Good Things Take Time

Twenty eight years ago a fast New Zealand athlete ran a very good 1000 meters. Her run was the sixth or seventh, certainly one of the top ten, fastest times in the world in 1979. Her first 400 was run in a quick 60 seconds, the 800 in 2.04 and the final time 2.38.54. It was the fastest time ever run by a New Zealander, a New Zealand national record.

There could have been no more impressive venue for Alison’s fine run; Berlin’s 1936 Olympic Stadium, on a warm night in August, the site where Hitler displayed his fanatical might, where Jessie Owens ran and jumped better than any man. Standing on the dark warm up field away from the stadium, watching the floodlights shine up through huge concrete columns it was hard not to feel a sense of history, a good place to run fast.

Alison spent the next day driving through East Germany to the West German town of Cologne. There was still time to prepare and post a letter to Athletics New Zealand telling them the news of the Berlin run and request a New Zealand record. Months went by without a reply. A phone call revealed that while the run would be recognized as the fastest run by a New Zealand woman it would not be acknowledged as a national record. The world’s women and New Zealand men had such a record, but it was not going to be for New Zealand women.

Over the years, fine New Zealand administrators and coaches such as Arch Jelley and Murray McKinnon tried to reverse the decision; to no avail. And then this, the last week of July 2007, twenty eight years later and still the fastest time ever run by a New Zealand woman, Murray McKinnon gave it one more try. And do you know what? Justice prevailed. Alison was recognized, a National Record Holder. A grateful athlete was acknowledged by her Federation for a race well run. Along with Kim Robertson’s 200 (1978) and 400 (1980) records Alison’s 1000 is an example of just how fast the old guard used to be. Alison’s run has stood the test of time. The IAAF world ranking lists reveal that the fastest 1000 meter time in the world, so far in 2007, is 2.38.91, still 0.4 of a second slower than Alison ran twenty eight years ago.

It’s an interesting coincidence that Alison took 2 minutes and 38 seconds to set the 1000 meter track record, almost the same time as the 2 minutes and 30 seconds her daughter took to set her national record in the short course 200 meters breaststroke, twenty-two years later.