5 March 2008

LONDON - In one sense the journey taken by Peter Snell since the triple Olympic champion retired in 1965 is a reappraisal of his past from the perspective offered by time, maturity and distance.

Now in his 70^th year, the best middle-distance runner of his era and the man voted New Zealand’s greatest athlete of the 20^th century is a distinguished sports scientist based in Dallas.

Part of his research has involved confirming a scientific basis for the revolutionary training methods devised half a century ago by the remarkable Auckland milkman and shoe manufacturer Arthur Lydiard.

Through hard thought, wide reading and dogged trial and error, Lydiard concluded that marathon-type training schedules would transform middle-distance running.

To widespread scepticism which lingers today, Lydiard determined that a weekly total of 100 miles (160 kms) was the ideal during the winter conditioning period. The week’s work included a 22-mile Sunday run through the Waitakere mountains, only four miles short of a full marathon.

The results spoke for themselves.

Snell emerged from nowhere to win the 1960 Rome Olympic 800 metres title, broke the world mile, 1,500 and 800 metres records on grass tracks and at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics strode majestically to the 800-1,500 double.