Stifling heat cools Lovelock Mile times
Sweltering temperatures didn’t deter the biggest turnout yet for the Lovelock Mile athletics event.
Up to 21 athletes, ranging in age from 15 to their late 40s, battled in the Lovelock Mile – as the mercury hovered around 30 degrees Celsius, while about 110 competed in an array of events held as part of the Lovelock Classic meet at Timaru’s all-weather athletics track at Aorangi Park.
Daniel Balchin, of Cromwell, second in the 2018 event, went one better in winning the day’s feature Lovelock Mile event for a third time in 4 minutes 13.4 seconds, roughly five seconds ahead of his nearest challenger Ieuan Van der Peet, also from Christchurch.
The competition is named after 1936 Olympic 1500-metre gold medallist Jack Lovelock, a Timaru Boys’ High School student from 1924-1928, who set his personal best for the mile when he broke the then world record with a time of 4 minutes 7.6 seconds in Princeton, United States, in 1933.
Lovelock Classic organising committee member Helen Mackle said no-one has broken the 4-minute mark since the mile event began in 2008.
‘‘But it could well happen at some stage. Certainly the quality of athletes is good enough. You just need the right conditions and circumstances.’’
Mackle said the sweltering weather made it difficult for athletes to post quick times. On Saturday, temperatures peaked at 31C.
‘‘You could really see it on their faces after the first lap, they were all trying really hard but it’s just a challenge in those conditions. It was the opposite of last year, where it rained. We’re hoping next year it will be moderate temperatures with some cloud cover,’’ she said.
‘‘People keep coming back every year, it’s gathered its own momentum.’’
There was also a host of other track and field events. Christchurch’s Tamara Reeves won the women’s 3000m event with a time of 10:28.6, while Jack Beaumont won the men’s 3000 metres in 8:47.8. Thomas Fletcher of Waimate won the men’s triple jump, clearing 12.04m.
Mackle said the event had been a big success.