Walker writes a book on NZ’s golden era of running

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by PETER GRACE
Despite his name, Blockhouse Bay parishioner Vern Walker was for some years one of New Zealand’s best runners.
The contemporary of Peter Snell, Barry Magee, Bill Baillie, Marise Chamberlain and other great New Zealand runners has now published a book — Peter Snell, and the Kiwis Who Flew.

Mr Walker told NZ Catholic that he is now 77. More than 60 years ago, he went to Marist Brothers secondary school in Invercargill.
“We had an annual sports day, and the only one in sprints I could beat was a chap in our class who was obese,” he said. “Anyway … they gave me a start in the school mile, which I won,
and that surprised me and everyone else.”
Later, in Auckland, after he had left St Peter’s College, he met some old classmates
at a dance. “They said, ‘Why don’t you come down to St Peter’s and join in a run’? And I did… and I was hooked.”
In 1959 he was 22 and the major road race in the Waikato was Hamilton’s Around the Bridges race over six miles.
“Peter Snell won the race, and I was second, and that drew me into the circle of Peter Snell and Olympic bronze medallist Barry Magee, and we got to training together.”
He also met Arthur Lydiard, Mr Walker said. “Arthur said, ‘Look, I am so busy coaching people. Go to Barry Magee and train with him.’ Well, I improved in the first year so dramatically. I got third in the Auckland Cross Country Championships at Cornwall Park, I got third in
the New Zealand Three Mile Championships. The winner was Murray Halberg and second was Barry Magee.”
He also had success running for a while in Australia. This was the golden era of New Zealand running, 1956-1965, he said, when New Zealand runners broke 23 world records, “and it will never happen again”.
Because he is now housebound caring for his wife, Ali, he discussed with her the idea of a book — and a four-year project was born.
“The help I have had worldwide has been enormous. I have had athletes up and down New Zealand
and all corners of the Earth wanting to recreate what happened 50 to 60 years ago.”
His book was not about old news, Mr Walker said.
“The ability to obtain information from the Internet and YouTube and actually see fi lm from the races [makes] a huge difference.
“I could reach out to people and get an answer within a day or two.”
The foreword is by Peter Snell. “I was on Skype with Peter Snell in Dallas only last month and he was most effusive about the book.”Mr Walker said that October 21 would be the 50th
anniversary of Peter Snell’s gold medal-winning 1500m race at the Tokyo Olympic Games — days after he won gold in the 800m.
Peter Snell and the Kiwis Who Flew is available from book stores and online.

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