12 Dec 2012

Auckland's Golden Mile race back after 30 years

6:49 pm on 12 December 2012

Almost thirty years after the last Queen Street Golden Mile in Auckland, the event is to be run again.

The former Olympic champion Sir John Walker has announced his charity the John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation will hold the event on Easter Monday in April next year almost 30 years after the last one in 1983.

But unlike the earlier street miles which focused on elite athletes, next year's event will embrace the wider community and cater for runners of all abilities and ages.

The first Queen Street mile, was run in December 1972, and was won in a time of 3m 47.6s by Kiwi Tony Polhill, a former British and New Zealand 1500m champion who reached the 1500m final at the Munich Olympics earlier that year.

It lapsed for 10 years, was revived in 1982 and featured a high class field including American Steve Scott and Walker.

A year later Kenya's Mike Boit, ran the event in 3m 28.3 seconds and its remains the fastest time ever recorded over a mile.

While he has run several other road miles, including nine appearances in the New York Fifth Avenue Mile, 1982 was Sir John's first and only Queen St mile.