Busy period starts today for Greene
ATHLETICS
A BIG two months awaits Rebekah Greene.
The Hill CityUniversity runner has plenty of travel on the agenda as the domestic track and field season enters its busy period.
That includes running at three of the four Classic meetings in the North Island, which provides a good leadin to the national championships in March.
Tonight’s Potts Classic in Hastings is the first of those.
Greene (27) will compete in what should be a quality 800m which includes several notable names from around the country.
‘‘It should be a really good field,’’ she said.
‘‘Katherine Camp, a girl I train with, she’s a 2min 02sec runner, she’s running.
‘‘Camille Buscomb, she hasn’t done an 800m in about six years, but she’s a sub15min 5000m runner so she’ll be pretty handy over an 800m too, I’m sure.
‘‘The rest of the field is looking good as well, so it should be an exciting race.’’
Greene had not finalised what events she will run in the national championships.
She has several 800m races lined up over the coming weeks and will use those to figure out how she is performing.
The 5000m has been a successful event for her of late, too.
She ran an impressive 16min 04sec in Auckland the week before Christmas to lower her
Otago record.
While trying to break the 16minute mark was tempting, the distance was not likely to become a focus and her priority would remain with the 1500m.
‘‘I think the 1500m definitely, just because I enjoy doing those races a lot.
‘‘They’re a lot more tactical than the 5000m.
‘‘If I can get my 800m down the 1500m will come down with that.
‘‘So I like the 1500m the most. The 5000m I sort of feel like I’m just hanging on for most of those races.’’
The Commonwealth Games remain a goal for Greene.
Qualifying times have not come out for next year.
To make the Olympic long list to be considered, she would need to take 8sec off her 1500m personal best and 3sec from her 800m time.
A new job is helping with that.
She is working parttime remotely for a company which sells New Zealand products to the Middle East.
That is allowing her more flexibility in training times and, importantly, allowing her to put more time into her recovery.
Fellow HCU runner Oli Chignell will also run at the Classic in the 3000m, which is doubling as the national championship race in the event.
He will be part of a very fast field and is hoping to break Dick Tayler’s Otago record of 7min 59.4sec, set in 1971.
Chignell’s personal best in the event is 8min 03.64sec.