Athletics: Snell leads tributes for coaching legend

Peter Snell

One of New Zealand's greatest athletes, Peter Snell, said he will continue preaching the famed Arthur Lydiard coaching gospel to captive United States audiences as he led the tributes to his former coach today.

Snell was still coming to terms with Lydiard's death in the United States yesterday at the age of 87, having joined him for dinner last week when he appeared in fine health.

Lydiard died of a suspected heart attack in his Houston hotel room as he continued a series of lectures around the US.

"He basically changed my life. I was a run of the mill type runner and he encouraged me to dream big dreams," the triple Olympic gold medallist told National Radio from his home in Dallas.

Coincidentally, Snell was already booked to speak on Lydiard later this week in Atlantic City.

One speech is entitled: "Why slow running makes you fast".

"In a way that is a paradox, but his athletes could always be around at the finish because of their tremendous base of endurance training which made it possible," Snell said.

"He was reasonable, and he never asked anyone to do what he wouldn't be prepared to do himself.

"He used to run with the athletes, he had a tremendous work ethic.

"When I first was trained by him he was doing two jobs, working in a shoe company all day then delivering milk in the middle of the night. That work ethic really rubbed off."

Snell won the Olympic 800m gold medal in Rome in 1960, then the epic 800m-1500m double in Tokyo four years later.

He described Lydiard as a fair coach with a "forceful personality" who remained mentally sharp until his death.

"His influence in training for middle and distance runners has been so profound.

"While people probably know what to do and his methods are well known, to actually hear it from the person who first really came up with it and popularised it...

"He has a presence about him. The faithful will go and listen to him."

Sir Murray Halberg, who won the 1960 Olympic 5000m in Rome when coached by Lydiard, told The Dominion Post newspaper Lydiard's contribution to athletics had been immense.

"He was the father of training. He has (had) a ripple effect. Most endurance sports have (felt) his effect.

"There's no doubt in my mind I would not have had the success I (did). No way it would have happened."

Another of his success stories was 1974 Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion Dick Tayler, who told NZPA he was "gutted" to learn the great coach had died. He still could not believe it.

"I never really expected Arthur Lydiard to die. The sort of impression Arthur had on my life was that he was going to live forever; he was always there," Tayler said.

Lydiard was a dynamic, positive personality who had the attitude athletes should listen to him, or go elsewhere.

He played a huge role in Tayler winning the Commonwealth Games title.

"I did the running, but the Lydiard factor was the difference between winning and not winning. I'm sure guys like Snell and Halberg would say the same thing."

While it was a sad day for New Zealand athletics, Lydiard's impact had also been felt across the world, Tayler said.

His methods had influenced coaches in places such as Finland and Africa, joggers and heart specialists, Tayler said.

"The Lydiard system will live forever. His legacy will live on, but it's tragic we've lost him."

Tony Rogers, who reached an Olympic 1500m final in 1984 using a modified Lydiard training programme, said it had been brought home to him just how far-reaching the coach's philosophies were after meeting former Moroccan middle distance star Said Aouita last summer.

"He told me he had used Arthur's systems after reading all his books as a 17-year-old when he went to university in France," said Rogers, who last month resigned after seven years as Athletics New Zealand's performance manager.

Aouita was inspired by watching the New Zealand men's team win the world cross country championships in his home city of Rabat in the early 1970s and wanted to know what made them run so fast.

Amazingly, Lydiard was not made a life member of Athletics New Zealand until last year.

But at a higher level his deeds were recognised. In 1990 he was appointed to the Order of New Zealand, the nation's highest honour - and its most exclusive.

Sport and Recreation Minister Trevor Mallard today joined the tributes to Lydiard.

"Arthur's vision for athletics was well before his time. He was a sporting pioneer, unafraid to try new methods and test the boundaries of accepted practice," Mallard said in a statement.

"His inspiration and influence lead to some of our greatest achievements as a nation, and put New Zealand on the sporting map.

"New Zealand is mourning the passing of one of our greats but we celebrate the legacy he has left behind."

- NZPA