10 years ago: the 2001 Zatopek, 6 December

If the stand-out individual performance in Zatopek:Ten history is Ron Clarke’s world record in 1963, Susie Power’s win in the 2001 women’s race would be next in line.

Clarke ran the fastest-time ever, Power the fourth-fastest time in the world in 2001. No-one else in race history – not Steve Moneghetti, not Lisa Ondieki, not Luke Kipkosgei, not Carolyn Schuwalow – has produced a run ranking that high on the annual list.

Power is one of the great ‘might have beens’ of Australian athletics. A brilliant talent, she was largely unfulfilled. A silver medallist at a world junior championships, bronze medallist in a Commonwealth Games, yet she never made an Olympic or world championships team.

In the case of Sydney 2000, that was because Power had her first child that year. She came roaring back in 2001. After a string of brilliant wins in the Victorian winter season and smashing Lisa Ondieki’s course record in the Sydney City to Surf, Power finished third behind the Ethiopian world championships gold and silver medallists in the Goodwill Games 10,000 metres in Brisbane.

All that set up a superb run in the Zatopek when Power skipped through the rain in 31 minutes 26.34 seconds, leaving previous winners Kerryn McCann and Natalie Harvey way behind. It was a commanding performance and remains the women’s Zatopek record.

Craig Mottram, then 21 and on a career trajectory which would peak with a bronze medal in the 5000 metres at the 2005 world championships, won the men’s race from Sydney-based New Zealander Blair Martin and Sisay Bezabeh.

“It's a prestigious race,” Mottram said in explaining why he had decided to make his debut at the longest track distance. “Obviously Emil Zatopek was one of the best of his time. It's a great race and a good one to get out of the way early.

“I'm not going out to run second,” he added prophetically.

Mottram ran again – and won again – in 2003, meaning he could join the select list of three-time winners if he runs, and wins, again in 2011.

World championship 5,000m bronze medallist Craig Mottram and national 10,000m record holder Ben St Lawrence are set to go head to head in this year’s Zatopek:10.

Mottram, who cruised to a comfortable win in the Victorian 5,000m Championships last Thursday, has confirmed with Athletics Victoria he will contest the 51st running of the prestigious event, the first to be held at the new Lakeside Stadium in Albert Park.

While Mottram’s preferred event for London 2012 remains the 5,000m, he is a two-time winner of the Zatopek:10 (his last appearance a win in 2003) and said after winning the Victorian 5000m title last week that he wants to earn a place in the Olympic team as soon as possible.

That means running the Zatopek: 10, the Olympic selection trial for 10,000m.

“It’s always good to get in the team as quickly as possible,” Mottram said. “So I’m going to have a real crack at the Zatopek, get in the first three, get the A-standard and get in the team early.”

Although Mottram is one of Australia’s greatest distance runners, he concedes St Lawrence, the defending Australian champion, will start favourite.

“Ben is certainly the favourite for the race. He’s the defending Australian title holder, he’s the national record holder and he’s beaten me at several of our last appearances. For me just to get within striking distance of him would be great, but I expect he’ll be very hard to beat.”

Speaking from his current base in Canberra, St Lawrence said his battle with Mottram on Zatopek:10 night would be good for the sport.

“Obviously Craig is a great runner when he’s on form,” he said. “He’s the Australian record holder over 5km, so he’ll be really tough competition – it can only be good for Aussie distance running to have two of the top guys going head to head.”

The pair last met in the 5,000m in the Melbourne Track Classic in March, where St Lawrence beat home Mottram to take the Australian title in a personal best of 13:10.08.

It capped off a brilliant domestic season for St Lawrence, who took the Australian 10,000m title for the first time in last year’s Zatopek:10, finishing second overall behind Kenyan Josphat Menjo.

He then clocked 27:24.95 in Palo Alto, California, in May, beating Collis Birmingham’s two-year-old national 10,000m record by almost five seconds.

The 2011 Zatopek:10 is on Saturday 10 December at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park.

Tickets are available now from Ticketmaster for $12 for adults and $5 for children. Book now at www.ticketmaster.com.au or visit your nearest Ticketmaster outlet.

For the full program of events, see here: http://www.athsvic.org.au/news/newsfile.php?newsFileID=5408

For all media enquiries, phone Mitchel Brown at Athletics Victoria on (03) 9428 8195, or email mitch@athsvic.org.au

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.