Andrew Moore has the potential to beat the chimes and break
the record in the Timebuster sprint around the Octagon at
10am today.
The race was first held in 1992 and the chimes were beaten
for the first time last year by Cory Innes, in a record time
of 31.63sec.
Moore (24), a member of Brent Ward's sprint squad, showed
that he has the credentials by running the fastest 400m time
in New Zealand this season at Invercargill last weekend.
His time of 46.95sec was just 0.38sec slower than the Otago
senior men's record run by Innes, the three times national
senior champion, three years ago.
The Timebuster race around the Octagon has, for the past 18
years, officially launched the central city market day.
Innes was the first to beat the 10 chimes of the Dunedin Town
Hall clock and collected prizemoney of $1050 for his effort.
The previous record of 32sec was set by Phil Harrison, on the
first run in 1992.
At that time the race was 273m long.
Alterations to the Octagon have added another 5m and the
length of the race is now 278m.
It starts and finishes on a hill outside the New Zealand
Shop.
It is uphill at the start and also finishes with an uphill
sprint.
The key to wining the race is to get in front up the first
hill to get the inside running down the slope to the Regent
Theatre.
National secondary schools medallist Toby Flett is the only
runner in the men's field who is capable of matching Moore at
the start but he does not have the endurance to sustain the
fierce pace that is needed to win the race.
The race field is limited to six men and six women.
Fiona Hely, the national junior women's 200m champion, should
keep the title in the family for the third year in a row.
She won the women's title in 37.15sec last year.
Her older sister Nicola won in 2007. Hely (20) was almost
5sec quicker last year than in her fourth place two years
ago.
The secret behind Fiona Hely's rapid improvement over the
last two years is her increased strength that has been
developed by lifting weights in the gymnasium. The only
challenge for Hely will come from nationally ranked sprinters
Larissa Dyke and Lauren Wilson.
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