Otamatea High School is reviving memories of Rod Dixon, one of New Zealand's great runners of the 1970s and 80s, with an invitational race next week. Dixon's performances included a bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 1972 Olympics, two thirds in the World Cross Country Championships and a sensationalwin, ahead of 35,000 competitors, in the 1983 New York Marathon. A Rod Dixon Mile for senior boys and another for senior girls have been organised at Otamatea High School, in Maungaturoto, for Wednesday, November 7, starting at 4.30pm. Competitors will be run on the school's 400m grass track and entry is open to all Northland secondary school students. All finishers will be presented with certificates signed by Dixon himself and sponsorship means there will be a generous prize list. The winners will also receive a Rod Dixon Mile cup, provided by an anonymous donor, while others who achieve or better an incentive time will be presented with vouchers. John Perry, the spokesperson for the organisers explained the incentive time is based on one of Dixon's greatest races. "It's based on the average mile rate that Rod ran when he won the New York marathon," he said. The time for boys is 4m 55s, Dixon's average for 26 miles and 385 yards. For the girls an equivalent standard of 5m 22s has been calculated. The organising committee, head girl Jess Moulds, deputy head girl Anna Bruce and Perry, who is a teacher at the school, plan to show part of a video of Dixon's New York run at a tea before the presentations. "There won't be time to show the whole 2hrs 8 min 59 sec that Rod was running for," said Perry. • Entry forms, available from Otamatea High (09 4318032) or Perry on 09 431 8979, should be returned by Thursday, November 1.
