Running Days

Harriers Running Cross Country - Waikato c. 1980

From about my mid teens I've liked running.  Because of my biking six miles each way to and from school and all the tramping and climbing I did I always had a reasonable fitness. Sometimes on weekends during school days a couple of friends and I would place a nice box on the Main South Road just out of Christchurch.  When motorists stopped, hopeful of a box of goodies we'd emerge from hiding and snatch up our box and run off.  Sometimes we'd be chased by angry red-faced (and -necked) men.  My two friends were accomplished Canterbury junior athletes and I soon leaned not to be the one struggling at the rear.

In my early University days my climbing mate, Mike White, sometimes prevailed on me to run on weekends with the University Harrier Club - they were great social events - run-ins over recently ploughed fields were not so hot. Sometimes they would get me to help out their 'C' team on the Christchurch to Akaroa road relay.  Because I was a climber I'd get the Little River to Hilltop leg - great.

In those early days running fitness was an offshoot of my general outdoors fitness.  Later, in middle age, running became more of a passion and a way of keeping fit for my outdoor activities.  I joined Hamilton Harriers (now Hamilton Hawkes) and spent a considerable time running cross-country, road running and marathons. One of the great spinoffs for me was the fact that whenever I travelled for work or pleasure I could get up before breakfast and explore my surrounds.  It was so easy to just toss a pair of running shoes into a bag and you were set.  I involved myself in multisport and mountain running too.  These were probably the most enjoyable of my running times.  On one occasion running enabled me to climb Mt Anglem in a day from Oban in Stewart Island - it was quite a long day.

These days when I go for a run - most of it is walking !!! But these days I'm sometimes bemused when I sit down to dinner with friends who warned me, years ago, that my running would wreck my body - and watch them count out their pills 'to be had with a meal'.

Memoir

I’ve been working on a memoir for the last few years.  It is now finished and printed. I’m more than happy to send out copies.  However I have to charge NZ$40 a copy (NZ postage inclusive) for them. I’ll get extras printed if you contact me by E-mail or do the modern thing and put it directly in our bank account which is 02-0342-0003674-000.  If you do the latter make sure I know who you are and that I have your postal address.  I’ll respond and let you know when to expect the book. 

The pages are stitched and here are roughly 65 000 words, 155 pages and 120 photographs, both black and white and colour.  A good proportion of it is about outdoor experiences, especially in the mountains. Here is the contents page. And a photo from the book.

Contents of "One Foot After Another"

Acknowledgements 6

Introduction 7

Chapter 1 Family Origins 9

Bristol Channel—Pill and Penarth—Ireland—Kent—Pennsylvania—Pahiatua

Chapter 2 Growing Up 15

Before the War—During the War—Post-War (Hastings, Kaponga, Christchurch)—

Xavier College

Chapter 3 Getting There 33

Compulsory Military Training—Early University Training—Lincoln College—

Australia—Catherine—Veterinary Science

Chapter 4 Life at the Workface 46

Christchurch Again—Wallaceville—Ruakura—Bracken Journeys

Chapter 5 Hunting and Fishing Days 58

Hunting—Fishing

Chapter 6 Mountains... only Mountains 67

CMC 1952-1955—Easters, Rangitata and Rakaia—Arrowsmiths and Rakaia—

Cook River—Balfour aborted—Fox Glacier—Antarctica—Queensland—Later Climbs

Chapter 7 National Park Summits 94

Murchison—Tasman—Cook—Aspiring—Taranaki—Ruapehu—Tutoko—

Franklin—Manuoha—Evans—Anglem—Te Mapou—Owen—Lodge

Chapter 8 Nights Out 109

Waimakariri Flats—Lawrence Valley—Mt Cook—Mt Hicks—

Arrowsmith Rescue—Tutoko

Chapter 9 Water Journeys 115

Rafting, Kayaking—Fresh and Saltwater Sailing: Noumea, Tonga,

Auckland Islands, North Island Circumnavigation, Tahiti

Chapter 10 Running and Multisport 138

Harriers and Marathons—Multisport

Chapter 11 Travel 141

Australia—India—India Again—India Yet Again—SE Asia—Antarctica—Europe

Chapter 12 Life at Home 147

Sons and Daughters—Pukawa—Hobbies and Interests

Epilogue 152

Jim Wilson and Pete Hillary leaving Noumea