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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 12 (March 1, 1937)

Leading Hotels

page 62

Leading Hotels

page 63

page break

history of New Zealand athletics, so consistently gave the public such thrills as Randolph Rose?

When the performances of other champions fade into oblivion, the name of Rose will be remembered by all those who were privileged to see him in action.

Kiser and Rose.

It was the American miler Rufus Kiser, who furnished another great thrill. Kiser was a great believer in “running to the clock,” but for the greater part of his tour of New Zealand, he was not in the physical condition to run to the schedule he had set for himself.

He could cover the first three laps within a second of the time he would nominate before walking on to the track, but the final lap would see his long lead wiped out by the other competitors who would not take his pace earlier in the race. That last lap lead was invariably turned into a loss until Kiser ran against Rose and others at Athletic Park. Kiser held a good lead at the bell lap but Rose quickly reduced the gap and it looked odds on Kiser losing again when a miracle happened. Seated at the foot of the straight was George Simpson, a fellow American and teammate. Seeing Kiser falter when Rose was within five yards of, him, Simpson called out “Wenatchee! Washington!” Kiser rallied as he heard his home town called out and, pulling himself together, staved off Rose's challenge to win in the best time recorded for a mile on that ground.

It was the turning point in his tour of New Zealand, too, because he easily vanquished the New Zealand quarter mile and ex mile champion, Don Evans, at Taihape a few days later. But the tour ended with that meeting—Kiser had struck form too late—

Powell's Splendid Racing.

Once again the Basin Reserve. This time it is an Englishman who supplied the thrill. Jack Powell, finalist in the 800 metres at the Olympic Games at Los Angeles in 1932, is competing in a race of 1,000 yards.

The meeting had been postponed once because of rain and when it was decided that a “twilight” meeting should be held, a large crowd of Wellingtonians were eager for good racing.

Powell ran a remarkable race that evening. He gave a practical demonstration of a man running against time.

Somehow or other there seems to be a mysterious influence about the fountain at the Basin Reserve. There seems to be something which causes athletes to burst into a sustained sprint once they get to it in the last lap of a race!

More races have been lost than won by this premature sprint, but when Powell, carrying his arms high up on his chest, slipped into top gear, he thrilled the spectators with as fine a demonstration of sprinting as had ever been given by any sprinter—and Powell was a middle-distance man!

At Princeton (U.S.A.), they have a huge clock which enables spectators and athletes to see the time being taken to complete a race, but Powell did not have any such form of assistance. The only indication he had that he was within striking distance of the record was the cheering and encouragement being called out by the spectators. Two hundred yards to go—well ahead of the field—the solitary Englishman battled along in the chilly air. He turned into the straight—a straight with a distinct rise—and, gathering all his resources, swept on to the finish. He breasted the tape and a hurried consultation of time-keepers elicited the information that the record had been equalled.

It is idle to question what might have happened to the record had conditions been at all favourable. Perhaps it was the unfavourable conditions that helped to make Powell's run another memorable thrill, a thrill which might have been reduced had conditions favoured the athlete.

Rose at Masterton.

The list of thrilling finishes Rose has participated in does not include his best effort—the one mile at Masterton—because I did not see him on that occasion. In conversation with officials and spectators present at Masterton that night, it is quickly learned that Rose reached great heights when he raced away from Lloyd Hahn and was timed to do 4 min. 13£ secs.

New Zealand has produced many great athletes, but it was the advent of Rose, the “thrill giver” that caused a boom in amateur athletics. So popular was he, that when subscription lists were opened to send him, accompanied by a manager-trainer, to compete abroad, a sum of £1000 more than necessary was raised. This fund, “The Rose Trust Fund,” is used to-day to assist other New Zealand athletes abroad.

And Rose has retired to work on his farm, far from the crowds!

“If you ever feel like that again, go and get a feed. No man has ever been known to commit suicide after a meal.” Such was the sensible advice tendered by Mr. Hunt, the well-known Auckland Magistrate, recently to a man charged with atttempting to make away with himelf. Eating, as everybody knows, raises the spirits and induces the despondent to take a more hopeful view of things—especially if followed by a comfortable smoke. But the tobacco must be good if it's to “drive dull care away.” A pipe is best in such cases, and the unhappy one cannot do better than fill up with “toasted.” There are only five brands. Three are for the Pipe: Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead), Cavendish and Navy Cut No. 3 (Bulldog). The other two, Riverhead Gold and Desert Gold, make the finest cigarettes you ever smoked. You can roll ten full-sized ones for 4d. loss there no harm in these tobaccos. Toasting sees to that! Sweet, fragrant ard comforting, they are wonderfull dispellers of the blues!*