Athletics: Why it’s worth the time to set up even the trickier athletics events

Louise Brabyn in action at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country in June at Nelson. Photo / Supplied

I am sorry that some of my favourite athletics events such as steeplechase, pole vault, hurdles and hammer are so labour intensive to set up with logistics that deter many clubs and schools.

The faces of Paul Duxfield and Mark Cressingham, who help set up at 6pm every Tuesday club night, fall when they note that one of the aforementioned events is on the programme for the evening.

These events are among the more demanding technically and physically and as one athlete once said: “if they were easy everybody would do them”.

However, if the events do not appear on a programme there is no chance that an athlete will attempt them. When we had the equipment Whanganui had many pole vaulters including national medal winners. The club awaits a decision on a funding application for garaging for the more extensive, modern landing area and equipment which, if granted, will enable the exciting event to be again added to our programme.

In a previous column, I mentioned how at the last North Island Schools, held in Hamilton in 2021, Whanganui had the first four finishers in the senior girls’ 300-metre hurdles. Hurdles appear regularly on our weekly programmes, which encourages athletes to try the event. My preview for this year’s New Zealand Secondary in a fortnight’s time will feature our current leading hurdlers Maggie Jones and Nat Kirk and will highlight the progress of Year 9 hurdler Juliet McKinlay.

Last week’s club programme featured steeplechase. The effort in preparing for the event was rewarded with good fields and outstanding performances.

In the week previous, I had the water jump filled so that New Zealand under-18 steeplechase champion Louise Brabyn could do some repetition work that included water jumps (her weakest part of the event).

Fellow New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country international Daniel Sinclair, who will double in 3000 metres and steeples at the New Zealand Schools Championships, joined her. As the equipment was out on the track, a number of younger athletes wanted to have a try with varied success.

The fact that 2000 metres steeplechase was on last Tuesday’s programme provided an opportunity for many to enter. Brabyn had the event on her competition programme having run a fast 1500 metres at the regional competition three days earlier.

Brabyn hoped for a time close to her personal best of 7 minutes 10.3 seconds. Perhaps it was the conditions or the fact that there was a larger field that resulted in a performance of 7:01.22 more than nine seconds inside her previous best and just a second shy of the Cooks Gardens record set by Sarah McSweeney in 2007 at the New Zealand Schools Championships at that venue.

Brabyn’s time tops the New Zealand under-18 rankings by more than 14 seconds. Brabyn will not be complacent as she knows the event only rarely appears on programmes and that a championship provides a whole raft of best new performances. Tuesday’s race should however be confidence-building for the reigning New Zealand under-18 steeples champion.

Brabyn was not the only one to set a best in this demanding event. Greta Darke who has outstanding technique at the water jump took 15 seconds off her time from Palmerston North on the previous Saturday to record a time of 7:37.59 to go to 9th on the national rankings (third best of those under 16).

Hannah Byam, still only 13 years old, took 11 seconds off her best set four days earlier recording 7:46.83 to go to 12th in the rankings. All will be running at New Zealand Schools in the steeplechase in Inglewood at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships on Sunday, December 11 in Inglewood.

Daniel Sinclair, a relative novice in steeples, ran 22 seconds inside his previous best to record an impressive 6:04.52 to top the New Zealand under-18 male rankings and go to number three on the Whanganui Collegiate all-time list. A timely confidence boost for Sinclair.

Oliver Jones who has set a personal best almost every time he has stepped on the track took 13 seconds off his best with 6:54.23 to finish in second place.

Brabyn and Sinclair backed up these performances with impressive efforts in the rain at Tuesday’s club night. On a miserable night when many athletes voted with their feet by not attending Brabyn took seven seconds off her best to run 6:41.6 and Sinclair was only a couple of seconds shy of his best finishing in 5 minutes 47.7 seconds. Two others set bests, Harriet Douglas and Hannah Byam, with Blake Candish and Zoe Broadhead impressing on debut.

Athletics Whanganui will continue to offer more esoteric events on the Tuesday evening programmes which hopefully will provide more top performances.