Athletics: Cooks Classic hooks major sponsor

Pak'nSave Whanganui store owner Gareth Jones (left) has joined the party with athletic gurus Alec McNab and Russell Sears to ensure smooth running of the new upgraded Cooks Classic.

New ingredients have added to the flavour of the 2021 Cooks Classic in Whanganui next month.

For the first time in several years the important event on the New Zealand athletics calendar has a major sponsor, with the arrival of Pak'nSave Whanganui.

Store owner Gareth Jones said the event fitted well with the family-owned business' community support philosophy.

"We like to support community events and this is one that we can really get behind and back for several years to come – we don't do one-offs," Jones said.

Another important ingredient added to the Cooks Classic mix is an upgrade in the athletic meet's status to "Area Permit Category D".

The upgrade improves an athlete's chances of qualifying for future world events, including the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, attracting a higher class of athlete to the meet.

Former Athletics New Zealand president and current Athletics Wanganui president Alec McNab said the decision to upgrade the status of the Cooks Classic had been made as part of a wider plan to reshape the calendar for this part of the world.

"It is also recognition of the reputation of the Cooks Classic. The 2021 Cooks Classic will be run on Saturday, January 30, a week after the Potts Classic in Hawke's Bay, which also boasts the Area Permit Category D status."

The 2021 Cooks Classic would also host the return of the National Championship Mile, an event not run since 1969.

"The late Dick Quax was the last winner of the Championship Mile, Rod Dixon holds the junior title and Heather Thomson the women's champion. The Championship Mile was to have returned at the postponed Sir Peter Snell meet in 2019.

The men and women's National Championship Mile races will be the last events run on the Saturday night Cooks Classic programme, with Dixon presenting the trophy to the men's winner.

Russell Sears, of the Whanganui Sports Heritage Trust, said the winner of the women's race in January would be just the second in history to hold the title, with the first ever running of the female mile debuting in 1969.

"The Snell mile on Sunday, January 31, will be run as a separate community event allowing members of the public to compete," Sears said.

"The 2021 Cooks Classic is run over Auckland Anniversary Weekend, so we have targeted many athletes from there and Air Chathams has kindly stepped in to offer athletes from Auckland $99 fares to and from the event.

"The Christchurch International follows the Cooks Classic a week later and then there is the Porritt Classic in Hamilton and the Capital Classic in Wellington, which all have the same qualifying status. So our top athletes will be eager to increase their world rankings in an attempt to qualify for important upcoming events, including the Olympics," Sears said.

Top Kiwi middle-distance runners Sam Tanner and Eric Speakman will be star attractions in the National Championship Mile, while Camille Buscomb (Hamilton) has entered the women's mile looking to break the New Zealand resident record of 4m 33.93s set by Anne Audain in 1986. Whanganui's own international Lucy van Dalen (Oliver) holds the track record, with a time of 4m 36.07s.

Buscomb's partner Cameron French is looking at a qualifying time in the men's 400m hurdles. His best time is the New Zealand national record of 49.33s, set in 2018.

Lauren Bruce (South Canterbury) set a New Zealand national and all-comers record of 73.47m at Hastings on September 20 this year. The Cooks Gardens track record is 65.83m held by Bronwyn Eagles (Australia) set on January 19, 2002.