Track Star Confirmed for Queen Street Golden Mile

New Kiwi Track Star Confirmed for Queen Street Golden Mile

Tuesday 29 January 2013: London 1500m Olympic semi-finalist Lucy van Dalen has confirmed her entry in the elite women’s field for the 2013 Queen Street Golden Mile.

A late selection for the NZ Olympic team last year when she ran a qualifying time of 4m 05.76s at San Diego last June, slashing her PB by 6 secs, van Dalen also became the first Kiwi female athlete since Toni Hodgkinson back in 2000 to represent New Zealand in the Olympic 1500m.

Van Dalen, who left Wanganui for Stony Brook University in New York on an athletic scholarship in 2006, is back home for her first summer in six years and this week won the women’s mile at the Cooks Classic in Wanganui in a time of 4m 36.07s. After another race in Christchurch early next month she will head for Melbourne to continue her training.

She aims to return to New Zealand and contest the NZ Athletics Championships at Auckland in late March - seeking a qualifying time for the World Athletics Championships at Moscow in August - and then stay on in Auckland for the race down Queen Street on April 1.

Last held in 1983, the return of the Queen Street Golden Mile is a John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams Foundation (FYFOD) initiative. The aim is to provide athletes young and old the chance to run in the footsteps of champions and, at the same time, generate some revenue to support the work of the Foundation. More details are at www.queenstreetmile.co.nz

Van Dalen says she is looking forward to competing in the elite women’s race and has put out a challenge to other top local and international runners to join her. “It is a chance for women to run a really fast time in a unique race and help benefit Sir John’s Foundation.

“I’d love to see the best Kiwi athletes line up and I’ve made contact with Zoe Buckman (2011 Australian champion) and challenged her to come across and take me on. Getting the Aussie v Kiwi rivalry going would be great.”

Meanwhile fellow Kiwi and 1500m finalist at the London Olympics, Nick Willis, winner of the men’s Cooks Classic in Wanganui, is not able to contest the elite men’s mile because the date for the QSGM clashes with other races both here and overseas.

“It is unfortunate that I committed some time ago to other races around that period,” he says. “I have great respect for Sir John and all he has achieved with his Foundation. I’m sure it will be a most successful event on what promises to be a super-fast track.”

FYFOD Chief Executive Craig Pollock says “we thank Nick for his support, wish him well for 2013 and hope he can be with us next year and are naturally delighted to welcome Lucy as the first elite athlete confirmed for the 2013 Queen Street Golden Mile. We look forward to other international and local athletes entering this prestigious event.”

He says that unlike previous Queen Street miles which had a heavy focus on elite athletes, “this year we will have more than 16 races over a four-hour period on Easter Monday to give as many New Zealanders as possible the chance to run in the footsteps of champions.”

Races planned for the day include under 16, under 19, over 20 and veteran men’s and women’s miles, plus a citizen’s mile for non-registered athletes, a corporate team’s event, the Clash of Codes and the race for wheelchair competitors.

The Queen Street Mile has the support of Mayor Len Brown as well as Auckland Council, Athletics Auckland and the NZ Olympic Committee.

All the races will start at the Queen St/Mayoral Drive intersection with athletes racing to the bottom of Queen Street, across Customs and Quay Streets, finishing on Queen’s Wharf.
More details about the Queen Street Golden Mile are at www.queenstreetmile.co.nz

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