)
  • 5th - 2011 Australian Open Championships (800m)

Curnow burst onto the scene in 2011 with an impressive win at the Australian Junior Championships, but more impressive was her 5th placing at the Australian Open Championships in Melbourne in April. Her time of 2.04.83 places her at no.10 on the Australian Junior all-time ranking list and more importantly it showed us that Eliza Curnow is a name to watch out for in 2012.

Expectations are high for the 19 year-old Victorian over the coming years, with a time around 2.02 over the coming domestic season definately on the cards. With Tamysn Manou likely to race many times over 800m throughout the domestic season (chasing an Olympic "A" qualifier) it will be a great opportunity for Curnow to step up into the senior ranks and race the likes of Manou and fellow Victorians, Kelly Hetherington and Katherine Katsanevakis on a regular basis.

Johnny Rayner (VIC)

• Born: 25/03/1991
• Coach: Gregor Gojzeweski
• Personal Bests:
  • 400m - 48.20sec (2010)
  • 800m - 1.47.98 (2011)
• Major Achievements:
  • 3rd - 2011 Australian Championships (800m)
  • 4th - 2010 Australian Junior Championships (400m)
  • Member of the 4x400m squad for 2010 World Junior Championships

In all honesty there would have been a few people at Olympic Park who were watching the men's 800m final at the 2011 Australian Championships saying Johnny who? Although Rayner represented Australia at the World Junior Championships in the 4x400m (although he didn't manage to run due to injury), many athletic fans wouldn't have known too much about Johnny Rayner prior to his bronze medal performance at the Australian Championships.

This is largely due to the fact that Rayner was almost lost to another sport entirely - AFL football. Therefore in 2008/09 we didn't see much of Rayner on the track, after previously running a 1.51.50 as a 16 year-old in 2007. Although a career in the AFL has eluded Rayner, we are now witnessing one of the next middle distance stars in Australia - specifically over the two laps. What can Rayner produce in 2012? Only time will tell, but we can tell you that there is much excitement surrounding this 'surprise' bronze medalist from the 2011 Australian championships!


 

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Last week on a windy day in Toronto, two handsome Canadians qualified to run the marathon at the Olympic Games in London next year. Around the same time in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, the 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medalist in the marathon, Michael Shelley of Australia, proved once again that he is fast becoming Australia’s best marathoner by clocking a personal best time of 2:11.23 – another Olympic qualifier.  Australia could still very well have three men in the marathon in London, with Jeff Hunt and Lee Troop just two of the men who have proven they can run the time.

New Zealand is similar to Australia and Canada in many ways. We are all part of the Anglo-Saxon historical experience – arguably making us genetically alike, while each governing body of athletics shares similarities. Most notably a system characterized by government funding based upon medals at major championships. Yet New Zealand will have no men on the start line in London for the marathon, the same situation as Beijing in 2008, and the 2006 Commonwealth Games. By next year it will be almost a decade of decline for male marathoning in New Zealand, an event that we like to think resonates with the toughness and work ethic of kiwis.

Apart from Mike Aish running 2:13.20 to win the Arizona marathon in 2008, no kiwi has run under the IAAF A-standard of 2:15.00 since Dale Warrander and Jonathan Wyatt qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games. Aish might as well have run 2:30 to win the race that day because Athletics New Zealand (ANZ) pretended it never happened anyway. Moreover, despite the IAAF standard being set at 2:15, ANZ have continued to set the bar higher and higher each year, despite no one achieving the previous standards. Like Nic Bideau recently said, “I don’t see why we need to place the bar higher than the IAAF set it at. We don’t make our tracks longer down here do we? If we want to encourage people to put their lives on hold to pursue this sport we should be selecting them if we can.”

So does New Zealand have what it takes to match Canada and Australia and produce some decent marathoners? Remembering that we are excluding those athletes that ANZ doesn’t like, then absolutely. Lets use Canadian Reid Coolsaet as the model for success.

I know Reid; I have trained with his group and have seen what they do. They don’t have massive contracts (although if it hadn’t been for the wind Reid could very well have been $36,000 better off), world-class facilities, or even good weather. What they do have is an amazing work ethic, an ability to grow awesome moustaches, and a fantastic coach that has created a model for distance running success that is very much outside the governing bodies bright ideas. Overall, Canada has a pretty similar set-up in terms of governing-body infrastructure to NZ, although they actually have harder standards. What Canada has is a group like Speed River Track Club set up independently of the governing body – headed by an enigmatic coach and supported by private sponsors, most notably New Balance. The closest thing to this in NZ is Paul Hamblyn’s Stride Academy, although that is at present a university-level program.

There is plenty of funding for New Zealand’s top-level athletes. Kim Smith and Nick Willis have no trouble paying the bills and receive a significant amount of money every year from ANZ (and of course from Reebok). Yet how do the rest of the country’s athletes get there? If a group like Speed River Track Club popped up, ANZ would undoubtedly want their name and all over it, but would never take the ‘risk’ of putting it together themselves. Yet the quintessential product of this model - Reid Coolsaet, is going to be an Olympian. He ran 2:10 on a windy day by going out with balls as big as a hockey goalie. He is a superstar. He also ran 14:12 for 5,000m at the age of 23. Would ANZ believe like his coach Dave Scott-Thomas did that he could one day be an Olympian? No. In fact, based on ANZ’s ‘indicators of potential’ to compete at the 2016 Games, Reid would had to have run 13:29 at 23 to receive any kind of support in his endeavors.

Because of the government funding structure, ANZ is like the current global economy - all the wealth is in the hands of a few. In regards to funding, it is far better for ANZ to have Nick Willis’ silver medal when they go hat in hand to the government than three men on the line in the 10,000m and the marathon. But is it better for the sport? It all depends what your definition of “better” is. The trickle down effect of half a dozen guys who have run an A or B standard, been to a major championships and are living and training in NZ is arguably far better for the future of the sport. They might not be medalists, but they ran the IAAF time and they competed. It’s not nostalgia – it happens. As a 19-year-old I was (and still am) far more inspired by athletes like Paul Hamblyn who showed that regular guys can do it too, not just the guys who ran 4:00min miles in high school. What’s funny (or shit, I suppose) is that Paul didn’t actually get ANZ support until after his Commonwealth Games 4^th place, not before. He got there by his own means and with the support of his coach Chris Pilone.

I’m not saying that every man and his dog who has run 30:00 for 10k in their 20’s is good enough to be an Olympian – far from it. What I am saying is that potential is measured by more than just the numbers. The current system provides support almost purely on talent, leaving untold numbers of potential stars swept under the rug. Many will (and have) head to the United States, only to come home and realize that there is stuff-all infrastructure to become a decent athlete and throw it in. At present, my generation has a better chance of making it to the Olympic Games by marrying a Canadian and jumping in with the New Balance-Speed River group in Guelph. Hey Sheila Reid – are you keen?

New Zealanders are as tough and talented as Canadians, and far better looking. There has to be a Reid Coolsaet floating around in NZ. I have seen dozens of gingers on the streets of Wellington; surely one of them could run a 2:10 marathon. What we need is a figure like Dave Scott-Thomas: someone outside of the system who actually understands development and is prepared to create his own team and pathway to success. So far two men have qualified for the Canadian Olympic team in the marathon, (Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis) and both of them are part of Dave’s team in Guelph.

We shouldn’t leave it up to our Commonwealth cousins of Canada and Australia to have successful marathoners. New Zealand can be just as good, it just needs a shake-up. 


Daniel Wallis for The Runner's Tribe