Athletics: Rotorua Marathon has come a long way

By TERRY MADDAFORD

From modest beginnings - 16 starters, 11 finishers - in 1965, the Rotorua Marathon quickly became, and has remained, the premier marathon on the New Zealand calendar.

On Saturday thousands of runners will set out around Lake Rotorua in the 40th running of the event.

The winner of the inaugural race was local Dave Heine in a respectable 2h 35m 04s.

Legendary Jack Foster won the first of three titles in 1970 - the first time more than 100 had lined up. Of the 129 starters who paid their 50c entry fee to chase the $500 worth of "trophies" on offer, 100 made it around the lake.

Foster broke the 2h 20m-barrier for the first time in running 2h 17m 51s (still a record for 40+ runners) to win the 1972 race in which only 86 of the 131 starters finished.

He completed his hat-trick the following year.

The 1974 race was significant for the introduction of the women's event which was won by Val Darroch, a Palmerston North mother of four with a fulltime job. She ran 3h 39m 44s almost 1h 20m slower than men's winner Kevin Ryan, who gave the strong Owairaka Club their first victory.

The race was on a roll and 368 lined up in 1976. The 500 barrier was cracked the following year.

The 1000-entry barrier was broken in 1978 with 1105 starters and 934 finishers in a race dramatically won by New Brighton's Mel Radcliffe who staggered home and collapsed at the finish.

The 21st anniversary in 1985 had 3507 starters, and 3401 finished.

The first sign of interest waning came in 1992 when entries dropped to 2085 - the lowest in 13 years.

But three years later the 30th anniversary attracted a record 5259 starters for a race won by novice Paul Smith. Nyla Carroll won the women's event, setting a record of 2h 37m 37s.

Course records

Men: Paul Ballinger (New Plymouth) 2h 16m 05s, 1988

Veterans: Jack Foster (Rotorua) 2h 17m 51s, 1972

Women: Nyla Carroll (Owairaka) 2h 37m 37s, 1994

Veterans: Bernie Portenski (Scottish) 2h 43m 38s, 1998