Cooks looking for four minute milers

Whanganui's Brad Mathas setting the pace during last year's 4 Minute Mile at the Cooks Classic.

The Cooks Classic organisers are searching for headliners to fill out the field in the feature 4 minute mile so to attract the fans back to Whanganui on January 17, while promising a large group of international athletes are on the way for the other events.

This 2017 edition of the classic will be the third evening of four which make up the Central January Classic Meet series, starting next Thursday, January 12, with the Jumps to Music at Hawera, followed by the Potts Track & Field Classic in Napier two days later.

After Whanganui, the series concludes with the Capital Classic in Wellington on January 20.

In this post Olympic Games cycle, athletics is just like many other sports in finding less stars to promote with many of the New Zealand squad taking a hiatus from competition.

This includes double Olympic 1500m medallist and Cooks Classic regular Nick Willis, who is taking it easy this summer, while his team mate in Rio, Julian Matthews, has picked up an injury.

However, while preparing the Collegiate relay team for their upcoming Colgate Games races yesterday, Athletics Whanganui guru Alec McNab said Russell Sears and the Whanganui Sports Heritage group were working very hard to confirm some top runners for the Mile race.

"It's an important part of the second part of the [athletics] season, these weeks," said McNab.

"We want to add to the magic of this place.

"We're working hard to keep it because once it's gone, it's gone."

Last year, Wellington's Hamish Carson and Napier's Eric Speckman joined the race winner Willis in going under the four minute mark, each receiving a cash bonus for doing so, while Matthews and Australian Craig Huffer both went very close in a quality race.

McNab said they have lined up some other 'main events' to compliment the mile race.

The javelin will be contested as a handicap, which allows New Zealand's Rio Paraolympics silver medallist and flag bearer Holly Robinson, 22, to compete alongside the able-bodied athletes.

Also elevated in importance is the hurdles events, which has allowed the classic to attract Singapore prospect Kristen Ong and one of her compariots to take part.

McNab said a group of Japanese distance runners are basing themselves in Palmerston North this month to take part in the series, and also taking part is a contingent of ten Australians, led by 24-year-old 800m specialist Alexander Rowe, who has represented his country at the world championships.

There will also be the members of the Aspiring Athletics Tour who will fill out spots across the disciplines.

While another Olympian in veteran javelin competitor Stuart Farquhar retired after Rio, his Manawatu protege Ben Langton-Burnell is looking to take his first steps on the road to Tokyo 2020.

McNab said the event may also hold a special ceremony to honour the running champions who have broken the 4 Minute Mile in Whanganui.

Since Peter Snell broke the world record on January 27, 1962, a sub-four minute mile has been recorded 63 times at Cooks Gardens.

Well known running names like Willis and Dick Quax would be among those who would be recognised for the achievement.