They're still eating John Kennedy's dust

BY JOHN ALEXANDER

The Marlborough running scene has ebbed and flowed over the years, but one athlete has remained near the top of his game for the last 15 years.

John Kennedy only started running by chance 16 years ago, a late starter at 26, but it soon became apparent that he'd chosen the right sport.

Former Marlborough Harrier Club guru Bob Fox was instrumental in John starting in the sport.

He took his advice and just built into running slowly, gradually increasing his strength and speed.

Back in those days John recalls, there were plenty of experienced runners willing to hand on their advice, people like the late Dennis Patchett, Fox and Paul Newman.

Since then, the champion harrier has won so many races or finished in the top three he can't recall anywhere near all of them.

Last Saturday at Hanmer he celebrated another success.

He and team-mates, Jeremy McKenzie, Billy Hebberd and Ian Thomas, took out the annual Molesworth Run race over a gruelling 84km course through the rugged, dusty, high altitude terrain. Each runner completes between 21-22km over four tortuous legs.

The Rose Rascals team smashed their opposition to win by 50 minutes and for John, the result continued a remarkable sequence in the race he rates his favourite.

It was his eighth win and seventh in a row since he first ran it in 1996, the year after the event started. Thomas and Hebberd have featured in John's winning team for the past three years.

His first win in 2001 broke the Nelson veteran team's previous stranglehold on the race.

In John's team that year were Kelvin Read, Shaun Black and Kim Hogarth, the latter a nationally-ranked runner.

While he's had some very good team-mates with him over the years, JK, as he's known to most, always brings his A game to Molesworth and invariably beats whoever his closest rival is.

Last Saturday he ran leg two over 22km and his time of 1.24.35 was nearly eight minutes clear of the next fastest.

Why is the Molesworth event so special?

"[It's] the bonding side with your cobbers, the scenery, the challenge and drinking the pub dry afterwards.

"It's a real tough course and if you do well it's an added bonus. It's very much a team effort. It's down to the whole team, not just me," says John.

John has won numerous Marlborough Harrier Club titles, the Queen Charlotte relay, King of the Withers, Buller half and full marathons, Woodbourne and Onamalutu half marathons, Tasman cross-country and road titles, and he credits training on the hills, the Wither Hills in particular, as the key to his success.

One of his favourite wins was breaking the veteran men's record in the rugged Croesus Crossing mountain race on the Paparoa Range near Blackball, on the West Coast, where he clocked 2.48.

"That's where my strength is – mountain and off-road running. That's where I train. We are blessed to have the Wither Hills on our back doorstep. That's why Marlborough runners do so well. Dust, wind, high altitude, etc. We get all that in training."

John recently married Shona and the couple have a five-year-old son Liam.

John thinks Liam is already showing promise as a runner.

The couple look after a substantial vineyard in the Omaka Valley, which surrounds their house, working for Rose Agriculture, a company he said has been very good to him, not only through work, but in sponsoring many of his race costs.

There's not much time for anything else after work and running.

"I enjoy home life. We've got a huge section to keep tidy.

"I definitely enjoy a beer and having people around for barbecues."

While turning 40 might be distressing for some people, John said he's glad he's reached the mark because now he's competing against runners his own age for titles and not trying to keep up with speedy 20-year-olds.

Truth is, very few runners of any age could beat him anyway.

- The Marlborough Express