Orienteering: These days it's Snell the navigator

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Peter Snell reckons his running these days "sucks."

The success he enjoys as an enthusiastic orienteer comes more from his navigational instincts than the abilities he once displayed as the world's greatest middle-distance runner.

Yet it was a frustrating inability to navigate his way around the courses which turned him off the orienteering when, in earlier times, Englishman Gordon Pirie introduced him to the sport of "cunning running."

Today, Snell returns to the Woodhill Forest where he first tried his hand at orienteering, but he feels more comfortable with the challenge of the World Masters event.

"I have only been doing this for 10 years, which unfortunately is not enough," said 61-year-old Snell, who arrived in Auckland yesterday from his Dallas home with his wife, Miki. "I wished I had got into it [seriously] earlier."

The Snells, who are among the best of their age-group in the United States, will join 1500 competitors in the championships, which start with warm-up events at Woodhill today and Taupo tomorrow.

While he has won gold and silver in the United States championships in the M60 class, Snell expects the competition to be much tougher this time.

"While my running is not that great now - I can probably manage around eight or perhaps 81/2 miles - my navigational skills get me through. Here I will come up against better runners than me who can also navigate."

No competitor will attract more interest than Snell no matter where he finishes.

Regarded as a warm favourite to win the Halberg Award as New Zealand's Sportsman of the Century, triple Olympic gold medallist Snell remains one of this country's most popular sporting sons. As winner of the sportsman of the decade for the 1960s, he has already been invited to the February awards ceremony.

Next year, following suggestions from Murray Halberg, the pair hope to mark the 40th anniversary of their 1960 Rome Olympics double triumph.

"Murray suggested we should do something - perhaps even return to Rome - or come here to be together," said Snell. "I thought it was a good idea."

More immediately, his attention is focused on the orienteering - and settling an old score.

As a 19-year-old, Snell ran for Auckland's famous Owairaka club.

The club captain at the time was John Robinson, who went on to run for New Zealand at the 1974 Commonwealth Games. In those days Snell, not surprisingly, held the upper hand.

Now, in the second of their chosen sports, Robinson has the better record - his wife, Val, and daughter, Tania, are also top performers in the forest.

"Robbie is the guy I want to beat," Snell said. "He has done really well but I'm after him."

Snell admits he will probably beat himself in what promises to be a keenly contested championship.

"Orienteering is very challenging and requires a lot of thinking. I probably try to run too hard, get tired and lose concentration and you can't expect to do well if that happens."

His expectations in events in New Zealand - the championships move south from Taupo to a midnight-dawn race in Feilding and on to the Manawatu - are realistic.

"If I make the top 50 in my age-group I'll be happy. The top 20, I'll be ecstatic," said Snell. "A medal, no chance."

His wife, he says, might be the better bet.