Bill Kenny wins the Caledonian Society handicap mile at the
Caledonian Ground on Saturday. Photo by Craig Baxter.
Bill Kenny (Leith) made the most of his handicap to win
the Scottish Shop Caledonian Society handicap mile at the
Caledonian Ground on Saturday.
A past Scottish junior cross-country representative, Kenny
has established an impressive athletic record since moving to
New Zealand in 1974 and making Dunedin his home.
Not many 73-year-olds can lay claim to winning five open
5000m races, as Kenny did in a National Heart Foundation
series in Glasgow in July last year.
The races were part of a series of 5000m events held
simultaneously throughout Britain for the NHF.
Kenny contested only five of several races held on Saturdays
during the northern hemisphere summer, while competing in
British, Scottish, Irish and Welsh masters championships.
In recent years he has also has success in the American and
World masters competitions.
Among the peers Kenny has impressed in Dunedin with his
middle-distance ability is the handicapper for Saturday's
mile, Marc Boulle.
"Bill ran almost 30sec quicker than he has for some time,"
Boulle said.
"But if someone had to win today, what better than a
Scotsman?"For the first time in more than 30 years of
contesting handicapped events, Kenny found himself as the
front-marker, and he used a 1min 25sec start on the rest of
the field to his advantage by almost completing the first of
four laps before the second runner in the field of 20 had
started.
"I knew then I may be in with a show," Kenny said afterwards.
Kenny has often led into the home straight only to be
overtaken, but when leading a fast-finishing Lyndon Brown
(Caversham) by slightly more than 100m on Saturday, Kenny
knew he had it in the bag.
Crossing the finish line still full of running, he recorded
7min 5.83sec.
Brown, who ran off a handicap of 2min 55sec, recorded an
actual mile time of 4min 28.18sec, with Bryan Simpson (Hill
City) third, from a handicap of 2min 30sec, with an actual
mile time of 4min 55.47sec.
International mountain running representative Dougal Thorburn
(Ariki) recorded the fastest time - 4min 19.21sec - in
finishing sixth.
The Caledonian mile was long held in association with the
Caledonian Society's annual Highland games, but over the past
six years has been incorporated into the Athletic Otago
summer programme.
In other events on Saturday's programme, sprinters Corey
Innes (Taieri) and Blair Grant (North Otago) impressed.
Innes exploded out of the blocks in the 100m, but had to
fight off a determined Matt Robinson (St Pauls, Invercargill)
over the last 20m.
It was the first race of the season for Innes and he posted
an encouraging 11.07sec, with Robinson second in 11.10sec.
Grant, who came third in 11.59sec, then stepped up to win the
200m outright in 23.94sec.
Grant (15), a year 11 student at Waitaki Boys High, is the
national secondary schools 100m champion and attributed his
form on Saturday to the Christmas break and having the chance
to freshen up.
Daniel Balchin (Caversham) set a torrid pace in the 1500m,
and recorded a comfortable victory in 4min 1.59sec.
Fiona Harvey (Taieri), Marshall Hall (Taieri) and Catherine
O'Sullivan (Ariki) were the stars of the field programme.
Harvey set a record in the women's 50-54 discus with 26.41m,
while Hallwon the senior men's discus with 45.21m.
O'Sullivan won the senior women's long jump, recording 4.76m.
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