King set the pace for historical race
Winter sports teams from around the Matamata-Piako district will be using the Tower Run as a preseason training tool to improve fitness levels.
Sport Waikato is hoping more people from Morrinsville and Te Aroha will take advantage of the event, which brings together runners of all ages and abilities.
The Tower Run started with three blokes who after an afternoon of drinks at the Matamata Club, decided to race one another to be ‘‘King of the the Tower’’.
In 1977, friends and well known businessmen Tony Richards and Brian Black, known as the Terriers, and Colin Thompson, nicknamed ‘‘King’’ had a score to settle.
Richards and Black wanted to prove they could out-run Thompson, well known as the Tower King, as he would run to the Firth Tower, on Tower Rd, and back home every day.
This year marks the Tower Run’s 40th birthday.
Richards explained how the Tower Run started.
‘‘We used to drink at the Matamata Club and one afternoon we had a few too many spritely ales, thirsty Thursday we called it, and we started having each other on.
‘‘We decided we would have a race at Christmas time.
‘‘Everyone turned up. Oh hell, there would have been 3000 people, the whole town was lined up both sides of the street to watch us,’’ Richards said.
‘‘We thought this would just be a fun day out for the boys, to the tower and back, but no, there were thousands there.’’
As it turned out, King would not be de-throned and crossed the line in first place in 28m, 7.8s after what was described as ‘‘a gruelling relentless run in which he hardly changed his pace’’.
Richards was able to pace the King to the Tower and back to the Travel Lodge, where the latter pulled away. He crossed the line at 28m 34s.
Black finished the race in 31m 45s, but was soon taken to hospital by ambulance in a ‘‘distressed state’’.
Following the run, community comment suggested it should become an annual event and it was soon decided that every December the whole community could participate in what would become the annual Tower Run.
Richards competed in two more Tower Run events until he moved away in 1979 to start Tony Richards Toyota, now run by his sons.
‘‘We were invited back for the 35th year. Brian Black picked me up in his helicopter from Whitianga and we flew over and presented the cups, then we flew back,’’ he said.
Sprinting ahead to present day and 40 years later, the Tower Run maintains much of it’s initial planning.
Kevin Guest, Steve Wenzlick and Lynne Counsell with support from Sport Waikato organise the event as a fundraiser for the Kaimai Runners and Matamata Athletics club.
To mark the milestone event on March 3, special anniversary medals are being arranged.
Matamata-Piako Sport Waikato co-ordinator Lou Beer said while the route has changed a number of times over the years and the distance has varied, it has always been the simplicity and good natured competitiveness of the event that has continued to attract up to 400 entrants.
‘‘The most hotly contested categories being open men and women who compete for the King and Queen of the Tower trophies.
‘‘You should be marking your calendars with Friday 3rd March and dusting off your running shoes to join the a number of winners from previous years who we hope will accept the challenge and enter again.’’
She says the event is an ideal to test New Year resolutions for people planning to get active again and a great way to farewell the summer running season.