The state of NZ running

by RunnersTribe

The state of Australian distance running is currently heads and shoulders above anything being produced in New Zealand. Australia has currently 4 men at 13.30 or faster over 5000m even without Craig Mottram! Add to that this years 10000m runs by Michael Shelley and Shaun Forrest and there is two under 28:00, with McNeil just a tick over. Meanwhile, Birmingham is now a sub 27:30 guy. Throw into this the dozen guys in Australia who can run 3.38 or faster over 1500m and there is a lot to be excited about… unless you are from New Zealand.

History

New Zealand has a long history of successful distance runners while we now have Nick Willis making headlines throughout the track world. However, this recent showing of sensational performances by Australians highlights the relative lack of depth over the longer distances in New Zealand. There is obviously a considerable population difference between the two countries, with Australia having roughly five-times that of New Zealand, yet I would still say they have a lot more than five-times the number of quality athletes, so population is not the only problem here. Critics in NZ cite the fact that many talented track athletes are lost to rugby, yet the same can be said for Australia - if not more so with the widespread success in many sports compared to New Zealand's rugby-centric culture.

Question

Craig Mottram (although currently injured) and Nick Willis have to be the best of ANZAC running. Still, without Mottram Australia has considerable depth to fall back on. The biggest difference in terms of development within both countries is the fact that Mottram and the likes of Birmingham spend a considerable portion of the year living and training in Australia, while Willis is largely an export; putting New Zealand on the map for what he has achieved elsewhere. So - is New Zealand conducive to world-class distance running?

Answer

New Zealand has produced some inspiring athletes over the last half century, almost all of whom lived and trained in New Zealand. History has showed us that the likes of Walker, Dixon and Quax would travel abroad to post fast times, yet they still raced domestically and attracted world-class athletes from around the world to travel down-under and do the same. So what has changed? Why are New Zealand's best athletes now all based overseas for practically all of the year? If we had Nick Willis, Adrian Blincoe, Mike Aish, Jonathan Wyatt and Jason Woolhouse all living, training and racing in NZ for at least 6 months of the year would the situation be different? Currently in Australia we are seeing that it most likely would be. Young athletes are developing under an elite group who spend the majority of their time in Australia; congregating in areas such as Falls Creek for camps that do wonders for kids who aspire to be runners. The result is that those who might not have otherwise become runners, now do, having seen and been inspired by the likes of Birmingham, Mottram, Benita Willis and so on.

In New Zealand, those who are talented and excel in running are able to pursue their development overseas; most notably in the US scholarship system. This is a very small percentage. What happens to the rest? How many runners were lost not to rugby, but to the fact that there were just no other runners around to aspire too? It is often hard for high school students to see the rewards of running that those of us who consider ourselves 'elite' do. However, in an environment with many athletes training and socializing together, long-distance running takes on a radical new form which is evident now in only very small pockets in New Zealand. It is these types of environments, headed by experienced athletes (which there are plenty of) that will transform distance running in New Zealand.

Current athletes

New Zealand currently has a couple of runners around the 4.00 mark for the mile, yet the depth over 5000m is poor at best. In New Zealand the 14.00 barrier for 5000 metres is made out to be a lot more than it is, purely because no one is doing it. This is a symptom of a lack of development. If no one around you can break 14.00 for a 5000 or has even come close - how are you expected to realistically believe you can? When there is no one in the entire country breaking 14.00, something has to change.

There a currently a number of young athletes within the 14.00 to 14.20 range, yet they are largely overseas in countries like Australia and the US where standards are not made out to be so infallible as they are in New Zealand.

Conclusion

Finally, it must be said that New Zealand possesses considerable talent, not to mention some of the finest areas to run in the world. What has to change however, is the structure in which potential athletes are able to grow and develop. There is already the infrastructure in place through a very developed club system, what is needed is for those passionate about the sport (such as some of the many ex-elites who are still training to some degree) to organise and coordinate groups to train and develop together. The positive results of this can already be seen with Canterbury University in Christchurch with the help of New Balance, as well as clubs such as Wellington Scottish; which have created an environment where young athletes are able to not only develop, but become passionate and excited about the culture of distance running. Hopefully with the continuation of some top track meets such as the ITM last year, New Zealand could be well on its way to becoming a haven for top runners once again.