D. C. McKenzie Should Win 10-Mile Road Title

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30956, 12 January 1966, Page 9

D. C. McKenzie Should Win 10-Mile Road Title

QANTERBURYS leading marathon contender for the New Zealand Empire Games team, D. C. McKenzie (Greymouth), has a golden opportunity of demonstrating his versatility to the national selectors in the provincial 10 miles road championship, which will start and finish at Lancaster Park during the Russian international athletics meeting on Saturday. The title-holder, B. R. Jones (University), will not be defending his title, and so the way seems clear for McKenzie to win his first Canterbury title over the distance. The St. Martins brothers, C. F. and D. Reece, are quite capable of providing some very strong opposition but if the ginger haired West Coaster can reproduce his national championship form

there can only be one outcome. In the New Zealand championship, McKenzie finished second in the world class time of 48min 35sec, after narrowly losing a race-long battle with Auckland’s W. D. Baillie. His target on Saturday will no doubt be to lower this time even further. D. Reece, who was second to Jones in last season’s championship, again appears likely to fill this position. He is an athlete of considerable experience and if McKenzie fails to set a fast enough pace from the outset he could still be in at the finish. McKenzie has virtually no sprint at all and if he does not establish himself well in the lead he could find himself struggling. C. F. Reece is a runner of undoubted ability and yet so often he has failed to fulfil his promise because of his win-or-bust attitude. Earlier this season he took fastest time in the Great Western marathon, 2hr 23 min 58sec, an indication that this season he may finally achieve his true potential. He has the ability to beat McKenzie if he can only judge his race tactics correctly. Victory in this event would no doubt mean a great deal to him. It would perhaps give him the confidence he needs for the approaching Canterbury and national marathon championships. A field of 22 runners has entered for the race but unfortunately, many of the

leading competitors will be absent. Jones and E. Gray (Greymouth), who were the second and third Canterbury runners to finish in the national IC-mile championship at Prebbleton, have both elected to compete against the Russians, L. Ivanov and V. Kudinskiy, in the 5000 metres track. J. Comber, another prominent 10-miler, will also race in the 5000 metres in preference to the road championship.