Teen runner’s rapid rise
Eighteen months of consistent improvement has seen Thomas Strawbridge become one of New Zealand’s leading high school middle-distance runners.
The 17-year-old St Patrick’s College, Silverstream, and Trentham United Harriers runner has surged up the rankings, culminating in a second-place finish in the senior 3000m at the North Island secondary schools championships in Tauranga on April 6 in a time of 8min 45.44sec.
That came after he won the 1500m-3000m double at both the McEvedy Shield and College Sport Wellington championships.
His coach, Darryl Robinson, said his metamorphosis from mid-pack runner to medal contender had come after more than a year of steady development.
‘‘The main thing with him is the momentum he’s been able to build over the last 18 months to get to where he is now. He’s always been roughly top 15 in the country, but now he’s got himself into the top three.’’
He has done it with a slight disability in his right arm which can see it, in Strawbridge’s words, become ‘‘lazy’’ during running.
He had a subdural intracranial (brain) bleed at birth which impacts the movement in his arm and hand, but he said it only really affected his running during sprint finishes, when arms help generate power.
‘‘I don’t really notice it. My parents didn’t tell me until I was like 10. When I’m running, sometimes it’s a bit lazy, but it’s not too bad.
‘‘When I’m sprinting my left
hand goes up quite a bit higher and my right hand goes a bit across.’’
It gives him a running style similar to Murray Halberg. A rugby injury as a teenager saw the 1960 Olympic 5000m champion run with his left arm tucked into his body.
Robinson said they had worked through ways to ensure any impact on his running was minimal.
‘‘There’s been a few drills we’ve done over the last couple of years where we just get him to run with his arms up, without using his arms, to try to put a bit of pressure on the stomach and lower back to try carry the top part of his body so when the fatigue does set in that he’s not going to end up going lazy.
‘‘In shorter races we get away with it, but in longer races, at the very end when the pressure goes on, it can get a bit lazy. He’s aware of it.’’
While the 1500m and 3000m are the standard race distances at this stage, Robinson said Strawbridge’s mental strength and determination made him even better suited to slightly longer distances.
He cracked 16 minutes for 5000m the first time in March when running 15:43.31 at a Wellington club meet.
‘‘I’ve been coaching 13 years and coached four New Zealand champions . . . I rate him as the best endurance-wise,’’ Robinson said.
‘‘He can run all day. He can run 6km and a very strong 10km.
‘‘He’s got enough speed to get through, but I feel the success for Thomas is his work ethic.
‘‘Mentally everything is stable and he’s very committed.’’
Strawbridge put his progression down to increasing his weekly mileage up to 60km some weeks, while also spending more time swimming.
His next challenge will be the New Zealand secondary schools cross-country championships in Timaru on June 15.
‘‘I want to hopefully get a medal there and make the New Zealand team to go to Australia. That would be the goal.’’