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This page was last edited on Sunday, 18 September 2005

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Eat spuds and win the World Mountain Running championships 

Posted 15 September 2005 (taken from Scoop and Vegfed press release) Melissa Moon, double World Mountain Running champion, has served as inspiration in the development of the Moonlight potato, New Zealand’s latest dual-purpose main crop potato, positioned to be a huge market success.

The name Moonlight was chosen to honour Melissa Moon, who represents Vegfed (the New Zealand Vegetable and Potato Grower’s Federation) as spokesperson for New Zealand’s fantastic potato, promoting its position as an enviably nutritious and high-energy food source. Melissa is a total potato fan and uses potatoes as an integral part of her training regime. She eat copious amounts of potatoes and it is her preferred carbohydrate food - Melissa will often eat a cold baked potato prior to training or racing, following up with one directly after to replenish energy stores.

First selected as a field-grown seedling at Pukekohe, Auckland in 1988, Moonlight is the result of a Crop and Food Research breeding programme aimed specifically at achieving resistance to a wide range of major pests and diseases.

“Its vigorous growth means it makes more efficient use of fertiliser, particularly nitrogen, making Moonlight a very grower-friendly potato. We are delighted that Melissa has done so well and performed so consistently, and are pleased that we have been able to honour her with a potato variety that is doing the same!” says John Anderson, Potato Breeder for the NZ institute of Crop and Food Research.

Moonlight has quickly gained a reputation for versatility and is being harvested in different areas of New Zealand almost all year round.

“As a fresh market potato it has excellent flavour and can be used successfully for all methods of preparation; boiled, mashed, baked, microwaved, roasted, fried or in salads. Moonlight is a total winner. Just like Melissa Moon, it performs amazingly under pressure!” says Ian Corbett, Moonlight potato grower.

And the new Moonlight potato is supporting Melissa in defending her title at the upcoming World Mountain Running Championships being held on Mt Victoria in Wellington, Sunday the 25th September. The potato will be core to her diet and packs are going to be given out to spectators at the event.

“The carb factor is essential for my mountain running as I need to be mentally and physically energised to deal with the competition. For a person who is exercising, about 60% of their daily energy (calories) should be from carbohydrates. I swear by potatoes. They’ve supported me nutritionally all around the world, providing unfailing energy, and a nutritious natural carbohydrate source that is safe for my body,” says Moon.

According to John Anderson, the way you cook potatoes physically impacts their nutritional constituents, which in turn shapes the energy and nutritional content supplied to the body. Melissa Moon has discovered these benefits and puts them to good use in her sport.

“Cooled cooked potatoes are best pre-race – as cooling cooked potatoes lowers GI significantly, and low GI is best for competition as it provides sustained energy release. However, hot mashed potato having a higher GI, is rapidly and easily digested to absorbable glucose, making it ideal for recovery. So potatoes make the perfect food for athletes!” says Anderson.

Getting a Wriggle on for a quarter century

PW’s PBs

Matt Dravitzki: The Naki boy you can bank on

By Grant McLean, Bush Journo-at-large

He is one of the club stalwarts of recent years, being Todd Stevens's chief A team strategist, and one of our most consistent elite runners, yet in many ways Matthew Dravitzki remains a shadowy figure around Scottish, preferring to let his meticulous planning and results on the roads do his talking.  Being such a doer, he has been harder to get an interview with than Salman Rushdie … until now, that is, when I managed to catch-up with the man himself the only way I know how - via e-mail.

So Matt, how long have you been running? I think I was born running! Seriously, I’ve run ever since I was a young kid. I can remember doing a half marathon when I was eight (not something I would recommend to a kid today). Dad would go out running and I’d just tag along around the farm, etc.

Why did you get into running? I started running because I just enjoyed going for a run. If and when I stop enjoying it, I’ll throw my shoes away.

I heard that you were running quite well at an early age. I ran a 1:29 half marathon at 11. I just beat this guy from New Plymouth who moaned that I elbowed him in the knee cap with a couple of hundred metres to go! However, I think that the achievements by kids get too much recognition. As long as they’re enjoying their sport and stay in it, that’s all that counts. Running as a junior is just serving an apprenticeship. If you’re coaching/advising a kid, you should think about whether you are encouraging them to be in the sport for the long run. Are they learning about the training they’re doing, and ensuring that they’ll continue to improve in their early 20s. That’s when it matters.

And your family has been a strong influence too. The fact that my father and uncle ran was inspiring. I watched my uncle run 2:14 for a marathon when he was a vet. After a slightly uphill section at about the 12k mark, he ran past us and was puffing hard - but he maintained his pace until the finish. My uncle had limited ability (like myself), but he trained hard and put a lot of thought into what he did.  I learnt that if you did that, you could achieve some reasonable results. Dad showed me that you you’ve got to enjoy the sport. He would race as hard as anyone, but he always enjoys a beer and a yarn with his rivals afterwards.

What has been your best running moment so far? Helping Todd and the Scottish boys win the National Road Relay.

What are your running goals? One, to break 2:20 for the marathon. Two, to help New Zealand’s elite runners get world-class times and perform in major championships. And three, to make sure that Grant ‘Macca’ McLean never beats me at anything (the interviewer responds that this is a rather forlorn goal, as Matt came off second best in a tense game of championship mini putt at Taupo in 2001). (Sounds like the exception that proves the rule! - Ed)

What is your training regime and attitude to diet, etc. Training: I start with the philosophy that I’ve got to get fit before I get fast. I’m yet to get fast, but I haven’t given up hope! This means putting in 6-8 weeks of good mileage and hills, etc. before I start quality/speed work. You have to build a strong aerobic base first. If I’m not fit enough to run two hours at a steady pace over a few hills, I’m not fit enough to start any quality training.

My next objective is to raise my AT (anaerobic threshold) as much as possible. It is THE key to running fast in middle and distance running. All of the quality training I do has this goal in mind. I like to understand what I’m doing and how I’m going to go about it. If you’re not going to use your head, don’t take it with you. Put some thought into it, come up with your plan and then get the job done.

I supplement key days (long runs, AT runs, quality sessions) with easy recovery days. The body improves not when you place stress upon it, but as it recovers from stress.

Okay, let’s have your weekly schedule. Well, an average week for me, once I’ve established a sound aerobic base, would be:   

Total distance is about 160k per week including all recovery and supplementary runs - I do about five 30-35 minute morning jogs a week. These are slow (slower than Rob “Angry” Hanratty completing an Ironman).

Diet: My opinion is that diet is overrated in terms of improving sporting performance. I believe in eating lots of good food (carbos, fruit and vegies, a decent amount of red meat, fish and chicken). I drink plenty of water and don’t worry about having a reasonable amount of rubbish (sweets and high fat food) and a few beers, etc. As a distance runner, you’ll burn it off and you need a reasonable amount of fat in your diet anyway. Food is your fuel.

What do you consider as the most prestigious events in New Zealand running? NZ Cross Country Championships (12k) and the National Road Relay Champs.

Who do you respect most in the running world (if anyone)? The people I have the most respect for are the likes of Todd Stevens and Chris Pilone - guys who trained hard, enjoyed their running, gave it their best shot as runners and who have also put something back into the sport. I also have a lot of admiration for people who put a bit of thought into what they did and got the best out of themselves (like my uncle Gerald and Robbie Johnston) - too few of us do.

Would you include Paula Radcliffe as someone who has thought carefully about what she wants to achieve and succeeded, when she may not have had the natural speed/talent of some of her peers?
Paula Radcliffe is definitely someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for. Your comments are spot on, but there are the other reasons I rate her so highly: She's so gutsy, for one. She also trains damn hard (120-130 miles a week) and sticks to her plan. Alberto Salazaar said, "I'd rather lose a fast race than win a slow one". Radcliffe has always pushed the pace and run on the edge. Perhaps it has
cost her one or two races in the short term, but the sport and her own running have benefited in the long term. Compare her 14:31 at Manchester with very little competition to the Kenyans mucking around in the steeples. She wouldn't have earned any more money, etc. for running fast, but she doesn't know how to give anything less than 100% - for that she has earned a lot of respect.

What is your view on the current state of athletics in New Zealand? New Zealand running at the competitive level is in a sad state and it’s going to get worse. It is partially a result of changes in society (kids doing less exercise) and partially our failures as a sport. We lack:

• a large base of athletic talent.

• a national body that has a well formulated plan and the individuals with the ability and initiative to help the sport go forward.

• the right marketing to sell what could be an exciting product.

• sufficient depth (B graders like myself keeping the real runners up front honest)

• a high profile amongst the public and the media.

And where do you think New Zealand athletics is heading? Downhill. I don’t want to sound like a pessimist, because I’m not. There are some positive things happening in the sport - but, by and large, we’re just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Also, much more TV coverage. Athletics is an exciting sport to watch (which sport has the highest Olympic TV ratings?).  But it’s so easy for people to sit on their butts these days and watch TV. We’ve got to bring athletics to them - not wait for them to come to us. A star in the Snell/Walker mould would help get more kids out running.

Do you think New Zealand has the capability to once again achieve at the international level (i.e. secure medals)? New Zealand’s chances of winning three track and field middle distance medals like at Rome in 1960 again are about as likely as Mike Wells being the first P teamer home in a half marathon. We have the capability to do that, but we don’t have the administrative support, talent base, coaching structure, etc. We will have one or two individuals who will achieve at the highest level.

Apart from being a good keen runner what other interests do you have? Other interests: all sports (especially Naki rugby), racing, reading (including running biographies and analysis), the share market. Fave music: Cat Stevens. But I’m also a big fan of New Zealand music (Dave Dobbyn, Neil Finn, etc).

As a man who is aware of the running literature, then, are there any running books you would recommend? The two best running books out there are "Running with Lydiard" and "Daniels' Running Formula" (by Jack Daniels). They're more for people who have done a reasonable amount of running and are looking to improve. One thing I would say: You've got to be careful reading any book by a coach/ runner who says do this or this is what I did. People often present their "ideal" week/training block. They won't write down the week they got injured/ill, etc. Individuals are different and you've got to be a bit flexible. Also, you've got to be patient, as distance running is a long-term thing. Look at Jonathon Wyatt running a 22 second PB at 30 years of age after more than a decade at the top of NZ running.

Runography

So there you have it: some insights from the perspective of a runner who likes to think about how he can get the most out of his running and who is also trying to do his bit to ensure that New Zealand’s elite athletes have the opportunity and support to perform at the highest level. For, while you won’t get Matt saying much about it, along with Simon Panckhurst, he has once again done a great job in providing New Zealand and Australian athletes with a top quality 10,000m race to pursue and achieve world-class times. This recent meet at Inglewood (15 February) resulted in a couple of fine personal bests for Jonathon Wyatt (27:56) and our very own Blair Martin (28:08). Matt, while disappointed with his run, ran a 3 second PB to record 30:04. And let's not forget the top runs from Australians Lee Troup (27:51) and Dean Cavuoto (27:54).

We look forward to seeing what Matt can achieve in the future in his own running career, as at 27 he is only a spring chicken for a marathoner.  We can also expect to see other improvements in the New Zealand athletic scene if Matt is given the opportunity to put his stamp on the future direction of our sport - New Zealand athletics going downhill? - perhaps not.                                             22 February 2003

Michele Allison:  Taking no prisoners on the Makara loop

By Paul Rodway

It’s a common sight on weekday mornings around Wellington: Michele Allison running with her friend Dan Powell pedalling on his bike and Sumo, the family terrier, scurrying along beside her. This regular regime, along with long Sunday runs and Saturday club races, has given Michele a long string of marathon titles in a distance running career that covers two decades and countless running diaries. 

It all began in 1979, when Michele’s sister Bernie Portenski (six years older) went to Rotorua to support her husband Dick and their brother Terry in the marathon. Bernie was inspired by the race, signed up with the Wellington Marathon Clinic in 1980 and ran her first Rotorua that year. She told Michele that she had the right body shape for running marathons and she should give them a go. Michele started running in October and ran the Nelson Marathon a year later. She was 25.

At the time, women were still a rarity in the longer road races. “We ran marathons, halves, and the occasional 10ks and often got top placings.”   After a few years of this, they thought they’d move on from the Marathon Clinic and improve their speed by joining a harrier club.  Scottish club members made the then well-known, road-running sisters feel very welcome on opening day in 1985.  “Our first race was the Dorne Cup. We were absolutely floored by these fast women runners. We had no idea they existed.”   Very few women racing in that Wellington season 17 years ago are still running: Lee Berg, Vicky Humphries and Anne Hare are the only ones that spring to mind. The sibling running rivalry between Michele and Bernie has gone on for a couple of decades.  Michele sometimes gets the better of Bernie, and at other times Bernie has the upper hand.  “Michele can get grumpy about being beaten by Bernie,” says a friend, “but at the same time, she’s incredibly supportive of her older sister.  Criticise Bernie and you’ll feel the sharp edge of Michele’s tongue.”

A couple of Scottish terriers Dan Powell recalls an incident one morning recently when he was biking with Michele along the footpath beside the Old Hutt Road when an aggressive cyclist came up and gave Dan a push from behind. Instantly, Michele took the cyclist on and forced him out into the middle of the road. “She’s a fighting creature, is Michele,” says Dan.

Sumo, the Jack Russell terrier and the fittest dog in Karori, goes on the runs two or three times a week and has occasionally been hit by a car.  “Bumpers are made of softer plastic now. Well, Sumo generally flies up in the air, lands on his feet and trots off,” recalls Dan. “When this happens, Michele goes nuts, ‘That bloody dog,’ she screams. But she’d be mortified if he was really hurt. She’s a softie at heart.”

For a few years in the late 1980s, Michele took up triathlons, but as the family grew, the demands of training in the three disciplines took up too much time, and the gear got too expensive.

Of her 52 marathons (four under 2:50), Michele singles out a couple of memorable races. Her best marathon was the 1999 Fiji marathon when she ran 3:01 in muggy conditions (and pipped Bernie by over five minutes). The other was the New Plymouth marathon in 1993 when she set her personal best time of 2:43.

It's in the genes Another memorable marathon was Invercargill in October 1994. Bernie went to Auckland on the same day and ran that marathon at the same time.  Afterwards, when the sisters rang each other to see how they had gone, they were surprised to learn they had both run 2:50, but even more surprised when they found the seconds to be identical at 52s. One for Ripleys.

Michele is well known for her Makara loop training runs. She has the distance markers in her head, comments a fellow looper, and gets frantic if she falls behind her target times, and ecstatic if she’s ahead. In the club, she’s regarded as a fearsome competitor and a master tactician for the women vets road relay team. She pays close attention to detail in preparing for races: for last year's cross country championships in Carterton, for example, she measured the jumps and built one in her backyard to perfect her technique.

Michele started editing the club newsletter in 1985 and handed the job on only this year.  Another job she took up was running the Western Zones primary schools cross-country races and the occasional inter-zone event.  It started when she had gone to support her daughter in the event and found the event was poorly run.  “This is a mess,” she bluntly told the local schools. “I’ll bloody well organise it. We’ve got to stop this shambles.”  And so the event has had the Allison treatment for the past six years, with national champion role models organised to present winners’ certificates.   There was a time when someone would just have to announce a race and Michele would be there, more often than not winning her age grade. Over the years, she’s been lucky in avoiding major injuries.  This year, she is going through a flat patch and is being more selective about races. “I looked at the Vosseler this year and thought back about all the races I’d done and said to myself, ‘You know, I can’t be bothered.’” Michele works 30 hours a week for the Stock Exchange and is taking the NZSE diploma.

What will you be doing in five years’ time?  “I like being fit. I hope I’ll still be running. But if not, I’ll be doing something, cycling or perhaps swimming. I swim now as a backstop when I’m injured. Yes, perhaps I’ll work on my technique.”  

Dan Powell tells a story about one of those morning runs. Michele, Howard Harman and Dan were taking a break at Pt Jerningham when a plane passed overhead on the way to the airport.  It was a Fokker Friendship (the old NZ Post plane). Howard said on that plane the wings were below the fuselage. Michele disagreed. The conversation ended and the run continued. The next day, Michele came up to Dan and said triumphantly, “Hey, I was right.” 

“I had no idea what she was talking about,” says Dan. “I’d completely forgotten about the plane. But she’d gone home, and immediately called the air-traffic control people and demanded the name of the plane and the location of the wings. That’s Michele, she likes to be right and she’s always competitive.”  

Adds Michele: "I only argue when I know I'm right." Exactly.

20 July 2002

Jim Kerr: It’s not about the bike shorts

By Paul Rodway

“See you.”   That was the dismissive comment Jim Kerr heard from a competitor when he stopped mid-race to take his running spikes off his blistered feet at the cross-country champs a few years ago.  By the time he stood up, the runner was 500 metres ahead. Jim gritted his teeth, and said to himself, “Right, I’m going to beat you.”    At the last hurdle, the Scottish bare-foot runner passed his foe and sealed the result with a streak towards the finish, looking like more a 200-metre sprinter entering the straight than someone who has just run a hard 12k cross-country race.   Another runner had learned that it’s not a good idea to rile the Scottish all-rounder with the thunderous sprint finish. Until two seasons ago, when a wrist injury meant he couldn’t throw, Jim Kerr had been the Scottish track and field participant who relished giving most track and field events a go, racking up club points in the league events.     Jim began his athletics career almost four decades ago, when his parents would drive him from age five from the farm to Dannevirke for Monday night children's athletics.

Jim of all trades  Jim picked up the ability to throw, jump, hurdle and sprint over the years at children's athletics. His coach/mentor in his youth was a very dedicated man - Ray Goggin (his son Stephen ran for Scottish some years ago) - and they still meet up for a chat at the Central League meetings. Yes, Ray is still coaching!  

As a teenage athlete, at one of those league meetings decades ago, Jim recalls having had eight events in one day (three sprints, two hurdles, high and long jumps and a race walk for good measure), collected 26 points and got a write-up in the local rag. While boarding at Dannevirke High  - or was it the year after? - he held a Hawkes Bay Colts 400m title (53 seconds). 

Then at 19, he gave athletics away. “I found I was enjoying the social aspect of rugby and cricket more than the individualism of athletics.”  He had a job in the Bank of New South Wales and over the next few years went from posting to posting around the North Island. He was then asked to go to Wellington. “I insisted on only an 18-month posting here. That was in February 1981.“

In Wellington, he kept up the team sports, adding basketball, and indoor cricket at the top local level.  Then at age 37, he switched from team sports to triathlons, doing the Fay Richwhite event in February 1997. After the race, he found a yellow pamphlet under his windscreen wiper, suggesting he could improve his running through the winter by joining Wellington Scottish. By the following spring, he had lost interest in triathlons and had returned to athletics as his main sport.

Injuries kept at bay Jim has been lucky in avoiding running injuries. He attributes this to keeping his training light: "quality over quantity," plus core strengthening and stretching. As a vet, he runs only three times a week: one long/strong run (of around an hour) and two hard sessions of rep training. The intervals could be 1k repeats at race pace or 400m reps - either at the track or around the coastal roads of Miramar. “I don’t really enjoy doing long slow runs,” he says.

This training is backed up with an exercise regime that stretches and strengthens his hip flexors and abs. He has also improved his basic sprint speed by studying/applying the biomechanics of running, and the role of legs, hips and arms in driving you forward.

Why the trade-mark bike shorts? A laugh. “They’re actually not bike shorts. They’re running shorts. For any event over 5k, I found I chafed badly. These shorts are excellent for stopping chafing.”  

His running philosophy is: “One year older, one year faster.”  So far, he's been successful. Aside from winning the inaugural P Team Trial trophy (a proud moment), his biggest achievements have been the two national age-group decathlon titles.  After that with throwing out of the question for now, he has concentrated on his running and has seen his PBs come down each year.  His 5000m track PB is 17:24, 3000m is 10:06, and the 3000 steeples is 10:48 - all achieved in the 2001 season. “I still haven’t perfected the water jump yet,” he sighs. 

Goals for the future - definitely! Short term - 2002 - run more PBs, participate in the Club Away trips (a must), break 17 minutes for a track 5000m, plus perhaps another age-group national decathlon title with a Wellington record of 5000 points this summer. Long term - keep fit and healthy - still running and enjoying life for many, many years to come. Oh, and keeping something in store for the sprint finish.

The Stevens Dynasty: