Whangarei's Clasina Van der Veeken runs for her health and for fun, so you can imagine her surprise when she received a letter in the mail recently telling her she was the new world record holder in the 2000m steeplechase. The 76-year-old distance runner set the age-group (75-79) record at theNew Zealand Masters Games in Christchurch in March, but didn't realise she had achieved this feat until she was contacted by Athletics New Zealand. "It was a big surprise, of course they (the officials) rang somebody up and told them our team had broken a record but we thought it was a New Zealand record ... but when the certificate came, it was a world record," she said. Van Der Veeken got into running by accident - literally. She had a fall from her bike in 1996, forcing her to keep her feet on the ground. "I fell off the bike and broke my ankle and I thought that I would need some exercise (to heal it properly), so I started walking and running after that." Van Der Veeken admits she is a relative novice as a steeplechaser, running her first ever event just two years ago. "A lady in our team was doing one a couple of years ago and I said to myself, `if you can do it I can do it too'. But when I got out on the field, I had to ask someone what I had to do and when he said I had to jump in the water, I said `oh heck' but I did it anyway." The self-confessed "early bird" starts her daily routine before 6am, with a 5-8km run most mornings. "I run for an hour then I go to church at 7am," she said. There's no adjustment for the cold winter mornings. "You just have to run a bit faster," she joked. Van Der Veeken completed her first marathon in Whangarei in 1999 and she has completed several since then, with a best time of 5hr:28min. She has ventured overseas for specific events including a trip to her native Holland to compete in a four-day walk in Nijmegen. Van Der Veekan emigrated in 1959 and started New Zealand life in Eketahuna, before moving north to a farm in Tangiteroria in 1974. She said her age hasn't slowed her down. "Not yet anyway, but the time will come for me as well." The distance runner is aiming to attend the World Masters Games in Townsville, Australia next year.
