News & Updates

Sixty years ago today, Sir Peter Snell made history by setting the world mile record at Cooks Gardens in Whanganui. We reflect on that landmark achievement with the help of the sixth-place finisher that day – Alex Shaw.

Such was the majesty of Sir Peter Snell’s dazzling world record mile performance at Cooks Gardens one of his rivals that day Alex Shaw did something he never repeated in his athletics career – he purposely slowed down in a race.

As Sir Peter thundered around four-and-a-half laps of the 385yd grass track in a stunning 3:54.4, Alex finished back in sixth – eight seconds outside of his PB.

“I only ran 4:14 that day and like two or three others we slowed down to watch Peter Snell finishing. It was so fabulous,” he says with a chuckle at the memory.

Alex was just one of many gifted New Zealand endurance runners of that era under the inspirational coaching of Arthur Lydiard. Based in the Waikato, Alex was an accomplished performer in a range of distances from one mile to six miles and secured the New Zealand 3000m steeplechase title in 1961.

Now living in Orewa, the 82-year-old former teacher still runs for one hour a day six days a week and he has many fond memories of competing in Cooks Gardens that day 60 years ago.

“I was probably better at the three and six miles and steeplechase than I was the mile, but that day we had a real feeling Peter was about to do something special,” recalls Alex. “Peter was flying around that period and there was a real buzz among the runners. It was not publicly made aware that he was going for the world record, he just said he wanted to run fast – he didn’t want that pressure.”

Yet that afternoon a heart-breaking tragedy occurred when Peter’s friend, Peter Hitchens, drowned when he had an epileptic fit while taking a swim break on the journey to Whanganui.

It was decided that neither Peter or Murray Halberg would be told the news before the race but Alex and other competing athletes in the mile were aware of the tragedy.

“Peter was a good friend of Peter,” explains Alex. “He was a very good runner and the pair worked out and trained together.”

Despite the veil of sadness hanging over the event, Alex, who was staying with the other competing athletes in the Grand Hotel close to the track, describes the atmosphere that night at Cooks Gardens as “electric.”

“It was fabulous, something out of this world,” he adds. “I’d run in a lot of races and there was something about Cooks Gardens which just seemed to capture that magic.”

Running approximately four-and-a-half laps around the 385yd (352m) grass track – squeezed on the inner of the velodrome – Alex was one of seven starters along with fellow Kiwis Sir Peter, Murray and Barry Cossar, Englishman Bruce Tulloh, Australian Albie Thomas and American Ernie Cunliffe.

Alex took an early lead for the first 50m before slipping down the field.

“That was about the end (of my challenge),” he says with a laugh. “I just remember that last lap when Peter just took off in a sprint. The way he could run a mile, I had not never seen anything like it. We were all aghast.”

Slowing down to admire Peter’s performance, the New Zealand running icon went on to chip one tenth of a second off the previous record held by Australia’s Herb Elliott. Alex crossed the line in sixth, recording a time of 4:14.3. He was way down on his PB but simply delighted to have been involved in a moment in history.

“I think that day has to be the most memorable in my career,” he says. “It was not my best performance, but I’ve still got a picture hanging up on my lounge wall of the seven of us about to start of the race,” adds Alex whose grandson is 2019 World Cross Country U20 representative Murdoch McIntyre. “I’m still very proud to have featured in that race.”

“At that time I lived in Hamilton and I told my dad when I got back how disappointed I was with my run,” he says. ‘He replied ‘don’t worry, son, you will remember this race more than any other in your career, I can guarantee it.’ I laughed at the time but some 60 years later he was right.”

Words: Steve Landells